Posted on 09/27/2001 9:04:30 AM PDT by Illbay
Sept. 26, 2001, 8:47PM
DAMASCUS, Syria -- A morgue assistant pulls out drawers holding the mutilated corpses of Palestinians killed in clashes with Israelis. Doctors pummel the chest of a dead Palestinian in a desperate attempt to revive him. The body of an infant, swathed in bloodied blankets, is held by a grieving parent.
These raw images -- aired almost daily on Arab television since the Palestinian-Israeli clashes erupted a year ago -- haven't lost the power to touch the hearts of Arab viewers.
Indeed, they have fed a buildup of Arab anger -- not only against Israel but also against the United States, its chief ally, already resented for imposing 11 years of sanctions and carrying out repeated airstrikes on Iraq.
That anger provides a potential base of support for the militants, who can use it to keep governments from cracking down on them. The outrage has also left many Arabs grappling with conflicting emotions over the Sept. 11 suicide attacks in the United States.
Some governments -- while decrying the deaths at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania -- have echoed murmurs in the streets that the United States brought violence on itself by angering Arabs. Others have made it clear they want to be sure U.S. retaliation doesn't target nations like Iraq or groups like Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas, who are heroes to some Arabs because of their anti-Israel stance.
"We feel outraged by what happened in the United States, but we want the world to feel the same about the daily Israeli killings of Palestinians, the demolishing of houses and the humiliation of the people," said Wafa Mohammed, a shop owner in Jordan.
"If the United States had sympathized with the Arabs, the destruction that took place in the United States wouldn't have happened," said Mohammed Tohami, 22, an Egyptian frame maker.
"There's a feeling among Arabs that the United States is totally responsible for what's happening in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," said Imad Shueibi, a Syrian political analyst.
The Palestinian-Israeli clashes began one year ago Friday. The spark, the Palestinians say -- or the pretext, according to Israel -- was a visit by then-opposition Israeli leader Ariel Sharon to the holiest and most disputed site in Jerusalem, which Jews call the Temple Mount and Palestinians Haram as-Sharif.
Since then, 642 Palestinians and 177 Israelis have been killed. Many of the Israeli casualties were civilians who died in Palestinian suicide attacks against discos, restaurants, markets and train stations or shootings with machine guns and mortars.
The resulting resentment cannot be ignored as President Bush -- who has threatened to punish Afghanistan's Islamic rulers harboring suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden -- assembles U.S. forces for a retaliatory strike. Bin Laden has portrayed himself as the champion of Muslims and Palestinians.
Adding to the pressure on the mostly secular Arab governments are fatwas, or religious edicts issued by Muslim clergymen warning the governments against joining the anti-terrorism coalition.
Animals masquerading as human beings and blaming their pathology on who "makes" or provides the weapons is the ultimate in moronic thinking.
It's like suggesting we nuke Boeing because they made the aircraft that crashed into the WTC...
Doesn't matter. As far as I'm concerned it should be double.
When fighting cockroaches, we need all the help we can get.
I'm really not SAYING anything. I'm simply trying to understand how the Arabs view us.
Not that it has anything to do with our destruction of the terrorists. I don't care what they think in the seconds before they die a flaming death.
But we can't kill every Arab, nor every Muslim. I don't think we want to. I don't know how we're going to overcome this antipathy.
Again, we're talking about the greater Arab/Islamic world. I don't think we're going to kill all of them.
She is one of the few who hasn't had to change her name several times, so she must not be too bad.
I agree. I don't see any way to do so. The hatred is too deeply embedded in history and in the expansionist mandate of Islam.
We can start by containing it, I suppose. There are a few key Western nations--our allies--that are being slowly Islamicized. That trend must not continue. If it does, America will find itself with a truly neutral or hostile Europe in 20 years, when things really start to heat up.
It's called self defense. You may call it whatever you like. You need to go read that Book, you know the one, let me see, ah yes, I think it is called the Bible. Did you ever see where God ordered the children of Israel to utterly wipe out some of their enemies? (though not all of them) Self defense is not murder. If you would not defend your family from someone breaking into your house, with murder on their mind, then there is no sense talking to you at all. We are not talking rocket science here.
Paraphrasing..."There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
5.56mm
P.S. Just an aside: I was mighty upset when I heard of Sadat's assasination-----he seemed to be the first real example of Arab forgiveness in the Middle East-----and that's probably the reason he was assasinated . They didn't want anyone to follow the example he set for them in his later years.
I think you're crazy.
Great idea - however, my perception is that the palies are whining little cowards who would be ripped apart by the talies. Mind you, this isn't a BAD thing....
We have the term "palies" for certain little yapping dogs...
But we need something equally respectful for the taliban. I'm thinking "talies". Or, should we use "towlies"?
However, we might wish to reserve the word "towlies" for all who wrap towels around their heads...thus cutting off circulation.
Oh no! I've dissed the murderous terrorists! Now I'll probably get reported!!!
Deprogramming the Muslims from this type of hate is a good, long term subject to have in mind. The first step in that process must be to punish the governments that promote violence against our country.
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