- April 27, 2024
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Islamic State as a Western Phenomenon?
Not only is IS to a degree an alien movement in the larger body politic of the Middle East, it also seems to be a partly western phenomenon, a hideous offspring resulting from western neocolonial adventures in the region, coupled with alienation and demonisation of Muslim communities in western societies. By “western phenomenon”, I refrain […]
The Secret History of My Geography Teacher, Also Co-founder of Hamas
By Ramzy Baroud This is not my geography teacher, or, more accurately it is not at all how I remember him. A series of APA images published by the British Daily Mail and other newspapers showed Hamad al-Hasanat lying dead in a mosque, surrounded by a group of Hamas fighters. On top of his lifeless […]
Search for Moral Authority
When I was younger, and Said was still alive, I always wondered what his impressions of certain events were. His non-conformist political style — let alone his literary genius — did more than convey information and offer sound analyses. It also offered guidance and moral direction. After he promised me an interview, he wrote a […]
Qu’est-il advenu de l’intellectuel arabe ?
By Ramzy Baroud (Traduction : Info-Palestine.eu – Claude Zurbach) C’était un endroit bondé et poussiéreux où les taxis délabrés attendaient des passagers, entourés de vendeurs de poissons et de légumes. La poésie de Darwish était trop énigmatique pour que nous, adolescents d’un camp de réfugiés à Gaza, puissions la comprendre complètement. Mais on essayait malgré tout. […]
The Arab World’s Search for Moral Authority
Has the Arab intellectual been reduced to a bubblehead on some agenda-driven television channel saying exactly what is expected of him or her to say? The number of published Arab authors and higher education degree holders must have grown exponentially in recent years as a result of the proliferation of well-funded universities throughout the Middle […]
The Secret History of My Geography Teacher, also Co-founder of Hamas
Hasanat’s oldest son is Yaser, thus he was “Abu Yaser” – father of Yaser. I have never met Yaser, but I knew Tariq Dukhan well. Both Tariq and Yaser, along with two other teenagers, started the militant wing of Hamas, known as Izz el-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Tariq went to my school in Nuseirat. He was […]
The Arab Intellectual is Resting
A novel by Abdul Rahaman Munif represented the pain of a past generation, and the aspiration of many to come. Language was timeless then. One would read what Tunisia’s Abu al-Qasim al-Shabbi wrote in the 1930’s and Palestine’s Samih al-Qassim much later and still feel that the words echoed the same sentiment, anger, hope, pride, […]
Where is the Arab Intelligentsia?
This is a strange period in the history of Arab culture and politics. It is strange because popular revolutions are propelled by the articulation and insight of intellectuals. It is truly unparalleled since the Al-Nahda years (roughly between 1850 and 1914), which witnessed the rise of a political, cultural and literary movement in Syria, Egypt […]
The Arab Intellectual is Resting, Not Dead
But this is temporary. It has to be. The great cultures that have survived prolonged fights against brutal dictators and foreign dominance for generations, yet still gave birth to some of the most brilliant intellectuals, novelists, and poets of all time are capable of redeeming themselves. It is only a matter of time, and perhaps, […]
The Arab Intellectual is Resting, Not Dead
A novel by Abdul Rahaman Munif represented the pain of a past generation, and the aspiration of many to come. Language was timeless then. One would read what Tunisia’s Abu al-Qasim al-Shabbi wrote in the 1930’s and Palestine’s Samih al-Qassim much later and still feel that the words echoed the same sentiment, anger, hope, pride, […]
The Arab Intellectual is Resting, Not Dead
By Ramzy Baroud Whenever a new poem by Mahmoud Darwish was published in al-Quds newspaper, I rushed over to Abu Aymen’s newsstand that was located in the refugee camp’s main square. It was a crowded and dusty place where grimy taxis waited for passengers, surrounded by fish and vegetable venders. Darwish’s poetry was too cryptic […]
Thinking beyond Western Democracy
Yes, time to think outside the box. I am not claiming that China has the answers (although there is much truth to what Eric X Li is saying, which I observed myself when I visited the country – I wish I could have been there long enough to study the popular, non-elitest component of the […]
The Truth About Root Causes of Terrorism
Truly, US President Barack Obama’s recent call to address the root causes of violence, including that of the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) and al-Qaeda was a step in the right direction, but still miles away from taking the least responsibility for the mayhem that has afflicted the Middle East since the US invasion of Iraq […]
Obama’s Admission Not Enough: US Spin on Middle East Violence Must Change
By Ramzy Baroud Truly, US President Barack Obama’s recent call to address the root causes of violence, including that of the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) and al-Qaeda was a step in the right direction, but it is still miles away from taking the least responsibility possible for the mayhem that has afflicted the Middle East […]
Daesh is No Popular Phenomenon
True, at present, the Middle East region is the ideal incubator for violent militancy and political radicalisation. However, it is difficult to place Daesh even within that context without raising a host of questions. Starting with the first US-led western war in Iraq (1990-91), then a decade-long blockade, then the invasion of Iraq (2003), the […]
Setting Illogical Discourse
One is rarely proposing to ignore existing fault lines in Middle Eastern societies, standing sectarianism, fundamentalism, brewing, unresolved conflicts, and of course the monster of authoritarianism and corruption. None of this should be unheeded; if indeed a peaceful future is to be made possible. On the other hand, the argument that desperately seeks every possible […]
Obama’s Admission Not Enough
One is rarely proposing to ignore existing fault lines in Middle Eastern societies, standing sectarianism, fundamentalism, brewing, unresolved conflicts, and of course the monster of authoritarianism and corruption. None of this should be unheeded, if indeed a peaceful future is to be made possible. On the other hand, the argument that desperately seeks every possible […]
« L’État islamique » : un phénomène a-historique ?
Du point de vue de l’histoire populaire, (« l’histoire par le bas » qui était au moins en partie cohérente avec la violence répandue sur la région par les États-Unis et leurs alliés. Couplée avec le soutien occidental à Israël tout au long des décennies, et le soutien constant apporté par l’Occident à divers dictateurs arabes corrompus […]
Parking Space Terrorism: Time for Action after Killing of Three US Muslims
The murder of three American Muslims at a University of North Carolina condominium on Tuesday, 10 February, was no ordinary murder, nor is the criminal who killed them an ordinary thug. The context of the killings, the murder itself and the media and official responses to the horrific event is a testimony to everything that went wrong […]
Raccommodage avec « l’axe de la résistance » : le Hamas retourne à la case départ
Même si le Hamas est parvenu à freiner la progression militaire d’Israël dans la bande de Gaza, ses manœuvres politiques régionales de ses dernières années ne portent pas leurs fruits. Isolé simultanément par Israël et d’autres entités arabes, délaissé par l’Autorité palestinienne de Mahmoud Abbas, le Mouvement de résistance islamique se trouve à nouveau confronté […]
Chapel Hill ou le terrorisme de la place de stationnement
Le meurtre de trois musulmans américains dans un immeuble à proximité de l’université de Caroline du Nord ce mardi 10 février n’était pas un meurtre ordinaire, et le criminel n’était pas non plus un voyou ordinaire. Le contexte de la tuerie, le meurtre en lui-même et les réactions des médias et des instances officielles à […]
Do Israelis have any idea how bad it is in Gaza?
According to an in-depth analysis in Ma’an News Agency, Ramzy Baroud argued the outcome out of these processes is leading to Hamas being pushed out the political circles of the southern Arab states (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar) and back into arms of Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, from which Hamas broke off two years ago. Like […]
‘Islamic State’ mystery
People’s history attempts to study certain political and other phenomena by examining the underlying circumstances of history that go beyond the intrigues, interests and conspiracies of competing elites. It looks at the lives of ordinary people, united by the most common historical denominators to explain collective occurrences in the past or present, and attempts to […]
17 Books About Palestine That You Must Read – BuzzFeed
Here is a list of 17 must-read books about Palestine, written by Palestinians. “In a land where hope is the most precious commodity passed down through the generations, these [books] provide a tangible platform for silenced voices to be heard and means towards gaining some dignity for a wounded nation. – Ramzy Baroud – Read […]
Parking Space Terrorism: Time for Action after Killing of Three US Muslims
By Ramzy Baroud The murder of three American Muslims at a University of North Carolina condominium on Tuesday, 10 February, was no ordinary murder, nor is the criminal who killed them an ordinary thug. The context of the killings, the murder itself and the media and official responses to the horrific event is a testimony […]
Parking space terrorism
But Hicks, who walked into the flat of three students in Chapel Hill, NC and shot them, execution style, was not a Muslim. He comes from Christian heritage. He is not black or brown, but white. His name is not Ahmed, but Craig. That changes everything. Neither the police nor the media would describe his […]
Hamas faced with bitter choices
Hamas faced with bitter choices – Ramzy Baroud – Gulf News Following the immeasurable brutality of the Israeli assault on Gaza last summer, coupled with a completed siege and sealed borders on all sides, Hamas finds itself in an almost impossible situation, leading it to foster closer ties with Iran. Seemingly isolated from many Arab […]
Chère Syrie … D’un réfugié à un autre
Chère Syrie … D’un réfugié à un autre – Ramzy Baroud – Info Palestine/Palestine Chronicle Chaque fois que le mot « réfugié » est prononcé, je pense à ma mère. Quand les milices sionistes commencèrent leur offensive et leur « nettoyage » systématiques de la population arabe palestinienne de la Palestine historique en 1948, celle-ci, […]
Hamás vuelve a la casilla uno
Restableciendo el “eje de la resistencia” – Hamás vuelve a la casilla uno – Ramzy Baroud – Rebelion / Middle East Eye Traducido del inglés para Rebelión por Sinfo Fernández. Las opciones de Hamás son bien complejas ya que se enfrenta tanto a críticas como alabanzas por su cambio de táctica, pero es la supervivencia […]
On Whitewashing Hicks’ Terrorism: #MuslimLivesMatter
Craig Stephen Hicks is a terrorist, but the media is struggling to find other terminology to describe his crime. The man who shot and killed three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, NC on Wednesday, February 11 is no ordinary terrorist either. A white male who proudly displayed his gun on social media carried out his […]
