Bill Weinberg

South Asia

Ideology Chart

Pakistan's army high command approved the death penalty for 10 condemned jihadists who were convicted by a military tribunal of attacks that claimed over 60 lives—including the assassination of Amjad Sabri, one of the country's most revered singers of qawwalii, traditional Sufi devotional music. Sabri was on his way to a televised Ramadan performance in Karachi when his car was attacked by gunmen, and his many followers hailed justice in the case. But in the two years since Sabri's death, attacks on Sufis in Pakistan have continued, with suicide blasts and horrific massacres at shrines and mosques. (Photo via PTI)

Mexico

Mexico broaches oil privatization —almost

On Feb. 13, Mexico’s El Economista reported that the Mexican Senate’s Energy Commission, led by Juan Bueno Torio of President Felipe Calderón‘s conservative National Action Party (PAN), has called for a “special program of private investment” for Pemex, the state… Read moreMexico broaches oil privatization —almost

Mexico

Narcos, not guerillas behind Mexico City blast

A lunchtime blast that killed one and injured two on Chapultepec Ave. in the Roma district near Mexico City’s tony Zona Rosa Feb. 15 was the work of narco gangs and not leftist guerillas, authorities say. Federal District police say… Read moreNarcos, not guerillas behind Mexico City blast

Africa

Nigeria: cross-dressers face sharia court

First polygamous lesbians—now cross-dressers. From the BBC, Feb. 15: The trial of 18 men accused of dressing up as women has started in a Sharia court in northern Nigeria. The men were arrested last year in a hotel room in… Read moreNigeria: cross-dressers face sharia court

Afghanistan

Pakistan: Sufis make NYT op-ed page

A guardedly optimistic op-ed, “In Pakistan, Islam Needs Democracy,” appears in the Feb. 16 New York Times by one Waleed Ziad of the Truman National Security Project, a think-tank that “unites Americans who believe equally in strong liberal values, and… Read morePakistan: Sufis make NYT op-ed page

Watching the Shadows

Barack Obama pawn in intra-elite paleo-neocon wars?

We’ve noted that Zbigniew Brzezinski is one of the primary exponents of the policy-elite backlash against the neocons, and his emergence as an adviser for Barack Obama says much about the coalition that is coming together behind the Obamarama. The… Read moreBarack Obama pawn in intra-elite paleo-neocon wars?

Watching the Shadows

Ron Paul: right-wing wackjob

We’ve noted ourselves that Ron Paul is the only Republican candidate that talks a good line on the Iraq war. But it is really disturbing to see anti-war folks line up behind him uncritically. Nico Pitney notes the phenomenon—without comment—on… Read moreRon Paul: right-wing wackjob

Iraq

Iraq: “progress” —if you set the bar really, really low

In a “rare burst of productivity,” Iraq’s parliament Feb. 13 passed three key laws and approved them as a package, ending months of deadlock. Two of the laws—providing for a general amnesty for thousands of Iraqi prisoners and defining the… Read moreIraq: “progress” —if you set the bar really, really low

Africa

Kenya: whither “majimboism”?

The same depressing story that we’ve heard from Bosnia to Baghdad now reaches us from Kenya. From the New York Times, Feb. 15, “Signs in Kenya of a Land Redrawn by Ethnicity “: Kenya used to be considered one of… Read moreKenya: whither “majimboism”?

Mexico

Chiapas: paramilitaries freed from prison —attack bus route?

On Feb. 11, ski-masked gunmen stopped a bus on the road between San Cristobal de Las Casas and Ocosingo in the conflicted southern Mexican state of Chiapas, threatening passengers and robbing them of cameras, cell phones, ID documents and other… Read moreChiapas: paramilitaries freed from prison —attack bus route?

Europe

New skirmish in cartoon jihad

Danish newspapers this week reprinted the notorious cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb for a turban, a day after three people were arrested for allegedly plotting to kill the artist who drew it, Kurt Westergaard, a 73-year-old illustrator… Read moreNew skirmish in cartoon jihad

Mindanao anarchists

From anonymous radical-right xenophobes in Britain came the call to make April 3 “Punish a Muslim Day.” Letters were sent to addresses across England, calling for violent attacks on Muslims. Police were on alert, and women who wear the hijab were advised to stay home. There were also reports that some of the letters had arrived in New York, causing the city’s Muslim community to mobilize and the NYPD to beef up security. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams joined multi-faith leaders to condemn the threats. His comments were laudable in intent, but revealing in their wording: “Our message must be just as loud. Not punish a Muslim, let’s embrace a Muslim, let’s embrace a Christian, let’s embrace a person of Jewish faith…” Why has the word “Jew” become taboo, and especially in progressive circles? (Image: frgdr.com)