Ayoon Wa Azan (Pity My Homeland)

Arabs and Muslims explain every failure or setback they suffer by invoking a dastardly Zionist conspiracy, or a Zionist-American one. However, the most popular conspiracy theory in the world involves the Bilderberg group, also known as the Bilderberg conference or the Bilderberg Club. Decades ago, I wrote about the Bilderberg group and the conspiracy theory related to it. It was probably in the Daily Star in Beirut or Al-Sharq Al-Awsat in London. Today, I return to the topic just to entertain the reader, and to try to take him away, even if for a little bit, from Arab politics – a permanent conspiracy in and of itself against the Arab people. Earlier this month, the group convened for its annual meeting in the United States. While Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, said that it was held in a hotel in Chantilly, Virginia, other sources purport that it was held in an office park near Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. This has only increased the mystery surrounding the group and reinforced the conspiracy theory – which I personally do not believe in. Before I continue any further in my presentation of a conspiracy theory I believe is unlikely, I want to say that the group was named after a hotel where it had convened for the first time, in the city of Arnhem in the Netherlands, from 29 to 31 May, 1954, under the chairmanship of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands- with its stated goal being the promotion of political, economic and defense ties between the countries of Western Europe and the United States. However, supporters of the conspiracy theory believe otherwise. They think that the Bilderberg group is a secret society comprising politicians and businessmen, secretly ruling the world. Conspiracy theorists thus surrounded the venue of the last meeting, chanting “scum, scum” each time a participant in the conference entered, and also “Honk if you hate the new world order”. I also read claims by someone who believes they are a shadow world government, saying that although they deny their existence, they do indeed exist. The annual meetings usually bring together senior members of the European royal families and prominent politicians, in addition to billionaires, industrialists, lobbyists and so on and so forth. The participants are advised not to talk publically about the topics they discuss, which again reinforces the suspicions of many conspiracy theorists. Nevertheless, I read that the agenda of the conference this month included discussions on the Syrian uprising, the Eurozone crisis, and the upcoming presidential elections in the U.S. These are staple items on the agenda of any political conference these days. But I can cite things that would further fuel the suspicions of the readers who believe in the conspiracy theory. The first conferences took place at the height of the Cold War, and sought to promote trans-Atlantic cooperation against the Soviet Union. For this reason, the participants were often prominent political and business leaders from the Western nations. By contrast, recent conferences saw the attendance of neocons or Likudnik Americans hostile to the Arabs and Muslims. These include people like Richard Perle, the advocate of the war on Iraq – waged on premises falsified by pro-Israelis and Iraqi exiles-, in addition to other Jewish American billionaires who support Israel, whether the government there is leftist, or a rightwing fascist one like the present government. If I recall correctly, my interest in the subject began with an American colleague and friend named Bob Lebling, who worked in the Daily Star back when I was the paper’s editor in chief. I then took him with me to Jeddah, when I became the editor in chief of Arab News. Lebling was a friend of the Arabs, and became fond of Saudi Arabia and stayed there for decades thereafter, until he recently retired; I am still in touch with him. I do not claim that the Bilderberg group is a conspiracy to rule the world, but I know that many believe it to be so. There are many books in English about this ‘secret cabal’ that is ruling the world, and countless articles about the group’s annual meetings. My interest in the Bilderberg group was renewed last year when its annual meeting was held in a hotel in the Swiss resort of St. Moritz, which I used to go to each year with the family when the children were young. My interest was also rekindled again this year with the group saying it would hold its meeting in one place, before holding it in another. In the end, I decided to go over the alleged conspiracy with the readers, to distract them a little from the real conspiracies facing the Arab homeland. Pity my homeland. --- The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.