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5. mars 2006
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Hamas finds the embrace from al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri rather uncomfortable.
Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal said the movement had "its own vision" and did not need al-Qaeda's advice.
He was responding to a video statement in which Zawahiri called on Hamas - which won last month's Palestinian election - to continue to fight Israel.
As ruthless as Hamas is, and despite some known connections between them, there are actually serious differences between them and al-Qaeda, too. For one, Hamas does not share al-Qaeda's ideology which restricts true Islam only to those who subscribe to its extreme Salafism.
One problem that Hamas and the rest of the world shares is that if Hamas' political programme in control of the Palestinian Authority doesn't meet the voters' expectations, Palestinians could turn to even more extreme movements, like Islamic Jihad and of course al-Qaeda. Then again, a Hamas failure could also lead to future electoral victories for more moderate fractions. Unfortunately, such fractions are pretty marginal in Palestine, and it is hard to see that changing in the foreseeable future.
PS: Details of the newest al-Qaeda tape here. Interestingly, al-Qaeda throws its weight behind the Mohammad cartoon boycott.
10:30:50 PM 
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Mustafa Akyol and Zeyno Baran have authored a manifesto rejecting terrorism and despotism, and affirming that Islam is compatible with democratic societies.
We support and cherish democracy - not because we reject the sovereignty of the Almighty over people, but because we believe that this sovereignty is manifested in the general will of people in a democratic and pluralistic society. We do not accept theocratic rule-not because we do not wish to obey Allah, but because theocratic rule inevitably becomes rule by fallible (and sometimes corrupt and misguided) humans in the name of the infallible God.
We accept the legitimacy of the secular state and the secular law. Islamic law, or sharia, was developed at a time when Muslims were living in homogenous communities. In the modern world, virtually all societies are pluralistic, consisting of different faiths and of different perceptions of each faith, including Islam. In this pluralistic setting, a legal system based on a particular version of a single religion cannot be imposed on all citizens. Thus, a single secular law, open to all religions but based on none, is strongly needed.
We believe that women have the same inalienable rights as men. We strongly denounce laws and attitudes in some Islamic societies that exclude women from society by denying them the rights of education, political participation and the individual pursuit of happiness. Like men, women should have the right to decide how they will live, dress, travel, marry and divorce; if they do not enjoy these rights, they are clearly second-class citizens.
It will be interesting to see how much of a following this manifesto, or similar ideas, will receive.
7:53:32 PM
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Hassan Rowhani, chief Iranian negotiator in the EU-3 talks until last year, has been boasting about how Iran deceived the west by playing for time in the EU talks while rushing forward with its nuclear programme.
In his address to the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, Mr Rowhani appears to have been seeking to rebut criticism from hardliners that he gave too much ground in talks with the European troika. The contents of the speech were published in a regime journal that circulates among the ruling elite.
He told his audience: "When we were negotiating with the Europeans in Teheran we were still installing some of the equipment at the Isfahan site. There was plenty of work to be done to complete the site and finish the work there. In reality, by creating a tame situation, we could finish Isfahan." [...]
He described the regime's quandary in September 2003 when the IAEA had demanded a "complete picture" of its nuclear activities. "The dilemma was if we offered a complete picture, the picture itself could lead us to the UN Security Council," he said. "And not providing a complete picture would also be a violation of the resolution and we could have been referred to the Security Council for not implementing the resolution."
Importantly, the facts about the Iranians' nuclear programme was revealed by the opposition, and when A Q Khan's network was dismantled following Libya's decision to come clean on its WMD programme, it was a major blow to Iran.
The Iranians' biggest setback came when Libya secretly negotiated with America and Britain to close down its nuclear operations. Mr Rowhani said that Iran had bought much of its nuclear-related equipment from "the same dealer" - a reference to the network of A Q Khan, the rogue Pakistani atomic scientist. From information supplied by Libya, it became clear that Iran had bought P2 advanced centrifuges.
Tomorrow, the IAEA is meeting in Vienna to discuss referring Iran to the UN Security Council, and Iran is threatening to accelerate its programme in response.
Nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Iran would "pursue its own path" if the US and its allies "want to use force".
Perhaps more ominously, Iran is also making a note that "use of force" (and that seems to include all sorts of sanctions) would seriously affect oil prices.
A military confrontation with Iran would be an unmitigated disaster. But Mullahs with nukes is an even worse prospect.
7:10:54 PM
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Double standards at a Canadian university:
The University of Saskatchewan publication The Sheaf chose not to publish the famous Mohammed cartoons "out of respect for Islam."
They seem to have no problem at all though, publishing a cartoon of Jesus having oral sex with a "Capitalist Piglet". In the second frame of the same cartoon, the piglet tells Jesus that the act is Kosher if he doesn't swallow his mouthful of ejaculate - which is seen dripping from Jesus' mouth.
Hopefully the explanation is that fear, not respect, is the explanation for not printing the Mohammad cartoon. The respect argument sort of went out the window there.
3:28:03 AM
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© Copyright 2006 Jan Haugland.
Last update: 01.04.2006; 13:21:18.
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