Posted on 04/03/2002 1:02:59 PM PST by kinghorse
U.S. fumes as Saddam hikes rewards
Iraqi leader now offering $25,000 to family of Mideast bombers
MSNBC NEWS SERVICES
April 3 — Saddam Hussein has increased money for the relatives of suicide bombers from $10,000 to $25,000, drawing sharp criticism from Washington. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that Saddam’s payments inspire a “culture of political murder.” But Palestinians say the bombers are driven by a priceless thirst for revenge, religious zeal and dreams of glory — not greed.
SINCE IRAQ upped its payments last month, 12 suicide bombers have successfully struck inside Israel, including one man who killed 25 Israelis, many of them elderly, as they sat down to a meal at a hotel to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover. The families of three suicide bombers said they have recently received payments of $25,000.
The devout Muslims among the bombers, a majority, believe they will go to heaven as martyrs and spend eternity in the company of 72 virgins. In grainy farewell home videos, they often read passages from the Muslim holy book, the Quran, and praise God. Secular attackers know that after the deed, their families will win the adulation of friends, neighbors and strangers.
The other motive seems to be a strong yearning for revenge. Relatives of many of the bombers recall how many of the young men’s formative years were spent in Israeli jails. The mother of one bomber said her son once watched Israeli soldiers beating his father.
Mahmoud Safi, leader of a pro-Iraqi Palestinian group, the Arab Liberation Front, acknowledged that the support payments for relatives make it easier for some potential bombers to make up their minds. “Some people stop me on the street, saying if you increase the payment to $50,000 I’ll do it immediately,” Safi said. He also suggested such remarks were made mostly in jest.
Saddam has said the Palestinians need weapons and money instead of peace proposals and has provided payments throughout a year and a half of Israeli-Palestinian battles. “I saw on Iraqi TV President Saddam saying he will continue supporting the (uprising) even if it means selling his own clothes,” said Safi.
RUMSFELD RESPONSE Rumsfeld, who said earlier this week that Saddam and the Iraqi government were offering the lower amount, elaborated on the issue at a Pentagon briefing.
“Here is an individual who is the head of a country, Iraq, who has proudly, publicly made a decision to go out and actively promote and finance human sacrifice for families that will have their youngsters kill innocent men, women and children,” Rumsfeld said Wednesday.
But Saddam is not the only one giving money. Charities from Saudi Arabia and Qatar — both U.S. allies — pay money to families of Palestinians killed in the fighting, including suicide bombers.
The mother of Jamal Nasser, a 23-year-old architecture student who died trying to ram an explosives-laden car into a bus carrying Jewish settlers, said she received a check for $10,000 from Iraq and another for $5,000 from Saudi Arabia. She said she plans to put the money toward buying an apartment. She wants to move her family from the small place they’ve been renting for more than 20 years. The money she received is about half the cost of a small apartment in Nablus.
• The obstacles to peace in the Middle East
Fifty-five Palestinians have blown themselves up in attacks on Israeli civilians in the past 18 months of fighting.
Under the new Iraqi payscale, decided on March 12 during an Arab conference in Baghdad, the families of gunmen and others who die fighting the Israelis will still receive $10,000, while the relatives of suicide bombers will get $25,000.
Safi and two others from the Arab Liberation Front visit families in the northern West Bank and make the payments. “We go to every family and give them a check,” he said. “We tell them that this is a gift from President Saddam and Iraq.”
Obviously since they are going to blow themselves. Duh!!!! But their families supporting those idiots have the hell of an incentive to persuade them.
And herein lies the solution to the middle east problems. Isreal should announced its new policy: The relatives of suicide bombers will be killed and their homes destroyed. The bodies of the bombers and their relatives will be desecrated with pig oil. Hence, there will not be a financial or religeous incentive to martyr oneself.
If you think it won't work, just look at how long it took Daniel Pearl's captor to turn himself in once the Paki's detained his family members - two days if I recall. There is a sense of family over there, no matter how twisted.
How about $100 for each cubic inch?
LOL!!
Unless your name is Donald Rumsfeld, I would advise against attempting to collect that reward.
These fools actually envision heaven as a whorehouse with 72 personal whores. This is a completely animalistic view of the ultimate happiness that heaven is supposed to be.What a lovely religion-- kill innocents and get laid--pathetic.
That would be a sweet message to suicide bombers--Blow yourself up and your family won't get a dime in fact they'll have no home and be utterly penniless. I bet it would make the job a little less attractive to the useful idiots.
1) they often read passages from the Muslim holy book, the Quran, and praise God..
Where is the error in the sentence above? I will start with the fact that they don't praise "God", they praise "Allah"-a NAME for a specific "god" which they unknowingly "believe" is the same as the "One-Mighty One of Israel", who revealed his name in Genesis chapter 2 and Again to Moses in Exodus chapter 3.
Oddly, no one in the media seems to understand the distinction, preferring to parrot the familiar misguided line, "allah is just the Arab way we say 'God'". It may seem like a simple difference, but it is similar to saying that once you know someone's name, he or she would appreciate you calling him, "hey, you" or "man" for the rest of the time you address him or her.
In fact, if you wish to study a bit deeper you will find that "allah" is in fact the name of a specific "god" from ancient babylon/chaldea around the second or third millenium B.C.E., and "he" represents the worship of the moon. Thus,it may be factually correct to say that Abram (before his name was changed to "Abraham" by YaHWeH in Genesis (I believe chapter 15) did in fact worship "allah" as his local "god" before YHWH called him out to go to the promised land.
When one understands the distinction it becomes quite clear that we are not "all worshipping the same 'God'", and we must confront this nonsense with the TRUTH before more people blow themselves to hell in a misguided attempt to win the favor of "god". We might start by challenging the uninformed information providers who pass off opinion and misinformation for knowledge and research and then we can address the spiritual issues at the heart of this crises. More follows in my response to the next quotation from the article describing the difference between the "God-YHWH" and "god-allah".
2)The other motive seems to be a strong yearning for revenge.
Interestingly enough in the Old Testament, YHWH says, "Vengeance is mine saith the LORD (YHWH) I will repay." Thus, it seems quite clear that he doesn't need the help of those motivated by revenge and indeed if one says that "god" told him to seek revenge, he is obviously not listening to the ONE GOD who is GOD.
Moreover, the True "God" tells us that we are to "do good to those who despitefully use and pray for those who persecute us." He also told us that he came not to destroy men's lives but to save them, and when his followers tried to impress him by suggesting that they call down fire on a village of samaritans, he told them , "you know not what manner of spirit you are of." It seems quite clear that those of that spirit are not favored by him and indeed fooling themselves if they believe otherwise.
There are so many other ridiculous and or foolish misunderstandings in the article that I don't have the time or the space to address them all, but suffice it to say that a "god" who purports to reward his followers with sensual pleasures if they deny themselves such things here and "kill/murder" others in direct violation of the 5th commandment, is not "God", he is evil incarnate. But , please also remember that prayer for those misguided souls is the best course of action, "Pray for the Peace of Jersualem, they shall prosper who love thee" Ps 122:6
May you be blessed and be in health even as your souls prosper. shalom.
I've said it before: Israel should "disappear" the families and do it with lots of publicity.
Future would-be suicide bombers might think twice if their families are not around to collect the cash and other rewards.
Anybody else want to get in on the dead pool?
Let them prove it by putting it into a (bona-fide) 9/11 charity fund. Or a fund for the orphans of the Irish, er, debate. Or anywhere but where they (or their kin) personally profit.
Future would-be suicide bombers might think twice if their families are not around to collect the cash and other rewards.
You do have a point there. After all they imply themselves into this conflict irrevocably. Though at times maybe so under durress. One thing is sure, labeling and identifying oneself in war is a no no and liable for targeting.
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