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The New Print Edition of CounterPunch, Only for Our Newsletter Subscribers! From Nixon to Sarah Palin
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The New Print Edition of CounterPunch, Only for Our Newsletter Subscribers!
From Nixon to Sarah Palin
What’s happened to the Republican Party? What’s happened to populism? Read Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair on the life and death of Nixonland, and the class politics of the war over Sarah Palin. ALSO in our new subscriber-only CounterPunch newsletter, read Serge Halimi on how Russia gave Georgia and the U.S.a well-deserved black eye. PLUS Carrie Dann’s wonderful first-hand account of the fight of the Western Shoshone to reclaim their land. Get your copy today by subscribing online or calling 1-800-840-3683 Contributions to CounterPunch are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! CounterPunch books and gear make great presents.
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Today's Stories September 13 / 14, 2008 Robert Fantina September 12, 2008 Nikolas Kozloff Michael Hudson Lloyd Miller Steve Breyman Maria Rivera Jonathan Cook Ayesha Ijaz Khan M. Shahid Alam Robert Weissman Tanya Golash-Boza / David Brunsma Website of the Day
September 11, 2008 Noam Chomsky Sharon Smith Ron Jacobs Marjorie Cohn Mike Whitney Jeffery R. Webber Paul Cantor Peter Morici Ray McGovern Linn Washington, Jr. Website of the Day September 10, 2008 Paul Craig Roberts Conn Hallinan Ralph Nader Peter Morici Joanne Mariner Laura Tate Kagel / Chuck Spinney Dave Lindorff Scott Campbell Paul Farmer Anne Kilkenny Website of the Day September 9, 2008 Michael Colby Chellis Glendinning Vijay Prashad Jeffery R. Webber/ David Michael Green Brian J. Foley John Ross Pierre M. Sprey / Nicole Colson Marc Gardner William S. Lind Website of the Day
September 8, 2008 Mike Whitney Tariq Ali Pam Martens Bill Quigley Malini Johar Schueller / Robert Jensen Uri Avnery Win McCormack Howard Lisnoff Maria C. Khoury Website of the Day September 6 / 7, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Linn Washington, Jr. Patrick Cockburn Gary Leupp Nancy Kurshan William Blum Michael Winship Fred Gardner Nikolas Kozloff Wajahat Ali Robert Fantina Karyn Strickler David Yearsley Richard Rhames James L. Secor Missy Beattie Eric Patton Ben Terrall Thom Rutledge Dan Bacher David Macaray Jane Stillwater Grady Harper Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend September 5, 2008 Elizabeth Walters Bill Quigley Alan Farago Dave Lindorff Ira Glunts Peter Morici Deepak Tripathi Manuel Garcia, Jr. Michael Donnelly Martha Rosenberg Website of the Day September 4, 2008 Jeffrey St. Clair Paul Craig Roberts Ron Jacobs M. Junaid Levesque-Alam Andy Worthington Osama Dawoud Stephen Lendman Fidel Castro Website of the Day September 3, 2008 Patrick Cockburn Sen. Mike Gravel Vijay Prashad Nikolas Kozloff Ralph Nader Howard Lisnoff Steve Early / Cal Winslow Shepherd Bliss Bill Quigley Website of the Day
September 2, 2008 Marjorie Cohn Jonathan Cook Robert Weitzel Corey D. B. Walker John Ross Eric Walberg Judith Scherr Richard Morse B. R. Gowani Michael Greenberg Website of the Day September 1, 2008 Nikolas Kozloff C. G. Estabrook Manuel Garcia, Jr. David Macaray B. R. Gowani Saul Landau Charles Orloski Gloria La Riva Website of the Day August 30 / 31, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Bill Quigley Jeffrey St. Clair Andy Worthington Deepak Tripathi Stanley Howard Dave Lindorff Wajahat Ali Robert Fantina Josh Schlossberg Benjamin Dangl Missy Beattie Howard Lisnoff Suzan Mazur Rev. Jim Rigby David Yearsely Serge Quadruppani B.R. Gowani Richard Rhames Poets' Basement Website of the Day
August 29, 2008 Mike Whitney Brian Cloughley David Ker Thomson Joanne Mariner Neve Gordon Chris Genovali Ron Jacobs Michael Donnelly August 28, 2008 Judy Gumbo Albert Paul Cantor Saul Landau / Andy Worthington Ben Terrall Leonard Peltier Niranjan Ramakrishnan Donna J. Volatile Website of the Day
August 27, 2008 Anthony DiMaggio Jordan Flaherty Ralph Nader Melissa Checker Bob Sommer Cynthia McKinney Ali Khan M. Junaid Levesque-Alam Dave Lindorff David Macaray Website of the Day
August 26, 2008 Patrick Cockburn Michael D. Yates Paul Craig Roberts Andy Worthington Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Huwaida Arraf Joseph Grosso Sheldon Richman Binoy Kampmark Website of the Day August 25, 2008 Patrick Cockburn Bill Quigley Jonathan Cook James McEnteer Uri Avnery Will Potter Robert Jensen Stephen Lendman Wajahat Ali Carl Finamore Website of the Day August 23 / 4, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Patty O'Grady Nicole Colson Steve Conn Deepak Trapathi Robert Fantina Jonathan M. Feldman Joshua Frank Osama Qashoo Howard Lisnoff David Michael Green Dave Lindorff Christopher Brauchli Alan Farago Michael Winship Richard Rhames David Rosen Patrick B. Barr Jamie Newlin Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend August 22, 2008 Boris Kagarlitsky Laura Carlsen Bob Barr Marwan Bishara Peter Morici Manuel Garcia, Jr. Charles Mostoller Sumbul Ali-Karamali Keith Rosenthal John F. Miglio Website of the Day August 21, 2008 Allan J. Lichtman Dave Lindorff Loserville: How Obama Blew It Ralph Nader Joanne Mariner Wajahat Ali Ron Jacobs Rostam Purzal Anthony Papa Website of the Day August 20, 2008 Michael Neumann Ray McGovern Eric Walberg Fidaa Abed Daniel Haack Mike Whitney Website of the Day August 19, 2008 Paul Craig Roberts Deepak Tripathi Marwan Bishara Saul Landau William S. Lind Martha Rosenberg James Brittain Pratyush Chandra David Macaray Website of the Day |
Weekend Edition Breaking the Fast with Reflection and ResolveTasting Ramadan By RANNIE AMIRI
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar and by far its most auspicious, for it marks the month in which the Holy Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel in the year 610 AD. After much anticipation, its advent is heralded by the sighting of the new crescent moon, which, depending on where you live, was either Sept. 1 or 2 this year. The congratulations exchanged between Muslims at the moon’s sighting is an expression of happiness at being alive to once again witness and honor the month, considered to be one filled with an abundance of blessings and rewards. Many non-Muslims recognize Ramadan as the time when all able-bodied Muslims are required to abstain from food and drink one-and-a-half hours before sunrise until after sunset each day. The fast is then joyfully broken with dates as family and friends (and oftentimes, strangers) gather to share the evening meal, or iftar, together. Each year, Ramadan begins 11 days earlier than the last, inexorably moving through the entire Gregorian calendar and all four seasons every 33 years. The respite provided by fasting during the short, winter days eventually yields to doing so during long, hot summers. At the time of the Prophet, Arabs named the months according to when they fell. Ramadan, derived from the root word ramda, or to burn from the excessive heat of the sun (making the object ramad), was aptly titled since it coincided then with the blistering heat of the Arabian summer (2). But it is also the month in which ones sins are “burned” and forgiveness granted; a month in which instincts and impulses are tamed, the performance of good deeds and charity emphasized, and where friend and foe put differences aside and join in breaking the fast. Unfortunately each year we are reminded of those who cannot partake in the happiness of Ramadan. "I don't know what to do. Ramadan is the month of food and joy and I have none of them. My kids have not eaten meat for more than five months,” said Gaza resident Salem Ebid on the verge of tears (3). Gaza’s citizens continue to wither under the cruel siege imposed by Israel and maintained by Egypt, allowing in only the most basic humanitarian supplies—if that—and little else. As the economy crumbles and prices skyrocket, 1.4 million Gazans are increasingly dependent on goods smuggled though tunnels from Egypt and food distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and charities. Even then it has been hard to make ends meet, especially during Ramadan where large numbers of people meet for iftar in each other’s homes or communally in the mosque. In Iraq, the sweltering summer coupled with the lack of electricity has posed its own challenges. Much of the country, including Baghdad, receives only four hours of electricity daily (4). Their hardships are mirrored by Iraqis who were forced to flee the country to Syria, Jordan or Egypt, where they are unlikely to find jobs and barely subsist on rapidly dwindling funds. The Iraqi government is currently coaxing them to return home, perhaps to an equally desperate situation (5). Now some may ask, is it possible for the non-Muslim to experience Ramadan? To the reader who would like to see for himself or herself, I propose the following: Pick any day this month. Wake up very early that morning and have breakfast. Then abstain from all food and drink during the period described above. When it comes time to break your fast, and as you begin to take the first sip of a cool drink or taste the first bite of a delicious meal, should you remember those in Gaza who are struggling under an oppressive siege, those in Iraq who have been driven out of their homes and have lost everything, the persecuted in Darfur, or the poor, needy and hungry in your own community, and then vow to make a difference in these people’s lives … at that very instant, you have tasted Ramadan. Rannie Amiri is an independent commentator on the Arab and Islamic worlds. He may be reached at: rbamiri <at> yahoo.com.
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