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
Look Hogwaller, that's just Hogwash! Either we live in the 21st cenury or we don't. If we resort to these stupid comparisons of what somebody did in the 15th century, or the 10th century to justify what someone else does today there is NO PEACE EVER!
"I'm a white, American, Christian male living in the hills of Virginia defending Islam. You say Islam is evil. I know it's not. The hearts of men, especially in this day and age, are evil. And the evil isn't just from one religion or country. We all participate in it."
Why are you defending Islam? Perhaps it is because there is no groundswell from the Islamic community itself to argue that is not a religion that condones evil acts. Perhaps the problem is that there isn't ONE Islamic body with spokesman who can speak authoratatively for what Islam condones or doesn't condone.
What are your credentials as an authority on Islam, how many years have you studied the Koran, how many hundreds or thousands of Muslims have you interacted with to understand their interpretation and mindset?
Plus, the so-called prophet was a lousy writer, if Arabic to English is any indicator.
Save your bandwidth, hanky-head. You could convince a whole lot more Westerners of your peaceful intent if you'd stop funneling money to murderers like bin Laden. And if you'd walk the walk as well as you talk the talk. If the West is growing to increasingly hate Muslims, it is a logical consequence of your roaring silence.
I'll tell him one thing though. The world is just PACKED with people who absolutely DESPISE Islam, with VERY good reason.
I'm one of the new converts. There's no live and let live in Islam and there never will be. We can kill every "terrorist" on the planet and we'll have the same problem in 20 years, because Islam will breed new ones and that disgusting book will help with the birthing of them.
Godspeed
Regards.
Normally, I don't criticise peoples' beliefs. But I going to make an exception regarding you:
Man, are you naive. Just stay in those hills. You're a danger to yourself and the public. And remember not to play in the traffic when your venture into town.
If you're talking about the Spanish Inquisition, I think it's important to remember that was after 700 years of Islamic influence in Spain, you can hardly blame the Spaniards for learning some techniques from the Moslems who had overrun them for all those years. Plus it took 700 years and an Inquistion to rid themselves of that Islamic curse, and you can thank them for saving European civilization. Protestant Europe has never had to deal with Islamic invaders until now, hopefully it doesn't take 700 years to learn, it's easy to condemn the Spaniards if you don't take history into consideration.
You must have read the thread.
I give him specifics, ie the Emporer Arangzeb and his 3.5 million deaths, and he gives me back generatlities, ie Christianity's bloody history.
I give him official Koran and he gives me back "but my muslim buddies say ..."
I give him specifics of Islamic law and the execution of prostletizers and he gives me back generalities ie getting killed for preaching Islam in NY.
He doesn't care. He thinks what he thinks and apparently thinks he got the word straight from God's lips.
I thought I was fairly eloquent, but he'll NEVER be convinced.
Godspeed
Islam is a beautiful religion. So is Christianity. But Christianity wasn't pretty when the Inquisition got a hold of it. Islam isn't pretty when held up by the Taliban.
I'm a white, American, Christian male living in the hills of Virginia defending Islam. You say Islam is evil. I know it's not. The hearts of men, especially in this day and age, are evil. And the evil isn't just from one religion or country. We all participate in it
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DO NOT include me, and countless other FReepers in your "The hearts of men, especially in this day and age, are evil.....We all participate in it" statement.
During the Gulf War:
1.) How many hysterical Americans did you see rallying in the streets of America carrying weapons and signs chanting "Death to Muslims" or "Death to Arabs"?
2.) How many American leaders did you hear call for a war, (holy or unholy) upon the Arab world or Muslims? Call upon Americans to kill Muslims or Arabs anywhere in the world?
3.) How many Americans during the Gulf War attacked Arab or Muslim institutions or people in other parts of the world?
Don't claim equivalence where there isn't any. It's not only a cognitive mistake, it's immoral.
To be a Muslim nation means to deprive other religious groups of freedom of religion, those who embrace Christianity in particular, being slaughtered in particular.
These perverted Muslim leaders need to be totally repudiated by every advertising agency in the USA, and every agency that signs up to do their Nazi-like propaganda should be hounded out of business.
Jesus, on the other hand, said, "They will know you are my disciples if you have love one for another".
You seriously pervert Christianity when you practice equivalency.
After 700 hundred years of Islamic domination the Christians regained power in Spain. It was a bloody struggle that lasted 700 years. During the Muslim invasion, many Jews living in the Christian Goths Kingdoms allied themselves with the invaders. After such long years of travails, Kings Isabella and Fernando, in order to consolidate the unity of their kingdom, decreed the expulsion of Moors and Jews that did not want to convert to Catholicism. Many prelates and Saints in Catholic Spain were converted or descendants of converted Jews. Those who choose to remain in their faith were not killed, they were allowed to sell their properties and leave the country with their possessions.
History repeats itself. U.S. received as guest with open arms millions of people of every country, religion and ethnic origin to end being betrayed by some of them. Being a visitor or a resident of the United State is a privilege not a right. There are people who, although enjoy the opportunities and freedoms of this country; they nevertheless, hate everything that America stands for. Those who are living in the U.S., legally or illegally, and do not share the values and principles of our country should be deported to the countries where they came from!
I always figured there was more to it than meets the eye.
There are people who, although enjoy the opportunities and freedoms of this country; they nevertheless, hate everything that America stands for.
You are correct sir, many of them were born here too. Rush talks about them alot. Others were not born here, and do hate everything America stands for. Weird huh?
Those who are living in the U.S., legally or illegally, and do not share the values and principles of our country should be deported to the countries where they came from!
Isn't it amazing? These nerds come to America, to escape the 3rd world cess pools they were born in, and the first darn thing they try to do when they get here, is to turn this country into the same 3rd world cess pool they just left. They are idiots, of course.
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My Thoughts....a simple letter...some simple questions.... TO: Gulf Cooperation Council Information Ministry Dear Information Ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council, Your idea to reach all media in the Western world to explain your position that all Muslims and all Arabs are against terrorism sounds like a bold and interesting initiative, especially since the 11 September terrorist attacks on the United States were done by people who were both Arab and Muslims. That's a rough Public Relations job. You've got to understand, many of us here in America get confused pretty easily when 18-Arab guys hijack airplanes full of ordinary people and crash them into buildings full of ordinary people, and tell us that they did it for Allah and Islam - it's pretty convincing for us to believe that they did it, well, for Allah and Islam. Now you come along and say it isn't true? I mean, these guys were about to die, why would they lie? You can understand our confusion, can't you? I realize that your assistant secretary-general of political affairs for the Gulf Cooperation Council, accused the Western media of connecting Islam with terrorism. That's not exactly a stretch; I mean it is a reasonable conclusion to make, given the terrorists had Islamic prayers and instructions along with quotations from the Koran with them? Honestly, if these hijackers left behind letters that said they took down the WTC and the Pentagon on instructions from their grandmothers- we'd probably suspect a connection to dear old granny. We just need some clarification - were these terrorist Muslims and Arabs or not? I must admit though, I've heard some people make the excuse that these terrorists; including Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda have gone out and 'hijacked' Isalm. Wow, these guys do get around; planes, trains, mail and an entire religion, all hijacked. You do have a PR problem. A really BIG one. I can see why you want to set up an English-language satellite television channel promoting a better image of yourselves. Your PR people aren't doing too good of a job right now. You are probably scratching your heads about why most Americans link Arabs and Muslims to terrorisim. You had to there; I mean, it's an American thing, you probably wouldn't understand. Well, perhaps I can help you out of this PR dilemma. I'd like to ask some simple questions that you could address in one of your first 'setting-the-record-straight' television shows about Islam and Arabs. Okay? Just relax, take deep breath and be yourselves and answer these as honestly as you can and I'm sure that a lot of the confusion about Muslims, Arabs and Terrorists can be cleared up, pronto!
Sorry for the long list of questions; my friends here in Ameican have told me that they have many more, but this should be enough to make at least one or two good T.V. shows. I would suggest some direct and specific answers that would help all of us in the West to gain a new understanding of Arabs and the Muslim world. Not that I'm in a position to give you any tips, but most Americans like straight talk - not spin - so I would recommend that you avoid a history about the Crusades, or the U.S. foreign policy crap, or the rage of Muslims, or the Palestinians claims to the same lands as the Israelis, or comparisons to Christianity and Judaism, or stories of poverty or hunger, or the CIA, or other 'look-behind-you' answers. Just straight talk goes over real big here in the United States. I have to hand it to you though, you fellas in the Gulf Cooperation Council are dead on target - Most of what has been said in the American Media has been either pure bull or a lesser mix of lies and rumors. You must have watched Oprah's show of Islam 101 or the evening news with Dan Rather or Peter Jennings. Anyway, good luck with this enterprise. Us Americans would like nothing better than the truth about Islam and Arabs and your 'official' position on terrorism. Oh by the way; while you are at it, perhaps you can broadcast some shows in your area of the world to help set the record straight for some of your people: You might consider instructing 'wayward' Muslims and their followers who have 'hijacked' Islam about the true meaning of the Koran and Islam. The bottom line is, I really don't care about your religion. Tell them about their religion! Just tell the Muslims who have their Koran and the Prophets' message all wrong - that they have it backwards and inside out. They seem to be the ones who need to understand the 'true' meaning of the Koran and Islam. I am looking forward to watching your programs. thank you,
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