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Posted on 10/24/2001 12:45:10 PM PDT by inkling
Arab Nations Defend Islam's Image
By ADNAN MALIK
Associated Press Writer
October 24, 2001, 3:30 AM EDT
MANAMA, Bahrain -- Six Persian Gulf nations agreed Wednesday to launch a media campaign to combat the spasm of anti-Arab sentiment that has followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
The oil-rich group proposed setting up an English-language satellite television channel promoting a better image of Islam and Arabs to viewers in the West.
"We are putting our efforts together as ministers to reach all media in the Western world to explain our position that all Muslims and all Arabs are against terrorism," Bahraini Information Minister Nabil al-Hamer said after chairing a closed-door meeting of information ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Some Muslims complain they have been the victims of a backlash in the West since the Sept. 11 suicide jet attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The hijackers identified by authorities are all Arabs, and the United States blames Osama bin Laden of masterminding the assault through a global terrorist network that recruits Islamic militants to attack U.S. targets around the world.
Violence since Sept. 11 has been blamed for hundreds of reported attacks in the United States on Muslims and Arab-Americans.
Hamad Ali al-Sulayti, assistant secretary-general of political affairs for the Gulf Cooperation Council, accused Western media of connecting Islam with terrorism.
The Gulf Cooperation Council is a loose political and economic alliance of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Abdulrahman al-Attiyah, Qatar's undersecretary for foreign affairs, praised his country's Al-Jazeera satellite television station, which has emerged as a key opinion maker because of its independent editorial policy -- a rarity in the region.
It also has become known for airing taped statements by bin Laden, and by the spokesman for bin Laden's organization, al-Qaida.
Copyright © 2001, The Associated Press
Ok, they've lied already. Starting off with an obvious lie is a great way to influence people, especially educated people. NEXT!
Sudan, Solmila, Phillipines,Maylasia, the list is too long plus what rights they give other than muslims in their own countries
Instead of spending money on PR, loudly and frequently condemn the terrorist's actions and then just round up the terrorists that find refuge in the Islamic countries and turn them over to the US.
Thank you very much, but I have learned all I need to know about Islam in the last 6 weeks.
My take is that it is an inherently militant, fascistic gutter religion in the truist sense of the word. (And Calypso Louie can kiss my white American ass along with the Muslims in the rest of the world).
Proud to be an infidel.
I think that is a pretty good paraphrasing of something I heard Mr. Bush say. Good advice for us all.
I am not much interested in hearing what they have to say. I know Islam is evil, why should I listen to someone defending it?
The propaganda war begins. We already got their number and no amount of spinning will change that unless the Muslims of this world hand over their tens of thousands of terrorists to the proper authorities. They know who they are.
But that would be un-Islamic, I'm sure they would reply with all their usual wit, wisdom and charm. And boy they sure would have us looking foolish over that one.
These have got to be the most disingenuous people ever to walk the face of the Earth.
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Perhaps if all the Islamics gather together to rebuild the WTC even taller and also come to each of the widows and orphans in person to ask forgiveness, then maybe in a thousand years . . .
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