Hitler Youth Middle Eastern Youth

Going back to the road to 9/11 and the image of the little boys and girls of some Middle Eastern countries reciting "I will willingly die for Allah." made me think about how similar it is to the Hitler youth. The adults brainwash these kids into thinking it is okay to die for a cause. Each of these kids is awarded weapons and are encouraged to use them. They are told that if they are loyal to their country and religion they will be prosperous in the afterlife. Much like the Hitler Youth, the kids were brainwashed by propaganda and are told to kill. The children are brainwashed and scarred for life as these angry people that is the reason that these countries are so angry, because as young people they were beaten and oppressed and in result take it out on the generation below them, it is a vicious cycle. AM

wOMEN voting

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4874990.stm for the first time women will be allowed to vote. This is proof that womens rights are begining to change and sufferage is becoming more universal.Out of 28,000 voters 60% of them are women and will be making their vote this year. Last year women actually recieved full politcal rights yet, we know women do not seem to be equal in common everyday life.
ASM

Ethnic Cleansing or Ethnic Brainwashing?

The art of persuading a large group of people is all about political and social propaganda. When a country is lead to a dictatorship the main reason that not only is the person allowed to stay in power but get to that stature is usually because of propaganda and brainwashing. For instance, in Iraq there were posters and signs everywhere with Saddam Hussein's face on the front. The posters were powerful and intimidating. People are forced to be sheep and follow everything that the government tells them to do. If not, they will be killed or severely beaten. They use fear to get people to do what they want, which in many ways is terrorism. People say that most these days is the middle east attacking other countries, for instance, 9/11 in 2001, the London and Spain bombings in summer 2005, but at the same time terrorism in the middle east is happening to itself, sure the suicide and car bombs but also the more settle form of terrorism, governmental terrorism, the act of using fear to get people to do what they want. AM

"Welcome to Tehran,"he said in unaccented English."You are American, yes?" I nodded, still catching my breath. "I hate America," he continued."It is not personal. I like Americans very much. I went to UCLA for four years." (pg. 239)

These are the words from a man Horwitz meets while finding his way in the streets of Tehran. I do not find these words funny, but different because when you meet someone for the first time, it is uncommon to greet them by bashing their country. If say a man from North Korea was meeting you for the first time, I am sure that your first words would not be,"Hi how are you? By the way I hate your country; nothing personal though." I find it strange that this man at first says "I hate America" but then goes on to say things about how he likes Americans as in the people that live in America, and that he attended school there. Today in schools, especially after 9/11, parents and teachers are trying to educate people that just because a select few Middle Eastern men are considered "terrorists" that doesn't mean that the whole Middle East is full of them. As we are being taught that all middle eastern coutries aren't the same, and Chinese and Japanesse aren't the same, on the flip side the same thing is happening. Because of politics and the way our government has gone into war, all Americans are given this label that we are too power hungry. I think that this quote this man said is a great example of how little everyone knows about everyone else.
*ml

Governing a Place

“It is a useless place and we could not govern it… The Sudan could be made to pay it’s expenses, but it would need a dictator, and I would not take the post if offered to me” (pg176). Charles George Gordon, a British commander in 1884, said the quote above. I believe that it is astonishing how some views of this place has not changed in the eyes of many in over a hundred years. As we look at what was written over a hundred years ago and today is that the fact that now Sudan has oil and is being ruled by the few who are in charge by owning these oil refineries. But even now, we all have herd the man or woman say “Bomb the hell out of them, that will solve the whole problem”. Quotes like this one shows us how little some understand about how fragile a government can be. Even if there was drastic bombing the land will still be there, as well as some people left who would need to find a way to get back into reality, starting with an actual government, throwing a place even further behind in history/ making the problems worse.
ASM.

Solutions?

Although many people do not agree with any U.S. involvement in Iraq, or anywhere in the Middle East, the fact is our military is there. And, depending if you look at is future heaven or hell, troops of ours will probably be there for quite some time. Maybe we need to find out what ‘we can do.’ While most of us will not travel there, at least not “to change the world,” that does not mean we cannot be productive. I have mentioned that things such as pollution and crime need to be changed here, too, but to a much larger degree there. Perhaps because many of the countries are dry and denser than the U.S. as a whole, their pollution stands out? Either way, there are more important matters. The book was one of the only first hand accounts of experiences in the Middle East. I hope that by saying I doubt too much has changed I do not offend anyone. The news, at least, has barely changed its’ theme over the last 10 years. Different people and places are always introduced, but similar themes are used over and over again: the oil industry, Palestinian and Israeli suicide bombings, feuds over religious rights and restrictions, etc. Again, not to insult anyone, but the fact that it has been so long and little change has taken place should indicate something. Whether ‘it’ is that the west needs to intervene is debatable, and of course what the west should do if we do intervene is debatable too; however, I believe that change is needed soon. Changes are not always economical, political, or even within their societal traditions, but ‘it’ has to be along those lines, and drastic. The reason for all this talk of change, to me, is simple: the Middle East is so large and important to the rest of the world in several ways that as long as they ‘suffer’ others may too. I would not mind the abolition of things from the Middle East such as incredible numbers of extremists and terrorists, but I truly believe the Middle East, as a whole, is more important to the world than people realize. Quite selfishly, I want improvement in the Middle East. Sincerely,
C.S.

The UAE boom

Although it was earlier in the book, I wanted to comment on how strange the UAE’s situation when Tony H. visited, seemed to me. I am not ignorant enough to think of the average Middle Easterner as poor, but I certainly do not see the majority of a country being very wealthy. They were not just wealthy in their terms, but ‘western’ terms as well. It was comparable, I believe, since they mentioned the different cars they had. Cars are oftentimes symbols of social status here in the U.S. so the fact they all had new and nice “rides” was impressive. When I think of people in the Middle East who have been successful with oil, I picture a small percentage of an average to below average economic nation. I picture them being the top 9, for example, wealthiest people in that particular nation. UAE undoubtedly had its top winners, but it was fascinating to learn how many people gained so much in such a short time. The thing that will help explain my intrigue with this was how they were still traditional Arabs in many senses. They did not seem like sell-out bread winners to me. They had mixed wealth and comfort into their everyday lives. I found only a few good quotes to display what I’m talking about: “…They came here only on Fridays to race their camels and picnic in the desert. Even the food had been prepared beforehand in Mobarak’s kitchen. ‘It is nice sometimes to live in the old way,’ he said, sipping Pepsi.” “…seemed as much at ease in air-conditioned splendor as he had that afternoon squatting in the sand.” (pgs. 54, 56 respectively) There is no central theme or message to this blog, so I guess I was just intrigued how the U.S. as a nation is not the only one (recently) that is/has benefiting/ed from oil. –C.S.

Finally Fed Up

Throughout the story Horwitz deals with many problems and troubles. He keeps calm while people try to rip him off, while he takes dangerous flights and ridiculous airport security, and when he gets his interviews with important figures rejected. So many bad things happen to him and he keeps on going and keeps enjoying his stay. He always goes on and finds new interviews and pays the people who are scamming him, and goes through the plane rides. I thought that he must have the highest tolerance of anyone I've ever met. But finally at the end of the story he talks about how he has had about enough of all the Middle Eastern mishaps and is just ready to go home. He took so much and is finally ready to leave, I felt this book was very educational and fun to read and Horwitz was very impressive with all that he did.-AB

Just another high school track

I found it quite interesting in the story; Exodus from Egypt: metal fatigue, how he describes the track in Cairo as looking like "a high school field in Lubbock, Texas or Butte, Montana. It seems as though in comparison to some of the other places Horwitz saw, Cairo was the best. It seemed to be the closest to America. Earlier in the book he also describes how he enjoys Cairo and how beautiful it is. During many parts in the book, I found myself thinking about how awful the Middle East is and how different we are from them. But this showed me that, although it's only one small part, not all of the Middle East is baron wastelands filled with crooks and thieves and criminals. Some places could be very similar to us.-AB

Jordan Security

"While I'd been reliving Hebrew school with the redheaded soldier, they'd been having their suitcases emptied, their shoes X-rayed and their orifices probed for weapons..." P. 136

It is sad that the hatred of Jews has gotten that part of the middle east by groups like Hamas and the Palestinians. Imagine going through security where if so much as a hint of dislike for a Jew was displayed, you would be thrown in jail. Obviously it is necessary to have this level of security with all of the suicide bombings, but that does not make the security interesting because of its high level. Going to the extent of a cavity search is pretty gross, but I understand where the Jordan airport is coming from. Every day Israeli people die from car and suicide bombings. It is sad that people have sunk to the level of martyrdom (or what they think is martyrdom) just to regain land from "intruders". Horwitz went through security just fine because he was Jewish, the Islamic couple however, was strip searched. Racial/Religious profiling. To be honest it seems like a much more effective way of security. It is a fact that an american suburban mother is not going to get on a plane with a bomb. Where a middle eastern man, obviously not necessarily having any ties to terrorism or even Islam whatsoever, has a possibility of being a terrorist because Islamic terrorists are from a certain part of the world. This is the same thing that the Jordan airport security did, only with religion. -MAD

Disguise

In Chapter 4, the Persian Gulf: the straight of Hoummos, they are talking about the body of water which people travel from when leaving Dubai. It’s right off the coast of the United Arab Emirates where they’re many “tankers” and big fishing boats. The people describe it as beautiful clear water but they consider it to be one of the world’s most dangerous waterways. In this chapter Horwitz says, “If one goes into Arabia, he should carry his shroud under his arm.” When traveling into Arabia they recommend that they should come disguised because Horwitz went hoping to be able to explore the Persian Gulf but the only way he could get on a ship was if he was hidden because of his job as a reporter. He says, “You must let no current move you from the path you have chosen.” (66) I found it interesting how he had to be careful because of the mines in the water and the chance of a water war happening, and also how he got snuck onto a boat to hide his identity as a reporter where in the US reporters can basically travel anywhere because of their job. -rb

Sudan air

In Arabian Flights: Sky High over Islam, Horwitz discusses the dilemma of getting on the planes and the dangers of actually flying. He talks about how during the haboob season, when the sand storms happen especially often, many planes don't even take off, let alone land safely. As he sat in the airport he noticed one of the runways was already "littered with the charred remains of crafts that hadn't made it." (pg. 211) To Americans this seems ridiculous that some one would even board a plane after seeing this but it seems not very rare in these countries. Horwitz also describes why he would be a perfect target for terrorists. He is one of the only white people aboard the plane so he will naturally stick out. I could not get myself to fly with all these fears but He has to, to get around; I find it impressive that he can even get himself to board the planes. -AB

Different Point of View

"'Attack us? Iraq?'" one man said, genuinely astonished. 'Why? Bush knows how strong we are. America does not want Vietnam again.' The others raised their glasses and shouted their assent.'"(p.280) It's quite interesting to see what they people of Iraq think about the war. Here in America, we believe that our army is very powerful and can overtake any army in its path. But in Iraq, they believe Bush is completely oblivious to the strenghth of the Iraqi army. In the present time, we know that the America does have a stronger army then then Iraq and we captured Saddam and he is now executed. Saddam before he lost his power, had brainwashed his people into thinking no one could defeat Iraq and that they and especially he was all powerful. The Iraqi people obeyed his every word and believed everything he said. America, some people think it was a stupid move for Iraq to become involved in a war but it's the opposite over there. I find it interesting to hear this point of view on the war while knowing how it all played out. -ak

Weapons and Killing (Libya)

"I nodded. Take a head shot, get a head shot. And what kind of gun did he prefer? 'Different jobs demand different guns,' Stead said. 'Now an AK-47, it's got bettter range than your M-16...'" (p.149)

What can you assume about a society where people talk about the best type of weapon for an assasination? Obviously you can assume that it is a violent society. What would you think if you were sitting with some friends and they started discussing what weapon they were going to buy to dispatch someone who rubbed them the wrong way? I know I would think that my friends were crazy. It is just such a different world in the middle east. It is much more primitive to be able to discuss subjects such as that. Stead goes on to describe the mindset of a killer. That you have to hide behind your beliefs basically, just like every last terrorist. Terrorists kill for their cause/religion. -MAD

Weapons and Killing (Libya)

"I nodded. Take a head shot, get a head shot. And what kind of gun did he prefer? 'Different jobs demand different guns,' Stead said. 'Now an AK-47, it's got bettter range than your M-16...'" (p.149)

What can you assume about a society where people talk about the best type of weapon for an assasination? Obviously you can assume that it is a violent society. What would you think if you were sitting with some friends and they started discussing what weapon they were going to buy to dispatch someone who rubbed them the wrong way? I know I would think that my friends were crazy. It is just such a different world in the middle east. It is much more primitive to be able to discuss subjects such as that. Stead goes on to describe the mindset of a killer. That you have to hide behind your beliefs basically, just like every last terrorist. Terrorists kill for their cause/religion. -MAD

culture

Throughout the novel, tradition in the dress of different countries is constantly brought up. In chapter 12 Tony travels to Khartoum along with other reporters. He talks with another reporter who talks about traveling to Muglad and picking up a mosquito disease. He describes the traditions of Muglad's people who "were exotic to me as I was to them" (pg.195) Horwitz describes the tall Dinka men who wore white Arab robes and gracefully greated eachother with the words "sheebak and salaam aleikum" which mean hello, and "peace be upon you." In the U.S. the first saying is normal, but rarely do u see people greeting their collegue by saying "Hey!Let peace be upon you." If you heard that in the U.S. you might give back and awkward smile or laugh. Being curtious and polite is taught by parents to their toddlers when they are young. "Pleases and thank yous" are taught at birth. However, the sincerity of it is often not there. When Horwitz vists the village it seems to me that the village is very important to everyone. They all rely on each other, and show everyone with the respect they deserve. The U.S. is spolied with so much wealth and opportunites that saying "please or thank you" is not always meant as truely as it should.
*ml

Saddam and Hitler...Notice the similarities (please)

"Saddam is like Superman" (pg105). As we see in the book pictures of propaganda of Saddam is everywhere. We see posters put up practically everywhere you turn as well as major monuments such as airports with names such as "Saddam National Airport". If we look back at WWII, it would be very similar in Germany. One of Adolph Hitler's main men was a man by the name of Joseph Goebbels; his job was placing pro-Hitler propaganda everywhere. Any given man would see pro-Hitler posters, names, and monuments in his favor wherever any one was, very much like Saddam.
ASM

knowing so little

While reading Baghdad Without A Map, I got a much better sense of how life is like in the Middle East. Most teenagers think they know what is going on in countries like Iraq and Sudan, but really all they know is what they hear from their parents and on the news. Reading a book by a man who has physically visited these countries gives you a better appreciation for what you have because you learn in his book that life is not as easy as you live it. This book has given me a better understanding of traditions and the cultures in Middle Eastern countries. Styles of dress and politics surround this book. The U.S. needs to be informed more about countries other than our own. Although the U.S. is more technilogically advanced, in a way we are behind in the fact that a majority of Americans do not really know what is happending in outside countries. People need to read more about other lifestyles such as the ones lived in Yemen. You can read all you want, however the best way to truely know something is to live it yourself.
*ml

Hamas on Martyrdom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgzB5n3Cuv0
This is an amazing video on the tactics of the Hamas radical group. It is really worth watching because of the sick and crazy things that they say. Children are taught at young ages that Jihad and the blood of martyrs is the way to win their Jihad on Israel. The video goes on to show a speech of the Hamas leader, who says that whoever fights them is ready to die. The people of Hamas are ready to die because they believve that life after death, with Allah, is better than life itself. An interesting question to raise is: In history, howcome whenever a radical action such terrorism took place in the middle east, the person/group who committed acts of terrorism or murder always hides behind the Koran...? Where is the fine line between right and wrong? To generally answer these questions, I would say that strapping a belt of explosives on your chest and blowing yourself up in a crowded area just is not right. Jihad and martydom may have been acceptable thousands of years ago when the Koran was written, but clearly killing innnocent people to regain your homeland just seems slightly harsh. -MAD

Difference In Travel

Whenever there is a change in travel plans or when something goes wrong, Americans cause chaos and tend to over react to unnecessary events. Tony Horwitz talks about how when he was taking a flight out of Cairo how the pilot didn’t remember that he forgot to fill up on gas until up in the air. If an American was traveling somewhere and mid-flight the passengers found out that the pilot forgot to fill up with fuel everyone would over react and would think that something bad was going to happen, because of post September 11th. It was also interesting to hear about how unorganized the airports were with who was going on which plane, when the planes were leaving and most importantly which plane was going where. In America if people didn’t know what plane they were supposed to be on, or if they knew there was something wrong with the plane they were supposed to get on, they would simply not get on it. After September 11th most Americans have become paranoid about flying becuase they think the security is not strict enough about what people can get away with. Where as it sounds like people just do whatever they want before getting on a plane in the Middle East. -rb

Is Overweight the new "Good Looking"?

In chapter six, Cairo Nights: Dancing Sheik to Sheik, I found it very interesting how the men were attracted to women of a larger size. In America men consider most large women to be disgusting and are not attracted to their physical appearance. In this chapter it is the total opposite. Is it just because these are the only women that they get to see that aren’t covered head to toe in clothing? In America a lot of women are pressured to be skinny mostly because of their hobbies, but in fact, the majority of Americans are overweight. The men described the belly dancers as big ladies with fat bulging out of the clothing that they were wearing, and yet they were still attracted to them. Was it because as the night went on they became more drunk and they were the only women around? Or was it simply because of the difference in society and what they classified as “good looking”? -rb

intimidation

http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1029&p=front&a=2

This article I found to be very interesting as it is about a journalist, Khalid Dallaq who has been what he calls intimidated and unfairly followed by soldiers that are stationed outside his home. The government filed a lawsuit against him which he is now appealing against.I think that this situation is surprising since most news reporters are the ones intimidating and following people, all for a story. In this article it seems as if the tables have been turned.
*ml

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5bSUCj3qk50

I thought it was interesting and was also appalled to see not only the way they treat women but also kids in the Middle East. While reading Baghdad without a Map, we learned that in the Middle East women are considered to be dangerous and are supposed to be protected and controlled by men. In the Middle East, kids are used to protect people by using them as shields, or by making them do dangerous work that no one else wants to risk their lives by doing. Kids aren’t supposed to be running around as “slaves” for other people; they are supposed to be hanging out with their friends having a good time. -rb

Yemen Trying to Disarm Rebels

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0130/p99s01-duts.html


In the article above, Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, is warning the rebels of Yemen to disarm. This action was caused by the death of six government soldiers. I thought it was funny that the president of Yemen was trying to disarm people because acquiring weapons is so simple. You could walk up to almost anybody and buy a knife, gun, or even a tank. I think that limiting weapons is a step to making a safer country, but it may just cause more trouble than good. I also think that what president Ali Abdullah Saleh is trying to do will be impossible. Even if he does manage to disarm the rebels, what will be stopping them from getting more weapons (which they could probably do in a day)? mg

Misunderstanding the Game

"The crowd showed no interest in the scoring, apparently unaware that this was the point of the game."(208) The ridiculous game of soccer that Horowitz participated in could easily be seen as a misunderstood game of soccer. The fans did not enjoy the goals as much as they enjoyed a missed kick or a ball between the legs. Horowitz first saw this as them not having interest in the sport but then he had a realization. It as that this game was a comic relief to this people who spent days waiting for rations of sorghum, and a time for them to have a laugh and a fun time in their very difficult lives. Most people would see it like this, but it is time for them to relax and have some fun. I wonder though is this the only excitement in these peoples lives? Can they have anything else to look forward to or is this it? If that is true than I am deeply saddened because people should have more to look forward to than just a simple game.

TH

Protection in Style: Not Exactly

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6378821.stm

AV wrote a blog about how women are dress this way as a possible way of protection. They claim that if they wear the traditional dress which covers their entire body then they are less likely to be raped or assaulted. In this article(link above)a women claims to be sexually assaulted by policemen. Even though she was wearing the traditional dress, she was still assaulted. So this protection in style thing is put to the test, and it failed mine. No matter what a woman wears, she is always at the same risk for rape and assault. Covering their whole bodies and using that as an excuse is unexeptable. -ak

d

Poverty in Yemen

http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/2683.cfm#down

This is a link to an article regarding the current poverty situation in Yemen. Their economy is one of the slowest growing in the Middle East, but it is growing. However, many immigrants from Somalia make the number of homeless people very high. The article includes an interview with a Somalian woman who came over with her five children to escape the war in Somalia only to find that the situation in Yemen is not much better. 43 percent of the population is making under $2 per day. This is ridiculous! I didn't know that it was such an impoverish country, it is really shocking.-AB