Arab World Poverty -- Whose Fault?

Capitalism Magazine ^ | 11/18/01 | Larry Elder

[Jean S]

"Muslims love to live in the U.S. but also love to hate it. Many openly claim that the U.S. is a terrorist state but they continue to live in it. Their decision to live here is testimony that they would rather live here than anywhere else. As an Indian Muslim, I know for sure that nowhere on earth, including India, will I get the same sense of dignity and respect that I have received in the U.S."

Arab World Poverty -- Whose Fault?
By Larry Elder (November 18, 2001)

[CAPITALISMMAGAZINE.COM] "I don't have the knowledge to blame a government," said Bakhtiar Khan, an Afghan man in his mid-twenties. "I don't know about politics, but for our problems I blame the world community. All humans should be equal, but we are not. You ask me who is to blame. You find out who is to blame."

Khan, according to a recent New York Times piece on the origins of Islamic extremism, earns a subsistence level income making bricks in a pit outside the city of Peshawar, an Afghan city of 2 million, nearly 50 percent refugees. When asked about his life, he says, "Life is cruel. You can see for yourself. You wear nice clothes and are healthy. But look at us. We have no clothes to wear and we are not healthy. Your question is amazing."

So, who is to blame?

A recent story on Afghan schools described a teacher who holds up a wealth pie chart. America, she shows her students, controls this huge slice of the pie, leaving a tiny sliver for us Afghans. The not-so-subtle point? Afghans suffer poverty because of America's disproportionate wealth.

But no, Khan lacks the "knowledge to blame a government." For, through knowledge, Khan would discover that his poverty stems from corrupt, dictatorial governments, the absence of capitalism and free trade, and the lack of individual rights and the rule of law. But who, in the Arab world, spreads this message?

Dr. Muqtedar Khan, director of International Studies at Adrian College in Michigan, challenges American Muslims to set the masses straight: "While we loudly and consistently condemn Israel for its ill treatment of Palestinians, we are silent when Muslim regimes abuse the rights of Muslims and slaughter thousands of them. Remember Saddam and his use of chemical weapons against Muslims (Kurds)? Remember Pakistani army's excesses against Muslims (Bengalis)? Remember the Mujahideen of Afghanistan and their mutual slaughter? Have we ever condemned them for their excesses? Have we demanded international intervention or retribution against them? Do you know how the Saudis treat their minority Shiis? Have we protested the violation of their rights? But we all are eager to condemn Israel; not because we care for rights and lives of the Palestinians, we don't. We condemn Israel because we hate 'them.'

"Muslims love to live in the U.S. but also love to hate it. Many openly claim that the U.S. is a terrorist state but they continue to live in it. Their decision to live here is testimony that they would rather live here than anywhere else. As an Indian Muslim, I know for sure that nowhere on earth, including India, will I get the same sense of dignity and respect that I have received in the U.S. No Muslim country will treat me as well as the U.S. has. If what happened on Sept. 11 had happened in India, the biggest democracy, thousands of Muslims would have been slaughtered in riots on mere suspicion and there would be another slaughter after confirmation. But in the U.S., bigotry and xenophobia has been kept in check by media and leaders ...

"It is time that we acknowledge that the freedoms we enjoy in the U.S. are more desirable to us than superficial solidarity with the Muslim World. If you disagree, then prove it by packing your bags and going to whichever Muslim country you identify with. If you do not leave and do not acknowledge that you would rather live here than anywhere else, know that you are being hypocritical.

"It is time that we faced these hypocritical practices and struggled to transcend them. It is time that American Muslim leaders fought to purify their own lot."

But only a few weeks ago, Arab leaders condemned Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for calling Western civilization "superior" because it "guarantees respect for human rights and religion." Harsh criticism forced him to recant his "racist" statement. But if we call Berlusconi's remarks "racist," in what category do we place the statement made by Abdulrahman Awadi, formerly a high-ranking official in Kuwait? When Kuwait learned that Sulaiman abu Ghaith, a Kuwaiti citizen, had become a top lieutenant with Osama bin Laden, Kuwait revoked abu Ghaith's citizenship. Awadi said, "This is a wake-up call that we have to be very careful with freedom. Democracy and freedom of choice may be good for Western cultures, but for the Gulf countries, those are dangerous things. These people are using freedom to achieve their ends."

Who is to blame?

Countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt suffer double-digit unemployment rates, estimated as high as 25 percent. Grinding poverty and religious zealotry, wrapped around a blanket of government-led scapegoating of Israel, the United States and the West -- all combine to form a dangerous and deadly Third World victicrat mindset. Blame triumphs over enlightenment, and anger defeats reason.

CREATORS SYNDICATE COPYRIGHT 2001 LAURENCE A. ELDER

 

[LADY J]

"Poverty and Islam go hand-in-hand. Islam and dynamic economics are divergent."

If they had their wish and took over the United States - how long do you think it would take them to turn this country into another Afghanistan?

[A Navy Vet]

Screw 'em...I'm sick of the whining. As pointed out above, their societies have had hundreds of years to develop past their primitive levels. They have NO desire to do so, and would rather languish in their savagery and feign victimhood. My compassion is at an end for those who will not help themselves. Other than Israel, the middle east is a blight on humanity and has contributed little to nothing towards the advancement of mankind.

[Parmy]

Thirty to forth minutes----at the outside.

[freeforall]

Poverty is inevitable in an unfree socitey but it is after all easier to blame the west or even better just blame america.

"A recent story on Afghan schools described a teacher who holds up a wealth pie chart. America, she shows her students, controls this huge slice of the pie, leaving a tiny sliver for us Afghans. The not-so-subtle point? Afghans suffer poverty because of America's disproportionate wealth." maybe all the wealth we have is just due to nature rather than effort.

So based on that logic could we conclude that the wealth created by Thomas Edison caused poverty?All the riches he reaped benefited no one Huh

[freeforall]

bttt

[freeforall]

bump for newbies

[timestax]

We all ought to clean out our bank accounts and liquidate all our assets and wire all that money to the poor ole Arabs!!

[timestax]

bump for the newbies!

[timestax]

bump for the newbies!

[timestax]

bump for the newbies!

[conqueror]

In our (USA) society anything is permitted unless it is specifically prohibited by law. In muslim societies everything is prohibited unless it is specifically permitted. Their system promotes sloth and conformity and punishes initiative. They are, among other things, slaves to islam and envy and will be forever mired in poverty believing that if they just pray enough then allah will provide.

[Flyer]

Whose fault?

Just as we have race pimps here (and poverty, gender, disability pimps, etc.) that can only thrive if there is a problem, therefore they only point out the problems rather than working to solve them. These third world countries are run by rulers whose power continues only if the problems persist.

[nobdysfool]

There's enough blame to go around for each of us to share in.

Another way of saying "misery loves company". Explain to me how I am to blame for their situation. I don't even know any muslims, nor do I feel any responsibility for someone half-way around the world, who may live in poverty and dire circumstances through no fault of my own. The reference to the pie-chart is classic Liberal-think, i.e. that wealth is a zero-sum game. The idea that because one group of people has more, it means that they took it from the others is pure bull-winky! Our own economy proves it. If it were a zero-sum game, our economy could not expand, there would be no talk of increase in the GDP or GNP, and with each passing generation, as our population expanded, the wages, quality of life, and living standard would go down. Look at America's history, and you can see that's not the case. If it were, the Founding Fathers would have had the best lives, and each succeeding generation would have been less prosperous, and we'd be in a total state of anarchy by now.

The real problem is the fact that in those countries, the state is the religion, and the religion is the state. Without a free market economy, rule of law by the people, with the power to change laws that are abused and abusive, and checks and balances on the government, as well as personal freedom, those countries will never pull themselves out of the quagmire. When they point fingers at America, it is out of jealousy, not religious principle. And yet we have people in this country who would give it all away, out of some twisted sense of "fairness" and "leveling the playing field", and misplaced guilt. Instead of feeling guilty for the blessings we have received, we need to vigorously export our values, our system, our constitutional form of government. Some would call that Imperialism, showing that they know nothing about how governments and economies work.

Isn't it better to do what we can to "raise the tide", which will raise all boats? Or do we do what the Third World wants: drain the harbor, so all the boats are equally grounded and unable to move?

[timydnuc]

Truthfairy, you have grasped, and articulated the problem to perfection.

The Arabs have become commodity brokers, that's all they have--a commodity. They also have the illogical friendship of a vocal political minority, in this country (the Greens, and the socialist left). They have a "situation" to make their wealth. The problem is that their individual country's politics are either a monarchy or a dictatorship. The people have no control over the wealth that flows, in direct proportion, to their "sweet" oil. The sad fact is that they can't even get a majority of the jobs pumping that oil. The entire population has been so "dumbed down" by the ruling class that they must employ western (usually American) engineers, drillers, and "wildcatters" to get that stuff out of the ground.

The west (specifically Americans) have always relied on innovation, and "know how". We have always been able to adapt, and overcome. We use our wits, our education, and our ability to overcome the impossible. In the 200+ years that we've been a government on the face of this earth we have pissed people off because we have this ingrained talent. The reason that we have it is because we are free. We supply a free country, in which you are free to live your dreams, and the cream of the scientific world comes. Here lives the spirit of innovation because of that freedom.

The envy of the rest of the world is apparent, even though we share most of our innovation. The worst envy comes from the Arab world because they so oppress their people, that innovation has no rich ground to grow. The ruling class in these Arab countrys are DIRECTLY to blame for their plight, and they are directly responsible for the problems we have in this world today.

Americans don't have time to start a jihad, we're too busy inventing things that will improve life on this "blue marble". From the massive accomplishments in biochemistry, microbiology, enginerring to the little inventions sold in infomercials at 2 in the morning....we innovate, we invent, we love and care. Our energy is directed toward innovation and making a more comfortable world. We think more about family and Christmas that we do about war and killing. We accept different people as our neighbors in the hope that we can all be Americans in our land, and make it a better place in our brotherhood. We are niave in our beliefs and we get clobbered for that once in a while, but we never give up our creed as an American.

During this Christmas I'll just supply the spirit and my love. My country, and my loved ones will provide me with the comfort any reward.

I'm free! I'll help you. I'll feed you. I'll keep you warm and well. I'll do this because I'm a Christian, and I'm and AMERICAN. You can bite my hand of charity if you like, I'll try to give you charity again, because I'm a Christian, and I'm an American. If you attack me, and kill my brothers and my sisters, you will see the wrath of God in my eyes before you draw your last breath. We believe in life, we believe in charity and understanding, and we believe in the defense of those qualities. We will defend our "innocents" and we defend our liberty, and we will defend our way of life. We will defend these things with more resolve than you have ever seen in this world. You will find no cowards here, but will find patriots. Gentle, kind, loving, and ANGRY....Patriots!

Merry Christmas!!

[a_Turk]

You'll think me far out for thinking the way I do.

I don't even know any muslims

Too bad, you could have found some to teach the American way to. The ones you taught might have been the ones to foil the attack on the WTC.

nor do I feel any responsibility for someone half-way around the world, who may live in poverty and dire circumstances through no fault of my own

Perfect. That's why they don't give a sh*t about you either, and since they see your country as an ally of their enemy, they peg you as an enemy.

There's more than love that can grow like the mustard seed.

New York Police and Firefighters Visit Kabul

[mow]

Wrong right brain software. Good right brain software harnesses and retrains the right brain, the seat of emotion, and allows the left brain to become productive and creative. Judeo-Christianity has so far been the only right brain software worth diddly on the planet.

[FITZ]

I don't even know any muslims, nor do I feel any responsibility for someone half-way around the world, who may live in poverty and dire circumstances through no fault of my own. The reference to the pie-chart is classic Liberal-think, i.e. that wealth is a zero-sum game.

Arabs actually believe if the US was a poor backward country like Islamic countries are, they would be better off. They're insane.

[Bobby777]

Arab world poverty is the fault of the Arabs themselves ... every people has to dig themselves out ... they've got all the money now and have for 40 years ... but they spend it on weapons to destroy Israel ... wonder what would happen if it wasn't spent on hate and used for constructive purposes? ... oh sure, they spend some, but want a handout ...

[nobdysfool]

Who ever said that I thought they ought to give a sh*t about me? You miss my whole point. The point is, all this guilt-slinging about how we are somehow responsible for thier plight is so much Liberal-Socialist hot air! Giving them most of our money is not going to change one thing for them. They have no intention of living any different than they do, otherwise they would! I'm an American. Pure and simple. I'm not rich, and don't have any desire to be. I am not going to have some stupid raghead preaching to me about how decadent I am when they don't know anything about me. This share-the-wealth crap is destructive and wrong.

[timestax]

bump for the newbies coming on board!