Why Washington is always missing the point on the Middle East

Because they rely on wrong informations .
I was reading this article by Marc Lynch, trying to analyse why the Arab springs have not taken place yet, not in full swing at least, in the countries of the Gulf .
The reasoning evolves around the issue of absolute monarchies .
It goes completely off track .
I am sure, as I read on his biography, that he is a great academic, but I assume he has no experience on the ground .

First of all, we can't forget the role played by Western powers prior and during the springs, and so we need to consider the different type of relation, each European country and America had with the rulers and governments of Maghreb .
Different relations mean different impacts on their economies as well, other than the political level .
The monarchies of the Gulf have always been more independent in their alliances with the West .

Then there are different traditions and culture .
The tribal environment in the Gulf is pretty different than that of Northern Africa .
This turns also into different approaches toward life, which is one of the reasons why, there have been light revolts which up to now brought no real revolution .
The rulers in the Gulf area deeply know his people and always worked for them .
Never took away from them the wealth coming from the oil, and never gave it to them just as money .
But they always gave them the best in terms of services, such as schools, hospitals and benefits .
Contrary to what was happening in Africa, they did their best to empower their people .
This is something probably unknown here, due to negative reports from the press, but it is the reality .
And the religion as well, despite differences in sects, unites people with their rulers .

Monarchs in the Gulf never gave up on their relationships with the people .
They always worked for them but of course made mistakes .
This is why in any kind of rebellion from Oman to Bahrain, the rage of the people was mostly against corruption of the middle men without holding rulers responsible .
There is a small number of persons who think otherwise, but for now they are a minority .

This is the point that few in the rooms of power in the West, cannot understand .

Extremists at home

I don't know whether this report on Saudi mufti statement, is true or not .
Saying that extremists must be kept out of Mosques, it is very strong .
But definitely sheikh al Sudais praising security forces, is an important step .

Often non Muslims ask why our muftis and imams do not excommunicate extremists .
And it is difficult to let them understand that we do not create or modify rulings just like that .
There has always been strong condemnation against terrorism, but of course it was not highlighted by Western press .

There were always speculations on the reason why bin laden, never brought attacks on Arab lands, and many thought this happened cause he had been given money from local rulers .
In my humble opinion, he was just smart enough to understand, that bringing blood on Muslim soil, that would have turned people against him .
Touching with their own hands, the cruelty of his jihad, would have surely kept them away from him .

Egoistically speaking, it is good if they have a taste of the sufferance and discomfort that extremism has on our lives, same as it happens here in the West .
That should push our brothers and sisters in Muslim lands, to speak and act in more an effective way against those who hijack Islam.

Divorces

It is difficult to understand from this report how exactly education in Oman really influences the ratio of divorce .
It needs to be remembered that nowadays both men and women, are not only educated, but also travel abroad more easily, so there is a chance for both genders to be educated and more aware of modern life problems . And that explains also why they choose to have less children .
It is very possible that women with bachelors and masters, get married with men of their kind, and also later than they used to do, so they are definitely more experienced .
It needs to be seen also, on which range of tribes, the study was conducted and if in Muscat, or rural areas .
If mainly on those being reluctant to accept divorce, than the numbers can be low .
Still there is a significant part of men anyway, who decide to go for second wife, out of boredom or to show off, and their first wives do not oppose any kind of reaction, at least apparently .
There are many situations which up to now are kept in silence, because private life is sacred for Arabs and Muslims, and not all of them are pleasant .
But thanks God, education is indeed helping .

Not banned

Life in Kuwait: Augmentin Antibotics banned in UAE: I wonder if this is the same one they give out here. Every time I take my kids to the clinic they give Augmentin like it's going out of styl...

I was checking on the news if any of this batch is also here in Europe .
And apparently is just in the UAE .
What surprised me most, til a certain extent, since I should have learned by now some crazy Gulf habits, is the titles in newspapers .
Nowadays not many are so patient and educated to read the full article, so just by the title one may think that the whole brand has a problem .
In reality the Minister already ordered to supply other batches .
Not sure how many got the message correctly .

Exposed

Perhaps this incident will force Aramco to review its IT and computer systems policies, especially policies that allow multiple users access to both unclassified and classified information at the same time. Aramco should also reconsider the policy which allows expatriate employees to run information systems and then divulge such information following their exit from the country. 

In my opinion, such policies expose our companies’ systems to hackers.Muhammad Mashat Al-Madinah newspaper translated on Saudigazette


There is an interesting shadow of thought in the concept expressed by the columnist .
And it is in the fact that he considers foreigners as the only medium through which a crime can be perpetrated .
Having learned today that a terror plot was uncovered, the theory of the bad expats, is slightly untrue .

There is some ignorance in this way of thinking and also the inability to analyse facts .
But with time and education some flaws will be cured .

Allowed to go home

Talking to ‘Private News Channel’, the deportees said they remained in the custody of Muscat police for one month, adding they paid Rs30,000 to Rs40,000 to agents for reaching Oman.

‘We wanted to go Oman illegally through agents’, the deportees said.

Earlier, around 500 Pakistanis deported from Oman arrived at Ghass Bander Kemari after they were allowed to enter Pakistan on the directives of Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Ghauri.

FIA investigated them and custom officials scrutinized the documents of the deportees at the Ghass Bander and later they were allowed to go home.

Deportees allowed to go home

Unfortunately this is quite an ordinary story of misery and exploitation .
Hundreds monthly arrive to the Gulf coasts from Asian countries, hoping for a job allowing them to send money home for their families .
And there's a huge market behind this .
There are local agents who organize the whole thing, expatriates in the Arab country of destination, and of course locals, who help to provide either the visa later, or at least accomodation, that is one room for ten or fifteen people .
This happens also in every country of the world .

What is strange though, is the second part of the story, which is the way they were dealt with, to go back home .
There are different versions online on the episode, but I think we can assess they were all put on that boat called al Basit (oddly enough, it is one of the 99 names of Allah and it means the reliever) and sent back home, piled up like animals .
Now if it's correct, when it is stated that no one at the port of arrival knew about them, then the biggest responsibility of what happened, goes to Oman authorities .
My guess is they did not even alert the embassy on the issue .
Or the embassy may have just ignored and told them to provide by themselves .
But we are speaking about 500 Pakistanis, not just a bunch .
So I tend to believe the guilt is on Oman side .
In either cases, those people were one more time victims of injustice .
No one will go on barricades for them, as they are not pussy riots .
But it would be fair to investigate and punish those who did this .
In 2012 we cannot treat desperate people that way .
We must respect human dignity .

Why I will not read Matt Bissonette book

I am not sure anybody out there is interested, but I just want to make my point .

After I converted to Islam, I started to have problems with my family .
It was issues I hadn't seen coming, because of the way religion is lived, here in Italy .
True that very few are practicing Catholics, and even less know exactly what's being taught to them at schools and churches, but Catholicism is a sort of talisman, something each national is born with, without asking .
So cutting with it, for an Italian, often means also to cut with roots, a part of them at least .
It became so uncomfortable to live with my family, that I decided to move to the M.E.
There things unfolded also worse, because for how much one loves the culture, he or she will never be part of it .
And Islam is only a part of Arab culture, important but just a part .
There in the Gulf, I had the opportunity to challenge myself, to know different people, to appreciate other aspects of life .
But all in all, it was an awful adventure .
My local sponsor cheated me, a guy stole all my money, most of the people I thought to be friends, just turned their back, and I had to rush back home .
I had gone there with a bunch of money and dreams .
Had to go, also blacklisted for three years, because a dishonest person asked me for money, big money, left me without visa and ran away .
I entered like a princess and went out like a beggar, all this because a bastard took advantage of my silly good heart .
After two years I am back home, I'm still missing the place and people and trying to go there again but with no positive outcome .
I rejoined my family also sewing fractures there had been between us in the past .
Actually I am not happy, but at least I'm alive and that's a lot .

In all these years and carrying on with tribulations, I've always thought that my disgraces had been caused by only one person : Osama bin Laden .
If he hadn't done what he did, I was thinking, I would not have even tried to go out .
In reality bin Laden was just a symptom .

The real disease is that Italians are not used to deal with differences .
Multiculturalism is an unknown word to them .
They cannot come to terms with the fact, that despite being raised in this culture, one can be perfectly happy by adding to his/her interests another inclination, like a different religion, or also can come from a mixed background .
In Arab lands instead, they haven't realized that Arabs are just leaving aside their religion, they behave as if they were not Muslims.
They cheat, they lie, they misbehave as if they had no morals .
These were the real causes of my troubles, other than the fact that I was not good in making choices .

Along with the years I've been pondering on the happenings of my life and on how they were related to the world events .
In the same way that, I was telling to myself the tale that bin Laden was responsible for my tribulations, on the other hand, I was listening to political and police experts, sociologists and media persons and understanding that OBL was the root of all evils .
And also, every time there was some story or details around him and his family, the way he started, the way he was thinking or speaking, I was just listening .
I listened to each kind of theory about his life and misfits  and about his capture .
I learned about his background, his evolution (if it can be defined thus), his wives and children, his habits, everything .
When he was captured and killed I spent hours in front of television and computer to know details .
So I was thinking it was finally finished .

But the next day I woke up and realized it was not .
People in my country are still racists and bigots (many not all), Arab Muslims still prefer beer to prayer (many as well, not all) and Obama is still there blabbering about terrorism and launching drones, specially at elections time .

So I realized that the problem was not Osama bin Laden .
He was just a tool in the hands of God, to let us understand we have problems and we must solve them, following His way .

I don't think this book either, will change anything .
And I will not buy it, despite being passionate of police operations .
Also the true name of the author, reminds more of a baguette than a war hero .
And last but not least, Penguin is the editor of books which I used to read when I was at school .
My school memories are not that good .

So here are three good reasons not to read mr. Bissonette, or Mark Owen book .
No easy day is more the story of my life, than that of a chap who killed a coward in a hole .
With due respect .