...Or Does It Explode?

Mourning King Fahd

No comment.

The Berbers of Algeria

We're on the road this week, but offering a series of photos and photo galleries to keep you entertained. This morning, we celebrate the Kaybles, or Berbers of northeastern Algeria, with a link to a pBase photo gallery from Kaybles villages. The indigenous Berbers of North Africa comprise a large percent of the population in countries like Morocco, Mauritania, Libya, and Algeria - although exact statistics are impossible to come by. To learn more about the Kaybles, see this backgrounder.

Mubarak's Egypt: Kleptocracy in Action

The heavy-machines company Caterpillar has been in the news a bunch recently, in part because the Caterpillar corporate server was hit by a major worm virus and in part because of an Israel divestment campaign by some American church denominations. But what the hot and bothered churchgoers don't realize is that while the clerics are busy divesting from Caterpillar... the Mubarak family that rules in Egypt is busy investing in Caterpillar.

At least, so says this eclectic Egyptian opposition website, which provides a list of companies in which the Mubarak clan own at least a 25% stake. As the Arabist Network notes:

When you’ve lived in Egypt long enough and you take an interest in politics, sooner or later you’ll hear a story about how one of Mubarak’s sons edged himself into a business. The one I heard was about one of the more prominent members of an old Egyptian family... The family didn’t have that much money left, but enough to start businesses and be able to take take advantage of certain business opportunities. This elderly man, at some point in the 1990s, managed to become the dealer for one of the more prominent European car brands...

As he was about to sign the deal, he received a visit from Alaa Mubarak, Gamal’s older brother. He offered him to become a 50% partner in the new venture — the venture that he had spent a number of years trying to set up. It was, as they say in The Godfather, an offer they couldn’t refuse... It’s practically impossible not to hand over some of your money to the Mubaraks if you live in Egypt.

So what other companies are held in the Mubarak family portfolio? According to the (unverified) list, it's a diversified portfolio indeed: KFC, BMW, McDonald's, Dove, Siemens, the Four Seasons, Michelin, HP, Compaq, Hyundai, Subway, Kraft, Heinekin, and on and on. As Mel Brooks kinda likes to say, "It's good to be the dictator."

Looks as if the Episcopalian clerics might do well to broaden their horizons.

Al-Arabiya Reports: Middle East's First Gay Wedding

The website of the satellite TV station Al-Arabiya is reporting a watershed moment for the Middle East's gay pride movement. According to the Arabic-language story (which apparently has not yet been picked up by the English-language media), two Kuwaiti male lovers were recently married at a major hotel in Cairo.

The story is quite long and detailed, as are the dozens upon dozens of comments from readers (some in English). According to Al-Arabiya, the wedding began in customary fashion as "bride" and "groom" arrived at a hotel off Midan Tahrir (Liberation Square) riding together in a car. They were greeted outside the hotel entrance with flowers, incense, musicians, and even a belly dancer (no word on the dancer's gender).

The article describes how the couple then walked into the hotel ballroom, which was largely filled with gay and lesbian couples. The "groom" spoke first, professing that the couple's love had lasted despite negative pressure from their families, from society, and from the Kuwaiti government. [The Egyptian newspaper The Week (Il-Usbuwa) reported that the Kuwaiti authorities refused to allow the ceremony on Kuwaiti soil.] After the "bride" spoke of the cultural pressures that had prevented them from consecrating their vows for so long, the belly dancer again began dancing and the hotel staff brought out a wedding cake with both partners' names on it.

News of the alleged first ever gay wedding in the Middle East has generated a minor sensation. The Kuwaiti paper Al-Watan has since published an article claiming it had called the Hilton Ramses Hotel in Cairo and that hotel management denied the report. Without photos of the event, the names of the taboo-shattering couple, or the imam who married them, the article's veracity remains in doubt.

Still, that a leading Arabic media outlet would even cover a gay wedding marks a watershed moment. We'll keep you posted if more details come to light.

Football (Soccer), Korea, and the Middle East

Three random stories. Connect the dots.

1. Axil of Evil Internal Struggles: North Koreans Attack Iranians
This item has just come to our attention: A few months ago, a soccer pitch in North Korea became the site of a major flare-up between North Korea and Iran, the two remaining members of the Axis of Evil. On March 30, the Iranian national team solidly defeated Kim Jong-Il's boys, 2-0. North Korean fans responded by throwing bottles and chairs onto the field. North Korea was sanctioned by FIFA - as was Iran for a game against Japan in which six fans were trampled to death.

2. South Koreans Join Egyptian Kifaya Protests
Alaa from Cairo noted a recent protest called by South Koreans: "A diverse group of anti-war and human rights activists gathered in front of the Egytian Embassy in Seoul to demonstrate against Egyptian dictator Mubarak... People began the protest by chanting "Down Down Mubarak","24 years is enough", "Kifaya! Kifaya", "Victory to the Egyptian People's Struggle for Democracy!" The ambassador refused to see us. But we made sure that he will be seeing us more often as long as Mubarak and his son is in power.... When South Koreans hear about the Kifaya movement and Mubarak's desperate attempts to keep his power, they immediately make a connection to their past military rulers." (Browse the fascinating gallery of photos and try to determine if this is real or a Photoshop hoax. Regardless, Americans should be inspired.)

3. Iranian Women Successfully Protest Soccer Ban on Women
Meet the Rosa Parks of Tehran. Iranian law bars women... from attending soccer games. Shocking but true. Anyway, two dozen Iranian young women decided to challenge the ban. After holding sit-ins outside the stadium and confonting security officers, they managed to force their way into the game and cheer along with thousands of male fans. Don't miss the excellent photo gallery from the successful protests.

Will we start to see the same activism from women in Saudi Arabia, taking to the streets to challenge the bizarre legal restrictions on women's behavior?

Muamar!

It's nearly 36 years of glorious domination. Just a few more days to the magnificent anniversary, Colonel.

The King is Dead... Change the Street Signs

Now that Fahd has kicked the bucket and Abdullah has been upgraded from prince to king, it's time for the Saudi signmakers to get to work. As Naif Al-Dalbahi documents through diligent use of the cell-phone camera, "Prince Abdullah Road" (left) is now "King Abdullah Road" (right):

TelQuel Magazine Faces Government Crackdown - 1,000,000 Dirham Fine

One of the most positive recent developments in Morocco has been the rise of TelQuel Magazine, a French-language weekly publication that regularly push the envelope in shocking ways. Most prominent was a massive cover story a few months ago detailing King Muhammad VI's salary (right). Other taboo-breaking cover stories have included pieces on re-interpreting the Quran, homosexuality in Morocco, and the country's drug sub-culture.

For a while, TelQuel's groundbreaking and thrilling journalism seemed to be a sign of progress toward genuine freedom of expression in Morocco - albeit with an unquestioning respect for the king's right to rule. But yesterday a Moroccan court slapped the magazine with a 1,000,000 Dirham ($112,000, massive by Moroccan standards) fine and arrest warrants for a staff writer and the editor-in-chief if they fail to pay.

The background is quite ridiculous. About two months ago, an opinion column in the magazine criticizing the national parliament noted in passing that one politician was a former dancer. The column didn't mention the legislator by name, but the woman (indeed a former dancer) sued for character defamation. The court - clearly with orders from on high - refused to hear any arguments from TelQuel's lawyer and announced the massive fine. If editor Ahmed Benchemsi (serving as a visiting journalist this month at the LA Times and Newsweek) does not come up with the money, the courts added, he must serve a two-month jail sentence.

This story just broke and has yet to get any play in the US press or from press freedom advocates. But King Muhammad's sudden and arbitrary crackdown on TelQuel signals a chill wind blowing through a Moroccan society that had been rapidly warming on many civil rights issues.

The regime's move comes ironically just as TelQuel published a special double-issue cover story highlighting "100 Reasons to be Optimistic for Morocco" (left). In the magazine's long list, #36 reads: "Writing is free: Freedom of expression is without any doubt the greatest asset (and the most visible) of the Muhammad VI era..."

The irony here is rich and painful. Reading over TelQuel's bubbly list of 100 reasons to be optimistic is infectious. The changes sweeping through Moroccan society - or at least parts of it - may seem rudimentary in the West but are quite remarkable in the region. Reasons include (#98) "women can smoke in the streets"; (#2) "the Queen has a face"; (#6) "some Moroccans refuse to kiss the king's hand"; and (#28) "the disabled are less marginalized."

What TelQuel needs now is for international pressure to come down hard on the Moroccan regime - sending a signal that no step backwards on freedom of expression will be tolerated. If the world can get worked up over Judith Miller, then certainly the potential jailing of TelQuel editor Ahmed Benchemsi in a ridiculous defamation suit should demand our outrage.

Constituting Women's Rights in Iraq

In honor of today's looming announcement of a new Iraqi constitution - whose articulation (or lack thereof) of civil rights will likely have a great impact across the region - let's note last week's dueling protests in Baghdad over the issue of women's rights (amidst the sandstorms). Click on the photo below for an interesting report:

Out of Date Lebanese Joke

In the spirit of Big Pharaoh, who was recently sharing some jokes, here's a Monday-morning Lebanese joke that's now become dated:

A man walks into the police station in Beirut and breathlessly tells the officer at the front desk: "A Swiss soldier has just stolen my Syrian watch!"

The policeman looks at him confused. "Excuse me?"

"A Swiss soldier has just stolen my Syrian watch!" repeates the man, with even greater urgency.

"You must be mistaken," says the officer. "You mean a Syrian soldier has just stolen your Swiss watch."

"Hey," replies the man, "you said it - not me."