I am a writer, a musician, and a traveller, and a doctoral candidate at the University of Strathclyde. I am the co-editor of PULSE, a collaborative political weblog which is now a featured link on Le Monde Diplomatique and the London Review Blog. I am also a frequent contributor to Al Jazeera International. Born in the North-West frontier of Pakistan, I have lived in the UAE, Brazil and Venezuela. I currently reside in Scotland.
Teaching
I have lectured in sociology, politics, philosophy, journalism, religion, media and cultural studies at the Universities of Strathclyde, Glasgow and Stirling. I have taught such subjects as Investigative Journalism; Political Communication; IR Theory; Globalization; Power; Religion and Theory; Religion, Colonialism, and Nationalism; Sociology of Conflicts; the Iraq war; the Israel-Palestine conflict; Conflict resolution; and Political Islam.
Journalism
I have reported from the Pakistani frontline for Le Monde Diplomatique, Asia Times, Inter Press Service, and Political Insight. My writings have appeared in such magazines and web journals as Adbusters, Mondoweiss.net, Canadian Dimension, Counterpunch, The Electronic Intifada, Variant, The Drouth, etc. I have appeared as a commentator on issues related to the media, Middle East, and Pakistan on Al Jazeera International and the network has used my research for a documentary on the Middle East. I have produced a current affairs program for Glasgow Community radio 87.7 FM on which I have interviewed the world’s leading journalists and scholars on the Middle-East.
Research Interests
History and politics of Pakistan and the Middle East (special focus on Iraq and Israel-Palestine); Human Rights; Political violence; Conflict resolution; Propaganda and Lobbying; Social Media; Globalization; Political Islam; Neoconservatism; and Social Network Analysis.
The Fanonite
The Fanonite was set up in response to BBC‘s skewed coverage of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in summer 2006. BBC‘s partisan coverage on the Middle East has been amply documented by the Glasgow University Meida Group and Spinwatch, two research units with which I have had an association. Nevertheless, it came as a surprise that after the GUMG study, Bad News From Israel, and BBC’s own independent review — which found its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “incomplete” and “misleading” — it should put its credibility on the line to serve as a surrogate of the Israeli ministry of information. The rest of the mainstream news media wasn’t faring any better. Letters of complaints to the editors were bearing little result, and one publication actually responded by allowing the subject of my complaint to smear me in the next issue. It was then that I decided to keep all such correspondence public, and make my criticisms available to all who are sceptical of the media’s sins of commission and ommission.
I would suggest you write about your homeland and how women are treated there by Islamists such as you. Your
present residence as well as your pose are faked and intended to mislead Europeans to believe that you are what you seem to be. But your are a bloodthirsty Muslim
after all. When are you going to try to take over the United Kingdom.
Muhammad,
I’m glad to find your blog. I’ll add a link to it in my aggregator and blog links.
Keep the good work coming and all the best!
Keep up the good work! REALLY good work. Wish I had time to do the same on the other side of the Atlantic!
Congratulations on your excellent site, Muhammad. It’s well-written, erudite, and with the radical edge we all so badly need. I’ll tell my friends about you. Please visit my blog http://www.qunfuz.blogspot.com
I’ve only just realised that you are just one guy!The website is so impressively packaged I thought you were an academic journal on Counterpunch lines!
Anyway,such is the scope of your coverage it is to your site that I return avidly.Please keep it going it’s a vital tool with which we can make sense of the world.
Only one suggestion:please more on your inspiration.I mean my favourite activist philosopher Franz Fanon.Black Masks,Damnes de la Terre are classic insurgent reading.This was a man who lived his theories to their logical conclusion.In his lifetime he saw them through to complete victory.Fanon was the hardline FLN negotiator who brooked no concessions to imperialists.France would commit to get the hell out of Algeria before the FLN would sit down with French representatives.
Fanon is intensely relevant to any real attempt to analyse anti-imperialist struggle today.Given for example the US planned military offensive in third world urban centres which has proceeded apace since the debacle in Mogadishu in 1993,what part will the lumpenproletariat play in future wars against US invaders?
The role envisaged by Fanon for these people has often been derided but I think he has been proved right by previous US counter-insurgency wars like Vietnam for instance.
Gabriel Kolko’s magisterial history of the conflict found the seeds of US failure in the traumatization and displacement of civilians inflicted by US aerial attacks and ground operations.Though the lumpenproletariat that formed in Saigon and other urban centres failed to join in the anticipated general insurrection at the time of the Tet Offensive it was the failure of the S.Vietnam government to win these people over which sealed its own consignment to oblivion by history.
Again Fanon’s psychiatric case studies ( some appear at the end of Les Damnes ) with their descriptions of the mental damage wrought by wars to the death,like that in Algeria,where torturer and
tortured confront their demons are so pertinent in the light of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.
Please more Fanon!
I hate when people have sites that I like… it makes me realize I need to get off my arse and work on my own shiite. (Did I use my british slang properly?)
Anyway, good job… nice use of Word Press and refreshing to see non-mainstream views.
Also, encourage more posters like the first reply on this page. I find those people feed me more then any amount of encouragement.
* note: by “non-mainstream” i mean “thoughtful” – in the states we are inundated with Faux News and the like… you can complain about the BBC, but you have to agree it’s not Faux News Network or air anything like the O’Really Faction.
I think we can well do well without “posters” like the grey-cell deficient,probably intoxicated,certainly deranged Islamophobic moron that contributed the first reply.
The mainstream coverage is replete with such ignorant commentators who lack any capacity to analyse and are therefore incapable of contributing anything meaningful or worthwhile.
If hyena thinks such people are sources of encouragement I hope he’ll be very happy.Most of us would prefer other sources of intellectual sustenance!
Excellent site, I’ve added you to my blogroll. Very incisive commentary on the Middle East — and you live in Glasgow and have a Pakistani background, just like me!
I liked the site. Keep it up!
I would like to hear more about Pakistan. The country now being in (internal) turmoil…
I heard a BBC journalist has recently came back to Pakistan. Do you know about that?
You make us proud!!
Let me be the first person from your home town to post here. Hey we go a long way back everyone. I played Bass with this guy in a concert once!
Your articles are always well researched and informative. We may disagree with each other over many issues (Galloway/Qaddafi)
but I would always support you in your efforts.
And I have another name for the BBC. “British Bull Crap”.
Oh by the way what did you do to Isaac there (top poster)? You wicked evil Muslim. You blood drinking Lizard. You enemy of this “great” and “free” country. And when are you starting the “Battle of London”.
Keep up the good work.
Glad I found this blog!
I just read your article “‘Anyone Can Go To Baghdad; Real Men Go To Tehran.’” at http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Mar07/Ahmad04.htm. It is sxcellent and brings together, shapes, and adds to, many details which have been scattered about in various people’s articles.
Regarding the silence of the antiwar movement, I have to say that it is more a _total_ silence than a silence on the _cause_ of the drive for war. Other than http://www.campaigniran.org and various articles, there is very little mobilisation against this war. Is it because demonstrations of millions of people against the Iraq war failed to have any effect? “[C]astrated dissent”
is apt, methinks.
The Zionists’ drive for war is readily apparent throughout mainstream North American media. But what is Cheney’s reason for pushing this? Larry Wilkerson suggests that Cheney’s been radicalised by 9/11. Robert Dreyfuss points to China as a reason. I tend to agree that at least part of Cheney’s motive may be to contain China. India’s emergence contributes to this game plan.
Rah
Yeah, this is a great blog, no doubt about it. Whether you agree with everything or not doesn’t matter, it’s a tour de force.
I work part-time as a news subtitler for the BBC, and I agree they aren’t half as balanced as they make out. Right now the newsroom is wildy SNP biased and they make no effort whatsoever to hide it. In fact, it’s kind of a running joke.
Muhammad,
Nice blog you put together here,.. I intend to visit often. Especially grateful to locate your blog – because our CMSM (Corporate Main Stream Media) can no longer be trusted not to slant the news to the favor of the Neo-Con Corporatists/Israeli Zionists/or fascist military industrial establishment.
Would you consider listing a like minded blog in your links section. If the leaders of the world can not figure out how to live together without war, maybe the common folk ought to teach them how. An open dialog of communication is a good start towards that goal. You are not a monster, neither am I. Only the worlds warmongers wish we think so – because for them Shock and Awe is so very profitable,.. but only for them. Everybody else on the planet is somehow injured or suffers a loss. Mankind never gains by war, only the select avaricious/greedy/gluttonous few.
Please take a look at this blog from the USA. If you would consider listing it in your “other links”,.. it would be appreciated. There are far more nice human beings on this planet,.. and far fewer monsters. The nice people need to open channels of communication before it is too late. Then maybe we can help each other save this planet and learn to live together in peace.
http://winterpatriot.blogspot.com/
Hey Muhammad, love the blog, its one of the few I’m sure to check daily.
Thought you might find this website useful.
http://www.lulu.com/
It allows you to selfpublish books in electronic and paper form.
Collecting your personal favourite posts every couple of months into a small book could be a handy way to archive your best work and allow people to download it in the form of a small free e-book. Also they have the option to pay for a paper copy to be printed and sent to them (you can profit from this if you wish too). Or you could make the archives topic based, one on the Israel lobby for example.
I’d also release all your work under creative commons license – http://creativecommons.org/worldwide/scotland/ a form of copyleft.
just an idea.
Laters,
Dave
Idrees,
Have been keeping myself busy reading your blog. Very nice job here, and the comments are entertaining.
Saw your book review at a domestic web site here, small world really, is it not ? I was surprised when I saw it, you had just posted it here at your place.
http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/41627
…..
There is one problem over at the “Blight Unto Nations”
thread. I had trouble posting a comment, it disappeared a number of times, so I re-posted. Then when I came back all the disappeared ones were now posted. I think I know what caused the late – (not lost) posted comments, the URL’s were too long. I did not realist your site would not automatically shorten the URL’s,.. if too long it changes the format of the page. That is what happened over at that thread. I can shorten the long URL’s with tinyurl.com – I will do so in the future.
The corrected/shortened URL to replace the long one is here,..
http://tinyurl.com/2ffqd
The multiple posts over there need to be removed and the long URL needs to be replaced with the one above to reset the format of that page. Sorry for the confusion,
I think I know how to avoid a repeat of the problem, but I know of no way to rectify the difficulty of correcting the re-formatting of that page without your help at the thread page. Again sorry that happened. Kind of new to this computer stuff, but learning.
Copenhagenian, when there is more than one URL in a post, it usually gets spammed, or gets deferred for moderation. I’ll figure out how to fix that.
Hi there!
I needed to get in touch with you. I just have your hotmail address. Let me know if you get on line.
MJ
I have appreciated many of your posts. Thanks
Do you have an email where I could contact you?
[...] links: The Media’s “Fog Facts” on Iran The Empire of Fear & the Media The Fanonite has by now some 64 posts tagged Media, you can browse them here. Few titles: NYT does Carter, Jan [...]
well-done you did not delete the racist comment of Isaac on your site. Being european working for women rights I may tell you that even having women protection centers and child abuse protection centers in civilzed europe, still the women have been badly beaten. Only in Italy 100s of women have been murdered by husbands in 2006 and many fathers in europe are caught in child abuse cases. my 2 friends abused by their own fathers. And look at the newspapers of any european country, you will find the mothers kill their own children. So Isaac, open your eyes and save your own country, instead of pointing out someone with your biased remarks
i especially liked it that noone responded to isaac for three months…
you have a good point, saadia.
From your Blog, I learn new English words too. Thanks
I do a lot of reading up, and stumbled acrosed your site. But oh was I pleasantly suprised!
I’m from the NWFP too – was born there. Moved here(UK) when I was a kid. I’m attending Manchester University at the moment. Was real nice seeing you’re from the same humble background as myself.
Amazing work. God bless you.
happy belated birthday fanonite. i hope next year we have a news channel on the satelite.
Hey this is great. I’m adding a link to 1820 today. If you’d like to link back that would be cool.
Gus
I came across this blog as a mere coincidence but then I am visitng it daily and trying to get through all the articles published. Congrats on such elaborate and informative blog.
Keep up the good work.
Hi Muhammed,
As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve frequently reposted your video posts on Throw Away Your Telescreen. I was wondering if you’d be interested in joining as a contributor and cutting out the middleman with some cross-posting? Let me know and I’ll send you an invite.
Cheers.
Keep up the good work here, in any case.
Dave
Keep up with writing well. Also tolerate others and let also yourself be tolerated. Mother cares about Ramazan and the routine meal.
People like you are the reason that muslims cannot overcome their victimization feeling.Muslims are the reasons of most of the present day wars.Muslims think that they are living in 7th century and will easily capture the whole world like they did in mohammed’s time.Moderate Muslims(if any) have to understand what Islam teaches to its followers and the terrorists represent the true version of Islam.Terrorists have not hijacked Islam.They are practising true Islam and are doing the incomplete work of Mohammed which is the subjucation of infidels.It is high time that muslims stop putting the blame on infidels particularly jews and americans for all their problems.They have to understand that allah will not be able to protect them in their jihad against infidels.Infidels have superior military technology which is sufficient enough to wipe out the evil of Islam plaguing the earth.
1st December – Morning Star flag vs. U.S. / Indonesian Colonization and Mining
Please do not forget that today is the day thousands of West Papua people will risk their lives and liberty to raise their nation’s flag
http://wpik.org
Please do better than I and remind the public of this day each year,
the children of West New Guinea / West Papua deserve a voice
Thank You for anything you can do
Andrew Johnson
Sydney, Australia
muhammed, gotta lot of catching up to do since somehow i’ve ‘missed’ your blog until now. soon will know where our disagreements lie, but for now it’s exciting to know another unequivocally anti-imperialist-zionist — thanks!
liz
i found this blog recently. i’ll definitely be reading it regularly. thanks for the quality posts.
Oh my God, one man doing all this… you are amazing. All the best.
Hi Idress,
I just checked u have reproduced one of my articles about Pakistan. Many thanks.
The website is wonderful. I would like to get in touch.
pls contact me on my email.
best,
Murtaza, London
In response to the escalation of the seige of Gaza this week, an emergency demo is being planned from 4-6pm in front of Parliament (UK). Further details will probably come up on the Action Palestine site.
This is being declared an International Day of Action to End the Siege on Gaza, and there id stuff going on in other cities around the world (eg in Cape Town). I just thought readers of this blog might be interested in kicking up a fuss about the devastating seige, given its near invisibility in the media.
*forgot to mention, that’s on Saturday
Do you realise that this website cannot be viewed using the NHS-provided broadband internet services available to all working within the NHS.
There are sites blocked such as dating agencies, porn sites etc but this site has been included in the Racism and Hatred section!!! I’m going to take it up with those responsible! – perhaps you might as well!
David Walls
“The Fanonite was set up during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in summer 2006 when the BBC threw all caution to the wind and started serving as Israel’s official propaganda organ.”
Ha-ha! What’s the matter, the BBC didn’t encourage Hezbullah to BEHEAD ON LIVE TV the israeli border patrol that HEZBULLAH KIDNAPPED FROM BEHIND ISRAELI LINES?
Or were you upset that the BBC didn’t encourage hezbullah enough to CONTINUE to hide behind lebanese women and children while lobbing THOUSANDS of missiles at Israeli civilians?
I guess you were further upset when the BBC didn’tactually support the jihadi scum last week who made their suicide videos and contemplated taking their wives and children on flights they would blow up and kill thousands on…
FISLAM – the religion of feces.
Brilliant site! Keep up the great work!
Guys,
Let me register a mild protest.
Having friends in Pakistan, Palestine as well as in Israel, I would be good to create a bridge and friendship between enlightened people from this triangle.
It is more constructive than using broad accusations only against Israel and Zionism, and doing nothing about the grave problems plaguing the Palestinian, Pakistani, Iranian and most Muslim nations.
The peace can not be achieved unless the Muslim nations get rid of the fanaticism.
It is like making peace between a free West Germany and a totalitarian East Germany.
The unification worked out only when East Germany could get away from the Soviet inspired terror.
Can Fanonite steer the nations in this direction?
Very interesting site I happened to stumble upon here, checkout the The Activist Online Magazine http://theactivist.org I think the writings there fall into line with your views of democracy and anti-imperialism.
Warm regards!
Being a Fanon admirer-follower ever since my college years, it’s been a gratifying surprise to find your site. Some say, around this region, that Fanon is not read any more, that young people don’t even know who he was or what he contributed. So your work is direly needed, and like others who have dropped a note here, I do wish you will write more on Fanon and his works.
Thank you for your efforts!
Sandra Rodriguez
San Juan, Puerto Rico
sarodgz@gmail.com
Hey, Idrees!
Just got to your site through your comment on “informed comment” site regarding Pervez Hoodbhoy. Excellent blog, I’m deeply impressed by your work here, keep up the good work! All my sentiments exactly.
R3g7bs re re re
GAV GAV
I am always relieved on those rare occasions that I find a blog such as this one. Warm greetings and praises from a fellow fan of Fanon!
Hi,
Your website is great! I’m impressed with all you’ve done. Congratualtions! I’m glad to see that there are people who have a healthy mind and can think straight. I have put your website on my favorites and will check it out regularly.
Regards,
David
Salam Brother! All are well with your home except that Mr.Ten percent has been marked as President of the fools. I was affected with a headache. Read the comment in the column of Jemima.
All are happy and Jawad is also here. How is Ramazan there and the prayers. Your nephew has dark blue eyes and is too active. Carry on with your writing and send some special ones on line.
Hello,
My name is Adrian Barbu and I’m the Webmaster of FamousWhy.com
Our editors have regularly visited fanonite.org and we do like it and appreciate all your work and style.
It would be a real pleasure for us to recommend it and provide richer user experience to our visitors by adding a link under our “We Recommend” section of http://regions.famouswhy.com
We would be grateful if you could place a link back under your “Links” section.
Please review our website and tell us your decision.
All the best!
Adrian Barbu – Webmaster
————————
2006 – 2008 FamousWhy.com
Hi Muhammad,
I like you have been very busy – but the Gaza war required action. I decided to take up issue of the BBC participation in a war crime by becoming embedded with an Israeli army unit attacking the civilians in Gaza. This is a copy of an emil i sent to 200 news contacts and the BBC. I have had no replies whatsoever – even to formal complaints in person and via email to the BBC.
Jon
Hi,
The enclosed leaflet was handed to over 1,500 BBC staff at television centre over a 4-day (very cold!) period (9/1/09-12/1/09).
I have begged for them to comment – to tell me how the report I am complaining about adheres to their guidelines. A week later after repeated emails and personal requests to Mike Easton the Television Centre general manager I have heard nothing.
I have been verbally abused on several occasions, one senior staffer said – “Alan Johnston is running this, you saying hes pro-Israeli?”. No, I replied, “…but I think after his experiences hes now not impartial.”
Yesterday (16/1/09) they finally sent a staffer in. But the question is this – why did Johnston refuse to put any BBC staff members on the ground? Just because the Israelis have refused permission is irrelevant – the Egyptians have let many news agencies in. But the BBC for some reason chose to just use local stringers – their reports were amateurish to say the least. Yet they have a whole team of pro’s in Israel giving the Israeli point of view.
Anyway back to my leaflet. It makes the point that their correspondent Andrew Herbert is participating in a war crime by being ‘embedded’ with this murderous unit. I’m sure you’ll agree after you have watched the report that this breaks all rules of acceptable journalism.
I’m sure the BBC ‘embed’ is being ever so brave – “first reporter in Gaza” they claim. How brave to run with the IDF, how cowardly to not be reporting on behalf of the victims!
The URL for the article is:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7817040.stm
BBC Correspondent Participates in War Crime
Your correspondent Andrew Herbert is ‘embedded’ with the Israeli Giv’ati Infantry Brigade while the Israeli army carry out a war crime by invading Gaza.
Why is the BBC allowing this?
Soldiers of the Giv’ati have been convicted for killing unarmed children in Gaza (2004). One schoolgirl was riddled with bullets at close range as she lay dying.
They are part of the division that murdered British journalist James Miller and human rights activists Tom Hurndall & Rachel Corrie.
For the BBC to work with this murderous unit is shameful. To allow uncritical comment from an army when it is committing a war crime is to condone it.
You can stop it. Please protest to your line manager.
Hi I am Mohamad Idres, from chandigarh (India). It is a very interesting site to communicate to another persons as well as brother’s. I believe in Allah, only Allah and peace be upon him and the prophet Hatrat Mohammad Mustafa Sal-lal-lahu-alaihi-wassallam. He is a truth of God of Allah.