A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Thursday, December 3, 2015

"Does Obama have a Plan to Defeat Hummus?"

I avoid commenting on US politics which, this year in particular, appears to be an exercise in who can get the Middle East most wrong. But, low-hanging fruit though it may be, Dr. Ben Carson's conflation of Hamas with hummus is too wonderful to ignore: "Ben Carson confuses terrorist group Hamas with Middle Eastern food in speech to Republican Jews."

Also see here.

So I guess if we eradicate chickpeas . . .

Oh, and Donald Trump's speech to the Republican Jewish group, with its talk about what good businessmen and deal-makers they were struck many listeners as invoking anti-Semitic stereotypes.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

One bold strike against terrorism- rename "hummus" "freedom dip"

Anonymous said...

Personally I only eat Sabra brand hummus, the only hummus clinically proven not to contain jihadist strain of chick peas. You just can't be too careful.

Danielle Pipes said...

Another ill-thought out and incomplete plan to deal with jihadism.

What about tamiyyah the creation of the imam who issued the Mardin Fatwa - Ibn Tamiyyah?

If we're going to stop terrorism cold, we're going to have to do something about tamiyyah and its close cousin falafel - often seen consorting with hummus.

Michael Collins Dunn said...

Ibn Tamiyyah is brilliant.

Michael Collins Dunn said...

Though non-Egyptians may not get it.