In Pakistan, Who Knew What?

BBC’s Hardtalk has an interesting programme on The Death of Osama Bin Laden and basically, who knew what and when.

Two of the participants, Sir General Mike Jackson and David Wurmser, seemed to have been brought on the show as an act of kindness, as they have little to say that is either original or consequential.

Whereas Lieutenant General Asad Durrani, ex of the ISI, seems to fully appreciate the dynamic between both Pakistan and America. His contributions are worth listening to, they are a nice counter to the naive and wooden arguments advanced by Stephen Sackur.

Catch him at 00:12:01 or later on [00:12:55] saying:

“…as far as trust is concerned, the international relations are not based on trust, they are [based on]… commonality of interests, convergence of interests on certain issues, and in this particular case there were so many issues on which there was divergence….”

Watch it here on Iplayer.

France, Nativism And A Piece Of Cloth.

I am not a fan of the Niqab or Burka, but then again I am against enforcing specific dress codes, to wear something or not to wear something.

I argued some time ago on this very topic at Zword, but reconsidering some of those arguments I think there is a better way of looking at it, a simpler way. In the grand scheme of things, how important is it, really? In my view, not much.

When you think of France, with all its numerous social problems, economic ills and political difficulties, would you think that a piece of cloth is the biggest problem that they face?

And does it become a bigger issue when worn by women, in strategic places ?

I suspect most intelligent readers will say, no.

Clearly, there is plenty of historical material on secularism in France, and anyone familiar with the French Revolution would know why, but the contemporary debate in France owes more to the political manoeuvrings of politicians and the influence of the Far Right.

Xenophobia has long been a problem in Europe with its major manifestations in the 1930s and 40s.

More recently we can see increased racial attacks and violence again Roma across European countries, including France and then the spectre of nativism raises its ugly head, where those wearing unapproved fashions are now attacked.

The Far Right’s influence can be seen all over these measures, along with Nicolas Sarkozy’s fingerprints as he panders to French nativism in the hope of electoral success.

Enforced dress codes must be rejected, whether in Saudi Arabia, the Taliban’s old Afghanistan or France.

France has many serious problems and they do not come down to bits of cloth worn by women.

The real problems and social ills in France should be dealt with, and it does not help women in anyway to fine them for not wearing the approved range of clothes.

So in Europe let us be serious, deal with the real problems, infrastructure, social inequalities, decent wages, good pension, a solid welfare state and the stark divisions between rich and poor, and not these panicky measure which only increase racial tension and help the Far Right.

Update 1: Previous posts on the topic, Stigmatising Dress Codes.

Pandering To Prejudice In France.

Malmo And Racial Attacks.

There is often a romanticised view of Sweden, a social democratic paradise, solid welfare state, content people and a relatively harmonious society.

That is one misplaced view.

As Malmo has shown a real, much darker, side to Swedish society, the Local.se reported:

“Last year there were 79 crimes against Jewish residents reported to the police in Malmö, roughly double the number reported in 2008, according to the Skånska Dagbladet newspaper.

“That probably doesn’t tell the whole story because not everyone chose to make a report. Perhaps they fear they will add to an already infected situation,” Susanne Gosenius, a hate crimes coordinator with the Skåne police, told the newspaper, which has published series of articles about the growing anti-Semitism in Malmö.

In addition, Jewish cemeteries and synagogues have repeatedly been defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti, and a chapel at another Jewish burial site in Malmö was firebombed in January of last year.

There are currently an estimated 3,000 Jews living in the south of Sweden, with most residing in Malmö, Helsingborg, and Lund.

About 700 currently belong to the Jewish Community of Malmö, but the group’s membership rolls have been dropping steadily in recent years.

“It’s sort of a downward spiral,” Sieradzki told The Local.

“People want to maintain their Jewish traditions, but when they see others leave after being threatened, they begin to question whether or not they want to stay here.”

Skånska Dagbladet highlighted the case of Marcus Eilenberg, a 32-year-old father of two who has decided to move to Israel.

“My children aren’t safe here. It’s going to get worse,” he told the newspaper

Eilenberg’s family on his mother’s side has roots in Malmö that date back to the 1800s, while his father’s parents came to Sweden in 1945 after surviving Auschwitz.

He describes for the newspaper how people call him “damn Jew” (‘jävla jude’) when he walks to synagogue and that his friends are frequently harassed and threatened.

“Imagine that my family can’t feel safe in fantastic Sweden. It’s really terrible,” Eilenberg told Skånskan.

He blamed part of the problem on passive local politicians who he believes have failed to openly distance themselves from anti-Semitism and refuse to act when members of the Jewish community find themselves under constant threat.

Sieradzki agrees that the attitudes of Malmö politicians, especially Social Democrat city council chair Ilmar Reepalu, have allowed anti-Semitism to fester.

“He’s demonstrated extreme ignorance when it comes to our problems,” Sieradzki explained.”

That was a point echoed by an article in the Torygraph from earlier on this year:

“Malmo’s Jews, however, do not just point the finger at bigoted Muslims and their fellow racists in the country’s Neo-Nazi fringe. They also accuse Ilmar Reepalu, the Left-wing mayor who has been in power for 15 years, of failing to protect them.

Mr Reepalu, who is blamed for lax policing, is at the centre of a growing controversy for saying that what the Jews perceive as naked anti-Semitism is in fact just a sad, but understandable consequence of Israeli policy in the Middle East.”

In BBC’s Heart And Soul Wendy Robbins looked at antisemitism and Holocaust denial, covering Malmo and how antisemitism is becoming mainstream.

This is the first programme.

The second one, both are available as downloads or listen to on the Iplayer.

(Hat tip: Engage)

Gilad Shalit In The Media.

I have meant to write more on this topic, but couldn’t.

Still, Just Journalism has a good piece on the hypocrisy that is so evident in the British media:

“There were noticeable differences between The Guardian, The Independent and the BBC News website on the reported resumption of talks between Israel and Hamas over the release of Israeli hostage Gilad Shalit.

The biggest issue relates to the fact that Shalit has been denied visits during the period of his capture – a clear violation of the Geneva Convention and International Human Rights Law. The BBC article on the renewed talks did not even mention that he has been denied all visits.

The Associated Press and Independent articles, on the other hand, did both mention that Shalit has not been allowed visits; however, they failed to cite this as a violation of international law. The Independent noted that:

‘Sgt Shalit’s family has repeatedly complained that Hamas has not allowed visits to him by the International Red Cross.’

The Independent stated that:

‘Since his capture four years ago, Shalit has received no outside visitors.’

The failure to cite international law contrasts with coverage of Israeli actions, such as construction in the West Bank, where the issue of legality is frequently raised. “

What a contrast to how the British journalist Alan Johnston’s captivity was covered in the media.

The Benin Plaque And History.

I think a lot of people are put off by history when they first do it, or from the tales of Kings and Queens or dry meaningless legislation which finds no resonance in their lives.

I suspect much of it has to do with the problem of constructing national narratives in Britain, France, Germany and parts of Europe. It is hard for them to actually reflect what really happened, because invariably they are nationalistic in outlook, if not content.

The development of Nation states is rarely that compact or insulated, as the Benin Plaque demonstrates. Neil MacGregor in A History of the World in 100 Objects does a marvellous job of enriching our appreciation of a wider, connected history.

This programme can be downloaded as an MP3 here.

Taliban Murder Medical Workers.

Another example of the Taliban’s real attitude, which should cause their Western supporters, apologists and excuses a moment’s thought, AFP has more:

“Kintoz said they were shot by armed men in a remote area of Badakhshan province, according to the testimony of “Saifullah”, an Afghan who survived.

The group of eight ophthalmologists had been travelling with three Afghans between Badakhshan and Nuristan provinces and spent a few nights in the forest, he reported Saifullah as saying.

“On the last day they were confronted by a group of armed men who lined them up and shot them. Their money and belongings were all stolen,” said Kintoz.

He said that according to Saifullah’s testimony he had escaped death by reading verses of the Koran, prompting the men to realise he was a Muslim and release him in neighbouring Nuristan province.

The police chief said local villagers had warned the group not to enter the dangerous forested area, but they had insisted they would be safe because they were doctors, according to Saifullah’s statement.

He said the bodies had been found in Kuran wa Minjan district, an area on the border with Nuristan province, one day’s drive from the provincial capital Faizabad.”

Update 1: The BBC with sweeping naivete seems to take the Taliban at their word, when they state:

“Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said bibles translated into Dari had been found.”

Even if they had carried copies of Playboy, they should not have been murdered.

They were doctors and aid workers trying to help ordinary Afghans, that should be enough.

Update 2: Another part of the Beeb has at least covered the human side of their murder:

“Blog posts written by Briton Dr Karen Woo, named as one of 10 medics shot dead in Afghanistan, offer a human insight into the aid mission to the war-torn country.

The BBC understands that Dr Woo gave up a well-paid job with private healthcare provider Bupa to work in Afghanistan for minimal financial reward.

She died alongside six Americans, a German and two Afghan interpreters who had been working with Christian charity the International Assistance Mission to provide eye care in remote villages.

Her blog posts reveal that she was driven by a desire to improve the lives of ordinary Afghans – and spread the word about their plight.

On the blog-hosting website Bridge Afghanistan, Dr Woo described the effect on her of a 2009 visit to Kabul, and told of her plans to make a documentary.

“The things that I saw during that visit made me, as a doctor, want to bring back the human stories both good and bad,” she wrote.

“The access that a doctor or healthcare professional has to a community is unlike that available to a journalist; the trust and conversations are different.

“The insight is through the lens of birth and death, of loss and disability, and reflects every aspect of the consequences of conflict on individuals and on their community.” “

Update 3: Dr Woo’s blog is here.

Update 4: Dr Woo followed this particular blog, Thru Afghan Eyes and it is good.

Imagine If….

This piece, unintentionally, highlights the dual standards which exist in the West, when it comes to the welfare of Israelis:

“Imagine if the UN announced tomorrow that it was suspending all UNWRA activities and funding in the Gaza Strip until Gilad Shalit was released. Imagine if the EU refused to allow imports of strawberries and flowers from Gaza until the Red Cross was granted regular access to Gilad in accordance with his rights under international law. Imagine if Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch or B’Tselem did more than release the occasional tepid statement. Imagine if the BBC and the Guardian actually reported this story with the same zeal and intensity as they invested in the kidnapping of Alan Johnston.”

Child Slave Labour And Chocolate

A recent Panorama programme showed that the problem of child slave labour is still very much with us, and that the chocolate eaten by people in Britain might have also played a part:

“In an investigation into the supply chain that delivers much of the chocolate sold in the UK – more than half a million tonnes a year – the BBC found evidence of human trafficking and child slave labour.

Panorama also found that there is no guarantee, despite safeguards, even with chocolate marketed as Fairtrade, that child labour – as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) – has not been involved in the supply chain.
…
Together, Ghana and Ivory Coast produce 60% of the world’s cocoa. More than 10m people survive off the industry.
In a village in Ghana, Kenyon met 12-year-old Ouare Fatao Kwakou, who was sold to traffickers by his uncle and taken from neighbouring and impoverished Burkina Faso to work as a cocoa picker.

More than a year later, he had not been paid a penny for his work – the profits of his labour going instead to his new cocoa masters and to the uncle who sold him.

In the port city of San Pedro in Ivory Coast, Kenyon posed as a trader and sold on cocoa beans which had been produced by the worst forms of child labour.

It is at this point where the traceability of the cocoa ends and it can be sold on to major chocolate makers worldwide who cannot say how it was sourced.”

The BBC And Casual Antisemitism

You can almost guarantee that should something nasty happen in the world that Israelis or Jews will be blamed for it.

Of course, the majority of those doing the blaming are cranks, neo-Nazis, White Power freaks or their friends, you wouldn’t normally expect to hear casual antisemitism on BBC Radio Four, and certainly not on their premier news programme, PM, but that’s what happened on the 17th February 2010 edition.

Listen to it at from 10:40 onward with the silly statement at about 17:45 into the programme:

‘Gordon Thomas:

“Usually, as I said, they would like to have, carry out their mission killing someone in the bedroom, that is easy for them, because what they do they have a whole backup system called assigment (?). These are the people, local residents, Jewish people, who will help the Mossad, and there’s estimated to be in the world about half million, some people say a million, I tend say to it is about half a million from what I have learned from the Mossad.” ‘ [My transcript]

Given there are about 13 million Jews in the world, then BBC’s PM would have us believe that about 1 in 13 Jews either work for or would assist Mossad, if required.

It doesn’t occur to them that this is on a par with cranky antisemitic theories which have been doing the rounds of the Internet for years, where they basically argue that Mossad are secretive, all-powerful and bloodthirsty.

BBC’s PM adds a new dimension to that deranged thinking, where instead of “reds being under the bed” Mossad is seen to be behind numerous unexplained occurrences and presumably helped by this legion of Jews just waiting for the word?

It is a pity that the BBC doesn’t commission a programme on antisemitic conspiracy theories and make the PM producers and interviewers sit through it for a few hours, then perhaps they wouldn’t come out with this nonsense, again.

If you read the blurb for Gideon’s Spy by Gordon Thomas (the PM interviewee), you’ll find out that Mossad were somehow involved in the killing of “Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed”, but given the ludicrous nature of these allegations I am surprised that Gordon Thomas doesn’t blame Mossad for Climate Change, pigeon droppings or halitosis.

You can read the reviews on Amazon and make your own minds up, I suspect his research is about as useful as a papier-mâché suspension bridge.

The Speccy had a review of Mr. Thomas’s work and this sums it up nicely:

“Many other examples could be cited. Basic mistakes about those cases whose facts are known do not encourage confidence in the author’s other revelations. And if Mossad was even half as skilful and all-knowing as Thomas suggests, Israel’s military and political problems in the Middle East would surely have been solved long ago.”

Oh, the poor old BBC.

(Hat tip: Adam Holland)

Update 1: Ops, I am a little behind events, Judeosphere covered it here 3 days ago, BBC Reports That One Million Jews Worldwide are Trained Assassins. Readers had better read his account, he’s a lot sharper than me.

Pandering To Prejudice In France.

Anyone following the debate concerning the Burka or Niqab in France might imagine that there are tens of thousands of people sauntering around, committing nefarious acts, hidden by these pieces of cloth.

But in fact according to a BBC correspondent, there are only about 1900 wearers in the whole of France.

Even taking account of French history and anticlericalism it strikes me that this debate is taking on the form of a moral panic in France.

Personally, I think it is regrettable when people wear these particular forms of dress, I think they are demeaning and sexually regressive, but it is their choice.

However, as I argued previously at Z-blog, implementing a ban is in many ways implementing a dress code. It is telling people what they can or can’t wear, even if it’s just in a negative sense.

Why ban the Burka and Niqab? What other forms of dress are socially unacceptable? Should we legislate on those too? And if not, why not ?

My view is, that if someone consciously decides to wear the Burka or a Niqab, for their own reasons, who are you or I to say no? Would you like someone telling you what you can or can’t wear? Of course not, then why apply that to others.

State implemented dress codes are wrong, either in the form of enforcing what you can wear or what you can’t.

The problem is, I think it is the wrong type of debate and in the end it panders to prejudice.

What is Gaza Really Like?

Who really knows what goes on in Gaza?

Who is free to tell? How does Hamas manipulate sympathies in the West?

I do not know and I will bet that neither do most people.

But we know that Hamas controls Gaza with force. Hamas will subjugate, torture or murder any dissidents.

Hamas play the Western media’s game, portraying a particular image that they wish Westerners to see, but occasionally the façade falls

The BBC’s Edward Stourton reports from Gaza [07:39 on the 18th Jan 2010 BBC’s Today programme, available here via the BBC player, approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes into the programme].

It is well worth a listen, especially the bit where Stourton reports:

“I am actually in rather an elegant hotel by the sea in Gaza City, you maybe able to hear the waves lapping on the beach, and give or take the odd shortage it just about works…..hundreds of tunnels, and we are told some are big enough to allow entire cars to be smuggled through…..I am in the heart of Gaza City in the shopping area, in front of a shop absolutely stuffed with goods, inside there are clocks, and kettles, and crockery and pretty much anything you could want. Outside there on the pavement piles of fridges, washing machines and microwave ovens…”

It strikes me that Gaza is very much like any city or society, with its rich elements and the poor.

Capitalism with all of its inherent problems, is alive and well in Gaza, but it’s not just that.

Clearly, poverty in Gaza is exacerbated by Hamas’s actions, the military conflicts, Hamas’s excessive spending on weaponry and building up their own internal security forces, to keep them in power.

The money wasted on arms cannot be spent on alleviating the real poverty that exists in Gaza.

But then again, I suspect that Hamas do not really care much about the poor, except when they can be pulled out and shown to the Western media as objects of pity. Hamas has a vested interest in portraying the worst possible picture, but can’t be absolved of blame as they have run Gaza since 2006.

On top of that, the Western correspondents in the Middle East are partly to blame, they know full well the divide between rich and poor in Gaza. They know of the elegant hotels, the shops stuffed with goods and tunnels big enough to smuggle a car in, yet without exception we hear next to nothing about them.

I wonder why?

Update 1: See the comments, but in late 2008 Hamas kicked out an Israeli journalist. “But on Sunday, Hamas officials told Amira Hass they would no longer guarantee her security and told her to leave. “

As she says:

“AMIRA HASS: I don’t know. They just got tired of me, I guess, because they insisted from the start to follow me, to escort me twenty-four hours a day, which, of course, didn’t make my work very easy, but I took it OK. They said there is a—“We want to avoid any—the slightest chance that somebody might hurt you.” And then, all of a sudden on Sunday, they told me that the circumstances have changed, and there is more tension in the region, and there are all sorts of information—there is all sorts of information that my life might be in danger. And as a principle, I don’t take such, you know, at face value what any security apparatus tells me, whether it is the Israelis, whether Arafat or Hamas. But they left no option. I mean, they were very strict about it. I have some friends in Hamas. They tried very hard to put sense into some people, but it was in vain. “

Carter-Ruck, Trafigura And Those Emails.

These posts could get a bit big, so I will split them up, Richard Wilson’s comments are here.

The BBC will probably clear down any criticism, no matter how mild, of Trafigura, so I think it is best to keep a copy of those Trafigura emails which indicate they knew what they were doing and why.

A copy of those emails is at the BBC.

More on journalism.co.uk too.

Trafigura Intimidates The BBC.

Trafigura are still at it.

Despite overwhelming and compelling evidence which demonstrate their culpability and negligence in polluting the Ivory Coast, Trafigura are using highly paid lawyers to bully people and silent the media.

In this instance, they’ve managed to intimidate the rather weak will BBC as Left Foot Forward reports:

“Libel reform campaigners have reacted with “dismay” at the BBC’s decision to concede to toxic waste shippers Trafigura in the High Court. In a statement, the BBC said it withdrew “the allegation that deaths, miscarriages or serious or long-term injuries were caused by the waste and apologises to Trafigura for having claimed otherwise.”

The case was brought by Carter Ruck on behalf after the BBC claimed in its Newsnight programme of 13 May 2009 titled ‘Dirty Tricks and Toxic waste‘ that Trafigura had caused deaths by being involved in the dumping of toxic waste in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. A number of blogs carried the report even after it was removed by the BBC. In February 2007, Reuters reported that “Ivory Coast has confirmed the deaths of a five more people from exposure to toxic waste dumped in Abidjan last August, taking the death toll to 15.”

Readers will remember how Trafigura employed these tactics recently.

Neo-fascism On The Sofa, Courtesy Of The BBC.

You might almost get the impression that the BBC were vaguely sympathetic to the BNP or wanted to assist their growth?

Why else should the BBC want to provide these neofascists with the platform and normalise their views?

I’m not sure that it is as clear cut as that, but the BBC’s QT decision to invite Nick Griffin, BNP leader, started the ball rolling.

The Daily (Maybe) informs us that Griffin was recently invited to the Politics Show North West, last Sunday, 6th December 2009.

It is on Iplayer (35:00 in), what a spectacle. Treating a climate change denying neofascist as if his views are worthy of consideration. The BBC seems to have lost all editorial judgement in this matter, but it probably helps their viewing figures so they’re not going to complain.

Peter Cranie explains it well.

When, in years to come, people look back of the growth of British neofascism I suspect that sizeable blame will be placed on the BBC for legitimising the BNP’s views, aiding their propaganda and increasing their public profile.

Wall Street’s Ethnography.

Laurie Taylor’s Thinking Allowed has an informative piece on Wall Street, Karen Ho’s Liquidated: An Ethnography of Wall Street.

Worth a listen.