Posted on 09/04/2004 5:25:40 PM PDT by MCH
CAIRO: Images of dead, wounded and traumatized Russian children being carried from the scene of a rebel school siege have horrified the Arab world, prompting forthright self-criticism and fresh concern about an international backlash against Islam and its followers.
Arab leaders, Muslim clerics and ordinary parents across the Middle East denounced the school siege as unjustifiable. Some warned such actions damage Islam's image more than all its enemies could hope. Even some supporters of Islamic militancy condemned it, though at least one insisted Muslims were not behind it.
``Holy warriors'' from the Middle East have long supported fellow Muslims fighting in Chechnya, and Russian officials said nine or 10 Arabs were among militants killed in the siege.
Middle East security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was too early to know the nationalities of the Arabs among the dead militants. However, a prominent Arab journalist wrote that Muslims must acknowledge the painful fact that Muslims are the main perpetrators of terrorism.
``Our terrorist sons are an end-product of our corrupted culture,'' Abdulrahman al-Rashed, general manager of Al-Arabiya television, wrote in his daily column published in the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. It ran under the headline, ``The Painful Truth: All the World Terrorists are Muslims!''
Al-Rashed ran through a list of recent attacks by Islamic extremist groups - in Russia, Iraq, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen - many of which are influenced by the ideology of Osama bin Laden.
``Most perpetrators of suicide operations in buses, schools and residential buildings around the world for the past 10 years have been Muslims,'' he wrote. Muslims will be unable to cleanse their image unless ``we admit the scandalous facts,'' rather than offer condemnations or justifications.
``The picture is humiliating, painful and harsh for all of us.''
Arab TV stations repeatedly aired footage of terrified young survivors being carried from the school siege scene, while pictures of dead and wounded children ran on front pages of Saturday's Arab newspapers.
Ahmed Bahgat, an Egyptian Islamist and columnist for Egypt's leading pro-government newspaper Al-Ahram wrote that the images ``showed Muslims as monsters who are fed by the blood of children and the pain of their families.''
``If all the enemies of Islam united together and decided to harm it ... they wouldn't have ruined and harmed its image as much as the sons of Islam have done by their stupidity, miscalculations, and misunderstanding of the nature of this age,'' Bahgat wrote.
Other Islamists were more cautious in their criticism.
Mohammed Mahdi Akef, leader of Egypt's largest Islamic group, the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, said the siege did not fit the Islamic concept of ``jihad,'' or holy war, but took care not to characterize it as terrorism.
``What happened ... is not jihad because our Islam obligates us to respect the souls of human beings,'' Akef said. ``Real jihad should target occupiers of our lands only like the Palestinian and Iraqi resistance.''
Ali Abdullah, an Islamic scholar in Bahrain who follows the ultraconservative Salafi stream of Islam, condemned the school attack as ``un-Islamic,'' but insisted Muslims weren't behind it.
``I have no doubt in my mind that this is the work of the Israelis who want to tarnish the image of Muslims and are working alongside Russians who have their own agenda against the Muslims in Chechnya,'' said Abdullah, reviving an old conspiracy theory altered to fit any situation.
Some contributors to Islamic Web sites known for their extremist content praised the separatists and predicted the Islamic fighters across Egypt would avenge the killings of Muslims elsewhere.
Heads of state from around the region condemned the attack. It struck a chord with parents, including Jordan's King Abdullah II, who denounced it on state-run television.
``As a father, I can tell you that all the fathers and mothers in Jordan pray humbly to God to stand by their counterparts in Russia in their grief,'' said Abdullah, whose wife is expecting their fourth child.
Going to see if I can find that article.
Any luck?
"...such actions damage Islam's image more than all its enemies could hope."
They must live on another planet. Their "image" is already in the toilet. One more act like this and people will not care what happens to Muslims.
In one week:
2 planes brought down by suicide bombers in Russia.
2 busses blown up by suicide bombers in Israel.
12 workers from Nepal murdered in Iraq.
A suicide attack on the Moscow subway.
The murder of 300 plus people (120 plus kids) in Russia.
17 dead in Iraq from a suicide bomber.
What makes them think their "image" is tarnished.?
Cleric supports targeting children
By Rajeev Syal
(Filed: 05/09/2004)
An extremist Islamic cleric based in Britain said yesterday that he would support hostage-taking at British schools if carried out by terrorists with a just cause. Omar Bakri Mohammed, the spiritual leader of the extremist sect al-Muhajiroun, said that holding women and children hostage would be a reasonable course of action for a Muslim who has suffered under British rule.
In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Mohammed said: "If an Iraqi Muslim carried out an attack like that in Britain, it would be justified because Britain has carried out acts of terrorism in Iraq.
"As long as the Iraqi did not deliberately kill women and children, and they were killed in the crossfire, that would be okay."
Mr Mohammed, 44, who lives in Edmonton, north London, but is originally from Syria, also claimed that the Chechen rebels were not responsible for the deaths of more than 350 people - at least half of them children - who are so far known to have died in Beslan.
"The Mujahideen [Chechen rebels] would not have wanted to kill those people, because it is strictly forbidden as a Muslim to deliberately kill women and children. It is the fault of the Russians," he said.
The father of seven came to Britain in 1985 after being deported from Saudi Arabia because of his membership of a banned group. He has since been given leave by the Home Office to remain in Britain for five years but the Government is reviewing his status.
Does Britian have laws about making violent threats or inciting riots? Either one would fit. This cleric needs to be quaranteened.
He has planned a 9-11 celebration in London.
Wherever on the planet there are Muslims, there is violence, and/ or confrontation. Everywhere on the planet, except--so far--in the US.
Can our American Muslims be far behind? The only voice I hear from them or read about them is CAIR's whining about discrimination. I have not seen our local jihadists try much yet. They are currently using our politics (voting rights) against us. Soon, they may expand.
Look at the picture of Mohammed Atta and tell me you see a soul behind those eyes.
What IS it going to take? How MUCH has to happen before everyone realizes and admits that these ARE the 'true Muslims'.
They are obeying their religion. Their evil, corrupt, brainwashing, death-cult. It is the Muslims who are NOT terrorists who are not 'good Muslims'.
Over and over, the news shows the truth- yet fantasy prevails.
Sounds like a target-rich event. Hope the UK government agrees.
Sorry to say they don't seem to agree. He is being investigated but they are doing what Kerry would like to do, be sensitive and understand their point of view.
I firmly believe that George Bush is the reason Muslims here have not tried the tactics they use in Israel.
If Kerry's liberal socialists get control of this country, one of their first goals will be to disarm us.
After that- the Muslims here will be free to act as they like.
To put it mildly, if I were the president I would nuke the frigging Mecca and Meddina as of know.
The whole Islamic religion, is a religion of destruction and should be obliterated from the face of the Earth.
What religion would tolerate killing "CHILDRENS" for God's sake, to further their policy, in the name of Islam?!
I am foaming at my mouth writing this, full of anger and spite. You know something, I never knew prejudice before, but today I HATE Islam!
I'm sure they're every bit as concerned as Arafat has been all of these years..... NOT!
No...I would expect Homeland Security to issue some form of information or alert to local and state police. Perhaps some tips to parents like...get your a$$ off the couch turn off Regis and volunteer your eyes at your kids school a few hours a day.
Nothing drastic...just be vigilant.
Jedi.
``I have no doubt in my mind that this is the work of the Israelis who want to tarnish the image of Muslims and are working alongside Russians who have their own agenda against the Muslims
The AP version of this story left this part out.
FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel ping list.
WARNING: This is a high volume ping list
They have pure shi'ite for brains..
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