December 30, 2002: “Where is Raed” is posted on MeFi.
dhartung sez:
Also, in case it isn’t clear, it’s my understanding that Salam is in Baghdad, and Raed is in Amman. And although the front page of his old blogspot site is fux0red, his archives are not wiped: July 02, Aug 02, Sep 02, {somewhere in here it gets more substantial, as where_is_raed is discovered by other bloggers and begins responding} Oct 02, Nov 02. As one can find, Salam’s point of view is complex: he doesn’t like Saddam one bit, but neither does he whole-heartedly endorse an invasion. (Note, of course, that salam and pax are the words for “peace” in Arabic and Latin respectively.) Also, he is completely skeptical of US intent and the bona fides of exile opposition groups.
Also, MeFi overlord Mathowie posted a link to Paul Boutin’s investigation into Salam’s weblog.
Quick circumstantial update:
At 3:24a Seattle (2:24p Baghdad) NPR reporter Anne Garrols (spelling?) notes that she was restricted to using a satellite phone. Does this mean that Baghdad’s land phones are offline?
If so, it explains Salam’s silence.
Well, he updated, so never mind, for now.
One of Paul Boutin’s sources has a long discussion of her relationship with Salam:
Is Salam Pax Real?