Inside the Asylum

The Turks and Persians (amongst others) always resent it when they get lumped in with the Arabs just because they are all Muslims. They get especially offended when ignorant foreigners actually call them Arabs. Thus it's no surprise to read the following opinion piece published in Turkey on the website for Hurriyet Daily News.

What Muslims world? As well meaning as it sounds, the term "Muslim world" is a trap. The president should disown this term... No one would creditably argue that Guatemalans, Germans, or Guineans are the same because they are Christians, and it's as nonsensical to lump Turks, Trinidadians, and Tunisians together simply because they also happen to be Muslim...
This term is not only an analytical error, but also a critical public diplomacy mistake. Islamic ideologues are the only group that strongly advocates the belief that all Muslims belong to a politically united global community... A Muslim World is Al-Qaeda's conception.

It reminds me of when I was in Turkey and I heard an American make an observation to a Turk along these lines (I can't remember the exact words)

American: "I'm surprised at a lot of what I see here. It's not at all what I expected in a Muslim country."
Turk: "Turkey is not a Muslim country! It is a secular republic in which 90-something percent of the country happen to be Muslim!"

The Turk was most emphatic on this point. He later went on to lecture us about how Turkey is the exact opposite of the Saudi or Iranian models which are essentially theocratic nations, while Turkey presents an alternate in which predominantly Muslim countries can choose the path of secular democracy. This was his view, not mine. I know that Turkey has its own problems, but I think it presents a better model than most of the other options.

I can't see any other way to interpret this comment. Screw Israel, but aside from that, keep your effing nose out of our affairs.

"Don't be biased towards Israel, don't interfere in countries' internal affairs and don't give lessons in democracy," advised a front-page editorial in Egypt's state-owned Al-Rose al-Youssef.

I suspect the Egyptians would go along with Yemen's suggestion though: give us money!

Al Eryani told the New York Times that Yemen has helped the US fight terrorism but “the United States has not done enough to help us fight poverty, the twin brother of terrorism."

When I read that GM is likely to sell the Hummer brand to the Chinese, my first thought was "holy crap! They might as well sell GI Joe to the Chinese." My second thought was "GI Joe toys are probably already made in China." My third thought was that it's actually a pretty good move on the part of the Chinese company. Hummers are really popular in China at the moment, especially as wedding limousines. Don't ask me why. They just are.

China does not care about the global anti-suv-hype, neither does it care about high fuel prices. The rich and famous Chinese want Hummers, real Hummers.

Come to think of it ... having been on Chinese roads and lived to tell the tale, I think my ideal vehicle would be an M1 Abrams, but failing that I guess a Hummer would do.

Not so long ago Obama was saying that there should be no preconditions on talks with America's enemies. Of course, that was before he was elected. Now we hear

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro on Tuesday rejected the conditions placed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a possible "open dialogue" between Washington and Havana. In an article entitled "The Clapping and the Silence," published by Cuban media on Tuesday, Castro described Clinton's announcement on the possible resumption of bilateral talks on migration and direct mail service as "rude and far from being diplomatic."

I'm not saying that Clinton is necessarily wrong here ... but it might be nice to have a little bit less bare faced hypocrisy from the Democrats. After all, Obama just said

The United States can be a "role model" to the Muslim world, President Barack Obama said in an interview broadcast on Tuesday.

He wants them to model his administration's constant practice of promising one thing and then doing another? Well, when talking about the Middle East (regardless of which country) he can at least be sure he'll get his wish on that one!

Al-Qaeda's number two is Ayman al-Zawahiri (until a drone gets him, and then someone else will move up the ranks). In fact, I strongly suspect that Bin Laden has been dead for years, but no one has an interest in admitting it or claiming it, so his status will forever remain indeterminate. In the mean time, the Al-Qaeda number two is effectively the head man. I've had a few conversations with Arabs from the Middle East that have had me thinking I was speaking to someone from a parallel universe. (Note: I am not saying that all Arabs are like this. I am merely observing that I have had a few conversations with particular Arabs who match my description. Sheesh. Don't over interpret my words, OK?) They were basically paranoid conspiracy theory nuts with alien abduction, black helicopters, manic Mel Gibson, Da Vinci Code, crystal gazing, baby snatching, etc all rolled into one. I suspect the near absence of interest in the outside world as evidenced by their lack of translations is a reflection / cause of this. Ayman al-Zawahiri is a case in point.

He urged Egyptians to shun Obama - "that criminal who came seeking, with deception, to obtain what he failed to achieve on the ground after the mujahedeen ruined the project of the Crusader America in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia."

He's almost as bad as Biden (who thinks the French and Americans kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon). Still, he's not a fan of Obama, so I guess it really does prove the saying that there's a little bit of good in everyone.