On Despots, Genocide, and the Campaign for an Islamic Pope

“I am surrounded by priests who repeat incessantly that their kingdom is not of this world, and yet they lay their hands on everything they can get” Napoleon Bonaparte

"Saudi Salafism hopes to appear more liberal at the Madrid dialog." al-Rasid, (Saudi activist Shi'a web site)

Media Tour: Hired and other Media on Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, etc.
"Don't expect much from the new government (cabinet) of Lebanon. Hizbullah and Iran have a veto power, and even Syria has a seat." Chief editor, Asharq alawsat.

Fact is, everybody has a seat at the Lebanese cabinet, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United States, and France. Lebanon's new cabinet has not been welcomed by the Saudis. If the controlled media is any indication, the cabinet in which Hizbullah and her allies now hold the veto power is clearly considered a political defeat for the Saudi side. Announcement of the cabinet had clearly stunned the media because it took them a while to report it.

Meanwhile, some Saudi mouthpieces in other Gulf states have taken to attacking Qatari rulers again for their role in the Lebanese settlement, which ended the old Ta'if deal. As the following quotes indicate, they have had their marching orders:

"Exactly one week ago, Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasim al-Thani, Prime Minsiter of Qatar, invested US$43 million in an Israeli medical company called 'Medical Industries-D'" Columnist on last page of alwatan, Kuwait, July 12, 2008.

"On July 7, 2008, an amount of US$5 milliom was deposited in the account of the Speaker of the Lebanese parliament in Zurich. The money was received from the Qatari prime minister, and is part of regularly scheduled payments. Soon, Speaker Berri will be richer than Sa'ad Hariri." Same coumnist, same day in alwatan, Kuwait. I doubt it, Hariri will always be richer because his paymasters have deeper pockets.

"On July 3, General Michel Oun (Christian ally of Hizbullah) received US$20 million from Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasim al-Thani of Qatar, which raises the total amount he has received since the Doha Agreement to US$60 million." Same columnist in alwatan, July 12, 2008.

"Reliable sources have told us that the recent border agreement signed by Prince Nayef Bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, Saudi Interior MInister, among other things, and Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasim al-Thani, Qatari prime minister, includes Qatar ceding three locations to her big neighbor. As well as an official promise that aljazeera TV will not be allowed to insult Saudi Arabia again." Same columnist in the same alwatan, July 12, 2008.

"The same reliable sources told us that Israeli prime minister Olmert has told Egyptian president Husni Mubarak recently (he must have woken up from his longgg nap) that Tel Aviv will strike at Iran." Probably wishful thinking by the same columnist in alwatan, Kuwait, July 12, 2008.

"The Arab League has announced that it will hold an urgent emergency meeting of foreign ministers on the indictment of Sudanese president Omar al-Basheer, without setting a date for the meeting." alarabiya. Coming to the aid of a fellow despot in trouble?

"Sudanese parties considered that the possibility of an arrest warrant against the president is a move that targets Sudan and is against its sovereignty." alalam (Iranian TV), which conveniently did not specify which parties supported Ahmadinejad's favorite despot.

"Iran promises to work toward release of four of its diplomats kidnapped in Beirut since 1982." alalam

"Iran will target 32 American bases and the heart of the 'Israeli entity' if attacked." alalam

Some Arab media speculate that the Bush administration is angry at Iraqi PM al-Maliki for defying it and rejecting the draft security agreement as it is. King Abdul of Jordan canceled a state visit, first by an Arab leader to Baghdad, soon after. Some Arabs believe that the Bush administration have talked him into canceling it, as punishment or warning to the Iraqis. Other Arabs differ: they believe that the Bush administration 'ordered' King Abdul to cancel the visit, just as they had earlier ordered him to make it.

"Ron Arad's family given new photo: Israel receives two new pictures, snippets of letters and excerpts from a diary as part of swap deal (with Hizbullah)." Jerusalem Post, July 13, 2008.

"Snoop Dogg is planning a tour in Israel , but Palestinian groups are urging him to cancel."

Prepping a Saudi Pope?:
"Huge efforts by the Saudi monarch to establish international dialog: the invitation of king ABdullah Bin Abdulaziz al-Saud for a dialog among heavenly religions, civilizations, and cultures, repersents a call to peace and coexistence among all peoples, since all Muslim countries have adopted the royal initiative, and reacted to it in such a way that proves to the whole world that Islam is the religion of peace and coexistence with others, and disproved any connection between Islam and terrorism, and that terrorism exists everywhere in the world and does not differentiate among religions......yadda, yadda, yadda, and more yadda." Elaph editorial, July 12, 2008
My own two cents:The Saudi king is sponsoring and chairing an inter-faith dialog next week that is also sponsored by the Islamic World Institute. It includes representatives of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism- Hindus, Buddhists, and Europe's vast community of agnostics and atheists need not apply. There will be shaikhs, imams, parsons, priests, and rabbis.

The catch is: it is not being held in Riyadh, the Saudi capital where the hosts rule. It is being held in Madrid, from whence Fernando and Ysabel, from their joint conjugal throne of Castile and Aragon led the reconquista in 1492.

The Saudi king might be a well-meaning man, but they are hosting the conference in Madrid- not in Riyadh! That saves them the 'embarrassment' of having rabbis with top hats and yarmulkes land in Riyadh or Jeddah.

The Saudi-controlled media, the vastest and best financed in the Middle East, have given it extensive coverage. Their in-house and hired intellectuals have tried to drum up enthusiasm. The rest of the world media have yawned and taken a pass. Most Europeans couldn't care less about interfaith matters: to them faith is mainly a private matter between a person and his chosen deity, which sounds like a reasonable arrangement.

In the kingdom of dialog, as in the Islamic republic across the Persian-American Gulf, one can lose his or her head or rot in prison if one dialogs too much, as many Sunni reformists (e.g Dr. Matrouk al-Falih) and Shi’a activists can attest.

In the kingdom of dialog, this new apparent opening to dialog is most likely the creation of some public relations firm in Washington, DC. Not necessarily on K Street, but close. Or maybe they now have local branches.

Cheers
Mohammed