من وحي الخاطر

A version of this article was published by the Middle East Eye Late last week, the world was awakened to the news of the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant’s capture of Iraq’s second largest city. The rapid disintegration of the larger and better-equipped Iraqi army caught everyone with surprise. World media sounded the alarm. The violent al-Qaeda-affiliated group has overtaken Mosul on its way to Baghdad. This focus on the ISIL says more about the world’s image of the movement than its actual size and contribution to the events on the ground. It overlooks the fact that the movement is a part of a mosaic of Sunni groups disgruntled with the rule of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Without the actions of all these forces combined, ISIL could not have done more than the asymmetric warfare, which it has been carrying out since 2006. It is true that ISIL’s ranks have some of the most war-hardened fighters in the region, but neither its traditional tactics nor its light nature warrant

A short comment on "The knowledge constituency versus the ignorance lobby"  which a friend shared. I read this because you shared it. I didn't find it that outstanding and found it to be full of the same deafness it decries. it is way too simplistic--and if the man is an Arab--it is not clear whether it is a symptom of self-conceit or aw kward moment of self-loathing. While it is indeed great to know about all world's events and history and while it is great academically to make trips to see where events were transcribed into human living memory, while all of that is great--this is not as grand or as enlightening, or as vital or useful to the Palestinian national struggle as the article made it look like. While it is shameful that a professor is pressured to quit his post because of a choice of an academic experience he thought was useful--again the value of it could be debated--is condemnable, this is hardly the greatest problem facing Palestine. The event itself

عينان علّمتا الورى سر الهوى--وأتاحتا سكرا بلا صهباء

إن غاب من أهوى أموت لبعده--وأعود للدنيا إذا ما يرجع

ترحموا يرحمكم الله على أخي.  هذه أبيات متواضعة رثاء للأخ سيد محمد ولد أحمدو السالم رحمه الله كان في الناس سيدا وحصيفا--كان مأوى الضعيف، حرز اليتيم يتحامى سفاسف الأمر جلدا--وطّن النفس للمهم العظيم نشر الخير ليس يقصد جاها--همه الفوز عند رب كريم بدد المال في المصارف بذلا--ذي خصال حيزت له من قديم هالني الخطب إذ نعوه ضحيا--فأصاب الأسى صميم الصميم خطرات تواترت إذ توارى--تنفث القلب بالشديد الأليم عبرات تزاحمت في المآقي--صارخات بذكره في أديمي إن يكن سيد غاب إن عزائي--ذكره اليوم بالجميل العميم رزق الله سيد أسمى الأماني--حظ من جاء بالفؤاد السليم جنة الخلد من إله كريم--دهره محتفٍ بخير نديم وصلاة على الحبيب نبي--بدعاء مواصل مستديم Like

My recent piece for SISMEC