Disconnecting from science, research and modernity

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Egypt’s radicals eliminating country’s connection to West, but does anyone care?

By Guy Bechor

It was barely mentioned in the Israeli and global media, but the following event pertains to the whole of Western civilization: Last Saturday, violent groups of Islamic-Salafi radicals burned the famous scientific institute established by Napoleon in Egypt after its first encounter with the West. Some historians consider it the start of modern times in the Middle East.

The site, L’Institut d’Egypte, held some 200,000 original and rare books, exhibits, maps, archeological findings and studies from Egypt and the entire Middle East, based on the work of generations of western researchers. Most of the artifacts were lost forever, burned or looted.

It’s difficult to understand the modern Middle East without these studies, which were overcome by an immense fire. The large building was situated in the center of Cairo and torching it was a symbolic, intentional act. Those who burned the building and its artifacts meant to burn the era of logic, enlightenment, research and individualism.

This was a grave provocation against the whole of Western civilization, a desire to disconnect from science, research and modernity, while cynically using a Western means – that is, democracy – in order to take power.

One need not go all the way to blowing up the pyramids, as some of Egypt’s Salafis wish to do after they seized some 35% of the new parliament seats (alongside 40% of the Islamic brotherhood,) and there is no reason to go as far as Afghanistan, where the Taliban blew up the huge Buddha statues. The elimination of Egypt’s non-Muslim past is already here.

Anything that dates back to the Pharaohs, that is ancient, or that is Western is destined to be destroyed, and the mission has already been launched in the most symbolic manner: The outset of Egypt’s modern era, which the Salafis seek to erase, and in fact rewrite. This is a battle for writing the history of Egypt and of the Arab and Muslim world.

UNESCO’s silence

This isn’t a new phenomenon, and in Jerusalem as well we see elements associated with political Islam trying to erase any presence of the 3,000-year Jewish existence there, on Temple Mount for example – existence that pre-dated Islam.

In 1258, the Mongols burned the immense library in Baghdad known as the “House of Wisdom.” It held rare writings that have disappeared forever, Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and the other cornerstones of Western civilization. All we know today is that these books existed, yet following the terrible fire in Baghdad they were burned forever. The Mongols sought to secure the same objective as Egypt’s Salafis: Erasing the past and keeping only their present.

All of this is happening while the confused West is lauding the new democracy established in Egypt, without understanding that this democracy is erasing the historic Egypt that was intimately connected to the West and its culture; a new Egypt shall rise on the ruins of the great fire. What we are seeing here is not a battle for power, but rather, a battle for perception, memory, heritage and historiography; that is, the writing of history.

Oddly, this is happening in Egypt of all places, a state that always demanded the return of the archeological findings taken from it as part of its national ethos. Artifacts of the era of the Pharaohs are still held in London and in Paris, yet Israel already returned all the archeological findings it discovered in the Sinai. Now, it is doubtful whether Egypt would be able to safeguard its own museums, which are also facing the threat of fire and looting.

A wondrous gift to mankind

Godless societies are unfit for survival

By Lawrence Solomon  

‘My own wish,” said Christopher Hitchens, the God Is Not Great author who died last week, is “to write an anti-Christmas column that becomes fiercer every year.”

Hitchens didn’t live long enough to write a fiercer anti-Christmas column this year: The world has lost its most fashionable atheist. It has also lost a man of irony who inveighed against vulgarity while being vulgar, against propaganda while being a propagandist, and against illogic while being illogical. “What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof,” Hitchens famously wrote, seemingly oblivious that he was himself asserting without proof. Worse, he asserted in ignorance, having made false assumptions.

Hitchens believed that the Judeo-Christian religion cannot be credited with imbuing in people desirable values, asserting: “If all the official stories of monotheism, from Moses to Mormonism, were to be utterly and finally discredited, we would be exactly where we are now.” In dismissing “Thou Shalt Not Steal,” one of the Ten Commandments from God that Moses is said to have brought down from Mount Sinai, Hitchens asserted: “We don’t know of any society that has a commandment saying it’s OK to steal or a social custom that allows it.”

In fact, stealing is and has been lawful in many, perhaps most societies throughout time. The Spartans of ancient Greece encouraged their youth to steal, to teach them how to be surreptitious,resourceful, and agile. The crime — and Spartans punished it harshly — came in stealing badly, and being caught. In other societies, stealing from your own kind is considered immoral; stealing from others a matter of choice. According to Gypsy Law: Romani Legal Traditions and Culture, published by University of California Press, gypsies have no moral objections to stealing “so long as one does not victimize another Gypsy, causes no physical harm, and takes no more than is necessary to survive.”

Even the commandment “Thou Shalt Not Kill” is and was at odds with the values of numerous societies. The Druids killed innocents in ritual slaughters, the Romans for entertainment. In many tribal or clan-based societies, honour killings for sexual transgressions remain obligatory. In most societies, the rules for killing distinguished between killing your own people and killing those of other societies, to whom you owed no obligation.

Moral values are not universal. Those peculiar to modern Western society, as summarized by the Ten Commandments, stem from the notion that there is but one God, and that all humans are created in His image. This entirely novel idea led to the widely accepted Western view that all human life is sacred. The notion of God as the ultimate lawmaker also promoted democracy — God’s Ten Commandments trumped those of any king or despot in Christendom, curbing their power to rule by whim.

Hitchens’ main point, of course, is the stupidity of religious belief, and the superiority of atheism. Where’s the proof? As a believer in evolution and survival of the fittest, he should have found the evidence to the opposite overwhelming. History has shown godless societies to be unfit for survival. Time and again, they have been outcompeted by both gods-fearing and God-fearing societies.

The term “atheist” comes from the ancient Greek, meaning “godless” or “to deny the gods.” It described the various writers and philosophers who doubted the existence of gods, or who doubted that the gods in any way cared about or influenced humans. Godless societies are believed to have existed throughout history although we know little about most of them, presumably because they died out. We do know a little about some, like the Lokayatikas of ancient India who advocated a “faithless” system, and who dwindled out over centuries. Some Pygmy tribes that not only lacked gods but superstitious rites did survive to modern times. But they haven’t thrived.

France’s brief experiment during the French Revolution with state atheism — known as the Cult of Reason — ended badly, in the desecration of churches and synagogues, persecution and a bloodbath at the guillotine. In the last century, godless societies made their comeback in the USSR, Red China, Cambodia and other communist countries. While many then saw these forms of social organization as the way of the future, most communist societies are dying or have died out, North Korea being the last great exemplar of a godless country.

When God’s law is not observed, the law can become whatever the ruler wants it to be: Ultimately there are no human rights, let alone property rights, as totalitarianism reigns. When religion becomes ascendant, so too does the rule of law. Here lies one of the most hopeful trends in the world today — the rapid rise of religion in a land that until recently was almost as soulless as North Korea: China. This still officially atheistic country now has an estimated 300 million worshippers of all faiths, with Christianity the fastest rising among them. Red Chinese Communism’s replacement — today’s lawless cronyism — leaves the Chinese wanting for more. Through growing religiosity, China has its best chance of reforming to a democratic society that respects human dignity and the rule of law.

“God didn’t invent man; man invented God,” Hitchens said. Perhaps that is true — we have no way of knowing. We do know, however, that if man did invent God, it was a useful invention, and a wondrous gift to mankind.

God is great. Have yourself a Merry Christmas!

Tahrir Square, the Sequel

Return to Terror Square

by Guy Somerset 

In the sequel, the monster always comes back stronger than before. After a florid incarnation of the so-called “Arab Spring,” Cairo’s inhabitants have just returned election ballots whose resulting extremist successes forebode a Nuclear Winter for liberty.

It was in Tahrir Square that earlier this year protesters against “dictatorship” made their dramatic stand for human rights, civilian dignity, and liberal democratic entitlements. Also among their demands was the privilege to gang-rape Western women.

Lest any have forgotten (great efforts were made to ensure the casual observer never knew about it in the first place), only moments after the much-lauded victory against tyranny, the “protesters” took turns manhandling CBS reporter Lara Logan. Since approximately ten seconds after this occurrence, Western audiences have only heard intermittently from this portion of the international soundstage.

Following Hosni Mubarak’s resignation it was not civil rights which ruled, but a military junta. Many of the same abuses endured under Mubarak were suffered under the new gaggle of bit-player military dictators. Scant media attention was paid to the additional occupations of Tahrir Square by thousands protesting the continuing abuse. Ignored were ominous signals that the extremists who had long been outlawed from political participation were on the verge of making a very big comeback.

Only in the days after the recent election did the mainstay publishing powers offer a glance back and a look forward. More than one characterized the Freedom and Justice Party (né Muslim Brotherhood) victories as an astonishing development. Many used some variation of the theme that those rascally radicals, like all good movie villains, had “played it smart” and “lay [sic] low during the revolution,” only to emerge at full force during the aftermath.

Now arrives word from multiple sources that not only did the militant Islamists pull off a feat no one expected (except everyone who was paying any attention), they went about celebrating it in much the same way as before. Sadly this is not hyperbole, merely the plodding plotline of a formulaic script.

Caroline Sinz of France 3 television was in Tahrir Square on November 23 when a gang of men beat her and tore the clothes from her body. By her own account, they proceeded to molest her in ways which “would be considered rape.” This behavior continued for three quarters of an hour. Sinz’s cameraman was also beaten.

Another (this time Egyptian) female journalist named Mona Eltahawy was sexually assaulted while at the Egyptian Interior Ministry after being arrested in a street, again adjacent to Tahrir Square. As Eltahawy Tweeted, “5 or 6 surrounded me, groped and prodded my breasts, grabbed my genital area and I lost count how many hands tried to get into my trousers.”

This was while she was in the custody of the authorities, ostensibly the country’s moderates. She was later released with no statement on why she had been held, though the result (aside from psychosexual trauma) was a pair of broken wrists.

In modern Egypt, at least for women and especially for Western women, there is a Technicolor nightmare of “damned if you do get sexually assaulted by the civilians, damned if you don’t get sexually assaulted by the authorities.”

With the election of those who have even less esteem for women and divergent beliefs in general, the soundtrack has taken on an ominously Hitchcockian tone. This film is called Return to Terror Square. Subtitles are to be decided at the viewers’ discretion. This will be a performance little promoted and running only in those out-of-the-way outlets so the majority of viewers are unlikely to be unduly disturbed.

The drama progresses and the scene is set for the trilogy’s last installment, though we will have to wait for its premiere at a later date. In the meantime all the worst fears are realized and all the basest impulses indulged. Will our hero (whoever he may be, assuming he exists) rise to topple the despots and chivalrously hold malign minions liable for their misdeeds? Will the final chapter be given more exposure than this recent sequel? Will anyone still be left to care when and if humanity is restored?

The real horror story here is the lack of shock, the absence of outrage, and the casual acceptance that devious forces are now at work both in the corridors of power and the streets which slither through the Egyptian theater.

The Government v. Everyone

Happy Bill of Rights Day!

by Takis Mag 

Thursday marked 220 years since the Bill of Rights was signed. As tribute, the US government fed the Bill of Rights through a paper shredder. This week they shoved forward two bills that would neuter the constitution. Then, almost as if they were deliberately giving the finger to the entire nation, the White House Tweeted:

Happy Bill of Rights Day! The US continues to stand with citizens & governments around the world who empower free expression.

US propaganda says we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11 to export democracy. Thursday marked the official end of the Iraq War. Our grand mission to export democracy was successful, because as of this week, it no longer exists here. We’ll have to move somewhere else to find it.

Like a Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robot, the feds came out with both fists swinging this week. On Wednesday the White House told reporters that Obama had rescinded his own public promises to veto SB1867, otherwise known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). That bouncin’ baby bill contains a clause permitting the feds to indefinitely detain anyone so much as suspected of having terrorist affiliations. On Thursday a Congressional committee held a hearing on amendments that would soften H.R. 3261, AKA the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). That particular legislative confection would give the feds a Great Firewall of China-level authority to shut down websites at whim.

“Thursday marked 220 years since the Bill of Rights was signed. As tribute, the US government fed the Bill of Rights through a paper shredder.”

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
One of the main things that got Barack Obama elected—other than his shimmering, hazelnut-colored skin—was public outrage over the Bush Administration’s indefinite detention of suspected terrorists at places such as Guantanamo Bay. So after Obama’s election, when reputed “conspiracy theorists” such as the portly porcupine Alex Jones would warn that the feds planned to declare martial law and corral US citizens into internment camps, they were roundly dismissed as wackadiddly paranoid schizos—and, of course, racists who couldn’t stand seeing a black guy get all the chicks.

It turns out that only the cuckoo clocks knew what time it is. Sections 1031-1032 of NDAA contain the prickly clauses about indefinitely detaining terrorists without judicial review. This passage…

The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States.

…would seem to exempt US citizens. But critics charge it is delicately worded—unlike foreign nationals suspected of terrorism, the US is not required to hold them indefinitely, but they are still permitted to do so.

According to Senator Lindsey Graham:

1031, the statement of authority to detain, does apply to American citizens and it designates the world as the battlefield, including the homeland.

On Wednesday the House passed the bill 283-136. On Thursday—Bill of Rights Day—the Senate passed it 86-13. The bill now awaits Obama’s certain signature.

Obama had originally threatened to veto the bill, but not over the indefinite-detention clauses. In fact, bill sponsor Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) says it was the White House that insisted the language be altered to include American citizens:

The language which precluded the application of Section 1031 to American citizens was in the bill that we originally approved….and the administration asked us to remove (it) which says that US citizens and lawful residents would not be subject to this section.

Under the bill, American citizens can be indefinitely detained without proof merely on suspicion of having supported terrorist groups. Exactly what constitutes such “support” is, as always, the government’s guess.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)
Similar to the PROTECT IP Act the Senate Judiciary Committee approved in May, SOPA is ostensibly designed to protect intellectual property and discourage copyright infringements. But critics say it threatens to “break the Internet.” It conveniently allows los federales to obliterate any site that’s so much as accused of featuring copywritten material. In such cases, “infringement” can consist of merely linking to another site that, say, features a stock photo of kitty-cats that it hasn’t obtained permission to use. Merely embedding a video containing copy-protected material is a felony that could result in five years’ imprisonment. A site can feature 100,000 comments on a message board, but merely on the unproved accusation that it hosts one unauthorized photo, the entire site can be made to disappear. Perfectly legal speech can be blotted from existence because the feds have flushed due process and probable cause down the loo in its quest to legalize prior restraint. The potential for governmental abuse is enormous. After reviewing dozens of proposed amendments to the bill on Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee finally delayed its vote on Friday, meaning the bill will likely not be submitted to the House floor until early next year.

While these cyclopean threats to basic American freedoms were being made this week, the mainstream media was a quiet village of sedated crickets. During Thursday’s Republican presidential debate, a gaggle of lumpy, gassy candidates fielded questions about Israel, the countries surrounding Israel, and the relations between Israel and the countries surrounding it, but nothing about either NDAA or SOPA. Some have insinuated that a deliberate blackout was in effect.

On Monday, Gallup released a poll that showed most Americans, left or right, said they feared the government more than big business. Despite the fact that both Democrat and Republican lawmakers seem to love both NDAA and SOPA, social-media voices from both the left and right howled in disapproval at the bills. On Twitter, one suddenly encountered something unimaginable only a month ago:  rightist libertarians and leftist Occupiers united in the belief that the government has gotten WAY the fuck out of hand. You’d see hashtags for #OWS and #TeaParty on the same Tweet. In the twinkling of an eye, jarheads and potheads agreed on one basic fact: The government that claims to represent them is instead their worst enemy. Instead of left versus right, it’s suddenly the government versus everyone. Whether it also becomes everyone versus the government remains to be seen.