Ali Gator

Iran News

2012-01-26T21:35:00.001-06:00

Turkey is trying to figure out what to do, if it can't get oil from Iran because of the embargo. There are also fewer Iranian tourists visiting Turkey, as the Iranian rial has fallen in value. The central bank in Iran is trying to fix that with a single fixed exchange rate.

An Iranian university professor was arrested in the United States. He's accused of sending lab equipment to Iran.

Three Iranian opposition leaders have been under house arrest for almost a year now.

The Institute for Science and International Security released a report saying that Iran will not make nuclear weapons this year.

Israel is very concerned about a nuclear Iran. A former IDF chief said that Israel should try to stop Iran, and military action may be needed. But according to Time magazine, a senior IDF official has already said that Israel can't stop Iran's nuclear program, only delay it some.

Quick News Roundup

2012-01-21T16:26:00.000-06:00

Another earthquake in Van, Turkey. This was a smaller 4.9.

A Bangladeshi man in Oman died of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF). Apparently some animals in Oman carry the animal version. A Pakistani man died of similar symptoms several weeks ago. It is thought they both contracted CCHF from handling contaminated meat. It's not common, but it does happen. In 1995-1996 there were 4 cases.

A small passenger ship sank off the coast of Iran today. Rescue efforts are underway.

The Egyptian election is over. The Freedom and Justice Party (Muslim Brotherhood) won the most seats. Their speaker will be Saad al-Katatni.

Fun News Roundup

2012-01-21T16:16:00.000-06:00

Italy just returned a statue head to Libya. It's about 2,000 years old and was stolen in the 1960s.

Karbala, Iraq is asking Guiness World Records to visit during the next Arbaeen to verify the high number of Shi'ite pilgrims.

A British company is in trouble for trying to sell a piece of the Saddam Hussein statue in Baghdad. Apparently they have a 2-foot piece of buttock.

YemenWatch: Wednesday January 17, 2012

2012-01-17T18:06:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I've written about Yemen. Things there are still in a state of flux, to put it mildly. So what's going on?

In late December President Saleh said he was going to the United States. Yemenis, along with the UN and human rights organizations, are upset about an immunity deal for Saleh. The United States is worried that AQAP (Al-Qa'eda Arabian Peninsula) may make inroads during the unrest and power vacuum.

AQAP has taken over the town of Rada. Saleh's party and the Islamic Islah party are blaming each other for this event.

HOOD (Yemeni human rights organization) says that hundreds of people, many of them soldiers, are being tortured in camps belonging to Saleh.

The current capital of Yemen, is Sana'a, but there is talk of moving it to Aden. Aden is a port city, and was the capital city of South Yemen, before unification. It also has an international airport (like Sana'a).

I'll have more later.

Queen Beatrix in Oman

2012-01-11T13:04:00.000-06:00

Queen Beatrix (Netherlands) is currently visiting Oman. The visit focuses on economic and trade relations. There are a lot of Dutch in and around the Middle East. People often forget that.

Strait of Hormuz

2012-01-07T13:09:00.001-06:00

You've probably seen the latest information about Iran threatening to close the Strait, which is already affecting oil prices. Here's a good commentary by a professor. And a guest commentary on Juan Cole's site. And the nearby Gulf States are of course, worried.

I'm getting rather concerned myself. Over the last year, Iran and the US have really seemed to be sniping at each other more than usual. And now the US military is out of Iraq, freeing them up for another confrontation. Originally, I was more worried about a war between Iran and Israel, but now I'm not sure where we are headed. Let's hope that calmer heads prevail in all three countries. It would not take much to start another war in the Middle East, and most of us don't want that. I'm mainly worried about some of the US politicians on the right, who don't seem to understand that Iran is NOT Iraq.

Courtesy of Wikimedia

New Island

2012-01-04T13:48:00.000-06:00

I thought this was interesting: a new island was created in the Red Sea. It was formed from a volcano there. The island may or may not be stable and survive. If it does, it might belong to Yemen.

2012: A New Year

2012-01-02T10:53:00.000-06:00

It's now 2012 in the Western calendar, and generally we try to make resolutions for the New Year. Here are some of mine:

1) Blog more consistently. I have had several hard years, but things have been looking up recently. I will try to stay on top of news and blogging.

2) I hope to add some more analysis and not just be a news aggregate. In some areas that won't be possible, because I don't have the necessary background. But where I do have the background, I'd like to use it more.

Believe it or not, this blog is now 5 years old! I've taken a hiatus here and there, but overall I love blogging and do plan to continue!

Religious Radicalism Strikes Again

2011-12-30T12:55:00.000-06:00

I have previously written about problems between ultra-Orthodox Jews and moderate Jews in Israel. Here's a further look at what's going on. Everything from pepper-spray attacks to throwing stones at women.

So, if I extrapolate this according to the Muslim Judging Scale, that means that all Jews are violent extremists who want to impose Torah law on the West and we must fight them and kick them out of our country. Right?

And More Islamophobia in America

2011-12-24T23:34:00.000-06:00

You've probably seen the news about Lowe's pulling their advertising from a reality show on TLC. The reality show follows Muslims in Michigan as they go through their everyday lives. Apparently that counts as "propaganda" to some wacko Christians out there. The wackos raised a fuss and Lowe's caved in. And they're getting a lot of backlash! Sign the petition against Islamophobia here.

Saturday Night Live did a skit involving Jesus talking to Tim Tebow (the American football player). That offended people like Pat Roberston who felt it was attacking Christianity. He claimed that if Saturday Night Live had done a similar skit about Islam, there would be a huge outcry. His co-host said there would be "bodies on the street." I guess Christians are nice people and Muslims are violent crazies who go around killing everyone.

Women's News December 20, 2011

2011-12-20T13:28:00.000-06:00

Slide show and article on women in the Muslim Brotherhood.

A cute article about Coaching Women's Basketball in Qatar.

Female drivers in Kabul, Afghanistan, and why we should listen to Afghan women.

Update

2011-12-18T19:52:00.001-06:00

Sorry about the dearth of postings. I'm a little bogged down with the approaching Christmas holiday.

Reverse Honor Killing

2011-12-02T18:35:00.000-06:00

When it comes to honor killings, usually you hear about some poor woman who has been killed for daring to date a man, or not get engaged to whomever her father chose, etc. This is more of a reverse one. An Indonesian man in Australia killed his mom's lover because he felt it dishonored his family. Honestly, I am a bit surprised he didn't kill his mother.

Thanksgiving Madness

2011-11-24T17:39:00.000-06:00

If you're in the United States, today is Thanksgiving Day. It mainly involves eating lots of turkey with family and friends, and watching football on TV. It's sort of a religious holiday, depending upon how religious your family is. But in the latest Islamophobia, the crazies are worried about Islam taking over Thanksgiving. Why? Because Butterball has Halal turkeys.

Whole Butterball turkeys are being processed according to Halal methods. Apparently some people consider this an attack upon America because they are forced to eat "stealth halal turkeys." First of all, how come these crazies are not attacking Kosher turkeys? Secondly, here's my favorite quote:

Across this great country, on Thanksgiving tables nationwide, infidel Americans are unwittingly going to be serving halal turkeys to their families this Thursday. Turkeys that are halal certified -- who wants that, especially on a day on which we are giving thanks to G-d for our freedom?

So, you're giving thanks to God for your freedom. Then wouldn't you WANT to eat a turkey that's been consecrated to God?

Here's more from a blogger for the Houston Chronicle.

More Saudi Craziness

2011-11-20T19:13:00.000-06:00

If it isn't bad enough that women have to cover their whole body in Saudi Arabia, now they may have to cover their eyes! Apparently some women have "tempting" eyes and the religious police in Ha'il may force them to cover those eyes.

I have an idea. Maybe the men of Ha'il should learn to control themselves. Or if looking at a woman's eyes is enough to cause them discomfort, maybe they should wear blindfolds. Perhaps one day the Kingdom will enter the 20th century (I've given up on the 21st).

Lingerie Shops in Saudia Arabia

2011-11-18T14:04:00.000-06:00

Apparently they do exist. And the Kingdom has decided that only women should work or shop in those stores. The shops will be exclusively female, and should have mostly Saudi workers in them. This law takes effect at the beginning of 2012.

Ali Gator

Iran News

Top Stories January 23, 2012

Quick News Roundup

Fun News Roundup

YemenWatch: Wednesday January 17, 2012

Top Stories January 16, 2012

Queen Beatrix in Oman

Top Stories January 9, 2012

Strait of Hormuz

New Island

Top Stories January 2, 2012

2012: A New Year

Religious Radicalism Strikes Again

And More Islamophobia in America

Women's News December 20, 2011

Top Stories December 19, 2011

Update

Top Stories December 12, 2011

Top Stories December 5, 2011

Reverse Honor Killing

Top Stories November 28, 2011

Thanksgiving Madness

Top Stories November 21, 2011

More Saudi Craziness

Lingerie Shops in Saudia Arabia