All posts by tabsir

The Sad Case of Sa‘da

Huthis, Yemen, Zaydi

[Note: News about internal affairs in Yemen rarely makes the news, unless the word Al-Qaeda is associated with a local act of terrorism. But there are grievances and skirmishes that have virtually nothing to do with the West’s fear of global jihad. One of these is the ongoing violence in the north of Yemen near Sa‘da. The following report by Mohammed Bin Sallam brings us up to date on the problem.]

Al-Houthi warns of annihilative catastrophe amid indicators of fifth Sa’ada war

by Mohammed Bin Sallam, Yemen Times, December 16

The military authorities are deploying huge army units these days throughout the restive governorate of Sa’ada. The excessive presence of troops implies a government’s intention to wage a new war against Houthi supporters after Eid Al-Adha vacation.

SA’ADA, December 16 — Sa’ada is currently experiencing much scornful conducts by authorities such as the extensive arrest campaigns, demolition of homes, forcing children and women to live outdoors and the excessive deployment of troops. “Such procedures usually indicate a government’s intention to wage a war against innocent people in the war-ravaged governoratet,” Abdulmalik Badraddin Al-Houthi, field leader of Houthi loyalists said in a letter sent out to Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) and NGOs last week.

He confirmed that he and his supporters are compelled to defend themselves and confront any new attacks by the government troops against them.

“I fear any destructive consequences of such a tragic and dangerous situation in the war-torn governorate. Earlier, we sent you a letter during the fourth war urging you to intervene in the crisis, taking into account that you are concerned with what is happening in Sa’ada and that you are partners in religion, homeland and fate,” Al-Houthi said in his letter, addressed to JMP leaders. “All the Yemeni people suffer from the consequences of Sa’ada wars. Those who don’t suffer from murder and property damage are bound to face negative economic impacts because the influential groups exploit the country’s wealth and exercise property theft at the expense of starving and poor citizens.” Continue reading The Sad Case of Sa‘da →

What’s Cooking in the Ottoman Empire

Food and Drink, Turkey

There are many cuisines in the Middle East and Central Asia and one of the great fusion examples occurred in the Ottoman Empire. In a recent book (500 Years of Turkish Cuisine) published in Turkey, Marianna Yerasimos provides a colorful survey of the various foods and drinks along with recipes and an array of images from Turkish illuminated manuscripts. Here is a sample from her introduction (with recipes to follow on future days):

“No one influence alone, central Asia, Anatolia or Byzantium, is by any means enough to explain Ottoman cuisine and its extraordinary richness in terms of ingredients and variety of dishes. As you will see in the recipes, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries, Ottoman cuisine shared ingredients, cooking methods and dish names with the Middle East. As there are inadequate sources available, it is at least for the time being impossible to definitively determine what it shared with Byzantine cuisine. There are also other veins fat and thin, which nourished Ottoman cuisine, such as Rumelia (the part of the Ottoman empire which was in Europe) and the Balkans. Continue reading What’s Cooking in the Ottoman Empire →

Apocalypse Watch: The Man Who Knows Squat

Apocalypse Watch, Islam and Christianity

Most people find it hard to take cartoons seriously, apart from political satire and that can become a deadly issue, depending on the target. Given the recent Danish cartoon controversy it would seem that comics and religion do not mix well or at least settle well for the believers who see themselves as the target. But what about comic relief for the political struggle between Israel and the Palestinians? Fundamentalist tract artist Jack Chick, whose comic empire is dedicated to winning souls for Christ by drawing on God’s hate, has been using his pen to spread a rather nasty version of the Gospel for over 40 years. One of his more recent offerings is called “The Squatters” and it provides a virtual roadmap to apocalypse. Continue reading Apocalypse Watch: The Man Who Knows Squat →

International Journal of Contemporary Iraqi Studies

Iraq, Iraq War, Teaching Resources

The International Journal of Contemporary Iraqi Studies is a new peer-reviewed, tri- annual, academic publication, sponsored by the International Association of Contemporary Iraqi Studies, and is devoted to the study of modern Iraq. In recognition of Iraq’s increasingly important position on the editors are: Tareq Ismael and Jacqueline Ismael at the University of Calgary (ijcis@intellectbooks.com).

For those interested, the first issue from 2007 is available free online in pdf format. Contents of more recent issues are also available online. The articles in the first issue are:

The Islamist imaginary: Islam,Iraq,and the projections of empire (Raymond W. Baker)

Media and lobbyist support for the US invasion of Iraq (Janice J. Terry)

Beating the drum:Canadian print media and the build-up to the invasion of Iraq (Tareq Y. Ismael)

The United States in Iraq:the consequences of occupation (Stephen Zunes)

Toward regional war in the Middle East? (Richard Falk)

Reconstructing the performance of the Iraqi economy 1950-2006: an essay with some hypotheses and many questions (Roger Owen)

The Sultan’s Seal

Books You Should Read, Literature, Turkey

“Your brush is the bowstring that brings the wild goose down.”

(Reviewed by Jana Kraus MAR 22, 2006)

Jenny White, an anthropologist and the author of numerous nonfiction works on Turkish society and politics, has written a real winner with her debut novel, The Sultan’s Seal. A historical mystery with a bit of romance thrown in, this book makes for an unputdownable read. Ms. White paints a remarkably vivid portrait of life in 19th century Turkey, from the luxurious sultan’s palaces to the most squalid slums of Istanbul, and writes intelligently of the political turmoil of the period.

Set in the ancient city “Stanbul” on the Bosphorus in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, (1886), political intrigue, espionage and social upheaval are rife, even in the sultan’s harem. “Young Turks,” a reformist and strongly nationalist group of men, forced the restoration of the constitution of 1876. This new generation of Ottoman political thinkers were convinced that the Empire would never be truly modernized until it had adopted a democratic government and a constitution rather than undiluted power in the hands of the sultan. Gathering secretly in Istanbul, then in exile in Europe, “these reformers propagandized against the governments of Ali Pasha then, when Ali died in 1871, against the increasingly autocratic rule of Sultan Abdulaziz.” There is a tremendous struggle taking place to find a middle ground between traditional values of the non-secular East and the very different, more progressive ways of the West. Continue reading The Sultan’s Seal →

Tenure Affirmed, not Bulldozed

Anthropology/Sociology, Arab-Israeli Conflict, Archaeology and Antiquities, Ethics

[Note: The recent tenure case of Dr. Nadia Abu el-Haj generated a great deal of heat in the blogosphere, but I am pleased to report that she was granted tenure based on the internal reviews and despite the external attempts to bulldoze her voice out of the academy. I had reported on this case in a post here on September 13. The details are provided in a blog item by Richard Silverstein, which I include here to bring closure to this case.]

by Richard Silverstein, Tikkun Olam, November 2, 2007

The long, arduous journey of Nadia Abu El-Haj, Barnard professor of anthropology, to tenure is finally over. The Columbia administration has approved Barnard’s recommendation and she will become tenured faculty on approval of both institutions’ boards of trustees. Thanks to Sol Salbe for noting the JTA report on this from earlier today. However, a Jewish journalist friend of mine has pointed out a typical JTA error in the copy for the story:

El-Haj is the author of “Facts on the Ground,” a book that attacks the Israeli archaeological establishment for fabricating material used to legitimize Israeli policies.

My friend called this sentence:

a complete and utter distortion of the book, which, of course, the journalist, whoever he/she might be, has not read. What he/she has read is Paula Stern’s petition or Gabrielle Berkner’s New York Sun story. On deadline, people [just] WRITE STUFF. It’s a pity The Sun gets to set the template.

Continue reading Tenure Affirmed, not Bulldozed →

Picturing Sanaa

Architecture, Photography, Sanaa, Yemen


Sanaa Satellites

Photograph by Tan Yilmaz

“Sanaa at dusk, taken from the rooftop terrace of Taj Talha hotel. I was not staying there, but non-guests can go up to the terrace for the view (try doing that in elitist Dubai). I did not bother erasing the profusion of unsightly satellite dishes, there are too many. 45mm. focal length, just before sunset. The sky is as dark as it is because of a departing thunderstorm. This is taken 1 day before the last Sanaa photo I uploaded, which was from the Golden Daar hotel. The workshops shows SANAA BY NIGHT.”

MPAC and the Bad News Bear Story

Gender and Sexuality, Islamophobia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Terrorism Issue

I am a Canadian Muslim who has been living and teaching in Los Angeles for the past decade. My recent book, Oil and Water: Two Faiths, One God is an introduction to Islam for a North American audience. As a Muslim, I am deeply concerned about violence committed by Muslims, especially when it is done in the name of Islam. Muslims around the world have condemned the recent cases in Sudan and Saudi Arabia. For example, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) wrote this in response to the jailing of the teacher in Sudan: “‘Jailing Ms. Gibbons is the real insult to Islam in this case,’ said MPAC Communications Director Edina Lekovic. ‘Invoking Islamic law to jail and deport her for this insignificant class project is absurd and appalling.'” Their full response can be found on their web page and is reproduced here:

MPAC Appalled by Sudanese Jailing of Teacher for Naming Teddy Bear
November 30, 2007

The Muslim Public Affairs Council today expressed its disgust with the Sudanese court decision to jail and beat a British teacher who allowed her students to name a class teddy bear “Muhammad.”

SEE: “Calls in Sudan for Execution of British Teacher” (New York Times, 11/30/07)

The hundreds of protesters, some waving ceremonial swords, outside the presidential palace denouncing the teacher and calling for her execution are falling into a pathetic trap by making a story out of nothing. The leaflets condemned Gibbons as an “infidel” and accused her of “the pollution of children’s mentality” by her actions.

“Jailing Ms. Gibbons is the real insult to Islam in this case,” said MPAC Communications Director Edina Lekovic. “Invoking Islamic law to jail and deport her for this insignificant class project is absurd and appalling.” Continue reading MPAC and the Bad News Bear Story →