In Lebanon and Beyond: Could the Arab League be on the Verge of Resurgence?

June 4, 2008 – 9:55 am

Arab League-bashing is a favorite past time of the Arab masses. There is, at best, a sense of resignation that the Arab League is an institution that has failed miserably in resolving the conflicts engulfing our region.

The last annual summit of Arab Heads of states in Damascus, in March this year, was met with a chorus of apathy on the streets of Amman, Cairo, Casablanca, Gaza and every other corner of the Arab world. The only thing that seems to get people to turn on their TV sets is the perennial (and always entertaining) Gaddafi speech, with the average Arab viewer wondering just how far the Colonel will go in his latest oration.

It is difficult to blame the Arabs for deriding their league. The seeming impotence of the Arab League in the face of adversity is quite legendary. As the situation in Palestine, especially Gaza, deteriorates, as the cruel civil war wages in Iraq (not to mention the illegal invasion that sparked it), as the Darfur situation worsens, the Arab league stands totally powerless. And this is just a snapshot of the current crop of crises in Arabia. The history of the last six decades since the founding of the League in 1945 is deluged with examples of the Arab League’s inefficiency and incapacity to resolve any of the major issues facing the region.

But then, in the midst of all this inaction, we woke up one morning last week to the sight of a truly extraordinary and improbable achievement: a real Arab League success. Please continue reading the column at ArabComment, where it is being hosted this month.

By Nasser Ali Khasawneh | Posted in Columnist, Current Affairs, middle east | Comments (0)

The Mindless Menace of Violence in the Muslim World

December 29, 2007 – 2:18 am

One more act of senseless violence greets us in the Muslim world this week. One more suicide bomber or assassin, or whatever we can call them these days, kills others and himself in a moment of premeditated madness.

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto is tragic. There can be no doubt about that. But what shocks me today, as I am shocked on a daily basis with the stream of murders and suicides in Pakistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, and so many other countries is this nagging question: Where on earth do they find them?? Where on earth do the plotters and schemers find so many willing men and women of young age to mould into their insane vision of the world? How did those who planned this latest act of violence stumble upon this latest specimen of misguided fervour and convince him (at least it seems to be a him at the time of writing) to go and end his life by assassinating a mother of three children. How did they get through to this guy? And more importantly, why is it so goddamn easy to find self-terminating assassins in our region?

I am outraged as I was outraged on the day I witnessed the mothers, fathers and grandfathers grieving for their loved ones in an Amman hospital after the massacres of the inverted 9/11 (in Jordan, it was 11/9 if one follows the American date method, and proof that the killers and blood suckers infesting our region have a rather bizarre and morbid sense of humour that, I guess, makes some weird sense to the lunatics in our midst).

I am as outraged as I was in the summer of 2005 when a bunch of lunatics in Sharm El Sheikh drove their bomb-laden cars into a crowd of underpaid workers who apparently were not allowed the simple pleasure of a cup of coffee at the end of a long working day.

I am outraged as I was when I heard this last summer that a Jordanian Neurosurgeon thought that the best way to make use of his years of study and research is to go and bomb the world and all that is in it outside the Tiger Tiger club in Piccadilly.

Now, some of the readers will say: “Oh, come on, that’s not totally accurate; you are comparing the murders of innocent civilians with a targeted assassination of a leader who some Pakistanis discredit … etc.” But that is not the point. Read More »

By Nasser Ali Khasawneh | Posted in Columnist, Current Affairs, Religion, islam, south asia, terrorism | Comments (15)

Living is in the Way We Die

January 2, 2007 – 9:32 pm

And there you have it. After all those endless speeches about freedom and democracy, and the supposed surge of a new dawn for a new Iraq where the rule of law reigns supreme. After the elections and the crowds fearlessly queuing in line to cast their votes with that legendary blue-inked finger. After all that, Saddam Hussein faced the exact same fate meted out to several of his predecessors in the unforgiving history of twentieth century Iraq.

After all, there he was, surrounded by hooded men, who seemed to have escaped from the set of Godfather IV, chanting biased religious slogans, and being taunted by his executioners. Saddam was delivered to a den of darkness seemingly populated by the foot soldiers of the Mahdi Army. And just like Abdul Karim Qassim, the Iraqi President executed in 1963, his dead body had to be show-cased on television, to prove to the disbelieving masses that the King is indeed dead. And, lest it be forgotten, Abdul Karim Qassim also faced a kangaroo court before being sentenced to death.

Nothing has changed. And nothing can be sadder than that conclusion. Read More »

By Nasser Ali Khasawneh | Posted in Columnist, Current Affairs, death penalty, human rights, islam, middle east | Comments (0)

Notes from Amman Surgical Hospital– November 9, 2005

November 11, 2004 – 9:49 pm

As soon as we entered Amman Surgical Hospital, the depth of the tragedy engulfed us. To my right, a young man slouched in a chair, surrounded by friends. A veiled woman, who could have been his mother but had the air of a loving aunt, moved towards him. We were distracted by other scenes of anguish. A few moments later, I turned back to check on the young man, who could have been anywhere between 16 and 25, shock and despair masking all signs of youth. The veiled “aunt” was now sitting on the arm of his chair. An old man, dressed in traditional Arab clothes (a “hatta” and “e’gal” on the head, a dark dish-dash), stood over him on his other side. They whispered words in his ears, hands gently touching his shoulders.

The young man moved forward in his seat. A slight emotional convulsion gripped him. Slight tears welled-up the eyes. He hid his face in his forearms. The older man and woman streamed words of comfort that were inaudible to me. Or perhaps I didn’t want to hear what a young man is told of the violent death of a father or mother. His friends were speechless, their age making it impossible to comprehend or take any comfort against the insanities of our age. I moved on. Read More »

By Nasser Ali Khasawneh | Posted in Columnist, Current Affairs | Comments (0)

The Day We Accused Ariel Sharon

February 28, 2001 – 9:57 pm

As the world watches with trepidation the daily scenes of murder and outrage in the West Bank and Gaza strip, there is one thing we can all agree about. This particular escalation would not have taken place if it were not for good ole Ariel Sharon. His visit to the Holy Al-Aqsa compound on 28 September sparked the chain of tragic events that have claimed the lives of several hundred innocent civilians, almost all of whom have been Palestinian. It seems that Mr. Sharon was not happy to enter history merely for the war crimes he committed in Lebanon in 1982; he wanted to crown his record of disgrace with more innocent blood.

And quite remarkably, Sharon is now trying to run for the post of Prime Minister. There seems to be no limit to the audacity of this man! But I for one trust that the Israeli population will reject this war criminal at the polls, if he managed to get that far. I know first-hand that a substantial segment of Israeli society is as scathing about this man as all Arabs are. I witnessed this as a university student nine years ago. Read More »

By Nasser Ali Khasawneh | Posted in Columnist, Current Affairs | Comments (0)

From Prostitution To Geneva’s Parliament

February 28, 2001 – 9:56 pm

I first met Nicole Castioni at the International Book Fair in Geneva, Switzerland. She was signing copies of her bestseller, Le Soleil Au Bout De La Nuit (The Sun at the End of the Night) - ed. Albin Michel. My first thought was that she looked like a film star of the 1930s. She had a kind of grace and naturalness to her beauty that seemed to belong to another age.

She chatted easily with her audience, most of whom were touched by the sheer drama of her tale, and she talked with an air of understated courage that comes only to those who have been to hell and back. The people who had come to talk to her tried to put on their most understanding look, the kind those who had it easy feel they owe to those less fortunate than themselves. Nicole spoke calmly Read More »

By Nasser Ali Khasawneh | Posted in Columnist, Society | Comments (0)