Maysar Al-Shamari, a columnist for the daily Al-Hayat , wrote an article in the paper's Saudi edition lambasting U.S. ambassadors in Arab countries for "defying the sovereignty of the countries where they serve" and interfering in their affairs. He was especially critical of the U.S. Ambassador in Egypt, Margaret Scobey, whom he called an "old bag." He urged the Arab states, starting with Egypt, to put the ambassadors in their place. Following are excerpts from the article: 1 "Why are the U.S. ...
In April, the Chinese government agreed to a deal to build two nuclear reactors for Pakistan, to be financed by a 20-year loan from China. The move to build the Chashma-3 and Chashma-4 nuclear reactors is not permitted under the rules of the Nuclear Suppliers Groups (NSG), the international body that regulates trade in nuclear materials. China has said that the two nuclear reactors are part of the series of Chashma-1 and Chashma-2 nuclear reactors built by it before 2004. The Chinese argument ...
This weekend, Lebanese Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah died at the age of 75. The following are excerpts from his obituary in the New York Times, followed by a list of reports from the MEMRI TV archives of his interviews and sermons: "Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, the top Shiite cleric in Lebanon, whose writings and preachings inspired the Dawa Party of Iraq and a generation of militants, including the founders of Hezbollah, died Sunday morning in Beirut. He was 75. " ...
MEMRI'S TURKISH STUDIES PROJECT IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS/INTERNS *Must be familiar with Turkish media/politics and be fluent in Turkish and English; Ideal candidate can telecommute; Small stipend may be available Please submit CV and cover letter. Include Turkish Project Intern in subject line of email. No phone calls please. Send CV to turkishmediaproject@memri.org In his June 17, 2010 column in the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News , titled "With Love from Hamas," Burak Bekdil writes that when ...
Criticism in Syria has recently escalated over U.S. policy, especially following the extension of the U.S. economic sanctions against the country that have been in effect since 2004, U.S. allegations regarding Syria's arming Hizbullah with Scud missiles, and Congress's decision to postpone the appointment of a U.S. ambassador to Damascus. It would appear that Syria had been expecting gestures from the U.S. as part of the normalization of relations between the two countries, a process that has ...
The central role played by Turkey and its prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the Gaza flotilla events, and the international uproar that ensued, was greeted with immense sympathy throughout the Arab world. However, the Arab press remained divided regarding Turkey's increasingly prominent status in the Middle East. Some writers extolled Turkey, crowning Erdogan as leader of the Arab world, while criticizing the flaccidity of other Arab regimes in dealing with the siege on Gaza. They argued ...
On June 9, 2010, the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA), the French broadcasting regulator, posted an announcement on its official website about Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV, which is broadcast via the Paris-based Eutelsat company. The announcement stated: "Since this channel Al-Aqsa has several times aired programs in disregard of the ban i.e. European regulations banning incitement on television , the CSA has requested that Eutelsat end the broadcasting of this channel Al-Aqsa …" 1 Al-Aqsa had ...
Iran's leaders have stated that the Gaza flotilla events are a sign of Israel's end. They called on the Muslims of the world to act against the "cancerous tumor" Israel, and warned Israel's supporters worldwide to distance themselves from it lest they be harmed as well. The daily Kayhan, the regime mouthpiece, called on the Turks to avenge the blood of their comrades who were killed, and announced that Israelis are not safe anywhere in the world. Following are the main reactions: Kayhan : The ...
