mohammadalisalih.com Blog

“The King’s Messenger,” a recently-published book, by David Ottaway of “The Washington Post,” on Prince Bandar bin Sultan, former Saudi Ambassador in Washington, mentioned that on the night of the invasion of Iraq, which the Prince strongly supported, the Prince took a bottle of Blue Label Johnny Walker Scotch Whisky to the Department of State, to celebrate with top officials.

This evil act doesn’t deserve a comment from me.

I will comment about Whisky. I didn’t know there was “Blue Label”; only “Red Label” and “Black Label” were familiar. Out of curiosity, I went to the neighborhood liquor store and found there was a “Green Label” and upon asking about “Blue Label” was shown it was stored in a locked area and a bottle cost about $200. That was too expensive for me to buy.

Then, for Christmas, my son gave me a bottle of Glenlivet Whisky.

The Scotch Excise Act of 1823 allowed that legal distilleries could be formed, and George Smith, who was operating an illicit distillery at the time, became the first person in Glenlivet to apply for and receive a license to legally produce spirit. Now, near Moray, Scotland, one of the best single malt (made completely from a single type of malted grain, traditionally barley) Scotch whisky in the world in produced.

Whisky (or whiskey) refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that are distilled from fermented grain mash and aged in wooden casks (generally oak). Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and maize (corn).

The word “whisky” is derived from the Gaelic word for water (uisge or uisce). Whisky is called uisge beatha in Scots Gaelic and uisce beatha in Irish. These terms mean “water of life” and are related to the Latin aqua vitae.

The first written record of whisky comes from 1405 in Ireland, where it was distilled by monks. It is also mentioned in Scotland in 1496. Scotch whiskies are generally distilled twice, though some are distilled a third time. International laws require anything bearing the label “Scotch” to be distilled in Scotland and matured for a minimum of three years and one day in oak casks, among other, more specific criteria.

Laura, my sister-in-law in Florida, said she found a better way to drink Scotsh Whisky: only with few drops of luckwarm water. She even sent me a U-Tube video (watched by more than 50,000 people).

First, pour a small amount into your glass, hold the glass so the heat from your hand warm the whisky and release the aromas, bring the glass up to your nose and note the aromas. Now, take a small sip and roll the whisky around on your tongue, then swallow. Next add just few drops of lukewarm spring water.

I will drink to that.

A recent UN General Assembly resolution against insulting religions and prophets and exploiting 9/11 attacks to associate Islam with terrorism passed by a slim majority with all – all – Western countries voting against it because of their strong believe in freedom of expression.

But some Muslim scholars criticized this Western unanimous vote and what they called Western “hypocrisy” and mentioned:

First, David Irving, a British historian, was recently sent to jail for denying the Holocaust “as illustrated in some historical and cultural sources.”

Second, All Western countries supported a 2005 UN resolution that rejected “any denial, total or partial, of the Holocaust as a historical fact,” asked member countries to establish school curriculums to teach “lessons” from the Holocaust and to celebrate the event on regular basis.

These Muslim scholars gave the following explanations: the Holocaust was “more divine than God’s prophets”; freedom of expression was a self-serving concept; or the Christian West just didn’t want to recognize Mohammad, the prophet of Islam.

It seems to me that this last point is the core of the problems between Islam and the Christian West. Christianity doesn’t recognize Mohammad as a prophet from God. For the West, It is like saying: wait a minute, who is this Mohammed who we are expected to recognize? How do we recognize someone we don’t believe in?

But, it also seems to me, on the other side, that these Muslim scholars shouldn’t expect people who don’t believe in the Muslim prophet to give him the same status as the Christian prophet. And, if the Christian West would rather stick to the freedom of expression than try to define what an insult to Jesus means, the West might as well not define an insult to Mohammad.

Having said that, the fact is that the Koran recognizes all the major Bible prophets, like in this verse: “The Prophet (Mohammad) believed in what God sent him, and all the believers believed in God, his angles, prophets and books. We don’t differentiate between one prophet and another.”

Recently, “The Washington Post” published a story about Jyotsna, a 15-year-old girl who worked in the salt pans of western India, where her parents earn a living coaxing salt from the ground. But, her two younger brothers went to school. “It’s easier to be a boy,” said the girl who was forced to drop out of school at 10 to help her parents.

Her mother said she could not afford to let all her three children study, so she picked her daughter to work. “I regret she has this hard life,” said her mother. “But this is the destiny of girls. It was my destiny, too.”

I was born and grew up in a village which was not unlike this one. Wadi Haj, near Argo, On the Nile River, in northern Sudan, south of the borders with Egypt.

We were six brothers and five daughters. The boys made it all the way to high schools and the universities (I made it all way to Indiana University Graduate School in Journalism). The girls, unlike Jyostsna, were not pulled out of school to help my mother, but, like her, were destined to eventually, stay at home or not, wait for husbands. Four of them finished the nearby elementary school, and, few years later, were married to cousins. And one made it all the way to a teachers institute, became a teacher and married a fellow teacher.

I don’t agree with the clear implication of the “Washington Post” piece that a girl who stays home, waiting to be married, to have children and establish her own family is somehow “inferior” to the one who goes to school.

Obviously, education is important and should add to anyone’s knowledge, abilities and opinions. But establishing a family is important too. And it doesn’t need a paper or a pen.

Which one is more important: family or education? Both, but, in the absence of education, let us not minimized – or, like in this piece, almost insult – the institution of family. Establishing a family is, itself, education, natural education.

And, to add a moral point, I believe that natural knowledge and laws are more perfect – more divine – than the acquired ones.

Like I always say, It is so “beautifully natural” to meet, mate, have children, take care of them, so, later on, they will take care of their parents and grandparents.

A bipartisan panel of senators concluded that former defense secretary Rumsfeld and other top Bush administration officials bear direct responsibility for the harsh treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. And that their decisions led to more serious abuses in Iraq and elsewhere. And “disgraced the nation and undermined U.S. security.”

The report said: “The abuse of detainees in U.S. custody cannot simply be attributed to the actions of ‘a few bad apples’ acting on their own … The fact is that senior officials in the United States government solicited information on how to use aggressive techniques, redefined the law to create the appearance of their legality, and authorized their use against detainees.”

Since I have come to believe that President Bush so called “war on terrorism” is but a subtle war against Muslims, I am as glad that the Congress finally reached this conclusion as I have been, all these years, sad and angry because of what was going on in Guantanamo and elsewhere.

I believe some sort of fear and/or hate of Muslims was behind the actions that the Congress now deplored. I say “now” because I wonder where the Congress from the beginning was.

Where was the Congress in 2003 when “Time” magazine published smuggled photos of huge metal chains planted on the floors of cells? When it quoted officials there saying there had been 32 suicide attempts in 18 months, at least one of which left a man in a coma? When Army Colonel Jerry Cannon, a leading investigator, called the suicide attempts “manipulative behavior”? When Army General Geoffrey Miller, said:” You can’t be too careful protecting this enormously valuable intelligence trove”? He was later sent to Abu Graib jail in Baghdad.

Now, I am more convinced that even the members of the committee who issued this report were – probably still are – part of this fear and/or hate of Muslims that, I have come to believe, is behind all this so called “war on terrorism.”

And, so, as long as this so war continues, there will be more injustice done to Muslims.

Courtland Milloy, a Black columnist in “The Washington Post” wrote: “I am reluctant to let down my guard against racial discrimination in everyday life. Am I being paranoid? Some of my closest friends are also wrangling with such conundrums.”

A Black educator in Atlanta said: “It has to be one of three things: that my views about white people were wrong; that white people have changed; or that the conditions of the country are so frightening that they overwhelm the issue of race. I don’t know how to answer that question but I just can’t quite bring myself to believe that I’m wrong about white people.”

Roy Wilkins, the veteran civil rights leader, said Obama’s victory “doesn’t turn a switch that eradicates our whole national history and culture.” He added that many people will hold onto their racist beliefs.

Rev T.D. Jakes wrote in “Time” magazine: “The African slaves who provided most of the labor that built the White House never imagined this … But before we light candles and sing “Kumbaya,” it may be wise to adjust our expectation to a realistic depiction of attainable goals. No one man’s appointment will end all racial tension. Nor will it totally eradicate the residual bitterness inherent in a society where such atrocities as slavery and Jim Crow lie only a few miles behind us.”

Last year, a Pew Research Center poll showed that Blacks were more pessimistic about racial progress. A vast majority believed racial discrimination is pervasive when applying for a job, renting an apartment or buying a house, eating at a restaurant or go out shopping.

On the other hand, a majority of whites say that blacks rarely face bias in such situations.

Like I wrote before, I believe this situation will continue as long there is “Whites Superiority Complex” (WSC) and “Blacks Inferiority Complex” (BIC). The only way out, as I see it, is for the Blacks to get rid of this BIC.

On the other side, Whites tend to personally be identified with this Caucasian Christian civilization that dominates the world today.

Shouldn’t, but, it seems to me, it is harder to get rid of WSC than BIC.

The Pentagon recently established two strategies in its so called “Global War On Terrorism” (GWOT). I call it Subtle Wars on Muslims (SWOM). The Pentagon will start fighting two wars: traditional and “irregular”. This last one means battling insurgents and terrorists with foreign partners and sometimes clandestinely. It also means working with foreign security forces, surrogates and indigenous resistance movements to shore up fragile states, extend the reach of U.S. forces into denied areas or battle hostile regimes.

Obviously, the threat of large-scale combat against other nations’ armies has waned, so it is time to find new enemies.

A major thrust of the policy is for U.S. troops to do less of the fighting themselves and instead build the capabilities of foreign militaries and security forces.

Specifically, as irregular warfare is more manpower-intensive, it is likely to shift more resources toward training the Army and Marine Corps. The policy also supports continued growth in Special Operations forces — elite troops such as Army Green Berets skilled in partnering with foreign forces and civil affairs soldiers who conduct nation-building.

The irregular warfare is likely to be conducted by Special Operations, under U.S. Special Operations Command, based in Tampa, to “develop capabilities for extending U.S. reach into denied areas and uncertain environments by operating with and through indigenous foreign forces or by conducting low visibility operations.”

So, it looks like this so called “Global War On Terrorism,” i.e. subtle wars against Muslims, will continue for a long time and will expand and expand.

Whom are these people fooling?

They want to cooperate with corrupt Muslim government and use Muslims troops to kill Muslim so called “terrorists.”

Recently, I came across this:

“11/20/2008

Dear Friends: With the election of the 111th Congress, I wanted to share with you efforts by the Congressional Muslim Staff Association (CMSA) to put more qualified Muslim-Americans on Capitol Hill. Please see the note about how to submit your resume below. Sincerely, Assad R. Akhter,Legislative Director, Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr.”

Attached: Directions (Excerpts):

It is an objective of the CMSA to increase diversity on Capitol Hill through the recruitment, retention and promotion of Muslims and people of color in staff positions throughout Congressional Offices and Committees.

Resumes are requested from individuals who: Are U.S. Citizens. Display strong educational, professional, and social experiences relevant to a career in a fast paced, policy-focused, constituency-responsive work environment. Able to easily attend in-person job interviews in Washington DC, and to start work immediately upon hiring

Please use the following titles to classify the position you are seeking: Chief of Staff, Committee – Professional Staff, Committee – Counsel, Legislative Director, Legislative Assistant, Press, Scheduling, Legislative Correspondent, Staff Assistant.

Please note:

(1): CMSA’s role is limited to the distribution of submitted resumes through the CMSA Resume Book. (2): There is no guarantee that all submitted resumes will be included in the CMSA Resume Book. (3): CMSA will send the CMSA Resume Book to new Members of Congress, Committees, Leadership Offices, and other Congressional Member Offices and administrative offices in Congress (CAO, Clerks Office, Sergeant at Arms, etc.) upon request of such offices. (4): CMSA makes no warranty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of resumes. (5): CMSA also highly recommends that job seekers submit their resumes through established methods: Electronically submit resumes to the U.S. House of Representatives. And electronically submit resumes to the U.S. Senate.
All the Best,

J. Saleh Williams, MPA
Program and Outreach Coordinator
Congressional Muslim Staffers Association”

ONLY IN AMERICA!

While doing my almost daily walk around Burke Lake, in Burke Lake Park, in Burke, VA, with Emma, our 12-year old Border Collie, I came, during a cold and windy day, across three women, each with a dog, and each dog neatly dressed in a large colorful coat.

Having Emma, and before her, and for about ten years, George, a Golden Retriever, I obviously love dogs, and so does my family.

But dogs with coats bother me a little.

When I was growing up in Wadi Haj, my village on the Nile River, near Argo town, in northern Sudan, south of the borders with Egypt, dogs were part of the village life. But they were not kept, taken care of and, shall I say, pampered by their owners as their American counterparts.

They were mostly farm dogs. Taken to farms during the day and then brought back to spend the night guarding sheep and goats that were kept outside homes. Usually, dogs were not allowed inside homes. Those stayed outside used to bark and scare us as we walked by, especially by night.

We didn’t have dogs. My father said they were “dirty” and that the Koran cursed them. My sisters used some of the goats that were kept at home as their pets and gave them names (I remember “Sabah,” Arabic for “morning”).

About thirty years later and to my surprise, my American teenager son asked me whether the Koran prohibited owning dogs. Most probably, he was curious about a Muslim keeping a dog at home, feeding him, taking him for walks and even giving him luxurious baths (hot water in winter) though not in bath tubs.

And no winter coats.

This brings me back to the three women and their dogs at Burke Lake Park.

If they were in my village, they wouldn’t have kept dogs at home and, even if, wouldn’t have taken them for a walk.

Why? Because, most probably, they would have been married and been busy taking care of their many children and serving their demanding macho husbands.

I have nothing against American women (and men) who don’t marry, marry at later age, have no children or have one or two. But, I have come to believe in “natural law,” i.e. naturally, men and women are expected (destined?) to get marry, have children, bring them up, die, their children grow up, marry and so on.

Meantime, I have come to understand that, because of the absence of children and grandchildren in many American homes, men and women tend to keep dogs to give them company (unlike the situation in my village).

——————————————–

Since the start of what I have come to believe is President Bush’s subtle wars on Muslims, I have watched many movies about what I have come to call “Pentagon’s wars on Muslims”. Even if some of these movies were critical of these wars, I have seen scene after scene of bombarding Afghanis, Iraqis, Somalis and other “terrorists.” Not unlike what goes on in real life by the Pentagon.

At first, I didn’t want to watch “Body of Lies,” thinking that it wouldn’t be different from the above, except the killing would be by the CIA, instead of the Pentagon.

The movie was based on a novel of the same name by David Ignatius of “The Washington Post.” It was about a CIA operative who went to Jordan to track a high-ranking terrorist. The film was directed the director of “American Gangster” and “Black Hawk Down” (killing of Somalis). The stars were Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani and Australian actor Vince Colosimo. Production took place in Washington D.C. and Morocco.Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) was the CIA operative trying to track down a terrorist called Al Salim. While following a lead, Ferris’ asset was killed during a car chase involving terrorists, rocket-propelled grenades and two missile-firing U.S. helicopters.

The scene reminded me of the Vietnam War and several movies about it: Helicopters hovering over and shooting at natives, except that this time they were Muslims, not Asians. (I am tempted to say “Buddhists,” since I have come to believe that religion was a factor, though a subtle factor in, that war).

The other scene that attracted me was Salim capturing Ferris, turning on a video camera and ordering Ferris to be executed on video, by decapitation. Shootings of “Allahu Akbar” and someone loudly reading verses from the Koran filled the theater.

I could tell the verses were not about killing “infidels,” and spreading the “caliphate” as much as they were about defending Muslims against injustice, i.e. foreign occupation, foreign spies and local rulers who are but foreigners’ tools.

The third part was enough satisfaction for me: The CIA chief telling Ferries that “we are not less worse than they are.”

After drinking Sudanese “Camel Beer” (also known as “Camel Pee”) for many years, I was excited by American beer, as I was excited by almost everything American, when I came to America in early 1970’s, as a graduate student in Ernie Pyle School of Journalism at Indiana University.

Then I went back home, then came, four years later, in 1980, as a foreign correspondent in Washington, DC, and until today.

I liked “Schlitz,” “PBS,” “Budweiser” in Bloomington, IN , off-campus bars on Kirkwood Street. My white law school roommate, David, was my mentor when it came to affairs of beer-drinking and looking for girls (though he, a Catholic, preferred girls at churches, where I went with him many times, my first step towards religious understanding).

In 1980, when I came to Washington as a foreign correspondent, my beer taste climbed up a little, and I started drinking “Heineken,” and “Amstel,” two luxury beers I used to drink in Sudan when I had more money and wanted to taste something better than “Camel Pee.”

But, I found these imported beers expensive, so I settled on “Budweiser,” “Coors” and alike.

Recently, I felt that American beers were so regular and bland, and started looking for something more tasteful. For my “African taste,” I found the little more bitter beer more enjoyable. So, I tried stout beer for a while.

Recently, when in Boone, NC, I came across “Blowing Rock” beer, manufactured in Boone itself. I liked its “bitter, real beer” taste.

Upon doing researches on the Internet, I found it was mostly the “ale” that gives it its stronger taste.

But, let us start from the beginning.

Beer is the oldestand most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereals—the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, corn, and rice are also widely used. Most beer is flavoured with hops, which add bitterness.

The strength of beer may range from less than 1% abv (alcohol by volume) to over 20% abv in rare cases, though is usually afround 4% to 6% abv.

There are two main types: the globally popular pale lagers and the regionally distinct ales:

Ale is a beer brewed from malted barley using a top-fermenting brewers’ yeast. This yeast ferments the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste. Most ales contain hops, which impart a bitter herbal flavour that helps to balance the sweetness of the malt and preserve the beer.

Pale lager is a very pale to golden-coloured beer with a well attenuated body and noble hop bitterness. The pale coloured, lean and stable beers were very successful and gradually spread around the globe to become the most common form of beer consumed in the world today, and includes the American beer Budweiser, the world’s highest volume selling beer.

From now onwards, I think I am “ale” not “pale”.

What did I know?

Only in America.