After guns and the Iraq war, Michael Moore is now taking on an entire political and economic system in his latest documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story. So what message does the man who once planned to become a priest have? Chris McGreal The Guardian, Michael Moore says of Capitalism: A Love Story, ‘I want audiences to get off the bench and become active.’ Photograph: Kevork Djansezian/AP/PA Photos Michael Moore has been accused of many things. Mendacity. Manipulation. Rampant egotism. Bullying a frail old man with Alzheimer’s. And that is by people who generally agree with his views. His latest film … Continue reading ‘Capitalism is evil … you have to eliminate it’

Foreign governments should not interfere in Iran or the regime will only be strengthened. ‘Active neutrality’ is the best approach Mahmood Delkhasteh guardian.co.uk, Since the late 19th century, almost every generation of Iranians has seen at least one major upheaval or revolution. The first revolution for democracy in the Middle East took place in Iran in 1905, at a time when European countries (excepting the UK) were under various forms of dictatorship. No country has experienced so much constant turmoil and political unrest in the past century as Iran. Besides the current demand for democracy in Iran, however, there has … Continue reading Let Iran have its own revolution in 2010

Some Muslims are gearing up to be offended by Chris Morris’ Four Lions. Others will be having a good old laugh Musab Bora guardian.co.uk, “Muslim Protest at Jihadist Film” – I can see the headlines already. Despite no release date having been fixed, the predictions of a furore around Four Lions have already begun. For those that have not yet seen the clip or heard about the plot, Four Lions is a British farce about four suicide bombers from Sheffield. Four Lions Production year: 2009 Country: UK Directors: Chris Morris Cast: Kavyan Novak, Riz Ahmed More on this film It … Continue reading Four Lions and the right to offend a terrorist cell in Sheffield!

// Steve Jobs, who will be celebrated everywhere today for the great farsightedness of his tablet, is, curiously, an old fart. He’s a guy who loves his machines. He’s a tinkerer. A guy who’s most at home in a hardware store—which is really what an Apple store is, just souped up and redecorated. He’s also, in the way of old guys, an authoritarian. He wants to be stubbornly in control (even when that’s not possible). Indeed, one might fairly conclude from any interaction in an Apple store, that he is, too, rather a totalitarian—Orwellianly so. That old ad, Apple’s 1984 … Continue reading Greedy bloodsucking old fart Steve Jobs Can’t Save Us with his ipad!

As a confidence building measure towards reconciliation, the UN Security Council Tuesday removed five top Taliban officials from its list of individuals who were subjected to sanctions imposed over their alleged links with Al-Qaeda. The five officials removed from the UN list are Abdul Wakil Mutawakil, who was foreign minister under the now ousted Taliban regime; Faiz Mohammad Faizan, a former deputy commerce minister; Shams-US-Safa, a former foreign ministry official; Mohammad Musa, a deputy planning minister; and Abdul Hakim, a former deputy frontier affairs minister. Under the resolution, UN member states are required to impose travel bans, an asset freeze … Continue reading Five Neutered Mullahs Officials Declared “Good Guys”

SAJA & SAMMA are jointly holding a book event with Salman Ahmad, Junoon icon, musician, author and ambassador of peace. on Wed, Feb. 17, 2010, 6:30-8 pm. It is a public event at Columbia Journalism School in NYC. A documentary on Junoon and Salman Ahmad, narrated by Susan Sarandon will also be shown. The event will discuss Salman Ahmed’s new autobiography: Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution. The book is the story of Salman Ahmad’s passion for making music and of rock as a force to unite people. Every author likes to think his or her book … Continue reading Rock and Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution

Posted by Nadeem F. Paracha Last weekend I finally managed to get my hands on the DVD versions of two Pakistani films that I had once seen on the big screen many years ago, and was looking to do the same again, but this time in the privacy of my TV lounge. I went looking for them after a friend and I discussed the possibility of finding the cultural roots of what grew into mainstream socio-political extremism and myopia in Pakistan. One can pin-point almost all of Ziaul Haq’s cynical, Machiavellian farce in the name of Islam as containing the … Continue reading The films before the Mullah infestation of Pakistans film industry

Zia’s decade of darkness – by Iqbal Ahmad Khan By Iqbal Ahmad Khan The unenviable position of the most invidious of Pakistan’s rulers, among democrats and dictators alike, is occupied by Ziaul Haq, the dictator-general who died 21 years ago on Aug 17. The outward display of humility and affection masked a duplicitous and vengeful personality. These were reflected in the retrogressive and punitive measures the general unleashed on the benighted nation during more than a decade of unmitigated dictatorship. Whether it was the knotty Article 58-2(b), the much-exploited blasphemy laws or the promotion of a misogynous mindset, Pakistan and … Continue reading Zia ul Haq – Satans Mullah-e-Azam!

The notion propounded by some political parties and many individuals who should know better that ordinary people in Malakand and FATA back the Taliban as some kind of stand against the US was delivered a resounding blow in Swat, where the joint ANP-PPP candidate won by a big margin a provincial seat that lay vacant following the assassination of its MPA. He too had been affiliated with the ANP. Whereas this factor played a part in the victory for his brother, it is no coincidence that candidates of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf and the Jamaat-e-Islami finished last in the race, collecting … Continue reading Demolishing the myth of the cuddly adorable idolised Mullah