Juan Cole on Steve Jobs

Of all the obituaries likely to flood the media today for Steve Jobs, I'll bet nobody else matches Juan Cole's headline: "Steve Jobs: Arab-American, Buddhist, Psychedelic Drug User, and Capitalist World-Changer."

In fact, I'm betting "Arab-American" appears least frequently of those descriptions, at least in headlines, but Jobs, who was adopted, had a Syrian biological father.

The Washington Post on Jim Zogby

I probably should have linked to this yesterday, when it appeared, but better late than never. (I think I sometimes assume that all my readers wake up with The Washington Post on their doorstep, as I do, and I don't need to comment on it. Then I remember the Internet reaches beyond the Beltway.) Yesterday's Washington Post Style section led with a front page article on James Zogby of the Arab American Institute. Jim is no stranger to those of us who do the Middle East beat in Washington, but he may be less familiar to some of those outside the Beltway or across the pond, so do read it if you don't know him. (And of course you should read it if you do know him. So just read it anyhow, okay?)

I first crossed paths with Jim in the 1970s I think, and we've both grayed a bit. In those days I hadn't yet heard of his brother John, the pollster, though John today is the better known brother. But Jim keeps doing the work that needs to be done.

I'm not sure if it's the "Ground Zero Mosque," the general atmosphere of suspicion of Islam, or what exactly, that made them profile Zogby now. I'm also not sure why they made sure to put "Catholic" in the headline itself. Are they saying, "he's not a Muslim, so you can read about him", or what? After all, many Arab-Americans of deep roots in this country are Arab Christians, particularly among the Lebanese. I guess they're trying to make him less threatening. (Jim Zogby is a bright and intense guy, but anything but threatening.) Congratulations Jim, for a well-deserved tribute.

Most Ridiculous Controversy of the Day: Right Wing Furious About Arab-American Miss USA

Much Updated Below. As this story gets weirder, I'll update this post or add new ones.

My candidate for most ridiculous controversy of the day: the Miss USA Contest — a Donald Trump-run pageant several notches down from Miss America — has been won by an Arab-American of Lebanese origin. Apparently this has produced a lot of craziness on the far right, amid claims that she is a pro-Hizbullah mole of some sort infiltrating our beauty pageants in order to . . . what, exactly? Certainly the pictures of her in the swimsuit competition look like your standard Hizbullah infiltrator. (I wouldn't label these linked photos "not safe for work," but let's say she's not in a niqab.) And she went to Catholic High School in Dearborn, another sure indicator of Hizbullah ties. [Initially I didn't link directly to the insane stuff, but as it gets weirder and explodes in the blogosphere, you may want to read this diatribe, or this one, which flat-out calls her sharmuta, or whore (and not in the best sense, if you know what I mean) in Arabic (but wait: I thought she was a Hizbullah agent), and it gets worse.]

I thought anti-Arab, anti-Islamic paranoia couldn't get worse, but I hadn't realized that we needed to be on constant guard against the Islamist infiltration of our precious beauty pageants.

UPDATED: More evidence of radical Islamist tendencies are emerging: pictures in fishnet stockings and garter belts (see left), pictures of her pole-dancing in a "Stripper 2007 " competition, (also here), etc. She's obviously about one step away from strapping on a suicide vest, if she ever starts wearing much above her waist. Have we gone insane? She's being denounced over here as a (nearly-naked) Hizbullah mole and yet Hizbullah is unlikely to reprint these pictures. And this report says that 1997 "photos show Fakih pole dancing and with dollar bills in her bra.". ..

I'm pretty sure that's prima facie evidence of terrorist activity, aren't you? Obvious money laundering, by putting the dollar bills in her bra they figure they're going to escape detection . . .

Real Americans: Know Your Enemy (Just Kidding):


Ah, Lebanon.