Steve Coll, author of Ghost Wars, has a new book out entitled The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century.  I am reading the book now myself and hope to do a longer post about it when I’m done.  In the meantime, I really encourage anyone interested in Saudi Arabia or in issues of Islam, modernity, terrorism, the U.S.-Sa’udi relationship,  etc. to watch this CSPAN BookTV interview of Steve Coll by Michael Scheuer, the former CIA head of the Bin Laden unit, who has authored several books post 9/11.

Steve Coll has done a ton of research for this book, and Mr. Scheuer is (to me at least) quite an interesting character with an interesting perspective himself.

The CSPAN interview can be watched here.

I caught the link to this video from Think Progress over at Angry Arab.

Nir Rosen’s reporting is essential for anyone who cares about Iraq, you can find links to his articles here.

Here is the transcript of Nir Rosen telling the truth to a smug Senator Biden.

(I actually don’t think that anyone is surprised that the U.S. is an imperialist power.  These guys know that better than anyone.  There also not really surprised that someone would say it, they know what is many in academia and even in some parts of the public think.  But, believe me, they are surprised that someone shatters the illusion and fakery of their little political show by stating it to their face.  This, to me, was the real heart of the Jeremiah Wright brouhaha.  It is about people in power making sure that uncomfortable truths are not brought into mainstream polite discourse.  That is the realm exclusively reserved for bs  (and that includes Obama).)

“In Senate hearing on Wednesday about the future of Iraq, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) asked Nir Rosen of the NYU Center on Law and Security what advice he would have for the U.S. going forward in Iraq, given Rosen’s extensive first-hand experience in the country. Rosen declined to respond, saying he felt “uncomfortable” giving advice to an “imperialist power”:

BIDEN: Based on what you’ve said, there’s really no hope — we really should get the hell out of there right now. I mean, there’s nothing to do. Nothing.

ROSEN: As a journalist, I’m uncomfortable advising an imperialist power about how to be a more efficient imperialist power. And I don’t think that we’re there for the interest of the Iraqi people. I don’t think that’s ever been a motivation. […]

BIDEN: [If we withdraw], the good news is we wouldn’t be imperialists in Iraq, from your perspective.

ROSEN: Only elsewhere in the region. (laughter). … There’s no positive scenario in Iraq these days. Not every situation has a solution.”

The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam’s Holiest Shrine and the Birth of Al-Qaeda

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi begins his set of cd lectures on the concept of the Mahdi in Islam by transporting the listener to the taking over of the Grand Mosque in Mecca by the Saudi Juhayman al-’Utaybi and his followers in 1979 (1400 on the Islamic Hijri Calendar). This is because al-’Utaybi claimed that his brother in law Muhammad Abdullah al-Qahtani was the Mahdi. From reading Trofimov’s book it seems that at the least al-’Utaybi was able to convince Muhammad Abdullah himself and at the least scores of his followers that this was the truth.

Juhayman al-’Utaybi

The Mahdi — Shaykh Yasir Qadhi

The purpose of this post is not to discuss the concept of the Mahdi in Islam, however, but to discuss Trofimov’s book. The book centers itself around the action in the Sacred Mosque in Mecca over several days beginning on November 20, 1979 which was the beginning of the year 1400 After the Hijrah of the Prophet (saw) on the Islamic calender. It is written as a thriller, fast paced with short chapters. The narrative is driven by accounts of the battle that took place in the mosque and its surroundings but the scene shifts to centers of power and decision making in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at an Arab summit in Tunis, in Washington, D.C. and Tehran, and to scenes of violence that broke out in wake of the takeover of the mosque. This included anti-U.S. demonstrations and violence in places like Libya, Turkey, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. There was also an uprising against the Saudi royal family among the discriminated against Shi’a population of the Eastern Province. After detailing the events involved, Trofimov attempts to tie these events into much that would follow including the escalation of the conflict in Afghanistan, the assasination of Sadat, the conditions for the fallout between Osama bin Laden and the Saudi government and the resulting Al-Qaeda movement.

Trofimov begins by trying to describe the conditions which led to the birth of the Juhayman movement. He traces it to the traumas resulting from the modernization of the Saudi Kingdom which was largely escalated during the rule of King Faisal ibn Abdel-Aziz (ruled 1964-1975). In the period when Faisal ran the country as prime minister before he actually became king he had introduced schooling for girls and formally abolished slavery (yes this was in the 1960s). He also allowed for the creation of the first televison station. Faisal was well known for his personal piety, his attempt to control spending in the Kingdom, his pan-Islamist and anti-communist views. Although he was a U.S. ally in the Cold War context, after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war he withdrew Saudi oil from western markets in protest at western support for Israel, this largely led to the Energy Crisis. In any event, although Faisal was viewed as pious and pro-Islamist these modernization moves were largely resisted and opposed by the Saudi clerical establishment and especially some amongst the highly traditional and conservative bedouin population. Trofimov focuses on the famous scholar Abd al-Aziz ibn Baaz, who during this time was the Chairman of the Department of Scientific Research and Ifta and later became the Grand Mufti Of Saudi Arabia. Bin Baaz symbolizes the scholarly establishment of Saudi Arabia which would criticize vocally trends in the society it disagreed with, and play hardball in private to exert influence over the rulers, but would always at the end of the day back the legitimacy of Al-Saud and would speak out harshly against any attempts at open revolt. Trofimov describes how the frustrating contradictions of a society which did not in practice live up to what if fervently preached even at the highest levels led to radicalization of someone like Juhayman and later someone like Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden represents, however, a worldview which is part of the modern world, not in opposition to it, in the way that a movement like Juhayman’s was.

Trofimov’s account stresses the ways in which the events were viewed at the time in the context of the recent Islamic Revolution in Iran. The fact that the Saudis tried so hard to prevent accurate news from spreading about what was taking place led many false rumors and perceptions to spread during the crisis. Popular Muslim opinion that somehow placed the blame for the desecration of the mosque on western and especially the U.S. led to the above mentioned violence against U.S. embassies in several Muslim countries. Although Juhayman’s movement was virulently anti-Shi’a, the Iranian regime took the opportunity to encourage a rising against the Saudi regime by the Shi’a population of the Eastern province.

Trofimov also discusses the cloak and dagger goings on as the Saudis attempted to get control of the situation. What comes across is that at least many of the rebels were highly trained and highly motivated and they had a good strategy in terms of using the physical geography of the mosque to protect themselves. They did not have a good strategy as to how taking over the mosque would actually result in seizing power in the country rather than a backlash against them, but I guess you don’t necessarily plan that far ahead when you believe you have the Mahdi with you. By the way, this alleged Mahdi was no mascot for the rebels, but he used his absolute fearlessness resulting from his own belief that he could not be killed to fight spectacularly during the siege before he eventually was killed. The initial Saudi forces that tried to attack the rebels were, on the contrary, poorly trained, poorly motivated, and poorly led. In general Trofimov stresses that the Saudi royals showed little concern for the lives of their own soldiers or of the innocent civilians caught up in the events. The Saudis were able to brutally put down the Shi’a uprising in the Eastern province (where most of the opponents were not trained or even armed). With regard to events in the Sacred Mosque, the Saudis were forced to rely on planning assistance from French commandos to eventually defeat the rebels. The book also describes how Al-Saud preferred to seek help from European non-Muslims than to accept any assistance from other Arabs or Muslims who could pose any imaginable threat in Saudis prerogative as “custodians” of the Sacred places.

According to the book, although Bin Baaz had inspired the rebels initially and sympathized with many of their critiques in the end he strongly condemned their actions in openly revolting against Al-Saud and he and the other major scholars approved of the use of whatever violence was necessary to retake control of the mosque and put down the rebellion. However, the scholars extracted concessions from the regime which in Trofimov’s mind meant that in at least some ways although the actual rebellion was a failure, the underlying ideology of the Juhayman movement was actually greatly advanced in the wake of the takeover.

It is interesting to note that two Blackamerican Muslims participated in the rebellion, one of whom as best Trofimov can tell, may still be living somewhere in the United States. Of course, the vast majority of the rebels who were not killed during the siege were executed shortly thereafter, including Juhayman himself. It is amazing that, almost 30 years later, some of the leading royal figures that figured in these events are still in powerful positions in the Saudi regime. These include then Prince (now King) Abdullah, who was the Commander of the Saudi National Guard, Prince Nayef, who was and still is Minister of the Interior, Prince Sultan (now Crown Prince and Heir Apparent) who then and now is the Minister of Defense and Aviation, and Prince Turki al-Faisal, then Chief of the General Intelligence Directorate, a position which he held until 2001after which he was Ambassador to the UK and Ireland, and then to the United States for a short time until 2006.

Reading this book and thinking about the events involved is beneficial for thinking about some of the extreme contradictions inherent both in Saudi society and its ruling regime and within the movements that have sprung up in reaction and resistance to such autocratic regimes. It is a quick and entertaining read and I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Saudi Arabia or Islamism or Islamic movements. Some people may admire Juhayman today because he revolted against the Saudi regime, but all would acknowledge that the Mahdi claims and the taking over of the Grand mosque resulting in the deaths of many civilians were misguided and wrong. I really welcome any feedbacks or discussion on the issues I’ve presented in this review.

Brother Abu Sinan wrote about this book here.

There is a website created by the publisher here with information about the book and the events as well as links to audio interviews and presentations of the author here.

You can actually see a youtube video of Juhayman after his capture here. Whoever created and/or posted it is apparently an admirer and the video has nasheed (Islamic inspirational songs) playing behind it.

There is an important article in Vanity Fair which details how the Bush administration with the urging and justification of its top lawyers embarked on a concerted plan to engage in torture of Muslim prisoners.  The article focuses especially on enemies of God and humanity such as George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Douglas Feith, David Addington, and Alberto Gonzales.  May Allaah (swt) forgive all of us for allowing it to happen in our name and not being able to do anything to stop it.  May Allaah (swt) grant his aid, support, and assistance to the victims of torture all over the world.  As none of the major architects of this specific plan have ever told the truth about what they did nor ever expressed any remorse for what they did but instead of continously lied about it…May Allaah (swt) give them what they deserve.  I do not pray for their forgiveness. 

Here is the article describing what was done to Mohammed al-Qahtani (Detainee 063):

“We talked about the methods of interrogation. “In terms of their effects,” she said, “I suspect that the individual techniques are less important than the fact that they were used over an extended period of time, and that several appear to be used together: in other words, the cumulative effect.” Detainee 063 was subjected to systematic sleep deprivation. He was shackled and cuffed; at times, head restraints were used. He was compelled to listen to threats to his family. The interrogation leveraged his sensitivities as a Muslim: he was shown pictures of scantily clad models, was touched by a female interrogator, was made to stand naked, and was forcibly shaved. He was denied the right to pray. A psychiatrist who witnessed the interrogation of Detainee 063 reported the use of dogs, intended to intimidate “by getting the dogs close to him and then having the dogs bark or act aggressively on command.” The temperature was changed, and 063 was subjected to extreme cold. Intravenous tubes were forced into his body, to provide nourishment when he would not eat or drink.

We went through the marked-up document slowly, pausing at each blue mark. Detainee 063’s reactions were recorded with regularity. I’ll string some of them together to convey the impression:

Detainee began to cry. Visibly shaken. Very emotional. Detainee cried. Disturbed. Detainee began to cry. Detainee bit the IV tube completely in two. Started moaning. Uncomfortable. Moaning. Began crying hard spontaneously. Crying and praying. Very agitated. Yelled. Agitated and violent. Detainee spat. Detainee proclaimed his innocence. Whining. Dizzy. Forgetting things. Angry. Upset. Yelled for Allah.

The blue highlights went on and on.

Urinated on himself. Began to cry. Asked God for forgiveness. Cried. Cried. Became violent. Began to cry. Broke down and cried. Began to pray and openly cried. Cried out to Allah several times. Trembled uncontrollably.”

Read the whole article here.

You can read an excerpt here.

You can listen to a podcast of Mr. Coll discussing his book here.

 From IslamOnline.net, an important and moving story about how some Muslims are protecting and embracing their Christian neighbors during the current war, during which many Christians have unfortunately faced persecution and many (like many Muslims in Iraq) have been forced to flee from their homes and/or their country.

The article is here.

The CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes will broadcast an interview with Brother Murnat Kurnaz this Sunday.  Kurnaz will tell of how he was tortured by the United States while in Afghanistan and after being brought to Guantanamo.  When it became clear that Mr. Kurnaz was guilty of any wrongdoing, the torture and imprisonment continued on for years, as it does for the brothers in Guantanamo and other U.S. prisons and as it continues for thousands of Muslims in the prisons of “Muslim” nations all over the world.

And it is to Allaah (swt) Alone that we can turn for help. 

You can now view the video here. 

Former Terror Detainee Recalls Captivity

He claims American troops tortured him in Afghanistan by holding his head underwater, administering electric shocks to the soles of his feet, and hanging him suspended from the ceiling of an aircraft hangar and kept alive by doctors. “Every five or six hours they came and pulled me back down and the doctor came,” he recalls. “He looked into my eyes. He checked my heart and when he said ‘okay,’ then they pulled me back up,” he tells Pelley.

Read the article here.

The Pentagon responds with the nonsensical lying rote garbage statements they’ve learned from the Commander-in-Chief “We treat all detainees humanely.”

See the full article here.

Abu Noor’s comments:

 The article seems a little jumbled to me.  It seems the author believed (based on some kind of statistical analysis in one very small area and I’m not sure what else) that the root of the phenomenon of Muslim home schooling was about Muslims wanting to keep their daughters out of school (and perhaps society in general) especially after they hit puberty.  Even though he felt he had statistics to back this up based on the fact that more girls were homeschooled than boys, he could not really get any Muslim parents who would talk with him to describe their reasoning in this way.  So, he reported some of the other reasons and some of their quotes but he still basically described the phenomenon the way he saw it.

Now, I wouldn’t deny that keeping kids away from the aspects of society and especially the public schools for adolescents that Muslim parents perceive as harmful is part of the drive for both Muslim schools and home schooling.  In many areas Muslim schools are not that plentiful, or parents cannot afford them, or some parents feel they may have some of the same issues the public schools have. 

The article mentions some factors that complicate this, though.  There are many converts who choose to homeschool and largely these are people who are from this country and who themselves grew up in the regular public school system.  These people often of course have the zeal of the convert as well as knowing exactly what goes in the culture.  Of course, other converts may take the attitude that they “turned out alright” or that they want their kids to be comfortable dealing with the whole society.   On the other hand, some recent immigrants may be more fearful of the society (especially for their daughters because there is no doubt that double standard is strong in many Muslim immigrant cultures) while other immigrants came here so that their children will have educational and therfore financial opportunities. 

 There is also a phenomenon represented most famously by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf of a deep critique of the American educational system which goes far beyond the normal concerns about being exposed to bad influences of other kids with different moral values.  Shaykh Hamza had a famous lecture several years ago entitled “Lambs to the Slaughter” about the Western educational system and he has promoted home schooling alongside non-Muslim critics of current prevailing educational methods such as John Taylor Gatto.  Of course one perhaps paradoxical thing you will notice about many of Shaykh Hamza’s closest followers and just fans in general is that most of them are people who are either converts or children of immigrants who who have in most cases gone through the mainstream Western educational system and usually done very well in it.   

Of course, because there are at least “two Americas” it also matters if one lives in a place where the public schools are any good or a place where they are a disaster.  Similarly the whole notion of home schooling or attending a Muslim school requires communities that are either wealthy or who are really willing to sacrifice to create an alternative educational pathway for their children.  This is one thing I have to admire about the people I come from, the catholics in America, is that even at a time when most of them were not wealthy and many were immigrants they sacrificed and struggled to establish a massive alternative educational system in this country at a time when in many places the regular public school system was unabashedly a protestant one. 

My own oldest daughter, Noor (obviously!) attended a Muslim school for two years and has now attended a public school for two years since we have moved to a community with an outstanding and diverse school system (diverse racially and socially, but hardly any other Muslims).  She’s still young and we’ve been very happy with her teachers in both the Muslim school and the public school.  So, we’ll see what happens…we’re kinda making it up as we go along.  I am a big supporter of Muslim schools because I think its important that we have such institutions in our community but I must say that even in an area like the Chicago metropolitan area with hundreds of thousands of Muslims and despite all the impressive sacrifices and work of the last generation (May Allaah (swt) reward them for I grow more and more amazed at what they did accomplish as I get older) there is still only enough Muslim school infrastructure to educate a very small fraction of the Muslim children.  And with all the challenges inherent in trying to homeschool, it is clear that barring some major unforeseen change in the community, the vast majority of American Muslim school children will grow up attending the public school system, for good or for ill.

There is a must watch documentary available to watch regarding the alleged Toronto Terror Plot.  As with many of these stories which start with sensational allegations and much self-congratulation by authorities in the media when one actually examines the truth one sees a parade of shady informants, agent provacateurs, and government security services interested more in widening their own powers and selling a story to the public than in actually protecting anybody or in the innocent Muslim lives that are ruined. 

Go to this Muslim Matters Post to see the video.

 UPDATE:  One can also go here for more information about the brothers and how you can help.

The great website Slugger O’Toole

has a roundup of different Easter Commemorations from around Ireland from different segments of the Republican movement here.