Posted on 04/16/2005 12:53:45 PM PDT by quidnunc
The April 1, 2005 issue of the online Saudi royal family weekly magazine Ain Al-Yaqeen included the transcript of a talk given by Arab League Ambassador Ali Muhsen Hamid to Britain before the Conservative Foreign and Commonwealth Council at the Houses of Parliament. In his talk, titled "Arabs and the West: Indispensable Relation," Hamid emphasized the cultural affinities between the Arab world and the West, and portrayed Israel as the major factor standing between them. The following are excerpts from his talk as it appeared in English in Ain Al-Yaqeen: [1]
The West Needs War to Hold its Societies Together, for Fear that They Would Otherwise Collapse
"…After the Arab world was under Ottoman then European rule, the Arab political, scientific and cultural role was vastly diminished and Arabs lost their independence and their distinctive international standing. The influence of these diverse imperial forces continues to this day. The political, economic and educational backwardness which manifest [sic] in the Arab world is an effect of this.
"These conditions weakened the Arab ability to confront challenges, one of the most prominent of which was the creation of the Jewish state in Palestine in 1948. Since that time the Arab region lost its stability and peace, and becomes party to a war approximately every ten years. It appeared recently that the west needed war to hold its societies together, for fear that society would otherwise collapse through selfishness and individualism. I can add that the west needs battlefields to test its new brand of military technology, and that the Arab strategic location seems to be the testing ground. The same, it seems, is true of Israel…"
We Seek a Common Vision for the West and the Arab World
"We seek a new common vision. We need a relationship that does not implant upon Kipling's statement that ‘east is east and west is west and never the twain shall meet.'
"The world has become very small indeed. In an age of global business commuting we need to look towards new horizons. Most Arab capital is in fact deposited in western banks, and most of our trade is with the west, and the greater part of our technical and scientific expertise comprises western consultants and technicians. The only thing that has changed is the absence of the political advisor and the High Commissioner!…
"Had Britain encouraged education and the development of a true liberal democratic process in the Arab region, instead of combating any independence of thought, the Arab region would have today become an extension of the west, and things would have been very different today.
"I understand that democracy and freedom are at odds with colonialism and military occupation, and that the first victim of such military means is indeed democracy and freedom. Western policies actually created puppet democracies which paved the way for military coups and for militarized societies…"
9/11 Was Not a Good Justification for Enmity Towards Arabs and Muslims; Israel's Hand in the Matter is Clear
"When Israel states that Arabs are terrorists the west quickly follows suit. When Israel says that democracy should be imposed on Arabs by force, echoes of this view begin to manifest [themselves] in some western media outlets and western think tanks. When Israel begins to demonize Iraq and Iran the west goes to war against the former and begins to issue threatening admonishments to the latter...
"What makes matters worse is that some people in the west see that the issues of democracy, good governance and the rule of law are inapplicable in the Arab world, because the absence of the foundations necessary for their implementation is an inherent part of the eastern psyche, and that 'eastern despotism' is the norm in the Arab political system...
"It is true that we do not yet have a Westminster style democracy, but we nevertheless have systems of government that are gradually opening out which do not close the doors to renewal and reinvigoration. It could have been the old Orientalist terminology which led the U.S. to adopt the initiative of 'democratizing' the Middle East from the outside, and to unofficially view Islam as an enemy of democracy…
"But Washington entered actively into the fray after the terrorist events perpetrated on its own soil in 9/11/01. This was not a good justification for its enmity towards Arabs and Muslims. Israel's hand in the matter is clear."
-snip-
No I don't think they will anymore than these liberal colleges in the US that invite Hillary and Kofi Annen, would also invite Tom Delay!!!!
Is he accusing Israel of perpetrating 9/11 or merely exploiting 9/11 to create emnity towards the Arabs? You can read the fellow's words either way. The fellow is a kook if you believe the former. He probably has it right if its the latter. After all, the Israelis would have been fools not to use an attack on the United States by islamic nutballs to generate support for their cause (which I support by the way).
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