Campaign launched to make suicide bombings crimes against humanity

BocaNews.com ^ | December 12, 2003 | Brian Bandell

[11th_VA]

An international campaign to designate suicide bombings as crimes against humanity was launched in Boca Raton Thursday by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Los Angeles-based Jewish organization that promotes tolerance.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, who won several Academy Awards for his movies done through the center, met with Pope John Paul II eight days ago and told him of his mission to get the United Nations to adopt a resolution that would recognize perpetrators and supporters of suicide bombings as criminals against humanity.

According to Hier, the Pope told participants in a Catholic-Islamic meeting 24 hours later: “I appeal to you, and to all men and women of good will, to join your voices with mine as I repeat that the holy name of God must never be used to incite violence or terrorism, to promote hatred or exclusion.”

Such a resolution would mean that members of organizations that recruit suicide bombers could be tried by international courts for committing crimes against humanity and funding to those organizations would be curtailed. Terrorist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad are given support by Iran, Syria and Lebanon.

“None of their leaders could travel internationally for fear of being picked up,” Hier said. “It would isolate them, put tremendous pressure on them and be a severe blow to international terrorism.”

Hier wants to rally the support of world leaders to present a resolution to the U.N., although he said many Muslim countries would oppose it. Yet with suicide bombings, which have been targeted at Israel for years, increasingly being used in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia and Russia, Hier believes those countries will see the need to crack down on terrorist groups.

“Suicide bombings don’t only affect Israel. It’s a worldwide issue,” Hier said. “Most experts predict that there will be more of them and most experts think that they will be expanding overseas – even to the United States.”

The United Nations has recently passed resolutions condemning Israel that were heavily supported by Muslim countries and opposed by the United States. Heir said that many Western nations are afraid to make a vote that would offend Muslim nations because they want to do business with them.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center posted a petition on its Web site www.wiesenthal.com in support of this campaign. The organization wants to sent the petition, which was also mailed to the center’s 400,000 members, to President Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac.

Hier was in Boca promoting his latest movie, Unlikely Heroes, which premiered at Mucivo here Thursday. The rabbi won Oscars in 1998 for The Long Way Home and in 1981 for Genocide.

[11th_VA]

Let's see the leftists protest this one ...

[tet68]

Don't worry, they will find a way.

This sounds like a good idea, we'll see.

[Bogey78O]

The arab states will block it.

Just like how they passed every pro-palestinian children proclamation but bottled any act condemning acts of terrorism against Israeli children.

[reed_inthe_wind]

It sounds good on the surface. I just hope they can define the term so American soldiers in certain circumstances or following certain orders don't qualify. You know how the irrational mind warps everything.

[ImpBill]

Not trying to start an argument here, but do we really need an "international law" to make "homicide bombings" a crime against humanity? I mean as if it isn't a crime already .... And who is going to enforce it ... the U.N.?

[goodnesswins]

They are NOT a CRIME already????

[pattycake]

Yes, because it is world wide.

[pattycake]

I think it is different for troops being sent by a country and a fanatical group trying to blow up who ever is around.

[NutCrackerBoy]

It sounds good on the surface.

I think floating the idea is very good for the public relations war. Great to get the Pope on record and develop a world-wide consensus strongly against suicide bombings.

But the war crimes court should be cancelled before being formed. The UN or any other international body will screw things up. Robert Bork's book is great on this subject.

[vladog]

So how do you propose to punish suicide bombers? The bombers are dead, while any government involved can disavow any involvement, as they do now.

All in all this is a useless campaign.

[WackyKat]

So, if the bomber kills himself and maybe other people. it's a "crime against humanity", but if he doesn't kill himself it's not?

This makes no sense at all

[Faramir]

I think what we need is a serious and honest definition of terrorism.

Terrorists for instance are not freedom fighters. The freedom fighters of WWII indeed used hit and run techniques, but their targets were military or infrastucture. The goal was to aid the war effort of the Allies by slowing down the Nazi machine of war and providing intellegence.

The goal was not that of terrorism. To target civilians in order to blackmail a government into their position. Targetting civilians in a political cause should be the definition of terrorism. Of course we should further define civilians as non-combatants. Terrorist leaders should be fair game.

Now someone can obviously be defined a freedom fighter and still be wrong - like freedom fighters trying to topple a legitimate democratic government. But that is a different matter.

The liberal media has blended the terms terrorist and freedom fighter in an attempt to create sympathy for their cause. We eat into their hands by doing so. They are pigs. Scum. And should be treated as such.

[Faramir]

And let's stop calling them martyrs. A martyr in my understanding is killed against his or her will because they refuse to recant their beliefs or position. Self-martyring is like trying make oneself a virgin again.

[Faramir]

This is the tricky part. What I have to suggest will seem maverick to some. Most likely an all out war against Islam's chief regimes of terror will have to occur. This includes Iran, Syria, the Sudan, Algeria, Egypt, and maybe even Pakistan.

The US simply has to demand the end to their funding and support of terrorists. They cannot deny they do so when these cells operate right under their eyes. If they refuse to do anything the US will be well within its rights to send small forces into the nations in question to eliminate the groups themselves.

[Faramir]

Sorry I got off track and missed your point. How do you legally take suicide bombers to the Hague?

Uh yeah. There is a bit of a hole in this whole idea then.

[claudiustg]

The idea is to hold organizations that recruit and deploy suicide bombers accountable. So for example, Rantisi of Hamas could no longer hide behind his political label. I'm surprised no one has come up with this earlier.
Getting the leftist internationalists to pass and enforce this will probably prove impossible, but at least the spotlight will be turned on them while they're trying to wriggle out of this issue.

[ImpBill]

Yes we need yet another law? Or, yes we need the U.N. to enforce it? Or yes to both.

[joesnuffy]

"Crimes Against Humanity"...the very same charges Nero accused the Christians of
that he might crucify them, burn them alive, and fed them to wild animals for the amusement
of that very same "Humanity" who was offended by their "crimes"...

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

The opposition's position has already been stated by CNN: "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter".

[Faramir]

Are YOU serious. Who uttered that leftist dribble?