And Now For Something A Little Different..

The New And Improved SMTR

Well, not quite. New in the sense that this blog will no longer deal with political stuff, unless its to make fun of stupid people doing stupid things. (I blog at Outsider On The Inside, which I'm starting again regularly. All that commentary I'll keep on there. Shameless plug, I know, but that's how I operate.) Improved in the sense that we're dropping the news bit. There still may be the odd comment on a relavant story, but we're aiming at being more, whats the word, "entertaining" in our posts. That's right, we may even try to make you laugh. Seeing as how nobody really reads this blog though, we may very end up being the only ones laughing. But hey, that's life, so stop crying and feeling sorry for us. We're big, strong men and we don't need your sympathy. The revolution has changed, but it still lives, and we need your support.

Join our revolution, and demand that the world shows us its' rules!

-KA

On Hamas Taking Over Gaza

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside




UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside

Since I've last posted a lot has happened in the Palestinian territories; Hamas has taken full control of Gaza, and President Abbas has moved to dissolve the existing parliament, and replacing Hamas' cabinet members with Fatah loyalists.

Read more here, here, here, and here.

Now that the territories are effectively split between the newly declared Islamic state run by Hamas in Gaza, and the Abbas stronghold in the West Bank, the United States is going to recommend to Isreali Prime Minister Olmert that his country ease certain restrictions in the West bank, in order to give more political legitimacy to Abbas. The U.S has shown signs of acceptance towards Hamas in the Gaza strip, with some predicting the last option for Secretary of State Rice is to develop the West bank economically and improve living standards to show Palestinians they are better off under Fatah than Hamas. From an article in today's IHT by Helene Cooper, which I can't find online:

The State Department Insisted that the United States had no plans to abandon Palestinians living in Gaza. Many Diplomats and Middle East experts said they read Abbas's decision (to dissolve parliament, surrender compound) as an attempt to cut his losses in Gaza and consolidate power in the West Bank. Israeli Officials are promoting a proposal that West Bank and Gaza be viewed as seperate entities and that Israel act more forcefully in Gaza to crack down on Hamas militants.

More on that here:

The Israeli official said: "If the new Government recognises the quartet's conditions, Israel will be glad to return to full co-operation with it, including in the financial issues."

The boycott was imposed more than a year ago after Hamas - considered a terror outfit by the EU, US and Israel - assumed power.

The conditions include recognition of Israel, renouncing violence and agreeing to abide by past interim peace deals.

Mr Abbas fired the Hamas-led government on Thursday as fighters from the Islamists' armed wing and paramilitary force in Gaza overran Palestinian security services loyal to his Fatah party.

Earlier, another senior Israeli official said: "Hamas's move may allow new opportunities after Abbas fired the government. Maybe now there is a real chance to strengthen the moderates in the Palestinian Authority which we have been unable to do so far because of Hamas's participation in the government."

I'm not sure whether this will work, and the article goes on to suggest that it could adversely affect the U.S's image abroad if the West Bank is developed at the expense of Gaza and its residents. But right now, it seems like the only political reality, however these sorts of policies always have some sort of adverse affect, and it would probably do more to divide the Palestinians even more than they are now. In the West Bank now, Fatah militants are showing their force in the streets, and you can only wonder how much longer it will be until factional fighting resumes.

On a related note, the U.S financed arms and vehicles delivered by Egypt and Jordan to Abbas's Fatah forces are all in the hands of Hamas now.

Hundreds are leaving Gaza after Hamas' 'coup': "I will not live in a Hamas-run state"

Given the fact that Hamas now patrols near the Gaza-Egypt border, will Egypt move to increase border security to stop weapons smuggling?

Hamas is now promising to secure the release of kidnapped BBC reporter Alan Johnston, which most people see as a good will gesture to the outside world.

Egypt says it opposes the Hamas takeover because it "lacks legitimacy"; so they notice it in other countries but not in their own?

Pictures of Fatah Gunmen storming the West Bank parliament here.

Unfortunately, this summer may become much more violent in the Middle East.

New Blog

Check out Outsider On The Inside, blogging Egypt to the Netherlands, and everything in between for more analysis and news.

Egypt: Human Rights Leader?

Since Egypt's election onto the U.N Rights Council, many have raised their voices questioning credibility of a council dedicated to protecting human rights whose own members are serial abusers of their own citizens. The New York based group Human Rights Watch, who have chronicled many of Egypt's abuses in a new report, made a plea for the Egyptian government to reform and improve its record on human rights:

"Egypt has for too long committed serious and systematic abuses at home while consistently undermining UN mechanisms to defend rights," said Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East division.

"Now Cairo needs to show that it really intends to turn a new page on human rights and uphold international standards," he said.

In a 13-page briefing paper, the New York-based watchdog and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights said Egypt's human rights record made it a poor choice for membership of the UN's Human Rights Council.

Egypt was elected May 17 to the rights body, where seats are allocated on a regional geographical basis.

Candidates are evaluated according to criteria such as political rights and freedoms, freedom of the press, and human rights promotion at the UN.

Egypt has been slammed at home and abroad over recent revelations of torture in police stations, and has routinely been criticized for its arbitrary arrests of dissidents and restrictions on civil society.

Earlier this month, rights watchdogs UN Watch and Freedom House described Egypt, Angola, Belarus, and Qatar, who were all vying for a place in the 14-seat Human Rights Council, as "unqualified" for membership.

Egypt was elected to the council according to region, and this article in Al-Ahram Weekly suggests what may have played a role in their successful election:

Although the council's founding document makes it a condition that election be based on the candidate's "contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights", analysts explained that the vote was marked by a lack of competition within three of the five UN regional groups, which only put up as many candidates as there were seats available. Egypt was elected on the African Group's "closed slate", with just four countries standing for four seats.

"It all has to do with the brilliant diplomatic efforts on the part of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in marketing Egypt and getting as many votes as possible -- but definitely not with Egypt's record of human rights practices," explained Hafez Abu Seada, secretary-general of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR). "After all, countries with even worse records in human rights abuses could similarly win membership on the council," Abu Seada said.

Mohamed Zarie, director of the Egyptian Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners, concurred, saying that voting on the UN council "was all a game of power and mutual interests".

Some countries, according to Abu Seada, would agree to exchange votes in various UN councils and, in Egypt's case, it could rally support from three major blocs: Islamic, Arab and African countries. Zarie also thought there was a US role behind the success of Egypt, arguing that, "the US has diplomatic and strategic interests with Egypt."

But it may not all be bad news:

Whatever reasons were behind Egypt's election on the 47-member UN council, Zarie insists it was not much of a victory. "The Egyptian regime will be mired in an extremely embarrassing situation since it will have to uncover its human rights record to the world," Zarie said.

Once a council member, a country is supposed to "uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights" and "fully cooperate with the council". Zarie said that Egypt will also have to allow visits by, and fully cooperation with, the five council special rapporteurs who have outstanding visit requests dating back as far as 1996 (the special rapporteurs cover torture, human rights defenders, freedom of religion or belief, and the independence of judges and lawyers).

Which, Abu Seada says, is more of an advantage than a disadvantage. "This will help enhance the work of non-governmental human rights organisations and will partly compel Egypt to improve its human rights record which will now be exposed to the whole world.

Read the rest here

Previous:
Egypt Elected To U.N Rights Council

Study Show 75% of Women Harrassed

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside

A new study conducted by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights (ECWR) claims that 75% of women are harassed in one form or another on a regular basis. The study was done as a part of a wider campaign against sexual harassment, and while it may not be representative of all sectors of society (75% is probably high, yet illustrates an important and relevant point):

Cairo, Egypt (AHN) - A recent report on sexual harassment published in coordination with the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights (ECWR) has highlighted the difficulty of discussing women's issues in Egypt. "Making our streets safe for everyone: a volunteer campaign to end sexual harassment" was published by ECWR on May 18, but much of the report leaves more questions than answers.

Statistics dominate the report, showing that nearly all women in Egypt experience some form of harassment on a regular basis. According to the report, at least 75 percent of women in Egypt are touched inappropriately or verbally harassed throughout their daily activities.

Rebecca Chiao, the International Relations Officer at ECWR, told All Headline News that she was disappointed in the wording of the Arabic version.

"Some [women] explained harassment as happening because people are going away from religion," the Arabic report read. It added that other reasons could be a result of how women dress and show themselves on the streets.

"The report was completely volunteer run and we employed a marketing company to conduct focus groups to better understand the data we were getting," Chiao said. "One of the last focus groups was with working class women and that was a major influence on the writers.

"Working class women [in Egypt] believe it is their fault that harassment happens," Chiao continued. She argued that it shows that there is still a long way to go before women believe that no form of harassment is okay, no matter what someone is wearing.

"It [the study] gives us a picture of what is going on," and that can be used for better use of our resources in helping to end sexual harassment, Chiao argued.

Read more about the campaign and what you can do to help here.

Ayman Nour Decision Postponed

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside


Despite a surprising yet welcome development a few days ago, the Administrative Court has ruled to postpone the decision on whether to free Ayman Nour from prison on medical grounds:

CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian court refused to immediately release jailed Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour from prison on health grounds on Tuesday but asked for a panel of doctors to have another look at medical reports on his case.

The ruling by the Administrative Court dashed the hopes of Nour's supporters, who were encouraged to read in the state newspaper al-Ahram on Tuesday morning that the court was expected to set him free after some 18 months in prison.

Some broke down in tears in the courtroom and others shouted out: "Down, down with (President) Hosni Mubarak".

...

An initial medical report on Nour said he had several serious health problems but could stay in prison if he received the right treatment and diet. Nour, 42, has both diabetes and heart problems.

The judges on Tuesday asked a committee of medical experts to examine the initial report and report back on June 12.

Nour's lawyer, Amir Salem, said the court's decision was a disappointment. "The al-Ahram report, for example, gave us a hint that the state had taken a political decision to free Ayman Nour ... but this was deceptive," he told reporters.

Nour's wife, Gameela Ismail, said she objected to the way the court had linked Nour's case with that of a drug dealer who is paralysed and who is also seeking release on health grounds.

"I'm sure that when Ayman Nour hears of this ... he will be deeply aggrieved," she told reporters.

It seems to me that he will be released eventually, but that it will be on the government's terms, and nobody else's. However, given that he has a legitimate excuse to be pardoned (not to mention allegations of abuse), why has the international media largely forgotten about him?

From a Gulfnews article on diminishing American pressure for democracy in the region, here's a little snippet about the U.S ambassador to Egypt:

Ricciardone recently told Egyptian television, "Here in Egypt as in the US, there is freedom of speech." Boucher told Voice of America, "I think the Pakistani government is moving forward; they're moving toward elections."

Ricciardone's comments were not a slip of the tongue and the transcript of his television interview was posted on the website of the American embassy in Cairo.

When asked by CNN International recently to comment on the torture and continued detention of Egyptian dissident Ayman Nour, an embassy spokesman refused to be drawn into criticism of President Hosni Mubarak's government. Instead, the spokesman insisted that the US believed Egypt was "making prog-ress" towards democracy.

The ambassador's proc-lamation and his spokes-man's description of a regime that arrests and tortures dissidents as reflecting progress is far from reality.

Apparently "progress" is measured with a different stick in Egypt.

A quick Google News search on Ayman Nour shows that as of now no major news sites (IHT has a small story) have picked up the story yet. (Updated: a few sites have picked up bits and pieces of the Reuters and AP stories written, no major U.S site yet) This would seem to be the ideal time to re-launch the campaign to free him, and possibly shed some light on Egypt's appointment to the new Human Rights Council at the U.N.

Previous:
Ayman Nour May Be Released
Ayman Nour Assaulted In Prison: Wife

Members of Al-Jihad Released, Brotherhood Detained

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside


Egypt has released 135 prisoners who had previously been associated with the extremist group Al-Jihad, after they signed statements renouncing violence. The prisoners had all been jailed for over a decade for participation in the extremist group, which has been blamed for Anwar Sadat's assasination. Here is a little more info about the group (CNS):

Ideology: The group seeks to establish Islamic rule in Egypt by force and targets any secular establishment that they believe to be heretical, especially secular Arab governments. Al-Jihad al-Islami's primary goal is to "overthrow the Egyptian government and replace it with an Islamic state," and to attack "U.S. and Israeli interests in Egypt and abroad."[1,2]

Description: The group has been called an "Egyptian Islamic extremist group" active since the late 1970s, and a "close partner of Bin Laden's Al-Qaida organization." Al-Jihad al-Islami is a large, loosely organized militant group active since the late 1970s in Egypt. Most of the group's attacks have been against Egyptian and other government officials.[1,2] Al-Jihad al-Islami is believed to pursue more high-profile government targets than other Egyptian Islamist groups.

Group Leader: unknown; spiritual leader Sheikh Omar Abd al-Rahman, suspected leader Ayman al-Zawahiri

The leader of another extremist group Al-Gamaa Al Islamiyya issued a statement renouncing violence (to an extent) and even appealing to Al-Qaeda to do the same:

"I'm ... appealing to ... brothers in al-Qaida organization everywhere," Ibrahim's statement said. "I'm appealing to you to stop and review your stances, to put your effort, the Jihad (holy war) ... in the right place and time, away from infighting among Muslims ... away from killing civilians, both Muslims and non Muslims."

"My beloved brothers in al-Qaida: Islamic movements revising ideas and views in religion and life is not a sign of weakness but a proof of strength and vitality," he added.

The leaders of Al-Jihad made their appeal from within prison.

On the same day, over 40 members of the Muslim Brotherhood were detained:

The detentions bring to at least 40 the number of members held since Saturday morning in parallel with what the movement says is an attempt to disrupt its plans to contest June 11 elections for the upper house of parliament.

The Interior Ministry said the 16 detained on Monday were "organizationally linked to ... the Muslim Brotherhood's secret organization".

Mohamed Mursi, a member of the Brotherhood's Guidance Office, said that such an organization did not exist. "The group is well known and operates in the open," he told Reuters.

The latest detainees include Abdel Aziz Abdel Kader, the deputy leader of the organization in the Nile Delta province of Sharkia, where police rounded up 14 members on Saturday, the Brotherhood said on its Web site, www.ikhwanonline.com.

Mursi said the people detained on Saturday were on a Brotherhood training course on how to manufacture and market detergents and household cleaning products. They had nothing to do with any political activity by the movement, he added.

Ayman Nour May Be Released

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside




The first person to seriously challenge Hosni Mubarak for his presidency in an open election may be freed from Egyptian prison, due to his deteriorating medical condition:

CAIRO, May 22--Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour could be released Tuesday on medical grounds after a year in jail, Egyptian press said.

The Al-Ahram daily said on its front page that an administrative tribunal is set to examine his request for release due to his deteriorating health and "a positive decision over his release is expected".

The opposition leader who heads the Al-Ghad party was sentenced in December 2005 to five years in prison on fraud charges, widely seen as politically motivated.

Nour came a distant second in the country's first ever multi-candidate presidential elections in September 2005, which the opposition dismissed as widely rigged.

According to rights groups, Nour who suffers from diabetes and a heart complication has seen his health deteriorating rapidly in jail.

The former lawmaker became famous around the world following his January 2005 imprisonment by the Mubarak government.

The incarceration was seen around the world as politically motivated, causing a lot of internal anger and foreign pressure for his release.

Previous:
Ayman Nour Assaulted In Prison: Wife

Egypt Elected To U.N Rights Council

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside



Egypt has been elected to a new Rights Council in the U.N, created in order to replace the heavily criticized Human Rights Commission, despite the numerous recorded abuses of its' citizens:

Human rights groups had called on the General Assembly to vote against Belarus as well as Egypt, Qatar and Angola, countries which have been cited for poor human rights records. However, those three countries were running uncontested, and easily gained passage to the council.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, said he was generally pleased with the results.

"I was particularly heartened by the election of Bosnia, and congratulate the Bosnians," he said. "This bodes well for the reform of the Human Rights Council that is very much needed."

The Human Rights council was created in 2006, replacing the largely discredited U.N. Human Rights Commission. One aim of the new council is to keep chronic human rights abusers off its roster.

So they failed at the first thing they aimed to do. Just a few examples of Egypt's distinguished human rights record:

Ayman Nour Assaulted In Prison: Wife
Military Tribunals For Citizens
Egyptian Bloggers Detained
Egyptian Executive Control
Torture In Egypt

Previous:
Egypt 'Unqualified' For U.N Rights Council

Pointing The Finger

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside

My post at Mideast Youth:

The Organization of the Islamic Conference concluded at the end of a meeting Wednesday that Islamophobia has become the “worst form of terrorism.” Foreign Ministers and representatives of Islamic societies gathered in Islamabad for the 34th annual Islamic Conference of FM’s, and spoke in unison in highlighting what they percieved as negative attitudes towards followers of their religion living in the West. An article in the Arab News had this to say:

“The increasingly negative political and media discourse targeting Muslims and Islam in the United States and Europe has made things all the more difficult,” the foreign ministers said. “Islamophobia became a source of concern, especially after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, but the phenomenon was already there in Western societies in one form or the other,” they pointed out. “It gained further momentum after the Madrid and London bombings. The killing of Dutch film director Theo van Gogh in 2004 was used in a wicked manner by certain quarters to stir up a frenzy against Muslims,” the ministers pointed out. Van Gogh had made a controversial film about Muslim culture.

The Foreign Ministers seem to have a grip on what is causing Islamophobia, correctly highlighting events in Holland, Spain, and the United States that have certainly provided backlash on Muslim communities. Yet, in this same context, is Islamophobia really the largest form of terrorism?

Continue reading here.

Quick News

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside


Light posting today, but here are some other stories:

-Iran's President says he is ready to restore ties with Egypt; Egypt welcomes the idea.

-Evangelist Jerry Fallwell dies: Librocrat Reacts

-"We are Palestinian, we are women, and we are gay."

-Diet Koshari:

When the diet koshari was initially announced, many TV satellite channels and dailies rushed to highlight it as the first of its kind. The dish was designed to appeal to those watching their weight, the antithesis of the regular carbohydrate-rich meal.

Tarek explained: "We first served it to some of our neighbors and close friends, many of who relished it and didn't mind the price. Having taken that step we served it for a few days at a low price with the aim of introducing it to people.

"However as it began to break into the outlet as one of the major items, the bulk of our clients weren't actually sympathetic with the idea, especially as the price on the menu was shockingly higher than the regular dishes.

"They said diet or otherwise both types are koshari and there was no need to toy with prices."

Tarek described how the ingredients of the diet koshari are available at Abu Tarek's' stores, but the meal itself can't be marketed at loss.

Abu Tarek's is waiting for the peak of summer to start considering serving the diet meal again. "Actually the very educated people, tourists and young girls could be the groups that would demand it. Let's wait and see."

According to Tarek, an ordinary koshari dish is made up of six tablespoons of rice, four tablespoons of pasta and four tablespoons of brown lentils. It contains between 800 and 850 calories.

The number of calories in the new dish is expected to go down by half, Tarek said. He has been informed by specialists that koshari is not a health hazard compared to sweets and other sugary products, provided it is made up of the right ingredients in the right amounts.

In the new dish, it's the quality rather than quantity that is bound to change.

Instead of Egyptian rice, long grain rice will be used which usually contains less starch.

The amount of dieter-friendly lentils could also be increased. Brown pasta will replace the traditional type.

Also, pure refined oil will be used in making the red sauce as well as in crisping the onion rings, two basic elements that are synonymous with koshari.

Court Stunned By Admiration For Israel

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside



An Egyptian engineer, charged with selling classified information to Israeli intelligence with the aim of harming national security, stunned a courtroom Tuesday by openly praising Israel's achievements in science and technology:

Mohammed Sayed Saber, 35, a nuclear engineer with Egypt's atomic agency, has been charged with stealing secret documents and giving them to Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, in exchange for $17,000 and with the aim to harm Egyptian national security, the prosecutor said. An upbeat Saber appeared before the judge in a white prison jumpsuit at the start of his trial Tuesday, smiling and flashing a victory sign to media crammed into a dusty Cairo courtroom.

''I don't hide my admiration of Israel ... It has reached a very high technological and scientific level,'' Saber said in court. ''To seek to benefit from Israel scientific expertise, is not shameful or wrong ... They are a very organized and pragmatic society with definite goals, unlike chaotic societies.'' ''I don't have animosity toward the Israeli people, why should I? The fact that we had wars against Israel doesn't mean that we remain enemies forever,'' added Saber, who has never visited the Jewish state.

The hearings were adjourned till June 9. Saber, who faces up to 25 years in jail on espionage charges, did not enter a plea Tuesday.

Saber's pro-Israeli speech was so unusual that Judge Mohammed Reda Shwakat, presiding over the three-judge panel at south Cairo state security court, called him from the defendant's cage to the bench where he then questioned him for almost four hours in the presence of three defense lawyers.

What Verdict?

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside


The "landmark verdict" that declared the trying of civilians in Egyptian military tribunals unconstitutional last week has been reversed by the Supreme Administrative Judge, through orders of the President:

CAIRO -- Egypt Monday upheld a decision by President Hosni Mubarak to have 40 members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood group tried by a military court, a judicial source said.

Supreme Administrative Court Judge Essam Abdel Aziz reversed a May 8 ruling in a lower court which declared invalid the president's decision, the source said.

The military trial of the men, charged with money laundering and financing a banned organization, will resume June 3.

The judge at the May ruling, Mohammed Al Husseini, said a military court would not "assure a fair trial" and the verdict was then described as "historic and unprecedented" by the banned but tolerated Brotherhood.

One of the accused is the Brotherhood's financier and third-ranking official, Khayrat Al Shater.

The defendants and around 100 relatives had filed a suit against Mubarak but the president's lawyers argued that he had "absolute power" in the matter.

Husseini said "there is nothing in Egyptian law called absolute power, so [Mubarak's] decision is illegal, because every decision must be based on the law and the constitution."

Egyptian authorities have kept Shater and the other accused behind bars in spite of a civilian court order in January to free the men. (Middle East Times)

Previous:
Verdict: Military Tribunals For Civilians "Unconstitutional"
Verdict Challenged By Government

Corrupt Politicians or Corrupt "ed" Voters?

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside

Unfortunately, for one to gain exposure and publicity, he needs the media and big money. The system is corrupt and the voters have been corrupted. Therefore, I should have used the term "corrupted" rather than "corrupt". Its an epidemic on a mass scale. American voters are unaware of the effects of this corruption. As if they are zombies: voting for the candidate they see most often on TV. Its kind of like that extremely annoying Head-on commercial, the one advertising an ointment for headaches and is aired several times an hour. As much as viewers can't stand the commercial, they are still very tempted to try the product once they come across it at a retail location. The product is a joke yet the company selling it makes millions still. Same effect in politics. Until Americans understand this illness or corruption or disease or ignorance or whatever you wanna call it, corrupted American voters will continue putting corrupt politicians into POWER! Show me the rules.

Previous:
Corrupt Politicians or Corrupt Voters?
U.S Presidential Race: Mike Gravel

Iranian-American Academic Charged With Spying...

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside

For Israel. Surprise, surprise. Its the Jews! Haleh Esfandiari has now been charged with with attempting to launch "a democratic revolution". I thought Iran was already a democracy? The Iranians also uncovered a vast Zionist plot involving Mossad as well:

Iran's foreign ministry on Sunday confirmed the government had detained a prominent American-Iranian academic who traveled to the country in December to visit her 93-year-old mother.

The admission by ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini came a day after the hard-line Iranian newspaper Kayhan accused Haleh Esfandiari of spying for the U.S. and Israel and for attempting to launch a democratic revolution in the country.

"She will be treated as other Iranian nationals, said Hosseini during his weekly press briefing. It is natural if there is any problem, it will be handled by authorities."

Although Hosseini said Esfandiari's detention was based on law, he did not provide further details on why the director of the Middle East Program at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars was being held.

The Kayhan newspaper was more explicit in its allegations against Esfandiari, who the Wilson Center has said was detained on Dec. 30 by three masked men with knives as she was on her way to the airport.

"She has been one of the main elements of Mossad in driving a velvet revolution strategy in Iran, the paper wrote. She formed two networks, including Iranian activists, in the U.S and Dubai for toppling down [the Islamic government]".
(Haaretz)

Her husband denies all the accusations, and unfortunately she seems to be the victim of the illegitimate paranoia that surrounds the governments and regimes in the Middle East. Either way, if her only charge is attempting to bring democracy to a region void of representative government, she's a hero.

Visit Free Haleh! and sign the petition to free her here.

Update: Senators Hilary Clinton and Joe Lieberman have expressed concern over the "inexplicable detention" of Haleh Esfandiari:

"I am deeply concerned about the inexplicable detention of renowned scholar Dr. Haleh Esfandiari by the Iranian government," Clinton said in a statement.

Clinton said Esfandiari had made significant contributions to international women's issues and Iranian politics.

"This imprisonment contradicts the very essence of her work, which focuses on ensuring the promise of democracy and freedom to those who live under tyranny," the New York senator said.

"I urge the government of Iran to release Dr. Esfandiari," she said, and also called on Iran to ease travel restrictions on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Parnaz Azima who was also unable to leave Iran.

Senator Joseph Lieberman, meanwhile, said Esfandiari had been "inexplicably and inexcusably imprisoned."

Update 2: Iran's Foreign Ministry refuses to confirm the detention, despite widespread coverage of the story.

Previous:
Iran Jails Iranian-American Academic
Iranian-American "Soft Hostages"

Iran Will Talk To U.S About Iraq

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside


On an issue which both sides have gone back and forth on, Iran's FM has apparently agreed to formal discussions on Iraq with the United States. A request was issued through the Swiss embassy in Iran, although unconfirmed by the United States, which suggests either the necessity of the talks, or signifies a policy change towards Iran.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari had said last week that he expected such Iranian-U.S. talks to happen in Baghdad soon.

During a meeting on Iraq's future in Baghdad two months ago, mid-level U.S. and Iranian officials did meet briefly and discuss Iran. Mid-level officials also met briefly at last weekend's Iraq summit at an Egyptian resort.

"Iran has agreed to this (negotiation) after consultation with Iraqi officials, in order to lessen the pain of the Iraqi people, support the Iraqi government and establish security and peace in Iraq," the agency quoted Mohammad Ali Hosseini, spokesman of Iran's foreign ministry, as saying.

The report said the negotiations will be held in Baghdad.

"Time and level of negotiation team will be decided by the end of the week," Hosseini was quoted as saying.

Hosseini said last week that Iran was willing, under the right conditions, to improve its chilly relations with the U.S. despite having passed up the opportunity for high-level, direct talks at the second Iraq conference.

Update: Dick Cheney, who's in Cairo for talks with Mubarak about Iraq, confirmed through a spokeswoman that the U.S is ready for significant talks with Iran only if they're limited to Iraq:

"We are willing to have that conversation limited to Iraq issues at the ambassador level," said Lea Anne McBride. She said the willingness is not a new position, but reflects an earlier-stated U.S. position.

She spoke after Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said that Tehran has agreed to a formal request from the U.S. to talk about security in Iraq during meetings in Baghdad, the country's official news agency reported.

The report said Iran had received the request through the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which often acts as an intermediary for the U.S. in the country.

McBride said she didn't have all the specifics. But she said Iran's comments appeared to be a reference to what the U.S. has called "the Baghdad channel."

Syria Prepares Military Exercises

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside

Syria is advancing its military exercises in preparation for war with Israel, according to this report:

TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Syria has advanced its military schedule in what could signal plans for war with Israel in 2007.Officials said Syria has decided to conduct a series of major military exercises in May through July. They said the decision was meant to accelerate preparations for a war against Israel in the summer of 2007."Syria is now in the middle of an unprecedented process of a huge military buildup," Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh said. "They have acquired state-of-the-art Russian weapons, huge quantities of long-range rockets and missiles."Officials said Syria was close to concluding negotiations to purchase advanced anti-aircraft systems from Russia. They said the systems could include the S-300PMU1 air and missile defense system as well as the TOR-M1 mobile short-range anti-aircraft battery.

Ayman Nour Assaulted In Prison: Wife

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside


Jailed Egyptian politician Ayman Nour, who ran as the main opponent to Hosni Mubarak in the country's first presidential election, was allegedly assaulted in prison this Saturday. According to his wife Gameela Ismail, he was dragged down some stairs and beaten:

She said Nour's lawyers had reported that he was dragged and beaten when he refused to walk up several flights of stairs. He had asked to take the elevator, complaining of joint problems, she added.

Ismail said he told his lawyers that he had been assaulted by three officers, and that Nour's lawyers had seen bruises on his legs and wrists.

An Egyptian government medical committee ruled earlier this year that Nour was healthy enough to serve out his prison term. The committee found Nour's health was not in danger so long as he took his medication and meals regularly.

Egypt has come under Western pressure over Nour's imprisonment. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called on Egypt to release him.

Egyptian rights groups say Nour's health has seriously deteriorated since a cardiac catheterisation procedure in a Cairo hospital in December, aimed at finding out whether Nour needed heart surgery or stents to hold his arteries open.

Ismail has said her husband had an irregular heartbeat and had developed knee problems in prison that limited his mobility and required surgery.

It seems not only terrorists are treated poorly when detained by the State's security.

Verdict Challenged By Government

UPDATE: Check out the new blog covering the Mid East: Outsider On The Inside


The landmark verdict passed this week, which called the Egyptian government's policy of sending civilians to military tribunals 'unconstitutional', is being challenged by the government:

CAIRO: Authorities filed an objection Wednesday to a court verdict that ruled it unlawful for the Egyptian president to transfer civilians to military tribunals, thus acquitting 40 high-ranking members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) on Monday.

According to members of the MB, the acquitted MB leaders will be kept in detainment until May 19 when a hearing on the new governmental objection will be held in Cairo’s Abdeen Court.

“This is clearly politically motivated and a violation of human rights. Our members have been acquitted by four different courts now, but are still imprisoned. The whole thing is just ridiculous,” Ibrahim El-Houdaiby a member of the Muslim Brotherhood told The Daily Star Egypt.

While El-Houdaiby was shocked over the extended detainment of his fellow members, he stressed that it did not come as a surprise to many of the detainees.

“We can soon start a collection of all the court verdicts that have ordered our release. I expect to see more of this coming,” one of the imprisoned leaders reportedly said.

Deputy Brotherhood leader Mohamed Habib reportedly told Reuters that “the Brotherhood is used to this kind of behavior. This is the method of the regime and the ruling party.”

Rights watchdog Human Rights Watch was not surprised over the turn in the case either.