Sadrist deputies, representing the Muqtada al-Sadr movement in Iraq’s parliament, have managed to obtain signatures of a majority of 144 members, out of a total of 275, on a bill that sets a time limit for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. No word yet if Muqtada, affectionately called Mookie by neocons, plans to run in the New Hampshire primary against Hillary and Barack.
The draft law was handed to the Speaker of Parliament (a Sunni). The Speaker himself was involved in a quarrel with another lawmaker earlier this week, and he ended up slapping the other man. No duel is expected because of the slap since he used his bare hand instead of a silk glove. Besides, they do not duel in Iraq these days, they ambush each other, or use car bombs.

Another major suicide bombing in Kurdistan killed and wounded at least 200 people. Looks like the center of bloody gravity in Iraq is moving north as the date for the referendum on Kirkuk nears. A bomb near Baghdad killed a mere 50 people or so. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for killing several U.S soldiers and abducting three yesterday. Looks like in spite of its problems with some tribal sheikhs in al-Anbar, al Qaeda is resilient enough to move around and operate in the central and western Sunni regions of Iraq. Taking 3 U.S soldiers alive is an unprecedented thing for the terrorist group. How did it happen? Who slipped? Did some Iraqi soldiers or officers aid and abet the fuzzywuzzies?

Iraq’s largest political party, the Shi’a SCIRI, has decided to remove the R, standing for ‘Revolution’, from its acronym. Which makes sense, since the party is now part of the ruling coalition, and not 'revolting' anymore. Reports also indicate that the party will consider Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in Najaf, its main source of council on matters of faith. This would replace the Iranian Ali Khamenai, to whom they looked for guidance after the assassination of its leader, Ayatollah al-Hakim in the summer of 2003. This would also presumably put some distance between SCIRI (-R) and the Iranian leaders, who love their 'R' and want to continue to be revolting- perhaps not as revolting as som Arab leaders, but close.

Iran’s Ahmadijejad is stalking V.P Dick Cheney around the Gulf. He is making his own round of the Persian Gulf states right on the heels of Mr. Cheney. Almost nipping at his heels.

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday beheaded an Ethiopian woman convicted of killing a man over a dispute. The woman, Khadija Bint Ibrahim Moussa, was found guilty of stabbing the victim. Officials said that she had stabbed him in the neck while he was asleep and then beat his head with a glass bottle (she must have been really pissed about something). She was executed in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, the second woman executed this year.

Saudi Arabia executes people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape, armed robbery, homosexuality, practicing witchcraft, resorting to witchcraft, consorting with the djinn, apostasy, kicking a television set showing at least one prince on the air, and notconformity, among other things. In fact, Islam never set any punishments for drugs and armed robbery in the Holy Book or the Hadith, simply because drugs did not exist and armed robbery was a legitimate and respectable avocation among the tribes for some time. As for nonconformity: well, Islam was quite nonconformist in its early years, as was the Prophet himself obviously. You don't start a new faith by conforming to the old one- aren't all religions that way at the beginning?
Beheadings are carried out with a sword in a public square. Most of those executed tend to be from poorer third world countries, the exception being those convicted of terrorism.
Cheers
Mohammed