Media Monitors Network (MMN)

"In an April Fool’s Day fantasy, set in 2005, President George W. Bush, Jr. has been arrested by military officials. There’s a coup d’etat in America! Bush is being held as an, “Enemy Combatant” for selling the country out to the New World Order. The Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a Manifesto, say, “The U.S. invasion of Iran, on March 17, 2005, was the absolute final straw for us.” But this is only a silly April Fool’s Day dream. Or, is it?"

"The Bush administration was already strongly identified with the neoconservatives and with the Christian Right, but the catastrophe of 9/11 and the resulting War on Terrorism hugely magnified that influence, creating a heightened sense that the Word of God now emanated from the White House."

"In putting American votes before Sudanese peace, in both western and southern Sudan, Washington is playing a very dangerous game indeed."

"The White House has tried to distract the news media from dwelling on the milestone of 1,000 American deaths in Iraq. Meanwhile, the lethal toll among Iraqi civilians is a media abstraction. In the U.S. press, those victims -- far more numerous and no less precious to their loved ones -- go uncounted and unnamed."

"...Iran's and America's post-war visions differ widely. Much to Iran's dismay, the US seems determined to preserve its interests in Iraq for the long run, and wishes to play a central role in its rehabilitation. Washington hopes to transform Iraq into a bridgehead for democracy in the region, while Iran dreads the spread of liberal ideas among its disaffected youth, particularly if they emanate from a US-backed Iraq."

"Instead of spending real time and effort on understanding the West and the Western media, we either blame it all on a Zionist conspiracy or try to create our own English language television station."

"Americans feel far more empathy for foreigners who died in the World Trade Center than for innocent victims of the American "Shock and Awe" campaign over Baghdad."

"Strange that it is George Bush who is calling for Crusade "holy war" or Jihad and we are told that it is Islam and Muslims who want to wage a "holy" war."

"Israel's most crucial allies include the mass media of the United States. Together with top officials in Washington, news outlets keep reinforcing the assumption that the Israeli government can do little wrong."

"...while Iran's hand seems to have been temporarily strengthened, it is still far too early to tell the ultimate reverberations of the Iraq war."

"...IDEAS is now an effective instrument of purpose to display Pakistan’s military wares and give foreign manufacturers interested in the Pakistan defence market an opportunity to show off their products."

"Iran's current strategy appears to be two-pronged. With one eye on its own ambitions, and another wary eye on the US, Iran is hoping to either turn the events in Iraq to its benefit or, at the very least, keep the American forces bogged down in Iraq, thus not giving the US the time and opportunity to invade Iran based on the Iraqi example."

"That the constant public celebration of Israel as “the only democracy in the Middle East” and America’s “greatest ally in the fight against terrorism” might actually be bad for Israel might be puzzling for some – but it’s not all that much of a surprise for a large number of Washington officials."

"Islam bans killing or murdering any human being. Islam categorizes such an act as 'one of the major sins in Islam'."

"The horrors of the Russian aggression in Chechnya show the ugly face of Russian racism. While Estonia (population over 1 million) was granted full independence, Chechnya was subjected to a brutal genocide and the 6.6 million Tatar Muslims within the Russian Federation were not only denied the right to self-determination, but prevented from returning to their homeland in Crimea."

"...the true test of whether the U.S. really wants liberty and democracy in the Arab World is if we will defend aspirations of liberty, and whether we will respect the election of future leaderships, who in all likelihood will not be friendly to the US for the years we kept dictators in power."

"Since September 11, Russia has cast its subjugation of the Caucasus as a Russian variant of the "War on Terror", invoking all the same arguments and characterizations as the Bush Administration; a rhetorical smokescreen that has seen it largely removed from the humanitarian radar of Western governments."

"Both campaigns are focused on reinforcing and energizing their core support groups. The Republicans are appealing to religious conservatives and national security hawks, while Democrats are reaching out to union members, African Americans, Hispanics, women, and social liberals."

"Americans of all persuasions, Muslims, and Jews need to add historical depth to the debate about Islam. If the trend continues, an inter-communal conflict in Jerusalem could escalate into a regional war where Jews, Muslims, Christians, and others at the epicenter of the conflict but who do not hold messianic sentiments will suffer under the weight of others' prejudices and indifference."

"Islam requires that all Moslems do what they can to defend Islamic lands when under attack from non-Moslems. To defeat profiling techniques by security forces, even Islamic women have become involved in jihadist attacks against the Russians and Israelis."