When the White House press speaker announced that Obama will make news in his next speech it would not be pesimistic for anyone to add "same old" before the news, and that is just what we got. Nothing suprising.
A few points LPOY would like to point out is the only part when Ali Saleh is specifically mentioned. First the president said that President Asad of Syria, whose regime is far more brutal and bloody that that of President Saleh's Yemen, was told he should "lead change or get out of the way". So in effect he has been given a choice whereas Saleh was urged to move on transition of power. A very weak statement indeed. So perhaps this is why we see Saleh more stuborn and determined than ever to stay put, he has the support, or if not the support, he has the balance of not being forces, but being urged.
The other point we would like to highlight was the list of trade and investment incentives for transition to democracy that is in line with America's universal values. Instead of aid, there would be trade and istead of assistance there would be investment, or vice versa. These incentives are basically candy. USA finds itself needing to offer candy to the new regimes to toe US policy interests. Allah knows best but if there was to be democracy in Yemen, you may find a majority wanting to follow conservative Islamic lines. This type of democracy is not the type of transition that will win candy.
Israel made its response clear. It is not playing. America's strings may be unravelling.
As for the continuing protests. Personally I hope there is a solution soon and we can all get back to work. The children are starting to pick up some bad behaviour from watching civil disobedience, hearing bad language and the likes on the TV and on the street. My friends children even took to writing over the bedroom walls. My children upon hearing something they don't like immediately exclaim, "Kathaba!" Arabic for liar.
Showing posts with label democracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label democracy. Show all posts
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Monday, 2 May 2011
Usama bin Laden Mawjood!
Posted by Admin:
"Justice has been done." Declared the American President.
Justice indeed is in the Hands of Allah the Most Merciful, and insha Allah Usama bin Laden and those killed along with him are accepted amongst the shuhada'. Not forgetting the BILLIONS of dollars the American government has funnelled away from health, education and welfare services in the hunt for one man.
He may be gone but his legacy has not and the ideology of the establishment of an Islamic State will never die, as Allah the Most Gracious has guaranteed us that there will always be present during all times a "ta'ifat al-Mansoora" a victorious group who are on the truth of Islam.
"They" say that al-Qaeda will die now that Shaikh Usama is gone and the Arab nations rise up against the oppressive rulers, but al-Qaeda will not die, it may change name, shape but in the end the idea of establishing an Islamic state will remain. Once the reality of false freedom of democracy is realised by the Muslim world, they will realise there is no other way to govern other than by what Allah has revealed and that there is no freedom without submission to Allah.
The Arab uprisings will perhaps give groups like al-Qaeda time to rethink some of their strategies and present the Ummah a balanced plan. We, the Ummah need a plan that goes beyond martydom operations and war. What will happen after we gain a victory, how will Islamic governance be implemented on the ground.
Not all Muslims will have the iman to be like Usama bin Laden or those striving in the way of Allah, but to establish Islamic rule the majority of Muslims need to at least support the groups working towards an Islamic state.
Now that "they" have gotten their man, one could expect increased attention by US agencies on al-Qaeda in Yemen (AQAP), especially considering that Imam Anwar al-Awlaki has become the most wanted man and he is in Yemen. We can expect impunity in military actions against AQAP in Yemen. If we look at the operation that lead to the killing of Shaikh Usama we know that the US forces entered and conducted the operation without permission or knowledge of the Pakistani government. One can expect similar action in Yemen and we have already seen such actions taking place in areas of Yemen, especially in the past year.
There have been drone missile strikes (reported in Yemen Times) on targets in Abyan not killing any AQAP but terrifying the locals. The uprising in Yemen has opened a window to unaccountability in military action as emergency law widens the powers of impunity of security forces.
America constantly reiterates that the war on terror is not a war on Muslims. I remember reading an newspaper article title when the war on terror began and it said, "America declares war on an abstract noun."
You can't kill ideas unless you kill every single person with that idea. That's not going to work. Pharoah tried to out-plot Allah by killing all the men of the children of Israel, and in the end the one who undid him was raised in his very house!!! If Allah wants something to happen, it will happen.
May Allah increase the strength of those who strive for His Sake and increase them in victories and support of the Ummah. Allah keep those striving for the establishment of Islam in the lands on the truth and away from oppression and tyrrany. Amin.
On a final note: It has been reported that Shaikh Usama's body has been "burried at sea according to Islamic traditions." Who are they kidding. They were worried his gravesite would become a place of reverence for extremists. Don't they realise that this is against the ideology of "extremists" - the ideology of the Sunnah.
"Justice has been done." Declared the American President.
Justice indeed is in the Hands of Allah the Most Merciful, and insha Allah Usama bin Laden and those killed along with him are accepted amongst the shuhada'. Not forgetting the BILLIONS of dollars the American government has funnelled away from health, education and welfare services in the hunt for one man.
He may be gone but his legacy has not and the ideology of the establishment of an Islamic State will never die, as Allah the Most Gracious has guaranteed us that there will always be present during all times a "ta'ifat al-Mansoora" a victorious group who are on the truth of Islam.
"They" say that al-Qaeda will die now that Shaikh Usama is gone and the Arab nations rise up against the oppressive rulers, but al-Qaeda will not die, it may change name, shape but in the end the idea of establishing an Islamic state will remain. Once the reality of false freedom of democracy is realised by the Muslim world, they will realise there is no other way to govern other than by what Allah has revealed and that there is no freedom without submission to Allah.
The Arab uprisings will perhaps give groups like al-Qaeda time to rethink some of their strategies and present the Ummah a balanced plan. We, the Ummah need a plan that goes beyond martydom operations and war. What will happen after we gain a victory, how will Islamic governance be implemented on the ground.
Not all Muslims will have the iman to be like Usama bin Laden or those striving in the way of Allah, but to establish Islamic rule the majority of Muslims need to at least support the groups working towards an Islamic state.
Now that "they" have gotten their man, one could expect increased attention by US agencies on al-Qaeda in Yemen (AQAP), especially considering that Imam Anwar al-Awlaki has become the most wanted man and he is in Yemen. We can expect impunity in military actions against AQAP in Yemen. If we look at the operation that lead to the killing of Shaikh Usama we know that the US forces entered and conducted the operation without permission or knowledge of the Pakistani government. One can expect similar action in Yemen and we have already seen such actions taking place in areas of Yemen, especially in the past year.
There have been drone missile strikes (reported in Yemen Times) on targets in Abyan not killing any AQAP but terrifying the locals. The uprising in Yemen has opened a window to unaccountability in military action as emergency law widens the powers of impunity of security forces.
America constantly reiterates that the war on terror is not a war on Muslims. I remember reading an newspaper article title when the war on terror began and it said, "America declares war on an abstract noun."
You can't kill ideas unless you kill every single person with that idea. That's not going to work. Pharoah tried to out-plot Allah by killing all the men of the children of Israel, and in the end the one who undid him was raised in his very house!!! If Allah wants something to happen, it will happen.
May Allah increase the strength of those who strive for His Sake and increase them in victories and support of the Ummah. Allah keep those striving for the establishment of Islam in the lands on the truth and away from oppression and tyrrany. Amin.
On a final note: It has been reported that Shaikh Usama's body has been "burried at sea according to Islamic traditions." Who are they kidding. They were worried his gravesite would become a place of reverence for extremists. Don't they realise that this is against the ideology of "extremists" - the ideology of the Sunnah.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Sh#% Rolls Down Hill
It has been 2 months since the anti-government sit in started at the front of Sana'a University, slowly growing and extending along the adjoining streets. The protesters have remained patient and not retaliated violently to violence metted out to them by government forces and their affiliates.
I applaud the audacity of the original sit-inners, but now the situation has become way too big for the youth and well, quite frankly they have bitten off more than they can chew and now need support, help and guidance from those older and more experienced.
Hearing statements from youth expressing disappointment that America has not been more helpful is one such naive idea I have found amongst youth activists. Or the call for democracy and freedom, not realising that democracy does not equate to freedom, but is a system that bends with the desires of the people, which may not always be in keeping with Islamic principles. A move further away from Islam is not a desireable outcome for Yemen or for the Ummah in general.
In fact no matter what system is in place after Saleh leaves, the situation for the people is going to be desperate. Poverty will increase, long with unemployment and lack of opportunities while the new leadership slowly combs out all the knots tied up by the current regime. The patience of the sit-inners will have to continue as all Yemeni hands work to clean up the mess, something that could take an entire generation, pending no future internal conflicts or messy foreign interventions.
Protesters have recently taken to taking walks en masse around the areas near university and have attracted attacks from pro-government affilliates. Yesterday 4 were killed on the Sitteen not too far from Al-Eman University (which is in an Ali Muhsin army area), while on one of these walks. The protesters are frustrated that it is taking so long to dislodge the President and so need to push the point further. Continued killings have prompted responses from EU for the President to hand over power immediately, but America is still weak on resolve in this crisis wanting to support the President for his cooperation in the war on al-Qaeda, and in doing so, creating a police state which people can unite on in opposition to the Saleh regime and American foreign policy.
From what we can see, the President will cling to power as long as he can, buying time with agreements to GCC sponsored talks (which the opposition opposes as talks with the President are a waste of time, no talks until he is gone), and no one really knows how far the President will go in regards to military force upon protestors as well as opposition figures and their families. He may go so far as to "do a Gaddafi".
Allah protect us from such lunacy and strengthen us so not as to let such lunatics rule over the Muslims. Amin.
I applaud the audacity of the original sit-inners, but now the situation has become way too big for the youth and well, quite frankly they have bitten off more than they can chew and now need support, help and guidance from those older and more experienced.
Hearing statements from youth expressing disappointment that America has not been more helpful is one such naive idea I have found amongst youth activists. Or the call for democracy and freedom, not realising that democracy does not equate to freedom, but is a system that bends with the desires of the people, which may not always be in keeping with Islamic principles. A move further away from Islam is not a desireable outcome for Yemen or for the Ummah in general.
In fact no matter what system is in place after Saleh leaves, the situation for the people is going to be desperate. Poverty will increase, long with unemployment and lack of opportunities while the new leadership slowly combs out all the knots tied up by the current regime. The patience of the sit-inners will have to continue as all Yemeni hands work to clean up the mess, something that could take an entire generation, pending no future internal conflicts or messy foreign interventions.
Protesters have recently taken to taking walks en masse around the areas near university and have attracted attacks from pro-government affilliates. Yesterday 4 were killed on the Sitteen not too far from Al-Eman University (which is in an Ali Muhsin army area), while on one of these walks. The protesters are frustrated that it is taking so long to dislodge the President and so need to push the point further. Continued killings have prompted responses from EU for the President to hand over power immediately, but America is still weak on resolve in this crisis wanting to support the President for his cooperation in the war on al-Qaeda, and in doing so, creating a police state which people can unite on in opposition to the Saleh regime and American foreign policy.
From what we can see, the President will cling to power as long as he can, buying time with agreements to GCC sponsored talks (which the opposition opposes as talks with the President are a waste of time, no talks until he is gone), and no one really knows how far the President will go in regards to military force upon protestors as well as opposition figures and their families. He may go so far as to "do a Gaddafi".
Allah protect us from such lunacy and strengthen us so not as to let such lunatics rule over the Muslims. Amin.
Monday, 14 March 2011
Yemen Yarn
The anti-Government protests are not going away any time soon, but I wonder if the protesters realise what they need to do if they are successful in ousting the regime - President and his men.
The President has said he will draw up a new constitution, but the problems with that are that firstly, there isn't a problem with the current constitution, just to tweek a few of the un-Islamic aspects, secondly, why would anyone what a constitution drawn up by the current president and thirdly again there is no real problem with the current constitution except the lack of implementation! The Yemeni constitution is the best of all the Arab states.
The situation here could end similarly to what happened in Romania in 1989 when the people ousted and assassinated the President and his wife. After their victory the people thought it was the biggest party ever and they'd never have to work again. Then their lack of future planning and structure lead to what we have seen in that country ever since. The bubble of optimism burst with the continued corruption and lack of opportunities for the youth, with a brain drain of its citizens to neighbouring European countries. But at least the secret police stopped disappearing people.
The protests in Sana'a have been very well organised and the people are very united in their mission, but after than, their views range from marxism to democracy to Islamic Khalifate and the west is very afraid of the third option.
While sitting in the demonstrations to listen to some speeches, most of which were encouraging the demonstrators not to give up until they have victory, one woman spoke out and was angry about the absence of the voice of the Ulama' (Islamic Clerics). The Clerics are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Some clerics have been speaking, and one of them being Abdul-Majid Zindani, who besides being rector of al-Eman University is also the head of the organisation of Clerics in Yemen. When he speaks, his words represent all the ulema in the organisation. And he is quite clear in is words these days. He encourages peaceful resistance, condemns the use of force by the government against unarmed peaceful protestors and calls for the establishment of an Islamic state.
A Yemeni brother spoke about Amna Siyasi (political security forces) and Amnul-Qaum (bad guy security forces). He highlighted the fact that these security forces are headed by immediate relatives of the President and particularly Amnul-Qaum (which means security of the people) is a misnoma and is in fact Amnul-Kursi (security of the throne). Only the most oppressive of regimes need such a force.
More than 30 have been killed since the demonstrations started and hundreds have been injured many seriously. When security forces in Tunisia and Egypt started using live ammunition on its people the media showed the world and people were horrified, then Libya went an extra step by using air force jets to bomb areas of its people. The Yemeni Government, or Saleh and Co. have been bombing its people for a long time now and have been able to brush it off with the fighting al-Qaeda and the War on Terror claim. And with that there is no complaint from anyone, well at least not anyone who is listened to.
The President has said he will draw up a new constitution, but the problems with that are that firstly, there isn't a problem with the current constitution, just to tweek a few of the un-Islamic aspects, secondly, why would anyone what a constitution drawn up by the current president and thirdly again there is no real problem with the current constitution except the lack of implementation! The Yemeni constitution is the best of all the Arab states.
The situation here could end similarly to what happened in Romania in 1989 when the people ousted and assassinated the President and his wife. After their victory the people thought it was the biggest party ever and they'd never have to work again. Then their lack of future planning and structure lead to what we have seen in that country ever since. The bubble of optimism burst with the continued corruption and lack of opportunities for the youth, with a brain drain of its citizens to neighbouring European countries. But at least the secret police stopped disappearing people.
The protests in Sana'a have been very well organised and the people are very united in their mission, but after than, their views range from marxism to democracy to Islamic Khalifate and the west is very afraid of the third option.
While sitting in the demonstrations to listen to some speeches, most of which were encouraging the demonstrators not to give up until they have victory, one woman spoke out and was angry about the absence of the voice of the Ulama' (Islamic Clerics). The Clerics are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Some clerics have been speaking, and one of them being Abdul-Majid Zindani, who besides being rector of al-Eman University is also the head of the organisation of Clerics in Yemen. When he speaks, his words represent all the ulema in the organisation. And he is quite clear in is words these days. He encourages peaceful resistance, condemns the use of force by the government against unarmed peaceful protestors and calls for the establishment of an Islamic state.
A Yemeni brother spoke about Amna Siyasi (political security forces) and Amnul-Qaum (bad guy security forces). He highlighted the fact that these security forces are headed by immediate relatives of the President and particularly Amnul-Qaum (which means security of the people) is a misnoma and is in fact Amnul-Kursi (security of the throne). Only the most oppressive of regimes need such a force.
More than 30 have been killed since the demonstrations started and hundreds have been injured many seriously. When security forces in Tunisia and Egypt started using live ammunition on its people the media showed the world and people were horrified, then Libya went an extra step by using air force jets to bomb areas of its people. The Yemeni Government, or Saleh and Co. have been bombing its people for a long time now and have been able to brush it off with the fighting al-Qaeda and the War on Terror claim. And with that there is no complaint from anyone, well at least not anyone who is listened to.
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Al-Jazeera Coverage
Wind the clock back to when the Palestinian Papers were saturating the news coverage on Al-Jazeera English. It was not clear whether the purpose was to discredit the Palestinian Authority or to show that it is in fact Israel who is not a true peace partner or to rub salt in the wounds of the Palestinian people, and those close to the cause. Maybe all three. But really, was anyone suprised by any of the information in the leaks?
None the less, I became bored with the never ending analysis and "what do you make of these leaks?" asked to every Middle East boffin between here and Washington. Nothing will change for the Palestinian situation until the Arab world changes and stops supporting American foreign policy especially in regard to Israel. So to stop wasting my time I changed channel - to the BBC world service and was delighted to find out there would be a special program on that night about Yemen - Is it a failed state? Cliche!
The time came for the program to start when breaking news came in - the Tunisian President had stepped down a fled to Saudi Arabia. So now there was blanket coverage of the events before, during and after the Presidents demise. Palestinian Papers were filed away for a rainy day and no Yemen program.
I felt happy a dictator had fallen, but I wanted to watch my Yemen program. "Yemen needs an uprising if it is going to get any airtime now," I thought to myself. Then Tunis news was eaten up by Egyptian news. And then the domino effect, I think you get my drift.
So Yemen whose people have been demonstrating for years, is actually getting quite a bit of news time on Al-Jazeera and it feels that the broadcaster is almost encouraging, tempting further dictator demises, giving lots of coverage on protests in Algeria, Yemen, Bahrain and Libya. And especially the words of President Obama and Hilary Clinton encouraging the people of the Middle East to rise up against evil dictators, and that America supports the democratic aspirations of all people.
After all these decades of supporting these dictators America wipes its hands of them and is now tempting the people. I hope the people see the emptiness of the American words. America supports the democratic aspirations of Muslims towards kufr - disbelief. Don't let their words decieve you, and what makes you think they will stand by you once they have achieved their aims. Dispensable, the people of the Middle East are dispensible, always have been and always will be.
So what happened as after of the Palestine Papers...oh yeah, thats right, Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian chief negotiator stepped down. The Arab world started making big moves towards change and hope has been reborn...Maybe I and many others I know will stop being bored with Palestine coverage once new Arab governments ammend the foreign policies of old.
None the less, I became bored with the never ending analysis and "what do you make of these leaks?" asked to every Middle East boffin between here and Washington. Nothing will change for the Palestinian situation until the Arab world changes and stops supporting American foreign policy especially in regard to Israel. So to stop wasting my time I changed channel - to the BBC world service and was delighted to find out there would be a special program on that night about Yemen - Is it a failed state? Cliche!
The time came for the program to start when breaking news came in - the Tunisian President had stepped down a fled to Saudi Arabia. So now there was blanket coverage of the events before, during and after the Presidents demise. Palestinian Papers were filed away for a rainy day and no Yemen program.
I felt happy a dictator had fallen, but I wanted to watch my Yemen program. "Yemen needs an uprising if it is going to get any airtime now," I thought to myself. Then Tunis news was eaten up by Egyptian news. And then the domino effect, I think you get my drift.
So Yemen whose people have been demonstrating for years, is actually getting quite a bit of news time on Al-Jazeera and it feels that the broadcaster is almost encouraging, tempting further dictator demises, giving lots of coverage on protests in Algeria, Yemen, Bahrain and Libya. And especially the words of President Obama and Hilary Clinton encouraging the people of the Middle East to rise up against evil dictators, and that America supports the democratic aspirations of all people.
After all these decades of supporting these dictators America wipes its hands of them and is now tempting the people. I hope the people see the emptiness of the American words. America supports the democratic aspirations of Muslims towards kufr - disbelief. Don't let their words decieve you, and what makes you think they will stand by you once they have achieved their aims. Dispensable, the people of the Middle East are dispensible, always have been and always will be.
So what happened as after of the Palestine Papers...oh yeah, thats right, Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian chief negotiator stepped down. The Arab world started making big moves towards change and hope has been reborn...Maybe I and many others I know will stop being bored with Palestine coverage once new Arab governments ammend the foreign policies of old.
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Sana'a Demonstrations 2
As I sit here in the internet cafe, I can hear youths in the street calling people to come to the protests on the side of the Government. "Support Ali Abdullah Saleh, come now to the square," they chant - but in Arabic.
Of course I am staying well away from protests, except for these words I share with you here.
Protests in Yemen are not like protests elsewhere. Things were ugly yesterday, if the pictures on the news are anything to judge by, but I could imagine things getting very ugly. Most people have firearms, even women often have a small handgun stashed in their handbags. It is not anything unsual.
How it looks from my armchair (although I dont actually have a single chair in my house), if Ali goes a tribal struggle will ensure. An opportunity will open for AQAP which I would not rule out as a negative, if they are organised and principled, then why not! Then foreign interests will get aggitated and need to become very involved in regime change and AQAP rejection.
Who knows where this could go. But as for democracy...O people of Yemen, do not become intoxicated by false beliefs of freedom. Democracy doesn't mean freedom, it means following ones personal desires and following man made law above the laws given to you in your own language by Allah the Most High, Most Just.
Of course I am staying well away from protests, except for these words I share with you here.
Protests in Yemen are not like protests elsewhere. Things were ugly yesterday, if the pictures on the news are anything to judge by, but I could imagine things getting very ugly. Most people have firearms, even women often have a small handgun stashed in their handbags. It is not anything unsual.
How it looks from my armchair (although I dont actually have a single chair in my house), if Ali goes a tribal struggle will ensure. An opportunity will open for AQAP which I would not rule out as a negative, if they are organised and principled, then why not! Then foreign interests will get aggitated and need to become very involved in regime change and AQAP rejection.
Who knows where this could go. But as for democracy...O people of Yemen, do not become intoxicated by false beliefs of freedom. Democracy doesn't mean freedom, it means following ones personal desires and following man made law above the laws given to you in your own language by Allah the Most High, Most Just.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)