Friday, March 30, 2007

Where do they find those Arabs? When an Arab gets into Congress, or into a mainstream newspaper, lousy Arab and Muslim American organizations in DC find reason for celebration. Not me. Usually, I expect some token member on a rope. Look at this writer for the Washington Post from Saudi Arabia. "In his rare call for introspection in the Arab world, where conspiracy theories are common and many problems are blamed on Israel, Abdullah said..." First, what is this about "rare calls" for introspection? Are those calls common in the US? And to refer to King `Abdullah "introspecting" is akin to Mr. Bush thinking. And what is this inserted generalization about the Arab world? Like conspiracy theories are NOT common in the US? And this tendency to "blame many problems" on Israel. What is the evidence for that? Has she conducted opinion surveys? And other countries don't blame outsiders for their problems? And blaming some problems on Israel is not crazy or irrational at all. If anything, we need to blame more problems on Israel. And would she retain her job in the Post if she writes the same generalization about Israel? Faiza Ambah: I predict that you will make it in the US press. You may follow in Hassan Fattah's footsteps (your idol, maybe?), and do a stint at the New Republic.