Ali Gator

Update October 2015

2015-10-11T12:04:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone.

I am not currently blogging, but I have started up again on Twitter. So follow me there!

@the_ali_gator

Update

2012-10-08T15:09:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to come back and continue blogging about the Middle East, but honestly, my heart just isn't in it anymore. For the most part, I'm only listing the Top Stories every Monday. If that's all I'm going to do, then there's no reason to continue this blog. I sincerely hope that one day I'll be able to return and make a contribution to blogging about the Middle East. Until that time, thank you for reading my blog. One day I will return, insha'allah.

Free Speech Means Free Speech, at least in America

2012-09-29T11:20:00.000-06:00

Great article on Slate about Free speech vs. hate speech. I agree that it is hypocritical of many European countries to outlaw hate speech about the Holocaust or Jews or communist atrocities, but allow the denigration of Islam. Which is why I think America has the best model - Free Speech for all. You can make fun of anyone here. You can hate anyone here. Now, depending upon whom you are hating or making fun of, you may be ridiculed yourself. But at least you have that right.

Americans have fought long and hard for these freedoms. Because we realized that stopping these freedoms can start small. It may sound like a good idea to make it illegal to use hate speech about Islam. But if you include Islam, don't you have to include other religions? What about Baha'is? In many Islamic countries Baha'is are discriminated against. How many Muslims would support a law making hate speech against Baha'is illegal? And it we outlawed hate speech against religions, then what about hate speech against our leaders? Surely that would come next? One of my favorite rights of being an American, is that if you hate the president, you can come right out and say so. You just can't threaten his life. As soon as you start curtailing such a simple right as what someone is allowed to say or think, you start down the road of telling them what they are allowed to say or think. So think about that.

What the Hell is going on in Bahrain?

2012-09-19T13:12:00.000-06:00

And why isn't the American media covering it?

Juan Cole has an article on his site called America's Hypocrisy in Bahrain, written for TomDispatch. It's very disturbing. I had no idea that the situation in Bahrain had deteriorated so much. That so many protests were still going on and people were being attacked and arrested and tortured for them.

A Safer America: An 18-year-old and a bomb

2012-09-17T18:10:00.001-06:00

There have been a number of these cases over the last few years. Cases where the FBI foils a terror attack and saves America. But a lot of these cases also seem a bit odd. In this one, an 18-year-old kid tried to set off a car bomb in Chicago. But he got the fake bomb FROM the FBI. AFTER the FBI contacted him and helped stir him up. Which begs the question: Would this kid have ever actually done anything WITHOUT FBI help? Or would he be just another impotent wacko spouting off on the Internet? Is the FBI actually helping stop terror attacks, or is it creating stoppable terror attacks to prove its worth?

Anti-Muslim Movie Part 2

2012-09-14T16:40:00.000-06:00

By now you've probably heard that everything we knew about the maker of the movie is wrong. He's not an Israeli Jew, but now claims to be a Coptic Egyptian. He has been in jail for fraud. And the actors in the movie had no idea what was going on. They filmed a movie set a few thousand years ago, and this guy dubbed over their voices to make references to Muhammad.

This brings me to a great little article on Slate called: Don't let Internet videos drive you to violence. No matter who you are, somewhere out there is a person or group who just doesn't like you. And they may post videos just to upset you. Hoping that you'll go crazy and even turn to violence. Don't let them get away with it. It's what they want. Don't let them win.

Anti-Muslim Movie

2012-09-12T09:19:00.002-06:00

I want to start by condemning the attacks in Libya, that resulted in US deaths. There has also been violence in Cairo.

What set off these attacks is a movie called "Innocence of Muslims." The filmmaker is Israeli-American and says he made the film because "Islam is a cancer" (quoted from article). The film was recently subtitled in Arabic, and started being mentioned on Egyptian television.

I don't condone the violence and deaths, but I can understand why people are so upset. This is another one of those situations that I've blogged about before: Yes, in America we have Freedom of Speech. But just because you CAN say something does not mean that you SHOULD say something.

If a Muslim made a movie about Jesus, and depicted him as a womanizer and pedophile, there would be boycotts and mass demonstrations, and probably even some violence in America. [I'm saying this to make a point, because most Americans don't realize Jesus is a Muslim prophet.] The relationship between America and the Middle East is so tenuous at times, and historically rather rocky, so it's very easy to offend people. My current concern is backlash over the backlash, as some Americans may become more Islamophobic and think that all Muslims are ultra-religious and violent. Let's hope the situation cools off quickly.

Islamophobia in America Again

2012-08-17T14:45:00.000-06:00

I think by now everyone has seen the shooting at the Sikh temple. I'm including it here because right after 9-11 some Sikhs were killed because they were mistaken for Muslims. Apparently if you wear a turban that means you're Muslim.

Another one: A mosque in Joplin, Missouri has been burned down - for the second time this summer!

Last year a mosque in California was burned down.

An organization is putting up Islamorealism signs in New York, to expose terrorism.

Islamophobia.org
Islamophobia Watch
Islamophobia Today

Edit: added website

Muslim Women in the Olympics

2012-08-03T13:59:00.001-06:00

Two Saudi women are competing. Although it hasn't been easy for them. One lives in the USA, the other has to train in private. And they're getting hate mail for even competing.

Afghanistan has a female sprinter. So does Brunei. The female shooter from Qatar carried the flag.

It's about time more women from the Islamic world competed in sports. There is no reason for them not to! Many of these women follow Islamic dress codes when they compete, so why do so many Muslim men want to stop them?

Okay to Joke on Twitter!

2012-07-29T22:53:00.001-06:00

Some of you may remember when a disgruntled air passenger tweeted about blowing up an airport in 2010. He was originally charged and found guilty of sending threatening messages. Well, the UK High Court finally decided that yes, the man was joking. This whole situation was of real concern to anyone interested in preserving free speech in the West. Thank goodness for common sense!

NYC Police Overstep Bounds

2012-07-26T16:24:00.000-06:00

This story originally broke a while back, but new information is now available: The 911 tape that started it all. In 2009, the New York City Police Department was caught with a safe house in New Jersey. Specifically, they were watching local Muslim groups and putting all their information into a database. Then the NYC police department tried to claim that they weren't doing anything illegal, because the police officers weren't doing anything "official."

This really upsets me. It reminds me of McCarthyism in the 1950s, when people were terrified of being accused of being a Red. Except, most Muslims tend to have darker skin. If the police were doing this to Catholics, people would be horrified. So why is it acceptable to treat Muslims this way?

Sexy Australian Hurdler

2012-07-20T21:48:00.001-06:00

By now you've probably all seen this video - the sexy hurdler from Australia doing a little dance before the race. This is the link that showed up on my Yahoo! page. What I found amusing is that if you look in the top right corner, you can see what looks like the Al-Jazeera logo.

Tennessee Mosque Opens

2012-07-19T18:26:00.001-06:00

Finally! That mosque in Tennessee that seems to have a lot of Tennesseans freaked out, may finally be able to open. This has been going on for TWO YEARS. The range of Islamophobia in this country really makes me think of McCarthyism in the 1950s. It's pathetic.

Ali Gator

Update October 2015

Update

Top Stories October 1, 2012

Free Speech Means Free Speech, at least in America

Top Stories September 24, 2012

What the Hell is going on in Bahrain?

A Safer America: An 18-year-old and a bomb

Top Stories September 17, 2012

Anti-Muslim Movie Part 2

Anti-Muslim Movie

Top Stories September 10, 2012

Top Stories September 4, 2012

Top Stories August 27, 2012

Top Stories August 20, 2012

Islamophobia in America Again

Top Stories August 13, 2012

Top Stories August 7, 2012 - a bit delayed

Muslim Women in the Olympics

Top Stories July 30, 2012

Okay to Joke on Twitter!

NYC Police Overstep Bounds

Top Stories July 23, 2012

Sexy Australian Hurdler

Tennessee Mosque Opens

Top Stories July 16, 2012