Thread: Iraq/Dinar News. 09/05 to 01/14/07

Here is a glimpse of part of the bigger Muslim picture

Anzour’s ‘Al-Mareqoun’ set to attract huge Arab audience


Syrian director wants his new series to drive home message Islam is religion of tolerance, dialogue.


By Albert Aji - DAMASCUS

A Syrian director who received death threats after a Ramadan television series on suicide bombers is back for this year's holiday: This time, he condemns terrorism by Islamic extremists as a global threat that hurts Muslims.

Najdat Anzour, Syria's most renowned director, said he also wants the new series to drive home the message that Islam is a religion of tolerance and dialogue - not of violence.

"We should realize the size of the danger that engulfs the Arab nation," he told The Associated Press at his studio in Damascus.

Anzour's series last year, "Al-Hour Al-Ayn," aired throughout the Middle East during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It told the story of five Arab families living in Saudi Arabia and the militants scheming to blow them up so they could collect rewards in heaven.

The series, whose title referred to the 72 virgins that Islamic militants say will greet "martyrs" in heaven, attracted tens of millions of viewers when it was aired by Middle East Broadcasting Corp. of Dubai. It was broadcast in prime time as Muslim families gathered to break their daily Ramadan fast after sundown.

But Anzour was lambasted on the Internet as an infidel who should be killed for allegedly tarnishing the image of Islam.

Anzour shrugged off the death threats as "aggressive criticism." He said he did this new series because he felt he did not handle terrorism thoroughly enough in the earlier production.

This year's series, "Al-Mareqoun" ("The Renegades"), began airing Saturday, the first day of Ramadan, on Lebanese Broadcasting Corp., a leading Arab television station.

It consists of 10 three-part episodes dealing with terrorist attacks in such locations as Syria, Egypt, Morocco, England and Iraq.

The first episode, "The Flock of Illusions," tells the story of a woman whose husband dies carrying out a terrorist attack. A Muslim sheik comes to her door one day, asking the woman to hand over her 5-year-old daughter for another suicide operation.

"This girl will go to paradise, just like your husband," the sheik says. The woman slams the door in his face, screaming: "It's not enough that you took away my husband! You want my daughter too?"

In another episode, "They Kill Jasmine," a Muslim woman urges Muslims to unite against terrorism after her son dies in the July 2005 London subway bombings.

"I wanted to tackle the impact of terrorism on the Arab and world level and deal with it from different points of view to make it complementary to the first serial," Anzour said.

He blames the rise in terrorism on the United States, making a criticism common throughout the region that the Americans have fueled extremism by invading Iraq and supporting Israel. "Terrorism is an American industry, 100 percent," he said.

Anzour said he believes the new series, which cost around $1.5 million to make, can draw an even bigger audience than last year's. He also hopes to translate it into other languages, including English, French and Spanish, to reach beyond the Arab world.

"I don't mind giving it for free to foreign and even Asian countries — to show them how open we are and how we think," he said.

He is optimistic the new series won't draw the same hostility from Islamic extremists as the last.

"The series opens discussion over these problems - and this would be eventually in the interest of our people," he said.

Middle East Online

The USA first needs to look in the mirror!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My title says it all...

Break your fast in Gulf’s five star tents
Hoteliers across Gulf compete to outdo each other in bid to attract as many Ramadan patrons as possible.
By Faisal Baatout - DOHA

Across the entire Gulf, major hotels are using massive luxury tents to attract those breaking their fast at nightfall during the month of Ramadan when they can once again eat and smoke.
The Sheraton in the Qatari capital Doha has this year opted for the open air, putting up a giant Bedouin-style air-conditioned tent looking out over a lagoon.
"We named our tent 'Children of the Medina', after the masterpiece by the Egyptian writer Nagib Mahfuz", the Nobel literature laureate who died last month aged 94, the hotel's Shukri Hussein said.

Shortly before Ramadan began at the weekend, dozens of workers were still putting the finishing touches to a large wooden model of a mosque at the hotel entrance, to greet the arrival of a month of daytime piety and contemplation.

Other hotels have chosen to erect Bedouin tents within their walls.
The Marriott's marketing director, Rhoda Adams, said its tent "cost a mere 400,000 riyals" - about 110,000 dollars.

The Ritz Carlton decided to spend 300,000 riyals - more than 80,000 dollars - on its Ramadan tent, according to the hotel's public relations officer Annie Buckley.

An Egyptian clairvoyant is the Marriott's secret weapon this year. She goes table to table during the lengthy Ramadan evenings, dispensing free predictions about their personal and professional future to the faithful.

The cheapest charge for entry to these Ramadan soirees is 75 riyals, or about 20 dollars.

During Ramadan, Muslims must abstain from eating, drinking and smoking from the rising of the sun to its setting. But when night falls they make up for it. The evening gatherings often last until "suhur", the final meal before fasting resumes at dawn.

Restaurants, hotels, cafes and especially Bedouin tents brim with those paying lip service to the temperance urged during the holy month, when long evenings are often marked by sessions with a shisha water pipe.

The gatherings are also fed by Arab satellite channels supplying an uninterrupted flow of soap operas, variety shows, dramas, game shows and chat shows waging an ever-more bitter battle to attract those breaking their fast.

It is the same in all the main cities of the Gulf's other monarchies. Whether it be Dubai or Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Jeddah or Riyadh in Saudi Arabia or in Kuwait, restaurant owners and hoteliers compete to outdo each other in their efforts to attract as many Ramadan patrons as possible.
"For Ramadan our tent will be there and our restaurants will, as usual, be offering a buffet for iftar," the meal when the fast is broken, said Abdel Nabi Amini, deputy director of the Gulf Hotel in Manama.

But next year's Ramadan in Bahrain will also have a political edge to it, as parliamentary and local elections will be held before the end of 2007.

"Ramadan evenings will become electoral rallies," parliamentary candidate Jamal Daoud said.

"I will try to profit from Ramadan ... by getting closer to the voters," the ministry of information official added.

You can catch the rest of the article there, but why bother...these two paragraphs say it all.

Embattled Bush sticks to Iraq guns
US President defends war policy amid rising criticism of his counter-terrorism strategy.
By Olivier Knox – WASHINGTON

US President George W. Bush on Friday accused critics who say the Iraq war has fueled terrorist recruitment have bought into "the enemy's propaganda."

It was the latest evidence that Bush, under fire on many fronts over the unpopular war, has tied his Republicans' election-year fortunes to an unwavering defense of his Iraq policy and sharp attacks on his opposition.

Middle East Online

Well, I'm guessnig that some good news...oh say a reval of their currency, the passing of the FIL and other GI-NORMOUS political and econimc strides would be of great use to the grand ol' party right about now...

Did you guys see this?? I think it bears repeating...check it out...

International Oil Companies are Rushing to Invest
International Oil Companies are Rushing to Invest in Iraq
29/09/2006
Source: Iraqi National Congress


Iraqi Oil Minister, Husain Ashahristani, confirmed that many big oil companies are ready to start negotiating with Iraq about developing oil fields before the new law of gas and oil is legislated. The law is expected to be ready by the end of the current year. Minister Ashahristani officially stated: "I met with representatives of big oil companies during the meeting of OPEC in Vienna and they were ready to negotiate with us about developing our oil fields before the legislation of the gas and oil law is finished. However, the minister did not name these companies. He added that the Iraqi Oil Ministry is currently responsible for running the Iraqi Oil sector and will bound itself to one type of contracts only. This, clearly points out to the dispute over the production process and the sharing agreements. Ashahristani did not comment on what kind of contracts the Ministry will sign with these companies.
Ashahristani added: "there will be many forms of contracts specified to develop our oil fields. The Iraqi oil sector will need about 20 billion USD of investments so that it will be able to double its oil production up to 4.5 million barrel a day during the next five year." He also mentioned: "The current production of oil in Iraq is ranging between 2.3 and 2.4 million barrel a day. But, Iraq is still facing many difficulties like: the need to exhort more efforts to raise up the production rate to their pre-war levels, the deteriorating security status, bad and old technology bad weather and insufficient logistic support."

Officials in the Iraqi oil sector says that many oil fields have been discovered in the south, center, north of Iraq and they are ready to be developed. According to Asahristani, the Energy Committee in the Iraqi Government is writing down the final draft of the gas and oil law which is expected to be passed on to the Parliament before end of the current year. Ashahristani added that his new law will found a new Iraqi national oil company supervising the activities of the oil sector. According to the new law of gas and oil, the Iraqi Ministry of Oil will supervise the planning for the oil sector and design the oil policies instead of carrying out numerous oil operations which will be done by the new Iraqi National Oil Company. The establishing of the new Company was already suggested two years ago by the ex-minister of Iraqi Oil, Thamir Al-Ghadhban. The previous Iraqi National Oil Company was converted to a ministry run by the ex-dictator Saddam Husain in 1987. The role of the new Company will concentrate on: determining the important decisions and policies, strategic planning for the Iraqi Oil industry as well as dealing with international relations and oil investments which include production, exportation and excavation.

Translated by IRAQdirectory.com Team


http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=2191

Originally Posted by Webster

Yes, this is the right Bagdad time. The stop clock is suddenly 1 hour slow. I put it on my desktop a few days ago but it does not show the correct time anymore.

American Contractor - obviously does nothing to promote the facts that we have pieced together about our investment. Although he has been in here trying to dissaude our interest, delabor our efforts, challange our reasoning, anything else negative he can contrive.

Well I for one find it interesting tha he uses the same name, and then appears giving an interview on the dinar - I for one am not the least bit interested in whatt he has to say. I will not visit this site, giving them hits, making them money. There are and have been other sites with live tickers, currency exchanges, and indexing graphs.

THANKS BUT NO THANKS AMERICAN CONTRACTOR-
YOU CAN KISS MY AMERICAN BOOTY BEFORE I ENDORSE YOUR SITE
AND AS FAR AS YOU OPINION GOES, THERE LIKE A88HOLES, EVERYBODY HAS ONE.

www.xealthy.com - Welcome,
I just sent you a pm

Islam a religion of tolerance and peace ? Of the 125 conflicts around the
world all but 2 ( ira / england and columbia ) involve Islam.
Why should the USA look in the mirror ?

They have a lot of fairs and summits to not be getting ready for a big RV and FIL!!!! Don't Ya think!

25 German Companies are taking part in the Second Kurdistan Fair
25 German Companies are taking part in the Second Kurdistan Fair
30/09/2006
Source: Al-Sabah


The Iraqi–American Chamber of Industry and Commerce signed contracts with 25 German companies specialized in carrying out electricity and mechanical projects as well as developing projects. This was stated by an authorized source inside the Chamber who also added that the contracts are meant to attract those German companies to participate in the second International Kurdistan Fair which will be held in Sulaymaniyah on the eleventh of next November. The same source stated that these companies reserved an area of 200 square meters with a special wing inside the area of the sponsoring companies [sponsors] where they will display a scheme of action to develop the electrical services inside Sulaymaniyah. It is hoped that they will, also, take part in the campaign of reconstructing and re-qualifying electrical stations in Sulaymaniyah as well as all over Iraq.

The official spokesman of the German companies, Hoshiar Mustafa, said that their purpose is introducing the German companies to ministries government institutions and regional companies. A better introduction will be achieved after the German companies display their products. Then, it will be possible to conclude commercial contracts in future. He said "we expected this to happen through participating in the Fair, especially that these companies are entering the region for the first time. Some of these companies are Lucart Company, Bowels and Visa."

http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=2192

Dinar-Excited

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military said a captured al-Qaida suspect and members of his cell were "in the final stages" of planning an attack on the Green Zone. An unprecedented curfew prompted by the arrest left millions of Baghdadis stranded at home on Saturday without supplies during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.



The U.S. military said the suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member was arrested late Friday at the home of senior Sunni Arab political leader Adnan al-Dulaimi, where he was working as a personal bodyguard.