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MacMahon · Joined: 04 Oct 2003 Posts: 39

I officially hang up my gloves and opt for a life out of the arena of daggers and cloaks. Yea, I joined a Yoga class.

Truth Hurts · Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Posts: 115 Location: Truthville

MacMahon

I empathise with where you're coming from.

What I'm baffled by is how Mansur, purportedly a columnist for Al Riyadh (?) and facing X number of lashes is vehemently attacking Saudi Arabia in the NY Times.

It raises the following questions:

1. NYT readers should conclude that the Saudis don't have any trouble with Saudis expressing strong dissent particularly aimed at the KSA government.

2. Mansur is not writing under a pseudonym (NYT doesn't report this)

3. Mansur is lamenting his liberal freedoms while at the same time expressing them in an internationally available newspaper (ie also in Riyadh)

OK, I get it; it's covered in the New York Times so it's gotta' be true. Very Happy

Now that's what I call sophisticated propaganda machine!

TH

johnslat · Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2003 1:25 pm Post subject: Marriages made in ?

Dear MacMahon and Truth Hurts,
Wish I had the time to respond much more fully - but I'm off this morning (Nov. 29th - it's 6:50 am here now) on a tour of some southwestern ruins: Hovenweep, Mesa Verde, Aztec and Chaco Canyon. However, to quote the present governor of CA, I'll be back - on Dec. 3rd. Until then, though, I'd like to leave you with this thought:

The relationship between the House of Saud and the Wahhabis reminds me in some ways of the one I see between the "mainsteam Rerpublican Party" and the "fundamentalist Christian far right" - a marriage of convenience, in other words, which each party entered into for its own reasons and in which each party has its own agenda. Such "marriages", I think, have an even shorter shelf-life than many of the more usual kind.
Too facile a comparison yet again? Perhaps, but possibly one with some valid points.
Until Dec. 3rd then.
Regards,
John

Cleopatra · Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2003 2:45 pm Post subject:

Heard the latest?

Prince Abdalrahman (Deputy Minister for Defence, or so they say) is now claiming that 'foreign hands' were behind the Riyadh bombings. Apparantly, they were people who don't like to see Islamic law ruling a country.
Don't know about you, but to me it all sounds quite familiar. Reminds me of a certain ape faced "President" talking about how foreign forces who hate freedom and democracy are infiltrating a certain country...

johnslat · Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2003 10:53 pm Post subject: More on the way?

Wonder if this is for real or just another cry of "Wolf"?

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=5&u=/ap/20031206/ap_on_re_mi_ea/saudi_us

Sure hope it's the latter.
Regards,
John

MacMahon · Joined: 04 Oct 2003 Posts: 39

Dear John,

Welcome back from your trip.
How unfortunate the state of affairs are in the Kingdom and worldwide for that fact!

It's enough to make a man flee to a small spot of land in the Amazon basin and just resign from it all. Then once understood that he couldn't take life in the Amazon sell time shares/slots to would be tourists...
you know?

johnslat · Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2003 1:43 pm Post subject: Not an option

Dear MacMahon,
Thanks, it was a great tour. But "unfortunate" may be too mild a word for the current state of affairs in the world. Even a determined optimist such as myself can start getting discouraged by all the evidence of hatred, ignorance, arrogance, stupidity and intolerance - and the ensuing fear, violence and tragedy that these produce. Becoming a hermit can seem like a pretty attractive option, but there's really no way to "resign" from the human race. Besides,
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Regards,
John

johnslat · Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2003 1:05 pm Post subject: Wahhabi influence?

For what it's worth - maybe not much - the Arab News has been running a series of articles about the "Background of the Most Wanted Terrorists". Here's a link to "Part 2 " - you can find Part 1 in the Archives.

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=36319&d=12&m=12&y=2003

One conspicuous item noted - almost all of them are Saudis.

Regards,
John

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

And many of the most wanted were graduates or ex-students of one of the leading Faculties of Islamic Theology !

One of my American colleagues used the expresion "The Saudi Civil War" to describe what has ben going on here. Exaggerated ? Are we seeing the Algerianisation of KSA ?

guest of Japan · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Posts: 1601 Location: Japan

"Algerianisation," gave me a chuckle. This would appear to be a word coined by only history teachers or Red Hot Chilli Peppers (the band, not the vegetable).

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Of course somewhere on another thread some innocent is asking :"Is it nice in Algeria ? Will I like it there ?"

The naivete of many EFL teachers is a source of wonder to this cynical olld grouch.

guest of Japan · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Posts: 1601 Location: Japan

Perhaps TEFL certs and TESOL MAs should have a required geography course.