Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim vs. the Ugly Dictator

Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim behind bars

A Dissident Voice Refuses to be Silenced

A Great Piece

By RANNIE AMIRI
CounterPunch

"“Why did I use the phrase ‘The Ugliest of Them All’ to describe the Arab decision-makers? The reason for that comparison between ‘The Ugly American’ and ‘The Uglier Israeli,’ opposite ‘The Ugliest Arab’ is that the first and second are important because of their arrogance and the brute force that they used. They at least did this, from their perspective, in the service of their countries’ national interests. As for our friends, the Arab governments, they, first of all, colluded against sister Arab countries. Secondly, they did this not for the sake of serving the national interests of their countries, but in order to serve their personal and family interests.

“For the sake of this, they are inclined to comply with the demands and orders of the American master – even if this serves his spoiled child, Israel, and even if the price is the blood of thousands of killed, injured and displaced Lebanese. For this reason they are in the eyes of their people, ‘The Ugliest of Them All.’”

- Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, in his 2006 essay “And the Arabs, the Ugliest of Them All”......

Abetting the Siege of Gaza

Mubarak too is complicit in the suffering endured by Gaza’s Palestinians as the Rafah border crossing at Egypt’s door remains closed, forcing the inhabitants of one the most densely populated areas on earth to dig tunnels in order to bring in needed food and supplies. These tunnels have been promptly destroyed when discovered by Egyptian security, oftentimes killing the young boys still digging them.

This epitomizes the concept of the ‘The Ugliest Arab’ so well articulated by Ibrahim in the opening quote. U.S-sponsored tyrants like Mubarak, in a purely self-serving manner, do the bidding of America and Israel at the expense of their fellow Arabs; whether acting impassively as Lebanon burned in 2006, inhumanly by participating in the siege of Gaza, or despotically against their own people.

The tireless campaign of Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim has shone a bright light on the regime of President Hosni Mubarak. If Ibrahim’s crusade has taught us anything, it is that Mubarak can rightfully be called ‘The Ugly Dictator’."