What’s Different About Mogadishu?

The New York Times ran a very interesting article in today’s paper about the Islamist government of Mogadishu, Somalia and their moderate tactics for pacifying and stabilizing the region. According to the article, instead of turning Somalia into a latter-day Afghanistan as some feared, the Islamist government there has moderated its message.

Businesses can stay open all day, even during the call to prayer. Women do not have to cover themselves and children can play soccer in the streets.

So what is different about the Islamists that have taken over Mogadishu? They haven’t become like the Taliban. They have a permissive, moderate approach to Islamic life that is refreshing amid so many stories of horrific fundamentalism. It’s all very uplifting, but I wish the Times article got into the heart of the matter a little bit more. What makes these folks different from the Taliban? There must be an explanation.

Anyone have any recommendations for books or articles that explain what’s happening in Mogadishu?

Abu Musab al-Suri

Does anyone know whether the radical jihadi theorist Abu Musab al-Suri–who was arrested by US forces in Pakistan in 2005–was one of the 14 “high-value” detainees recently moved from secret CIA camps to the US prison at Guantanamo Bay?

Do We Play into the Terrorists’ Hands by Remaining in Iraq? I’m Starting to Think So.

American intelligence officials have issued a report saying that the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent conflict there have actually made us less safe from terrorism. This definitively contradicts the administration’s claim that we’re, “fightin’ ‘em over there so we don’t hafta fight ‘em over here.” I had an inkling that this was the case all along, but I preferred to wait for independent reports instead of jumping to conclusions based on my disgust with Bush and his ilk.

Basically, the report tells us what we have always feared. The invasion has pissed off a lot of formerly moderate Muslims and push them straight into the hands of the militant extremists, or as Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi calls them “Salafi jihadis.” This term refers to their militant adherence to Salafism, a puritanical, fundamentalist strain of Islam.

When it came to Iraq, I used to operate under a, “we broke it, we bought it” mentality. I felt like pulling out before the establishment of a stable, permanent democratic government would deliver a generation of young Iraqi men straight into the hands of Al Qaeda. But this most recent report makes me wonder if we can prevent that outcome at all. Perhaps we really ought not to pull out now, or soon.

A withdrawal from Iraq would also be a blow to Al Qaeda’s overarching strategy, which is ultimately to draw us into more military engagement with their fighters. According to a recent article in the New Yorker, “[Bin Laden's] goal, for at least five years, had been to goad America into invading Afghanistan, an ambition that had caused him to continually raise the stakes.” The 9/11 attacks were his final, successful attempt to draw us into the first of many armed conflicts.

According to American Journalist Lawrence Wright’s interpretation of the writings of radical Jordanian journalist Fouad Hussein, Al Qaeda’s plan goes something like this:

Al Qaeda’s twenty-year plan began on September 11th, with a stage that Hussein calls ‘The Awakening.’ The ideologues within Al Qaeda believed that “the Islamic nation was in a state of hibernation,” because of repeated catastrophes inflicted upon Muslims by the West. By striking America–”the head of the serpent”–Al Qaeda caused the United States to “lose consciousness and act chaotically against those who attacked it. This entitled the party that hit the serpent to lead the Islamic nation.”

The second, “Eye-Opening” stage will last until the end of 2006, Hussein writes. Iraq will become the recruiting ground for young men eager to attack America. In this phase, he argues perhaps wishfully, Al Qaeda will move from being an organization to “a mushrooming invincible and popular trend.” The electronic jihad on the Internet will propagate Al Qaeda’s ideas, and Muslims will be pressed to donate funds to make up for the seizure of terrorist assets by the West. The third stage, “Arising and Standing Up,” will last from 2007 to 2010. Al Qaeda’s focus will be on Syria and Turkey, but it will also begin to directly confront Israel in order to gain more credibility among the Muslim population.

The rest of the plan calls for the instatement of a caliphate by the year 2013, and a broadening war that draws the United States into a phase of “total confrontation” by 2016. The strategy is to raise an Islamic army that will fight the nonbelievers and establish a worldwide Islamic state that will, “lead the human race once again to the shore of safety and the oasis of happiness.”

Now, I’m not saying that the Islamists are unstoppable, or that they’ll ever be able to carry out their plan. For one thing, this roadmap to the caliphate is highly dependent on the behavior of the United States and other nations. But based on the recent report about Iraq and its relationship to the growing terrorist threat–to say nothing of Al Qaeda’s growing presence in Iraq–I’d say that we need to reverse course pretty damn soon, because right now we are playing directly into the Salafi jihadis’ hands.

How would it be if instead of allowing the terrorists and their allies–like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran–to draw us into armed conflict after armed conflict throughout the Middle East, we were to drop most of the Middle East like a hot potato? We could rely on the oil within our own borders, like the reserves in ANWAR and the tar sands of Wyoming until we can build more sustainable fuel sources. Perhaps we could even repeal that idiotic 54 cent tarrif (TimesSelect) on imported sugar ethanol from South America.

The Outcasts

It used to be that if you didn’t fit in, didn’t get a good job, or were just generally unhappy, no one had to deal with you, and you basically just muddled along unnoticed until you died.

Nowadays, there are so many ways to fit in. WoW, for example, has thousands of people making close friends in cyberspace, even leading to business deals, jobs, and marriages.  I made several friends this year through Craig’s list and Facebook.  I even have a friend who got managed to get laid a few times through MySpace.

Unfortunately, the internet also allows those who don’t fit in to acquire weapons, learn how to make bombs, or join a terrorist organization.  And unfortunately, there are an increasing number of very unhappy people in Muslim world who are increasingly hating people in America.

What did we do? Obviously the Iraq war was a mistake.  But is that it? Is there anything we can do to stop Muslim radicalization?  Not to mention the growing anti-secular movement occuring in the Western world.  As President Bush put it, we are in the middle of the third "Great Revival".

Yes there is.  Pay attention.  Happy people are ambivalent.  America is ambivalent.  Generally speaking, people who get drunk and have sex and have 300 television channels and belong to 2 gyms and have dozens of friends and a nice house and a good job aren’t too concerned.  We elected a radically conservative President who made the world a better place at the top, and even at the middle arguably, and much, much worse at the bottom.  And then we re-elected him, even after we knew this, because it meant we could buy another TV.

The time is over to ignore the poor, in this country and in the world.  Pay attention to the things we could be doing to make the world a better place at the bottom.  For advice on where to start I suggest listening to Thomas Friedman, and voting for "liberal" bleeding hearts.  Sorry, but "tough love" doesn’t work when the wash-outs get bombs.

There’s an ancient Chinese Proverb that goes "People who are happy don’t join terrorists organizations."  And there’s another one that goes "If Americans care more about tax cuts and owning a third TV set than helping the world’s disenfranchised, prepare for a massive war after about two more "Compassionate Conservatives."

(By the war I am running a fever so this post may be slightly incoherent)

Do The Right Thing Day

Hat tip to PR Squared, which recounts three historical events from this day, each that sets an example for us to do the right thing.

What will you do today?

Anderson Cooper’s Interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Andy and I are sitting right now, watching CNN’s Anderson Cooper interviewing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I was not impressed with him. Here’s what I took away from the conversation and the wider news of the past 48 hours:

• President Bush should sit down with Ahmadinejad now, whether or not the Iranians suspend their uranium enrichment program.
• Ahmadinejad doesn’t get very much credit for reaching out, either.
• I lost respect for Ahmadeinejad when he pretended that he didn’t understand the connection between the Holocaust and Israel’s right to exist. He’s a smarter guy than that.
• The media and everyone else needs to acknowledge that Iran is not going to build “the bomb” in the next few years. They are at least 10 years away from a nuclear weapon. Our media is negligent to continue behaving as though they’re days away from nuking Tel Aviv.

I’m not sure who or what to believe in this struggle. Are Iran’s nuclear designs entirely peaceful? Does President Bush want to invade Iran? Are we closer than ever to the brink of world destruction? I have no idea…but I do know that I don’t want us to go to war with Iran. Everyone in the world deserves better than for us to open up another front in this grueling war.

Presidents Bush and Ahmadinejad need to speak President to President. They need to do it now, before it’s too late.

War with Iran?

Time Magazine seems to think that the Bush Administration is preparing to invade Iran. The order has been set to move minesweepers into the region on October 1.

If we try to depose the democratically elected Ahmadinejad, we will undermine everything we purport to value by invading and restructuring Iraq. We should be focusing on getting the job done in Iraq, not starting another intractable war. After all, the express strategy of the terrorists at this point is to draw us into further entanglements in the Middle East.

Islam and 9/11

On September 11, 2001, I was a lonely college freshman. I had just arrived at Pomona College and I was still getting used to things.

My mom called very early on the morning of 9/11 to wake me up and tell me about the terrorist attacks. I totally lost it. It was just too much. The loneliness. The hating my roommate. And now this. I wanted to go home, curl up in my room and never leave again.

A lot of people think about Islam on 9/11 and they think about the terrorists who flew planes into buildings and the masterminds still at large. When I think about Islam and 9/11, I think about my friend Tunji.

Tunji–who is Muslim–lived just down the hall from me, and I think he knew I was having a hard time with college. When he heard me crying that morning, he came into my room and put his arms around me. I was a mess. I hadn’t brushed my teeth or combed my hair or anything, but he was there for me. I really, really needed a hug that morning.

On this day, five years after that horrible morning, we need to keep in mind that Muslims were among the people who died on 9/11 and the people who grieved the senselessness of it all. We need to remember that the terrorists pervert Islam into a repressive, fundamentalist pseudo-utopian system that barely resembles the religion on which their ideology is based.

Islam is a compassionate religion. The Q’uran itself says, “if anyone has killed one person, it is as if he has killed the whole of mankind.”

Microsoft Builds School

Microsoft just built a school.  I just read an article about it.  The article mentions that the school costs 63 million dollars, was built in Philidelphia, and the curriculum, building, pretty much everything was design by Microsoft.  The campus is 162,000 sq ft, and, as the article mentions "the day starts at 9:15 a.m. and ends at 4:19 p.m., simulating the typical work day."

Read that again, because this struck me as interesting.  At most schools, the day ends on a number ending in 5 or 10.  The school day here ends at 4:19 pm.  Simulating a typical work day.  If you don’t get this yet, think about what you could do immediately after a typical work day that ends at 4:19 pm.  Like one minute after.  I’m sorry, I just find this hilarious.  4:19 pm.  I just have to say this over and over. 4:19 pm. 4:19 pm.  I’m giddy.  4:19 pm.

Dream Job, Anyone?

Job: Stephen Hawking’s Assistant

Location: Everywhere

Coolness Factor: FUCKING AWESOME!

Too bad I’m not a grad student or a physics genius. I would totally apply.

Comcast - The New Dell

Just now, I need to find a fax number for the local Comcast affiliate in Vero Beach, Florida, to clear up a rather frustrating matter.  You would assume this would be an easy matter, but it was one that took me an hour.

First I tried the easy route, the internet.  Comcast’s website, unfortunately, is very difficult to navigate unless you are interested in purchasing service.  As far as existing, frustrated customers go, the site has little to offer other than its visually-annoying design. After ten minutes, I concluded that the site could not help me in any conceivable way.

Next I tried to call Comcast.  After navigating through the automated menu and holding for ten minutes, I spoke to a nice young man in India who would to record all my service information.  Apparently they need to know all my account info to give out a fax number.  The nice young man then put me on hold for twenty minutes, and asked me which city I needed the fax number for.  I was put on hold for another fifteen minutes, and then given the wrong fax number.  Fortunately, rummaging through some old files while holding, I had managed to find the fax number in question.

Comcast has enjoyed tremendous growth recently, becoming the dominant provider of Cable and hopes to become a dominant Internet Service Provider.  However, their massive expansion has come at a cost, and that is service.  There are many reports that come up when you google Comcast Service in the blogosphere of dismay, frustration, and anger with service that makes Dell’s look phenomenal.  These of course, end with "I’m very close to switching" to Satellite, Verizon, anyone who can actual provide the service they promise without giving you an aneurysm.

Living to Death: Steve Irwin

As I’m sure you’ve all probably read, Steve Irwin–also known as the Crocodile Hunter–was killed yesterday while filming a segment on stingrays for his eight year-old daughter Bindi Sue’s new wildlife show.

I loved Steve Irwin for his irrepressible enthusiasm. He had such an unmistakable love for the creatures whose lives, habits, and habitat he chronicled on video. He was a scientist, and yet he refused to be cold and understated–as science can seem to the uninitiated. His genuine personality humanized science and scientists, and made people passionate about wildlife and conservation. He fascinated people the world over, and he will be deeply and sorrowfully missed.

When I read that he had died, I wondered whether he and his wife Terri had ever discussed his mortality. He was a man who would regularly tangle with the fiercest and deadliest snakes, crocodiles and marine life. It’s clear he didn’t believe that he would live forever, but I wonder how his family dealt with his risky career. How will his children fare knowing that their father got himself killed when he could have lived to see them grow up if only he’d been content to work in a laboratory.

But despite the tragedy of his early demise at the age of 44, Steve Irwin achieved something truly inspirational. He lived to death.

What is your favorite toy?

my little friend

(From Consumating)

Comcast Cable (in)Competence

When I left Florida, I was relatively satisfied with my Comcast Cable and Internet Service (although it did cut out about once a week).  I called Comcast before I moved and told them I would like to disconnect my service because I was moving.  I was told to go to the local Comcast outpost and turn in my modem.

I went to the local Comcast affiliate, turned in my modem, told them I was moving to Seattle, and that I would like all my services terminated.  I asked if I owed them anything, if there was anything else I needed to do, anything else they needed to give me.  They assured me, it’s fine, don’t worry, it’s all taken care of, you don’t owe us anything.  Six weeks later I received a bill for 165 dollars.

Apparently when Comcast turned off my internet service, they kept my cable service on and charged me for it.  Telling a company you’re leaving the state, your lease is up, here’s you modem back, you don’t want to pay them anymore money ever again for any reason, is only clear enough to get them to cancel half your service.  The less expensive half.

I called Comcast and asked to speak to someone.  After being put on hold for an hour, and explaining to someone in India for an hour about how I didn’t feel I should have to pay this bill, I was told that it would be taken care and that I would be called back when it was fixed.

Two weeks later I called back and, after spending thirty minutes holding, was told that the records indicated that the matter was still being looked into.

One week later I received a notice from a Collection Agency, saying that I owed Comcast 165 dollars.  I called Comcast, and after only twenty minutes on hold this time, spoke to a very nice woman in India who informed me there was no record of me having called earlier, and that I was merely a delinquint who had yet to pay for well provided service.

After rehashing my dilemma to her, I was given a Reference number as "proof" that Comcast had in fact written down something regarding my case this time. I was told to fax my Collection Letter with the Reference number to the Comcast company in Florida, and the Collection Agency would delete my information, my credit history would be unaffected, and the bill would be looked into, and possibly dropped.

We’ll see how that goes.

Civil War In Iraq

1,600 Iraqi’s have been killed this month.  The Sunni-Shiite conflict has yet to be classified as a "Civil War", but the sectarian violence is clearly reaching an uncontrollable point.  Now, we are, as a nation, capable of fixing the solution in Iraq, instituting a strong democracy, and making everyone there get along.  However, we are not willing to put in the commitment in terms of troops, deaths, time, and money.  Which is fine, considering how astronomically high those numbers may be.  One thing shocks me though, of the three options for solving this problem, stay the course, withdraw troops, or divide the country into three smaller countries along sectarian lines, why are no politicians mentioning the third option. It worked in the former Yugoslavia.