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Arabs Appalled by U.S. Troops in Baghdad
Arabs throughout the Middle East reacted with dismay and disbelief Monday to television images of U.S. tanks rolling through the heart of Baghdad, and some rushed to sign up for a holy war against the U.S.-led forces. Others were just saddened by the ease with which U.S. troops entered the Iraqi capital. Few Arabs believed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's regime could hold out indefinitely against an allied onslaught, but many had expected Baghdad to put up a bloody fight. So much for that idea... Over a breakfast of croissant and coffee at a cafe, Saudi accounting instructor Haitham al-Bawardi said he was having a hard time believing the reports. "How can we know this is for real and not just coalition propaganda?" the 30-year-old said. "We had hoped Saddam would inflict as many casualties on the invaders as possible to teach them a lesson and make them think twice before striking another Arab country." "Instead, we discover that Iraq was just a house of cards, just like most other Arab countries!" In Cairo, Egypt, the news made some more determined to join the fight in a jihad, or holy war, alongside the Iraqis. The Lawyers' Syndicate, known for organizing people to join the war in Iraq, began filling up with volunteers shortly after the news was broadcast. "As Arabs, we cannot see this and not move," said a man in his early 30s who would not give his name for fear of government retribution. "We are selling ourselves for a higher cost, for God, not for Saddam." "I mean, there's gotta be something in this world more important than just me, right?" Another volunteer, Abdelfattah, 41, a worker in a regional city council, said the reports were "all lies." Yes. Lies! All lies! "It is a psychological war," said Abdelfattah. "If it is true, then it is only a military strategy, to lure the American forces into a trap." Yup. That must be it. The Iraqi army's hiding in the bushes, and as soon's our collective back is turned, they're going to jump out and grab us all... Abdelfattah insisted that "Saddam himself will fight until the very end. ... He will remain standing until he dies while fighting for Iraq." That's his privilege. My bet is that he runs away at the last minute... Amjad Mohammed, a 23-year-old Syrian hairdresser, said he felt "very sad." I'm very sad to hear that a 23-year-old Syrian hairdresser feels "very sad." I'm also trying to figure why the opinion of a 23-year-old Syrian hairdresser counts for a hill of beans except to his customers... "The Americans can never stay in Baghdad," Mohammed said. "Baghdad is noble Arab land." Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-04-07 |
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