Comments on: Jane Novak and the Democracy of Waq al-Waq

By: Searchlight Crusade

Searchlight Crusade — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 23:14:39 +0000

Links and Minifeatures 12 16 Friday

Camp Katrina wrote to tell us to compare and contrast the treatment the media gives conservatives with a given problem, with the treatment they give liberals with the exact same problem. In other words: Oh. That liberal media bias. **********…

By: Jon

Jon — Sun, 25 Dec 2005 17:43:57 +0000

Thank you Yaseen for a meaningful dialog on the issue. I have been to Amman a few times and the Jordanians I know are very good people. Maybe first impressions can be deceiving. As I also lived in Yemen for quiet a few years and had the opportunity of getting to travel the country. But since I arrived in country until I left, I witnessed the corruption expanding in leaps and the people becoming more disillutioned as to what the furture holds for them.

By: Jane

Jane — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 23:41:30 +0000

Yaseen thanks for that explanation about the Palestinians in Jordan. I didnt realize they were actually that high of a percetnage of the population and so under-represented in the govt and have that much of a discrimination. I had a more general idea before. Thats worse for them than I thought. I’ll check into the books.

By: yaseen

yaseen — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 21:40:27 +0000

Jon, u asked me, which is a more progressive city, Amman or Sana’a?
Wallah Sana’a is better; I don’t know what you think Amman is.

Jordan ,the whole country is just like Hadermout in Yemen ,well ,,I don’t want to argue any more about Amman and Sana’a simply because I don’t think it is the right argument, 2nd ,there is no way to compare country like Yemen( thousands years ago, historical one ,place of Arab civilization, so on ) with Jordan (some decades ago, was built through deal with Zionists).Jordan is not a country ,I think one day ,Jordan will be real states ,some go for Syria ,other for Iraq ,and some for Saudi Arabia ,the remaining is for Palestine. So believe me no thing is called Jordan, the situations may explode and every thing get fucked up as geopolitics get radical change in the region.

By: yaseen

yaseen — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 21:27:14 +0000

Jane, well, of course there are many issues about how wrong Palestinians (the real machine for Jordan economy) are treated.

Although Palestinians are 75% of the total population in Jordan. They suffer economic discrimination in areas such as appointments to positions in the Government and the military, in admittance to public universities, and in the granting of university scholarships. Politically, as well, Palestinians suffer restrictions and social exclusion. Although they constitute about 75% or 80% of the total population, the Palestinians contributed 6 of 28 ministers. In the Parliament, 6 of 40 senators and 11 of 80 lower house members were of Palestinian background. No Palestinians held any of the governorships in Jordan. In the electoral system, greater representation is given to regions with non-Palestinian populations. Additionally, approximately 150,000 Palestinian residents – mostly refugees or children of refugees who arrived from Gaza after 1967 – do not qualify for citizenship.

The Jordanian state is repressive, there are documented recent occurrences of arrests .There have been other instances of repression in recent years. On October 6, 2000, police used batons and tear gas to disperse protesters in the Baqaa refugee camp; ten persons were killed and forten others were injured during the protest. In April 2002, a Palestinian two children died of head injuries sustained when they were hit by a tear gas canister fired by riot police who were breaking up an anti-Israeli demonstration in the Palestinian Bakaa refugee camp.

This is just what I can remember now, there are a lot to say ,that is why I asked Jon to come here for 2 months ,well they very trouble life ,some friend( Palestinian ) of mine told me, that he really can not live under such situations and discrimination any more ,he said, even the financial helps Jordan gets from countries like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia ,we don’t benefit from ,since every thing good here in Jordan go to the king and Jordanians pockets ,he continued ,I feel we as Palestinians have no future ,this is not our country ,I feel I have no way but joining up Alzaraqwai ,I tried my best to assure him every thing will be fine ,but could not.
I feel very trouble as I go to places like sweileh ,alsalt .alzarqa ,there I see very hard working men and women but unfortunately they are deprived of their rights ,one old man told me ,as he became sure that I am Yemeni and have no thing to do with Jordan intelligence (Mukhabarat) he told me ,we work days and nights and still the government comes and take 65% of my earning, on the other hand the Jordanians have the right to cheat around the system….

One friend of mine told me that his girlfriend was kidnapped and raped by some one (Jordanian) he told me that her family tried to go to the court and use the known procedures ,but unfortunately they were told to forget about it because the boy is the son of high Jordanian man close the royal family in Jordan. My friend told me, in fact we don’t know is his father really close to the royal family or the policemen think we are as Palestinians belong to the 2nd class. Any way I believe every thing in Jordan should change including such dirty royal family and wrong king.

There are many books written by Palestinians (who lived in Jordan) about such trouble life for Palestinians in Jordan, books with many real examples, one of them is (the crimes of assassinating integrity in Jordan). There are many scary examples in this book, other books unfortunately in Arabic, I was told that these books are not translated into English .one book is (Jordan to where)

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 20:33:12 +0000

Gosh, Yaseen, sounds like you just decribed life in Yemen, there it against the law to say anything wrong about the pres, his family, the govt or any Arab nation. So there goes the cornerstone of democracy your historic leader so proudly conveys to anyone who will listen.

Which is a more progressive city, Amman or Sanaa. And they have done that without the oil reserves your country has. What Saleh needs to do is give back to the people of his country, build them an infrastructure, incorporate all in the political process, and not base it on what family or tribe they are from. Democracy is also following the laws set out by the peoples representatives and that no one, no matter what position, is above the law.

All that needs to be done is to actually do what your historic leader tells the world and his people what he plans to do. Knowing full well he is just saying what he knows the others wants to hear at the moment, but in actuality, has no plans to implement. It isn’t a fluke that the MCC and The WB cut off or slashed aid to the country.

And why is it evertime a person is critical of the regime, they are automatically called a ” Zionist” There are problems on both sides of that issue.

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 17:41:12 +0000

Yaseen, tell me more about the Palestinians in Jordan. I was talking about that yesterday to someone. Give me concrete examples if you would of their situation.

By: yaseen

yaseen — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 14:56:43 +0000

Jon, u believe Jordan has got great leader, well, is Abdullah bin alhussen ur symbol of good leadership??king Abdullah ,,for Jordanians none can mention his name without prayers and glorifications ,the one who has the worst jails in the world ,it is not secret that human rights in Jordan jails is so trouble ,in one program of aljazeera ,proved that 80% of Jordanians can not say their opinions about their regime ,which you enjoy saying any thing about Ali saleh ,and other officials ,
Well ,in Jordan I m wondering how they live ,,there is still some one superior ,who has got some holiness ,all the wisdom on the earth is in his mind ,if he says any thing none has the right to argue ,I hope u know that 2days ago 6 Jordanian were arrested and subject to the court just because they were not talking properly about the king

King ,queen ,,monarchy ,,keep praising the king and his kids ,,is this what u are looking for ,,do u see how Yemenis enjoy giving their opinions about Ahmed Ali freely ,Yemenis have the choice weather to accept Ahmed or to reject him ,,do u think this is possible in Jordan ,,,well I m really badly surprised that u think Abdullah bin alhussen is good leader ,,most probably ,you are not on democracy values ,progress ,you just hate Ali Saleh any way ,that does not make sense ,,please try to live in Jordan for 3 months and find out how trouble life the poor Jordanians have ,,particularly Palestinians (who are so oppressed and unfortunately none want to play the godmother role to them ,like Jane for example) just because their king is approved by the Israel and Zionism lobby in DC.

But still it is good u let us know what kind of democracy you are looking for. I think the historic leader Ali Saleh can not get you happy with him, but if he allow Israel in Aden, and allow pentagon to do any operations against any Yemeni with usa airplane (for example assassinating alzandani).by doing that and little more, u will be happy with him, even if he convert the political system in Yemen from democracy and peaceful handover of power to monarchy like the royal family in Jordan,,,

By: Mohammad Ezz

Mohammad Ezz — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 19:59:32 +0000

Reagarding the Islamic movements Mr, Mohammad. I know the USA will support it and the democracy if it only corresponding with it’s interests. I did not saying that. there is an independent committee(of course not like ours) which analysis the USA supporting to Democracy. It may be afraid from Ikhwan group and Islah in Yemen. But the people will talk on the eyes of our regimes. and it USA could not ignored them.
when the USA include Zindani in the terror list. I hope that you did not forget the drama of the rule party on his website Amomotamar.net. you know they said that zindani has a military forces in his university. and attacking him. he was planning to go to the court. But the security kitchen make a threat letter to the website editor which said that they will attacking him. two days later the website were on the party of dinner and then someone bomping them. they were so lucky the bomp was near them exactly but no one killed, or injured. Of course they became heros and did not accused zindani of his students.
what i want to say is the usa Acuses against Yemenis made by the support Yemeni authority. which investigate it in the short time. But it damage Yemen on the long time. Al-huthi was made by the authority. it playing with the fire. And it is the most damaged by it’s policies(curroption).
what i want to say is Jane and other Americans are our friends. however, our enemy is not the usa admin, it is the USA unfair policy as well as our authority policy.
Jane and every American should wrote anything they want. and we should respect their opinions as well as their friendship.

By: Mohammad Ezz

Mohammad Ezz — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 19:29:53 +0000

Ok, Thank you very much. I am respecting your opinions. but you shuld understand that the crims of Bush and his administration get many critisize by the American journalists and Arab politicals.
In Yemen most of the gov journalists talking about Bush and they became experts on. But we did not hear any one from the USA saying why you did not wrote about Yemen and your own nation.
Yassein, the crims is the crims in Sa’ada or against Al-khaiwani or Al-jazeera. in the Yemeni prisons or In abu Gharib and Guantanamo.
The Terror is the same even in Sada’a or in Iraq.
Mohammad, it is not a crime for Novak or any American person the attacks on Iraq. And with tens of millions Americans Jane critisize the Yemeni regime and we all attacking her, while our different papers, and the expperts on the USA policies with me and you insulting Bush every day.
Jane should take her free interests as she want. and we should respect that. Thank you My dear Yassein.