Sitting in Baghdad waiting for a C130 and I found this opinion piece that I thought would be worth Blogging. So here goes as published in the Kuwait Arab Times.
By Ali Al-Baghli
Former Minister of Oil
ACCORDING to an old Arab saying Barrakish means "the Arab nation" because Arab intellectuals and politicians always promoted the idea that for decades Arab nations had been targeted by evil forces because these evil forces did not want the Arabs to hold distinguished positions or develop their nations. This assumption no longer holds true. When asked why of all the nations should the Arabs be targeted people would say it was because of their countries' prime location between the three continents. But this assumption was viable only when Megallan, Vasco da Gama and other explorers discovered new lands. Today we live in a world of airplanes and floating war cities and there is no longer any need for strategic locations - either from friend or foe.
Others say "it is all about oil." Those who have this notion are mistaken, because we don't drink oil. We sell it to the West. The West, discovered it in our lands and needs it more than us. Moreover, they buy this oil at the market rate, the market which they have failed to control for the past three-and-a-half decades, because they have not discovered any alternative source of energy. The West - which has been accused of stealing Arab oil - once refused an offer from Saddam Hussein, after the occupation of Kuwait, who promised to pump oil to the West almost free of cost. However, when the noose around Saddam Hussein's neck tightened, he tried to bribe governments, leaders, and even individuals who had backed him to commit his cold-blooded crimes. So, who is attempting to get oil wealth for free other than the Arab and Muslim nations themselves?
Getting back to the theory of Arabs and Muslims being targeted, particularly after 'Black September', it is a 100 per cent Arab responsibility to find out who targets whom. The Westerners didn't invade Afghanistan and Iraq but came to liberate these nations after they were targeted by Arabs and Muslims. For so many years we have been watching the horrible deeds of Muslims and Arabs, beginning with the attack on Manhattan and the cold-blooded killings in Casablanca, Zahran, Najaf, Al-Fallujah, Algeria, Tunis and everywhere you can name, including far away countries such as Argentina in South America. Last week I was watching on TV news about the hostage crisis in Ossetia, in Russia. I thought to myself, 'Thank God!' for the first time the Arabs are not involved in any killing for over a month. But after the Russian forces stormed the school and freed the remainder of the hostages, I was shocked to learn among the 25 hostage-takers killed, 10 were Arabs.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: TomAnon ||
09/14/2004 12:00:00 AM ||
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#1
I think the fact that Putin just used Belsan to help morph himself into another Stalin has shocked Arabs into a self-realization mentality.
They attacked the WTC, not realizing what the US was capable of and now their attack on Russia has turned back the clock to allow Putin an excuse to remind them how just uncivilized warfare can really be.
I'm not quite sure why they thought they could sit quietly as terrorists slaughtered our friends and neighbors in their name - but they did. They counted on our decency and exploited our freedoms. They refused to look in the mirror and place blame where it belonged and instead looked for scapegoats to ease their shame. They felt big when bullies beat us up, despite the fact that we had actually done nothing to harm them.
It was always our deceny that protected them and gave them the luxury to look the other way. Now, as they realize what an uncontrollable monster they have created - they will face the consequences of their lack of deceny.
#2
2B - You sure are generous. I don't think that anyone except the guy writing the AlQ Stylebook has noticed anything at all. They've been a fragmented bunch of splinters re-acting since Afghanistan. Regards the US: We lay out the flypaper somewhere else, and they show up to fight the Great Satan. Everywhere else: attack the weakest link and pretend it was your choice all along. They're not as smart as you credit them, IMHO!
Posted by: Capt America ||
09/14/2004 0:59 Comments ||
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#5
.com - i was referring to the recent spike of articles like this one, where "moderate Muslims" are finally acknowledging that perhaps they may indeed have some responsibility for the monster they created.
I've noticed that now, with Putin unleashed, they seemed to have woken with a start. They could always count on the US to play fair and nice, but Putin won't be so nice.
It's nice that they are finally starting to see the light. The problem is that it's too late.
Idea: We'll leave them alone if they start killing jihadists by the boatload. When an innocent Italian truck driver (or whatever) is kidnapped, I want to see Al Zarqi's head on a pike within 48 hrs - held aloft by the truck driver. They could start with Basayev - that would impress me some. If they do this, say, 40-50 thousand times, then I'll say, "Whoa! Cool! Let's backoff and give these guys some room! Good hunting, guys! Need any ammo?"
#8
SPo'D - Lol! Yup - you can cover for me any time, we're synched, methinks! Sad to be here, but that's how life worx - you deal with reality or you get creamed.
#9
I think the Algerians are a good example of killing jihadis by the boatloads. They seem to be taking care of the "preaching and combat" crowd pretty well without any pressure from the west.
Posted by: V is for Victory ||
09/14/2004 7:57 Comments ||
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#10
How many names have you got, Booris?
Posted by: Steve from Relto ||
09/14/2004 10:57 Comments ||
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#11
"We Jews, we, the destroyers, will remain destroyers forever. Nothing that you will do will meet our needs and demands. We will forever destroy because we need a world of our own." - Maurice Samuel 'You Gentiles', P. l55 Harcourt, Brace. 1924
#12
"We Jews, we, the destroyers, will remain destroyers forever. Nothing that you will do will meet our needs and demands. We will forever destroy because we need a world of our own." - Maurice Samuel 'You Gentiles', P. l55 Harcourt, Brace. 1924
#13
"We Jews, we, the destroyers, will remain destroyers forever. Nothing that you will do will meet our needs and demands. We will forever destroy because we need a world of our own." - Maurice Samuel 'You Gentiles', P. l55 Harcourt, Brace. 1924
#14
"We Jews, we, the destroyers, will remain destroyers forever. Nothing that you will do will meet our needs and demands. We will forever destroy because we need a world of our own." - Maurice Samuel 'You Gentiles', P. l55 Harcourt, Brace. 1924
Two Opposite Responses to Terrorism
By Daniel Pipes great insight (once again)
Two terrorist dramas began in Iraq on the same day, Aug. 19, 2004, when jihadists separately seized 12 Nepalese workers and 2 French reporters. Although their fates may end differently — the former were murdered and the latter remain alive in captivity — it is striking how similarly impotent both victim populations felt and how differently they responded.
In the Nepalese case, a group of cooks, janitors, laundry attendants, and other laborers had just crossed the border from Jordan into Iraq when it was kidnapped by Ansar al-Sunna, a violent Islamist group. On Aug. 31, an Islamist website showed a four-minute video of their executions. Nepalese responded to this atrocity by venting their anger by assaulting the Muslim minority in Nepal. Hundreds of infuriated young men surrounded Katmandu's one mosque on Aug. 31 and heaved rocks at it. Violence escalated the next day, with five thousand demonstrators taking to the street, yelling slogans like "We want revenge," "Punish the Muslims," and "Down with Islam." Some attacked the mosque, broke into it, ransacked it, and set fire to it. Hundreds of Korans were thrown onto the street, and some were burned.
Rioters also looted other identifiably Muslim targets in the capital city, including embassies and airline bureaus belonging to Muslim-majority countries. A Muslim-owned television station and the homes of individual Muslims came under attack. Mobs even sacked the agencies that recruit Nepalese to work in the Middle East. The violence ended when armored cars and army trucks enforced a shoot-on-sight curfew, leaving two protesters dead and 50 injured, plus 33 police, and doing an estimated US$20 million in property damage. Thus did a frustrated, enraged, and powerless people overwhelm their authorities and target close-by innocents.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: PlanetDan ||
09/14/2004 9:16:13 AM ||
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#1
the Nepalese thereby made a repetition of atrocities against themselves less likely. And the French made such a repetition more likely.
agree about the French, but not about the Nepalese. DO the Jihadis in Iraq give shit about the lives of Nepalese muslims? I dont think so. In fact they may be happy to see pogroms against muslims, since it draws more muslims to their side. That seems to have been their strategy in Ossetia.
#2
LH, Agree about Nepal. And acts of unfocused violence may drive some of the remaining Muslims in Nepal into acts of domestic terorism. It is difficult to justify harming those not responsible for an act unless one is attempting the utter destruction of a society being held responsible as a whole as we did with Japan and Germany in WWII. We aren't there yet with Islam, but it's coming close.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 14:12 Comments ||
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#3
The Nepalese rioters had no other outlet for their anger. Inept crowd control by Nepalese authorities abetted the violence.
However the constant equivocation by Islam in re: the terrorist acts will breed more local incidents as the cockroach jihadis murder incidents.
What is the answer?
I am concerned about the houses of Muslim individuals being ransacked in Khatmandu. But, why, inspite of the logical arguements raised elsewhere above am I not shedding any tears about the Khatmandu Mosque being burnt to the ground?
#4
The answer is that the Mulsim leadership needs to get a clue and do something to stop the wackos they have raised before good people like you and me flip a bit and feel the same way about the treatment of the houses of the Muslims individuals as we do about the Mosque.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 14:38 Comments ||
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#5
Lessee. I believe the Genocide Rate - 10,001 / month - has been established and agreed to, no?
So what is the atrocity quotient? When have enough atrocities, beheadings, Darfurs, etc. occurred, without a peep from Islam except mumurs about they, or you, deserved it cuz you support Israel or the phase of the Moon or because it's fucking Thursday, does it take to push one over the "it no longer matters" line?
Danny keeps halving the distance. Mathematically, that abstract place where pundits and experts live, he never arrives.
#6
does it take to push one over the "it no longer matters" line?
6 million of my people were murdered by Germans. I still dont approve of pogroms against germans. So at least 6 million dot com.
(now not worrying too much about collateral damage to a legitimate military attack is something else, and im pretty much already there, strategic considerations aside)
That was an "I'm so special" post. 6 million innocent people were murdered - and because of that Israel has deep strong support from most of us on RB, including me. Naziism was targeted without remorse and without pity. Collateral damage - hmmm... uh, is a series of city-wide firestorms a pogrom? Shitloads of Germans died - or don't you recall? You can dither with werdz if you like, but MASSIVE force was brought to bear upon Germany - ALL of Germany - to wipe out Naziism. And to make it so fucking painful to consider that Germany would never consider the option of allowing it to be reborn - ever again. Seems to me that they are doing just that. Pogrom? Gee, I dunno. Force, hard, brutal, unrelenting, and without pity. Yep. Did the trick.
You can prtetend that you have some special right to play a morality card - but you do not. You are no more privileged than anyone else here, sonny.
#9
Special? geez i didnt meam to make this a jew thing. I coulda (and shoulda) said Roma and Slavs - you still get into the millions. Pogroms are still out.
Firestorms - geez, Dot com, now youre sounding like the lefties who have it in for bomber harris. And Ill respond to you the same way I respond to them lefties. Every bombing raid targeted industrial areas that were producing items of importance to the German war effort. The RAF and the USAAF NEVER deliberately killed Germans for revenge. The RAF in particular had accuracy problems (due to lack of the Norden bombsight) and so justified their raids strategically as "dehousing". Maybe this doesnt matter much on the ground, but its a HUGE moral difference, which is why throughout the war we took German prisoners, and ON THE GROUND, where distinction is intrinsically easier than from the air, we avoided killing German civilians. And we treated German prisoners well, BTW.
Lefties love to attack the morality of strategic bombing, since they know the US is the premier air power. And since strat bombing by its nature involves collateral damage. Thats the line the idiot left has been giving since 9/11. I never expected to hear it from you.
#11
And Curt over Japan? That was "dehousing" as well or bombing decentralized manufacturing? It was Total War. Germany and Japan were Shermanized. Arabia, Islam, somebody is asking for it and they're going to get it if they don't see that the minority of their population involved knocks it off and soon.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 15:28 Comments ||
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#12
The rioting is quite understandable. An argument can even be made that it was appropriate save only for the violation to Nepal law. The rank and file of Islam must be brought to understand that they share in the guilt for what their religion / ideology is inflicting on the world. If they can't do the self evaluatioin thingy on their own accord, then liberal application of a nail studded clue bat may just be in order.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
09/14/2004 15:29 Comments ||
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#13
Mrs D it was bombing decentralized manufacturing. As for Sherman, he didnt even do that. Tore up some railroads, and burned alot of houses, and stole cattle and destroyed agricultural equipment. No pogroms, no sir. Sherman was wuss by the standards of some folk here.
#14
In terms of shedding blood he was a wuss but not in terms of waging total war against a civilian population, destroying a society. And he devastated every plantation he saw and fed his army off the land. He made Georgia scream. If we reach the tipping point with Islam, we should look carefully at Shermans marches. Instead of the plantations, we should hit the Mosques and Madrassas.
You can believe decentralized manufacturing. I think he knew exactly what he was doing and intended to. Besides, there was no other target left.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 16:44 Comments ||
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#15
Armies had lived off the land for centuries before. And i again deny that the destruction of property is total war, by the standards of the 20th century.
#16
I'll agree, the 20th century has set the standard.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 16:58 Comments ||
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#17
Love ya LH, but Curtis Lemay was intent on incinerating every last acre of metropolitan area in Japan. It had absolutely nothing to do with dispersed industry. Lemay was very much into killing Japaneese. There is no excuse for total war. There is also no substitute for total war.
#19
I am not making excuses for the rioting and mob mahem that occurred in Nepal. However, the Muslims in Nepal needed to get up right away after the 12 Nepalese were murdered in Iraq and publicly condemn the atrocity. Especially the Imam at the mosque. The Nepalese, whether Bhuddist, Muslim, or whatever, need to stand together. As usual, the Muslims did not say jack boo, so the rest is history. Muslims have to start to clean up their act, or their act will be cleaned up for them, like TOTAL WAR. Time is running out, kiddies.
Posted by: Alaska Paul in McGrath, AK ||
09/14/2004 23:21 Comments ||
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I couldn't believe my ears when I heard Al-Jazeera's 3 pm news bulletin. My eyes just popped out and I screamed "COME HERE" to everyone in my house. They all gathered around the TV and listened at this unusual news bulletin from the mouth of horror Al-Jazeera. What happened to Al-Jazeera? How come they are so unbiased and full of truth this time? How come they are reporting this? Did they get a new manager? Did the Emir of Qatar order this change? I felt so happy.
In a previous post I commented on the slight positive shift in Al-Arabiya's reporting. Now it seems that Al-Jazeera decided to surpass Al-Arabiya in covering the news in an unbiased way that does not incite terrorists to continue their killing rampages. The anchor had this to say in the bulletin:
Anchor: Good afternoon, here is the 3 pm news bulletin report. Over 30 Darfurian babies died today from malaria on the Sudan-Chad border. Their families complained that they had to flee for their lives after the Janjaweed militia, the Arab militia that is backed by the Sudanese government, burned down their villages and poisoned their water wells.
....snip
Anchor: At least one thousand Shias demonstrated in Najaf against Muqtada al-Sadr and his so called Mahdi army. They demanded that he closes his office and leave Najaf. The demonstrators were enraged after the police found many decomposed bodies in Sadr's court. They also expressed their support for the interim government.
.....snip
Anchor: A 13 years old Christian Iraqi boy was shot dead in Mosul. Several of his relatives were seriously injured as well.
Mother of deceased boy: Why??? Why did the Salafi/Wahabi animals kill my child? This is new to us. We must all stand beside our government and the coalition forces as they fight those animals. In Iraq, there is no difference between Muslim and Christian. Those animals should be uprooted and I blame Arab satellite channels for promoting their deadly agenda.
....snip
I looked at my family and they were literally frozen in their chairs. I myself was struck with a speechless surprise. What happened to Al-Jazeera? Suddenly I felt water all over my face. My face was getting cooler. I didn't know where this water came from. I closed my eyes and opened them again and found my dog licking my face. Offffffffff, he woke me up. It was a dream!
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