Americans are masters of destruction

The Observer ^ | Sunday March 10, 2002 | Abdel Bari Atwan

[vannrox]

Americans are masters of destruction

The US is driving the Muslim world to hatred, says newspaper editor Abdel Bari Atwan

Terrorism crisis - Observer special
Islam and the West - Observer special

Sunday March 10, 2002
The Observer


It never occurred to me when I met Osama bin Laden in one of the caves of the Jalalabad overlooking Tora Bora mountains more than five years ago that this slim, rarely smiling man would be the leading figure responsible for paving the way for inter-religious, inter-cultural wars that may last for five or more decades but this is what he has done.


Although 11 September changed the Western world the effect on the Islamic world has been far greater. The gulf between the two is widening. Today many in the Islamic world are convinced that the US administration harbours real enmity for Islam and the Muslims. The inhumane treatment of the Muslim prisoners of war at Guantanamo Bay and the preparations for war on Iraq have only reinforced that impression.

Worse, as Arabs and Muslims we have been terrorised by the campaign launched in Afghanistan, the Philippines, Yemen and Georgia. The supposed potential dangers facing the West have not been eliminated. This campaign has given the mistaken impression that Muslims are the source of terrorism in the world, creating tensions and providing Islamic radical groups with the ammunition to recruit thousands of young Muslim men and women.

Now the humane foundations of Western civilisation - tolerance, democracy, a fair and independent judiciary, equality before the law and respect for human rights - are being questioned by Muslims worldwide. The US, which considers itself a 'republic of immigrants', has turned against all its values and principles, detaining thousands of its Arab and Muslim citizens. Even Britain has witnessed intense media, legal and political campaigns against its Arab and Muslim citizens.


In the past six months I have learned that the opinion of 'the other' is welcomed, but only rather restrictively. I have been threatened repeatedly and warned to refrain from expressing an opinion about the events. So far I have received 10 messages containing death threats. We must sympathise strongly with the victims of the September disaster and denounce all those who supported that action. But it has brought to everyone's attention that the source of the hatred expressed towards America across the Islamic world is Washington's imbalanced foreign policy.


Successive US administrations have supported the two worst things in the Islamic world: the Israeli occupation of the Arab-occupied territories and the corrupt dictatorial regimes that have been imposed on the people. The US will not win its war against terrorism unless it changes the way it sees the world and renounces its arrogant policy of resorting solely to military solutions in order to confront this phenomenon. There must be a long-term policy to deal with the roots of terrorism in order to eliminate the causes of the world's hatred for America.


The Americans are experts in destruction but novices in reconstruction, reform and renovation. They must learn fast.

[Travis McGee]

Mike Savage calls it "The Master Religion", shades of "The Master Race".

[Forgiven_Sinner]

Let me ask the naive questions: Why is America responsible for the dictators in the Arab world? Why is the just force used to remove the Al Qaeda network behind the WTC considered more of an atrocity than killing 3000 innocent civilians of more than 60 nations? Why isn't the fact the U.S. gives more aid to Arab and Muslim causes than the Arab world considered? Why are peaceful West Bank settlements condemned but slaughtering civillians applauded?

I don't understand their condemnation or point of view.

[Parmy]

I thought that we rebuilt Europe and Japan after the last Great War.

And, we havent driven jet planes into buildings filled with unsuspecting, unarmed people, like some vermin that we are now aware exist.

[Southern Federalist]

I was trying to get my brain to think up your post, when I saw that your brain had been quicker. Yes. Exactly. Tell the starving Germans and Japanese still huddling in the wreckage of WWII about our inadequacies at reconstruction. Point to this great example of how the cowboy Americans just stir up hate on all sides.

Hate to mention it, Abdel, but the last two countries on which we really thoroughly exercised our "mastery of destruction" are helping us fight you this time around. Germans have died doing so, and the Japanese are stretching the limits of their post-war anti-militarism to help, a very big deal for them.

[McGavin999]

The Americans are experts in destruction but novices in reconstruction, reform and renovation. They must learn fast.

Yeah, right, that's why we're all living in mud huts with a 90% illiterate population. And that's why we have spoiled rich kids flying airplanes into buildings and killing thousands of innocent civilians, and that's why we teach our youth to strap explosives to themselves so they can blow 18 month old babies and their mothers to pieces.

Oh, wait, that's not us, it must be........

[schu]

Great point, our former enemies are helping us defeat our new enemy. It must be because we treated them so poorly after WWII........

[Grampa Dave]

Your response re the so called destruction of America is excellent and needs to be reposted:

Let me ask the naive questions: Why is America responsible for the dictators in the Arab world? Why is the just force used to remove the Al Qaeda network behind the WTC considered more of an atrocity than killing 3000 innocent civilians of more than 60 nations? Why isn't the fact the U.S. gives more aid to Arab and Muslim causes than the Arab world considered? Why are peaceful West Bank settlements condemned but slaughtering civillians applauded?