The Qatar military celebrates National Day... in the sky, on the sea, and in Porsche's...

The author of "Mornings in Jenin" responds to the charge of 'antisemitism', a look back on a year for Muslims in America, on Jordan's Parliament, and is 'Halal' meat necessary?

Qatari women and members of the armed forces take part in a military parade during National Day celebrations in Doha on December 18, 2010

BRAKE BANZEEN [4]

Qatar’s new weapon?

The Qatar armed forces show off an impressive arsenal of machinery during a National Day military parade in Doha on December 18th… with perhaps not all of it being totally necessary.

Antounissa [5]

Documentary: Reel Bad Arabs – How Hollywood Vilifies A People

Antounissa writes about a documentary on ABC, embedded to the left, which highlighted the racist stereotyping of Arabs in Hollywood films. He talks of a “slanted perspective” and “policies in Washington” feed into an almost “mythical portrayal” of Arabs as both incompetent and a joke. He goes onto suggest that the result is to “sanitize” Americans from feeling any guilt or compassion toward victims who happen to be Arab, such as the Lebanese and Iraqi’s during the war, or of course the Palestinians. Although the blog points to Lord of the Rings – in what might be a little bit of a weak example – the blogger points out that ultimately it’s up to Arabs themselves to break down these prejudices by showing strangers “that yes… we are human.”

MAYSALOON [6]

The Halal Meat Industry - a useless and illogical fad

Maysaloon ponders whether Muslim’s are obligated to eat specially prepared “Halal” meat, and explores the concept based on readings from the Holy Qur’an and Hadith. He raises the issue of animal slaughter, and draws his own conclusions as to the “Halal meat industry” as it exists in the United Kingdom….

QUNFUZ [7]

Wrong Target for a Pretend Philosopher

Bernard-Henri Levy – described by Qunfuz as a “French Zionist and celebrity Islamophobe” – accuses the author of “Mornings in Jenin” of “anti-semitism.” The author in question is a Susan Abulhawa’s and, based on her reply, he may not have picked his target wisely… here’s an excerpt: “the people who today are being marginalized, humiliated, dispossessed, and oppressed for the sole reason of their religion are Palestinian Christians and Muslims.“

MONA ELTAHAWY [8]

MUSLIMS IN AMERICA, CIRCA 2010

“Watching the news often felt like an out of body experience in which we were all morphed into one ugly, scary reflection”. Mona Eltahawy looks back on a year of being a Muslim in America. Highlights include the British terror-spoof movie “Four Lions,” the “pre-emptive strike” against Muslim law in Oklahoma, the “Ground-Zero” Mosque, Pastor Terry Jones “Qur’an burning” threat, and the voice of Jon Stewart.

THE BLACK IRIS [9]

Jordan: Trust Your Government!

The Black Iris writes about the overwhelming vote of confidence the new government received in Jordan’s parliament by explaining that, in essence, Jordan has "set a world precedent by producing a one-party parliament." He links to a local-made video (in Arabic) which perhaps offers “the best political commentary on the vote’s outcome.”