Spectator 2000 - Wordplay

[Graudian]

Can anyone please help with the wordplay before & after use of symbols in these clues
in GRID D?

18a Extra swell place America's invading (10 then 7) SUR?AGE

30a Muslims restraining criminal excess (9 then 6) SUP?R?

Are the Muslims Sufis?

[roslyn251254]

18a sur plus (replace with +) age
30a super plus

[roslyn251254]

Sorry if I misunderstood your request
sulus are the muslims in 30a

[roslyn251254]

In 18a surge is the swell with pl (place) usa inside I think!

[Graudian]

That's very helpful - thanks. I can put this one to bed at last!

[roslyn251254]

What have you higlighted in Grid B . Is it the pair of unclued lights that start with M - seems a bit vague??

[kayakamina]

Hi Ros

Very rude of me to butt in - sorry Graudian.

I highlighted MASS & MOTORWAY ...2 MM's = 2000 (theme)

[roslyn251254]

Thanks K - that's what I thought but it just seemed a bit vague! Hope you enjoyed the Rugby!

[kayakamina]

I did as we had lots of tries through porous defences, but I doubt if the Southern Hemisphere teams are too worried ahead of this years World Cup!

[mathsman]

I may (and probably am) thick, but the Arabian feller has me at a loss.

I have only the third letter to place, but nothing I try seems to produce a word that exists, or one that fits the clue. Any hints, please?

[Ironie]

Mathsman - I believe it is NASEEM, an Arab name, whereby AS = 'who', and NEEM is an alternative spelling for NIM and is a kind of oil-tree according to Chambers.

[mathsman]

Thanks, Ironie.