Comments on: War of the CRAPs: Hirsi Ali contra Manji

By: Nadim Audi

Nadim Audi — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:57:20 +0000

Hi everybody - if you would like to say out loud what you think of the NYT to the newspaper itself, your comments (negative or no) are welcome on this website:

http://blogs.albawaba.com/nytmiddleeast

We have just posted there the Arabic translations of two stories on Saudi youth, and would be very interested to have your comments.

Best,
Nadim

By: amre el-abyad

amre el-abyad — Sat, 10 May 2008 01:15:52 +0000

@P aul. What is weird about it!? that was the truth. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.

Being politicallly correct in America means avoiding any racist attidude towards negroes , although it is there all the time, showing sympathy with the illeagal terrorist state of Israel and finally cyncism towards Arab achievmentys, history and upper hands over humanity.

The whole business of political correctedness is culture dependent. So I don’t know why the U.S insists on imposing its own sense of poitical correctedness on “different civiliosations”

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:24:03 +0000

That works on the assumption that “Amr al-Abyad”, Amr the White, is Arab. But yeah, weird comment.

By: Anon x 2

Anon x 2 — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:40:56 +0000

hmm, patronizing condescension towards arabs (NYT) meets arab racism (Amre). Sigh.

By: jose

jose — Sun, 04 May 2008 18:01:14 +0000

I believe someone has just used the term ‘negro.’

By: Amre El-Abyad

Amre El-Abyad — Sun, 04 May 2008 13:00:57 +0000

One important point here. Neither of the afiorementioned freaks are Arabs!!!!

Yet the stupid zionist New York times put them forward as courageous reformers in the Arab world.

The fact is, Hirsi Ali is a negro who is trying to get over her inferiority complex by coming out as a dissent figure from the ” Muslim world” .

Munji is some bangladishy or Indian Muslim; so I don’t know what the hell has she got to do with the Arab world!?

By: forsoothsayer

forsoothsayer — Sun, 04 May 2008 11:41:59 +0000

the article was truly superficial but it’s not really clear why you think the new york times is “a combination of the faux-earnestness of 1950s family comedy and the fixation on the travails of minor celebrities seen in contemporary reality shows.” elaborate please.
besides, i happen to think it might be quite illuminating for western readers to compare - there is no denying the parallels in some respects.

By: Anna in Portland

Anna in Portland — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:11:08 +0000

How about CRIMPS (Courageous Reforming independent Muslim Personalities)?

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:39:45 +0000

It was a ridiculous article, but I think we need a new descriptor than CRAPs–Manji’s not Arab, and I don’t know if Hirsi Ali is since she’s Somali. Too bad though, it is a great, and very apt, title.

By: SP

SP — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:34:32 +0000

The bit about moving Islam into whatever century is indeed childish and silly and the Luther-Voltaire bit could have been written by Tom Golly-Gee Friedman himself, but I disagree with the suggestion that European (or more likely American) Christianity and contemporary Islam can’t be compared - in fact the comparison to twentieth century Europe (Christian Dems) and America (evangelical politics) is much closer than the Western civilizational warriors would like to admit.

By: Amir

Amir — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:51:39 +0000

EXCELLENT.

What an idiotic article and condescending patronizing view. Thanks for sharing.

By: Helena Cobban

Helena Cobban — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:17:43 +0000

Your best ever, Arabist! For this post alone you deserve a huge prize, let alone the rest of the blog.

(Btw, I think I’ve lost your email address– could you drop me a line?)