A friend sent me an article to ponder; and so I did. Lee Smith's article (note: published last year) in The Tablet exemplifies both the persistence of the outdated ideas of Orientalism, and the paranoia that Iran is able to exacerbate in the West, and Israel in particular. No, I don't think she's a birdbrain spewing nonsense. Her form of writing is much more dangerous than that. Thinly disguised as an expose of an Arab Middle Eastern conspiracy mindset, the piece is a weaving of misconceptions that denigrate a wide swath of people with generalizations and illogical, unsupported conclusions.
"hundreds of millions of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian Muslims can only understand the world as a large Harry Potter set in which they will never be among the initiates, the spell-casters." This assertion, based on no facts, belies the evidence of their continual striving for technology degrees, and technology itself. The characterization of mindset is likewise unsupported.
Smith turns Turkish suspicions of Israeli spying-by-wired birds into evidence of unrealistic, myth-based thinking. Somehow she misses the point. Israel, as well as Iran and the U.S.'s CIA/NSA have long operated spy missions within Turkey. NSA's spying within Turkey is well documented, by Snowden and others, and NSA shares its information with Israel. Ignoring suspicions, even far-fetched ones, would be foolhardy.
"if Iran hasn’t yet mastered the (nuclear bomb) technology, there is something deeply wrong with the scientific culture of the Islamic Republic." Assassinations of key scientists and illegal interference with technical systems have played a large part. And if they are incapable, as the article implies, then why the fear?
"Iranians believe that the mastery of this particular field of science (nuclear bomb technology)—rather than any other field of science, a bustling economy, and world-renowned industries and export goods, or a first-class educational system—will pave the way for Iran’s triumphant re-entry into the community of nations." It seems to have worked for Pakistan, Israel, China, and India.
There is no doubt that Middle Eastern education is generally poor, but things are changing. In Qatar the share of students in private education leapt from 30% to more than 60% between 1999 and 2006. Syria has licensed some 20 private universities since 2001. Damascus boasts a 200,000 pupil state-run university. Oil-rich monarchies in the Gulf have spent lavishly to lure Western academies to their shores. Saudi Arabia has launched King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a city-sized institution with an endowment of $20 billion. Intended as an oasis of academic excellence, it enjoys an independent board and is the kingdom's only co-educational institution. [The Economist]
Smith concludes, "In the case of the Muslim Middle East, it is hard not to shudder." Perhaps if she read less of her own fear mongering and more about the peace movements that are growing in the Middle East (including the Israeli/Palestinian non-violence organizations like The Parents Circle) she would not shudder as much. She could then work less for division and paranoia and work harder for more peaceful tomorrows.
150820 Fear feathers the nest of paranoia in an Israeli journalist's head
by Bruce Wallace, 121Contact
A friend sent me an article to ponder; and so I did. Lee Smith's article (note: published last year) in The Tablet exemplifies both the persistence of the outdated ideas of Orientalism, and the paranoia that Iran is able to exacerbate in the West, and Israel in particular. No, I don't think she's a birdbrain spewing nonsense. Her form of writing is much more dangerous than that. Thinly disguised as an expose of an Arab Middle Eastern conspiracy mindset, the piece is a weaving of misconceptions that denigrate a wide swath of people with generalizations and illogical, unsupported conclusions.
"hundreds of millions of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian Muslims can only understand the world as a large Harry Potter set in which they will never be among the initiates, the spell-casters." This assertion, based on no facts, belies the evidence of their continual striving for technology degrees, and technology itself. Its characterization of mindset is likewise unsupported.
Smith turns Turkish suspicions of Israeli spying-by-wired birds into evidence of unrealistic, myth-based thinking. Somehow she misses the point. Israel, as well as Iran and the U.S.'s CIA/NSA have long operated spy missions within Turkey. NSA's spying within Turkey is well documented, by Snowden and others, and NSA shares its information with Israel. Ignoring suspicions, even far-fetched ones, would be foolhardy.
"if Iran hasn’t yet mastered the (nuclear bomb) technology, there is something deeply wrong with the scientific culture of the Islamic Republic." Assassinations of key scientists and illegal interference with technical systems have played a large part. And if they are incapable, as the article implies, then why the fear?
"Iranians believe that the mastery of this particular field of science (nuclear bomb technology)—rather than any other field of science, a bustling economy, and world-renowned industries and export goods, or a first-class educational system—will pave the way for Iran’s triumphant re-entry into the community of nations." It seems to have worked for Pakistan, Israel, China, and India.
There is no doubt that Middle Eastern education is generally poor, but things are changing. In Qatarthe share of students in private education leapt from 30% to more than 60% between 1999 and 2006. Syria has licensed some 20 private universities since 2001. Damascus boasts a 200,000 pupil state-rununiversity. Oil-rich monarchies in the Gulf have spent lavishly to lure Western academies to their shores. Saudi Arabia has launched King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a city-sized institution with an endowment of $20 billion. Intended as an oasis of academic excellence, it enjoys an independent board and is the kingdom's only co-educational institution. [The Economist]
Smith concludes, "In the case of the Muslim Middle East, it is hard not to shudder." Perhaps if she read less of her own fear mongering and more about the peace movements that are growing in the Middle East (including the Israeli/Palestinian non-violence organizations like The Parents Circle) she would not shudder as much. She could then work less for division and paranoia and work harder for more peaceful tomorrows.
150820 Fear feathers the nest of paranoia in an Israeli journalist's head
by Bruce Wallace, 121Contact
A friend sent me an article to ponder; and so I did. Lee Smith's article (note: published last year) in The Tablet exemplifies both the persistence of the outdated ideas of Orientalism, and the paranoia that Iran is able to exacerbate in the West, and Israel in particular. No, I don't think she's a birdbrain spewing nonsense. Her form of writing is much more dangerous than that. Thinly disguised as an expose of an Arab Middle Eastern conspiracy mindset, the piece is a weaving of misconceptions that denigrate a wide swath of people with generalizations and illogical, unsupported conclusions.
"hundreds of millions of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian Muslims can only understand the world as a large Harry Potter set in which they will never be among the initiates, the spell-casters." This assertion, based on no facts, belies the evidence of their continual striving for technology degrees, and technology itself. Its characterization of mindset is likewise unsupported.
Smith turns Turkish suspicions of Israeli spying-by-wired birds into evidence of unrealistic, myth-based thinking. Somehow she misses the point. Israel, as well as Iran and the U.S.'s CIA/NSA have long operated spy missions within Turkey. NSA's spying within Turkey is well documented, by Snowden and others, and NSA shares its information with Israel. Ignoring suspicions, even far-fetched ones, would be foolhardy.
"if Iran hasn’t yet mastered the (nuclear bomb) technology, there is something deeply wrong with the scientific culture of the Islamic Republic." Assassinations of key scientists and illegal interference with technical systems have played a large part. And if they are incapable, as the article implies, then why the fear?
"Iranians believe that the mastery of this particular field of science (nuclear bomb technology)—rather than any other field of science, a bustling economy, and world-renowned industries and export goods, or a first-class educational system—will pave the way for Iran’s triumphant re-entry into the community of nations." It seems to have worked for Pakistan, Israel, China, and India.
There is no doubt that Middle Eastern education is generally poor, but things are changing. In Qatarthe share of students in private education leapt from 30% to more than 60% between 1999 and 2006. Syria has licensed some 20 private universities since 2001. Damascus boasts a 200,000 pupil state-rununiversity. Oil-rich monarchies in the Gulf have spent lavishly to lure Western academies to their shores. Saudi Arabia has launched King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a city-sized institution with an endowment of $20 billion. Intended as an oasis of academic excellence, it enjoys an independent board and is the kingdom's only co-educational institution. [The Economist]
Smith concludes, "In the case of the Muslim Middle East, it is hard not to shudder." Perhaps if she read less of her own fear mongering and more about the peace movements that are growing in the Middle East (including the Israeli/Palestinian non-violence organizations like The Parents Circle) she would not shudder as much. She could then work less for division and paranoia and work harder for more peaceful tomorrows.
August 18, 2015, by Bruce Wallace, 121Contact
