Israelization of the United States


American tanks rumble through Iraq
Israeli tank rumbles through Palestine

The images of the American armada plowing through the deserts of Iraq, bombing military and civilian targets, laying siege to Iraqi cities, targeting Iraqi leaders, shooting civilians, blinded by sandstorms, stalled, ambushed, shocked by the Iraqi resistance, facing suicide attacks, suggests an eerie but inescapable comparison. Is this America's West Bank? Is this the Israelization of United States - heading to its logical conclusion?

Most Americans have been taught by their captive media to interpret what happens today in the Middle East in terms of what happened  yesterday. The clock of history in this region always starts with the most recent "suicide" attack mounted by Palestinians against "peaceful," "innocent" Israeli "civilians." If, somehow, these Americans could be persuaded to take the long view, they might begin to understand that the war against Iraq is perhaps the culmination of a process that had been long in the making: the Israelization of United States.

The founding fathers of Zionism understood clearly that their colonial project had no chance of succeeding without the patronage of a great power. The Zionists tried but failed to persuade the Ottoman Caliph to open up Palestine to Jewish colonization; he declined their inducements. Then, the British found themselves in a tight spot in the midst of World War I. They sought Jewish help in accelerating US entry into the war. In return for their help, the Zionists got the vital support they wanted. In the infamous Balfour Declaration of 1917, the British promised "to use their best endeavor" (what charming language) to facilitate the creation of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine.

The British occupied Palestine in December 1917 and immediately opened it up to Jewish immigration. At the end of the war, according to the terms of a secret agreement, the British and French vivisected the Arab territories of the Ottoman Empire to splinter Arab unity. Syria was carved up four ways: Lebanon, to create a Maronite-dominated state; Jordan, to reward one of the sons of the collaborating Sharif Hussein; a French-controlled Syria; and the British mandate of Palestine, the future Israel. Soon, the Jews of Europe came pouring into British-occupied Palestine, setting up a parallel government with their own military.

The die was cast for the Palestinians. They were no match for the combined Zionist and British forces; and there was no help from weak Arab "states," hamstrung by imperialist control. Still the Palestinians fought to save their homeland. When the British stopped the Jewish immigration, the Zionists mounted a terrorist campaign. The British lost nerve and passed the buck to the United Nations, or, effectively, to the United States, which now dominated that august body. Motivated in part by anti-Semitism and still strong Christian sentiments, but also swayed by a determined Jewish campaign, United States pushed a partition plan that strongly favored the Jews. The Palestinians rejected the partition plan. They and other Arabs mounted a feeble resistance, but were routed by the Zionists. Close to a million Palestinians were expelled from their homes, and never allowed to return.

It should be understood that the creation of Israel did not - at least in the early years - advance America's strategic interests. At the time, United States and Britain exercised firm - and very profitable - control over the oil resources of the Gulf through a clutch of weak and pliant monarchies. The emergence of radical governments in Egypt in 1952, and, later, Syria, only deepened the dependence of the oil-rich Arab monarchies on Western powers. When the Iranian nationalists sought to nationalize their oil in 1952, the Americans and British organized a coup, and reinstated the deposed King. In other words, the British and Americans were firmly in control of the region - without any help from Israel. A "special relationship" with the Israeli interloper could only undermine this control by inflaming Arab nationalist sentiments.

The record of American assistance to Israel shows that the special relationship did not develop until the late 1960s. US aid flows to Israel remained well below $100 million annually until 1965, and, more importantly, very little of this was for military hardware. The aid flows doubled in 1966, increased six fold in 1971, and five fold again in 1974 when it rose to $2.6 billion, going up to $5 billion in more recent years.[1] Further, this aid was disbursed mostly in the form of grants, and nearly all of it was spent on military hardware. Indeed, these terms indicate a very "special relationship," not available to any other country.

Most commentators, especially those on the left, attribute the emergence of this special relationship to Israel's stunning 1967 victory over Egypt, Syria and Jordan. They argue that this victory convinced the US that Israel could serve as a vital ally and a counterpoise to Arab nationalism and Soviet ambitions in the region. But this explanation is both one-sided and simplistic. It completely ignores the part Israel played in initiating this relationship, deepening it, and making it irreversible.

If the special relationship was the product of an Israeli victory over Arabs, US should have embraced Israel as a vital ally after its first victory over Arab armies in 1948, or after 1956 when it seized the entire Sinai in a lightning strike. Why did US have to wait until 1967, after Israel had humiliated the leading nationalist states and Soviet allies in the region. Presumably, the Arab defeat should have reduced Israel's usefulness to the US. In addition, the doubling of American aid flows to Israel in 1966 as well as the cover-up of the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty - a reconnaissance ship - off the Sinai coast, indicate that a special relationship had begun to develop well before the 1967 war.

If America's special relationship with Israel was slow to develop, in large part, this was because Israel was doing quite well without it. At least in the 1950s, the British were still the paramount power in the Persian Gulf, a position it would yield only slowly to United States. In addition, Israel entered into a very fruitful military relationship with France, which supplied not only heavy arms and combat aircraft but collaborated on its nuclear weapons program. Israel was quite confident of its military superiority over its Arab adversaries even in these early years. Apparently, the British and the French too knew about this, since they persuaded Israel to invade Sinai in 1956 as part of their campaign to regain control of the Suez canal. This confidence was well-placed. Within a few days, Israel had taken the Sinai from the Egyptians.

If the war of 1967 produced stunning Israeli victories, it also drove Israel to look for a new partner. First, since it had started the war against French advice, President De Gaulle suspended all arms shipments to Israel. In order to make good the loss, Israel turned to the US, which had the added advantage of being the world leader in military technology. At the same time, Egypt and Syria would seek to rebuild their decimated military by pursuing an even closer relationship with Soviet Union. Given the logic of the Cold War, this forced the US to develop Israel as a counterweight against the growing Soviet influence in the region. The conditions were now ripe for the growth of a special relationship between Israel and the US.

This Israeli decision to realign itself with the US was pregnant with consequences. Israel would have to persuade Americans that their vital interests in the region - protecting their oil supplies, rolling back Arab nationalism, and containing Soviet influence - could be best served by building up Israel, militarily and economically, as the regional hegemon. This would not be an easy task since American support for Israel was certain to alienate the Arab world. And Americans knew this.

The Israelis undertook this task with seriousness. In casting itself as the regional hegemon, Israel was playing a high-risk, high-stakes game that could succeed only if it was supported and financed by the US. Also, Israel could not build a new strategy on a special relationship that Americans would be free to reverse. In order to make this an enduring relationship, Israel would bolster it at two levels.

At the grass-roots level, it worked to build a strong, emotional American identification with Israel. This was pursued in a variety of ways. Most importantly, American consciousness was saturated with guilt over Jewish suffering. In his book, The Holocaust Industry, Norman Finkelstein has shown that the sacralization of the holocaust began only after 1967, and how the guilt this produced has been used to silence Israel's critics. Americans now feared that criticism of Israel would be seen as anti-Semitism. As a result, few dared to criticize Israel in public.

Israel was also portrayed as a democracy, constantly under attack from Palestinians and Arabs. Two explanations of Arab hatred of Israel were offered. It was a species of anti-Semitism. Like its older European cousin, Arab anti-Semitism was unprovoked; it had no causes. Alternatively, unable to modernize, the Arabs hated Israel because it was the only country in the region that was both free and prosperous.

At the political level, organized American Jewry amplified its efforts to increase the pro-Israeli bias of American politics. While individual Jews continued to play a distinguished role in liberal and left causes, nearly all the major Jewish organizations now worked feverishly to put pressure on the media, the Congress and the Presidency to offer unconditional support to Israel. In several states, Jewish money, votes and media tilted elections towards the most pro-Israeli candidates. In addition, Jewish organizations worked more effectively to defeat candidates who took positions even mildly critical of Israel. This is documented in Paul Findley's book, They Dare to Speak Out.

Once Israel's special relationship with the US was in place, it would acquire its own logic of success. This logic worked through several channels. First, as Jewish organizations worked to shape US policies towards Israel, they would improve their tactics, and their initial victories would bring more Jewish support and, in time, more success. This logic even worked to turn temporary reverses to Israel's advantage. People who argue that the US special relationship with Israel was prompted by its victory in 1967 should also note that its near-defeat in 1973 led, the following year, to a more than five-fold increase in the US aid package to Israel to $2.6 billion. Egypt took this message to heart, deciding that it would be futile to challenge this special relationship any further. In 1978, it signed a separate peace with Israel, after US promised to sweeten the deal with an annual aid package of $2 billion. It's chief rival eliminated, Israel's hegemony over the Middle East was now more secure.

Iran's Islamist revolution in 1979 added new strength to Israel's special relationship with the US. The overthrow of the Iranian monarchy, the second pillar of American hegemony in the Middle East, increased Israel's leverage over US policies. In addition, the accession to power of Islamists raised the bogey of the Islamic threat to the West. The Israeli lobby, especially its Middle East experts, had been making the case for some time that the Islamist movements in the Middle East opposed the US per se, and not merely its policies towards Israel. The alarm caused by the Iranian Revolution gave strength to this interpretation.

The end of the Cold War in 1990 stripped the special relationship of its old rationale. Israel would now have to invent a new one to continue to sell itself as a strategic asset. It would now market itself as the barrier, the break-water, against the rising tide of Islamic fundamentalism. For many years, the chief opposition to the corrupt and repressive regimes in the Arab world, whether dictatorships or monarchies, had taken Islamist forms. Pro-Israeli apologists in the media and academia - mostly Jewish neo-conservatives and Middle East experts - argued that the West now faced a new Islamic threat, global in its scope, which hated the freedoms, secular values and prosperity of the West. Bernard Lewis, the "doyen" of Middle East experts and a passionate Zionist, solemnly intoned in 1993 that this was nothing less than a "clash of civilizations." This was a clever move, but also a necessary one, to convert Israel's conflict with the Arabs into a new Crusade, the war of the West  (read: United States) against Islam. It was clever move also because it had support from Christian fundamentalists, who were now a strong force in the Republican party.

The new Crusaders worked in tandem with Islamic extremists in the al-Qaida camp who also wanted to provoke a war between Islam and the US. Every time Osama's men struck at American targets, it was exploited by the pro-Israeli lobby to promote the Clash thesis. When the nineteen hijackers struck on September 11, 2001, they could not have chosen a better time. The man at America's helm was a born-again Christian, an isolationist, elected by right-wing Christians, with a cabinet that took its advice on foreign policy mostly from Jewish neo-conservatives. The neo-conservative's plan for a new Crusade had been ready long before 9-11. They had the President's ears after 9-11, and the President bought into their plan.

In no time, George Bush had been converted into a new Crusader. He described Ariel Sharon as a "man of peace," after embracing every one of his extremist positions on the Palestinians: reoccupation of West Bank, repudiation of Oslo, removal of Arafat, and dismantling of the Palestinian authority. He laid out his binary doctrine - you are with us or against-us - and prepared for pre-emptive wars against the "axis of evil."

The new Crusade is now underway. The world's only superpower, commanding one-third of the world's output, and nearly one-half its military expenditure, has entered Iraq to effect "regime-change," to bring democracy to a people it has emasculated with bombs and sanctions for twelve years. In its new Crusade, United States stands at the head of a numerous "coalition of the willing," now including forty-five countries. But Israel is missing from this long list, even though a team of colonial administrators, handpicked by Paul Wolfowtz, has already arrived in Kuwait City to take over Baghdad. That is a trick no magician could imitate. The Israelization of United States is complete.


 

M. Shahid Alam is an economist, essayist, poet and political satirist. He teaches economics at Northeastern University, Boston, USA. His recent book, Poverty from the Wealth of Nations, was published by Palgrave (2000). He may be reached at [email protected]. M. Shahid Alam

[1] "U.S. assistance to Israel," Jewish Virtual Library: http://www.us-israel. org/ jsource/US-Israel/U.S._Assistance_to_Israel1.html (2003)


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Older Comments:
MIKE HALE FROM USA said:
Akbar -- If you are through foaming at the mouth you might take a moment to realize that your numbers do not match up. If you want to look at the dollars the United States doles out to those in need you need to look at U.S. State Department numbers.
The monies that the US gives in aid are not based on populations of the world. There are politcal considerations and often it seems they are guided by UN vote buying.
How many dollars has your government given to distant countries? Do you have a clue? What country do you really live in, what country were you born in and why is your bias against the United States so strong?
Is it possible to know about your homelands government spending habits? Or would they cut your tongue off for asking?
2003-04-14

DEANA ABDEL-RAHMAN FROM UNITED STATES OF AMERICA said:
Dear Mr. Shahid,

Thank you for your informative article. I beleive just by reading all of the responses thus far you have hit a sour note with many. The truth hurts and I think that is apparent in all of the hostile commentary.
May we as Muslims and those of all faiths who are interseted in knowing the truth clear our minds of arrogance and greed and accept the reality for what it is and not what sensored media wants us to believe. The difference starts within ourselves. You don't need a PHD to see the injustices all you need is a clean heart.
2003-04-13

SOLOMON WEISKOP said:
Palestinianization of Iraq: U.S. Marines have uncovered large caches of suicide-bomb belts. They were being stored, ready-to-use, in a school.
2003-04-12

LEILA MEKTIEV FROM USA/AZERBAIJAN said:
Your article is an excellent summary of the events of the last century. However, you should have reinforced with more statistical data - to strengthen you point even further.

Things I have in mind are:
-making a point that when the Jews were led to the land of Canaan (ancient history), the Palestinians (filistines) were already living there.
-why did the Jews left the land of Palestine/Judea/Israel and Palestininas did not? In other words, how did Palestine become almost Jew-free in the past? If the Romans or whoever chased out the Jews why did they not chase out the Palestinians? If the Jews were not chased out, then why did they leave and "dessert their house"?
-cite the population numbers of Palestinians & Jews in the beginning of last centry and empnasize the Jewish immigration (against give the numbers of immigrants, who financed them - esp. about 1 mil or more of Jews who immigrate from former USSR. many of them are on public assistance in Israel. who pay for that? I have a feeling that U.S. does). this is to emphasize that Israel if a settlor state and Palestine is not. If we fought so hard to keep the Albanians in Serbian Kosovo, why did we not speak out about the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Palestine and replacing them with settlor Jews?
2003-04-11

TOBY FROM USA said:
Mr. Shahid,
Welcome to the US. Hope you feel safe here and free to voice your opinions. Many Americans have died for that right. I hope you appreciate their sacrifice. Are you now trying to use the same trick you say the Israelis used on the US? Sounds like you are two of a kind. You also have a very bias opinion. So in essence you are no better than they are. Politics around the world are not going to satisfy everyone as you well know. If Arabs are so much more advanced than the rest of the world what are you doing here? Why aren't you teaching in Iraq. Is it because they won't buy your crap. ... You care nothing about your people or your religion. You seek the benefits of our country but if we fall where will you find your freedom to speak. Not in the middle east i assure you. The US is your only hope for peace in the Arab states.
2003-04-10

AKBAR KHAN FROM CANADA said:
MIKE!!! You brought up soo many stupendous points I keep reading your response and keep laughing at how funny they sound!! I noticed how you were going on talking about how once, China was our ally, Russia was our Ally, iran was our ally! HA HA HAAH...ohh man....so you're telling me you don't remember that Iraq was a US Ally, but wait, so was Iran, hold on a second...didn't US command Saddam to invade Iran to topple the Ayatollah b/c he was being bad? ohh wait a minute...actually you stop being ally's with countries when the guys that you have installed as regimes in those countries start to rebel against your wishes...when they stop obeying to US orders directed at them with that magical stick!!! Wait where does China fit into all of this, they stopped being your ally when their government changed!? LOLL man where'd you study history, Cheney Community College?! Later Mike...
2003-04-10

AKBAR KHAN FROM CANADA said:
By the way Mike, those figures I gave you concerning US assistance for Israel sums up to more than $1.688 trillion US. Do the rest of the math and actually my last figure of Israel's official population is not even close to 15 million, the truth is that the Israeli Census Bureau says that in the year 2000, the population was 6.289 million. WOAH hold on there Mikey!! What percentage of the world's population is that?? And according to the WORLD BANK's databases, in the year 2000, Israel's Income Per Capita was $16,710 US!! Not including inflation, of course...by the way, Ethiopia received $116 million US...that's about $3 US per Ehiopian, considering that the population of Ethiopia is more than 64 million. Sorry Mr. Hale, but I suggest you stop defending the US Government before I throw some more facts up here showing how the US Officials keep a grip on the world, killing it's people, with illness, poverty, malnutrition through with economic strangleholds at their discretion, and your pleasure. Thank you come again! :-)
2003-04-10

AKBAR KHAN FROM CANADA said:
Mike Hale, My grasp on US politics is through my own research and my own findings. What I find are based on things such as this bill passed in US Congress:

Appropriations bill, titled "Foreign Military Financing," Congress provides:
". . . Not less than $2,040,000,000 shall be available for grants only for Israel, and not less than $1,300,000,000 shall be made available for grants only for Egypt: Provided further, That the funds appropriated by this paragraph for Israel shall be disbursed within 30 days of the enactment of this Act or by October 31, 2001, whichever is later: Provided further, That to the extent that the Government of Israel requests that funds be used for such purposes, grants made available for Israel by this paragraph shall, as agreed by Israel and the United States, be available for advanced weapons systems, of which not less than $535,000,000 shall be available for the procurement in Israel of defense articles and defense services, including research and development..."
Total cost of US support of Israel includes, in addition to direct aid ($247 billion), the collateral cost of aid to Jordan and Egypt ($164 bilion), the costs of "rescuing" Israel in 1973 ($750-$1050 billion), ad hoc costs such as loan guarantees, etc. ($106 billion), cost of attempts to protect the US from a repeat of the 1973 Oil Embargo (at least $381 billion), and the cost of using US military to defend autocratic regimes in the Persian Gulf ($40 billion). What about Palestinians, did you give them any of this???? Boy...don't get me started!Israeli pop. isn't even 15 million! the populations in the middle east, Africa, Asia, are hundreds of times more populated than Israel. You talk about Israel being a US ally? It's so funny when I hear people say that, because of how selective, biased, and racist US Govt's selection of "friends" is....even when Israel has committed terrorist acts against the US and the rest of the world in the past, ppl like u overlook it. nicet
2003-04-10

SAM3 FROM USA said:
To Abu Antar
lol
OK, I will do what you said. But do you get my point though. The dumb arabs(i mean rulers, and in an indirect way the people too) havent been able to figure out what is in store for them. They think being in bed with US today will save them tomorrow. Not a chance, thats the point I was making with my adult film analogy. Get it ?
2003-04-09

MIKE HALE FROM USA said:
Akbar Khan --You seem to have such a good grasp on American and global politics The article here states that the US gives Israel 5 billion a year. Furthermore, you state the US gives the rest of the entire world only 11 billion. When in point of fact the US budget for aid to the Middle East this year is 32 billion US tax payer dollars. What makes you think that the average US citizen wants any of those tax dollars to support those countries?
If Americans want to live in poverty that is generally of their own choosing. They are not beaten down and tortured by some evil government. This government is freely elected and is not controlled by those "Jews". Jewish people make up a small percentage of the American population, just like the Arab population.
Israel does not control America by any stretch of the imagination. They are an ally just as Iraq was once an ally, just as Russia was once an ally, just as Iran was once an ally, just as China was once an ally. Political allies change as governents change but you can't grasp that philosophy. The United States has no single minded foreign policy because our government is VOTED in by the public and hence it changes every few years and with the change comes different ideas from the different groups that get ELECTED.
And if you really want to talk about poverty - travel to the Middle East, North Korea, Africa.
If the Middle East was the largest and most wonderful civilization on the planet 1000 years ago it doesn't say much about the planet. Were your ancestors still eating with their fingers?
2003-04-09

AKBAR FROM CANADA said:
While the American media continually floods its coverage with information incriminating Saddam Hussain, implicating him to be of the likes of Adolf Hitler, I am saddened that there are American people out there who, fail to recognize that Israel has violated 4 times more United Nations Conventions than Iraq, and call Israel the only "democracy" in the Middle East. If Israel is one of the US's best allies, is this what democracy looks like??? You kill Palestinians and call yourselves liberators?? Now US Forces kill Iraqi's because they want to liberate them?? What a blatant lie being fed to the American population, and what an opportunity for us to speak out and unite against this Pro-Jewish owned and operated American media. American's...do you care that your leaders are speaking for the betterment of the Zionist Agenda, for the state of Israel, that the amount of money that goes out of the USA into Israel every year since 1948 til today has accumulated to 200 billion + US Dollars, not including reparation monies Germany is still paying to Jews?? Some speak about living in the past...how muslims are stuck on old ways and need to be liberated. I LAUGH at those who make such an outright hypocrisy before my eyes. Who gave America the right to be the policeman of the world??? Who gave America the right to tell the Middle East what is best for them?? The history and advancement of Islam is what democracy is based on, if it were not for everything from scientific and medical discovery by muslims, to political structure and organization, this WANNABE LIE called democracy would NEVER exist. NOW the US Government and some of it's population have the arrogance to forget history, a common trait in America, to decide that NOW is the time...what about the last 12 years, why now!! B/C your president has used the horror of 9/11 as authorization to attack Iraq. How despicable to see anti-Muslim sentiment used in USA to boaster the Israeli agendas.
2003-04-09

WASIM FROM USA said:
These LINKS are for these arrogant and ignorant western tongue-wagers who're giving muslims a morality lesson after having gazed at naked picture of Pamela Anderson posing on a giant ad at Times Square for the holy cause of advertising a pair of freakin shoes. Most of Americans think they know enough to debate on any topic after watching ZNN(Zionist News Network) for 15 mins. Dare to know the truth:

http://www.Occupation101.com
Watch trailers of this under-construction documentary movie produced by Jews/Christians of USA/Israel.

http://www.marchforjustice.com
See the galleries of slaughtered muslim civilians by USA and Israel along with their 'freedom quotes'. Feel free to be ashamed.

http://www.davidicke.com/icke/index1c.html
This is the page for your daily headlines, read his book about 9/11 and your support for King Dubya will vanish. Author's English christian. Prefer an American jewish? Read Noam Chomsky's books to prove yourself wrong. Western Journalists and Independant news agencies call Bush, USA, Israel terrorists and here we have trash like Elo, dumped into Turkey to sacrifice his miserable life for kikes, taunt at muslims.
2003-04-09

AKBAR KHAN FROM CANADA said:
First and foremost, I would like to extend my thanks to the individual who clarified that Israeli American's within America are using their connection to the State of Israel, the Likud party, and Mossad, manipulating the media by expressing a viewpoint that is DISGUSTINGLY PRO ISRAELI, and ANTI-PALESTINIAN. Why is it that when a Palestinian is murdered by Israeli Defence Forces, the media calls him a "casualty"...but when an Israeli is killed by a Palestinian in self defence, that Israeli is "assasinated"??? What do you think you are, God's gift to humanity?? You people, such as the individual who responded to me calling me an ideological romanticist, you call me pathetic, but all you can do is make a personal attack on me, denying the truths I have related in the past to what is going on today. To defend yourself, you attack me personally, showing that your intellect is incapable of challenging what I had said in my previous message!! NOW, Islam is not an ideology, Democracy IS...I guess that makes you pathetic, not I. I will say it once and say it CLEARLY so you can understand proper english here...over 50 Jewish-American lobby groups raise money every year and finance the political leaders and parties of their choosing, to BUY them off and be represented in Congress...when Israel says they want 12 billion US dollars from US Congress, and they get it, meanwhile the rest of the world is receiving 11 billion, there is NOTHING to speculate about. Every single Secretary in the Bush Administration who is leading this campaign against Iraq, are hawkish, pro-Israeli ass-lickers, or Oil former executive employees of American Oil-tycoon corporations. DONALD RUMSFELD, DICK CHENEY, CONDOLEEZA RICE, ARI FLEISHER, and PAUL WOLFOWITZ, the number one Sharon ass-licker who wrote this second Iraq war plan after the end of the 1st Gulf War. I am not living in the past,"Response to Akbar Khan" afraid to give his/her own name, It's YOU who cannot muster up a reasonable defence
2003-04-09

ABU ANTAR FROM IRAQ said:
The Americans are virtual slaves to the State of Israel, and they are sacrificing their lives and resources to wage a proxy war on Israel's behalf. Billions of dollars are paid to Israel annually to finance its campaign of terror and repression against the unarmed Palestinians and to bribe the corrupt government of Egypt to keep its peace with it, while millions of Americans are living under the poverty line and deprived of essential social services.

It's funny that American partiotism only works for Israel's interests. The media created a big hullabaloo over injured Jessica Lynch, rescued while she was being treated by its Iraqi captors, but no one cared about Rachel Corrie, a young American who was deliberately crushed under a US-made Israeli bulldozer while protesting the brutal, collective punishment of demolishing Palestinian houses and making thousands of families homeless, and the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty is still muzzled and neglected.

It's OK when Israelis murder Americans. In this case, they are not true Americans and worthy of partiotic sympathy. But when an American dies or gets injured for the sake of Israel, American pathetic sentimentalism blows out of proportion.

The Americans, before "liberating" Iraqi children from their lives, limbs, and families, should liberate themselves from that ugly Zionist monkey on their shoulder who control their media, prostituted their government, and leading them with a leash around their neck on a murderous spree against the Muslim world.
2003-04-09

TO THE RESPONDER TO AKBAR FROM USA said:
Actually you seem to be under the illusion. A tiny fraction of American population aka the Israeli Americans, the devil Sharon's advocates are the ones running and making US fight its (Israel's) dirty war against Arabs. Atleast the Arabs know what reality is on their streets.
Get a dose of reality, ..! Get your US back from Israelis!
2003-04-08

RESPONSE TO AKBAR KHAN FROM CANADA said:
To Akbar Khan:
You are so lost in your ideological romanticism, its pathetic.

1. First of all, our soldiers are volunteers, not conscripts and slaves like the Iraquis

2. What the USA did to the Iraquis is nothing compared to what saddam huessein did to his people. HELLO? Iran Iraq War. Invasion of Kuwait.

3. You are right about Arabia's past civilization. It was the greatest at the time. But not anymore. Arabia is a primitive, backwater, ... You can live in the past all you want, but it will never change your reality.

4. Shiites and Sunnis are killing each other. Murder after murder is the reality of their plight. And what about the Kurds.

You need to see reality. See the world the way it is, not they way you want it to be,
2003-04-08

AKBAR KHAN FROM CANADA said:
More than 1500 Iraqi's murdered in 2 1/2 weeks, and half of them under the age of 14!!! You call this getting rid of Saddam Hussain, in the name of this so called DEMOCRACY!?? Let's remind ourselves about how the US Government continually misrepresents the US population in it's decisions, coerces it's people to support war by sending the children of American parents into combat, with the motivation of spreading so called "democracy" in the region. George W. Bush has repeated that he hopes for a "domino effect" in the region for democracy to spread, shockingly resembling what the Vietnamese said in the Vietnam War about Communism...HOW IRONIC OF AMERICA to support this criminal Invasion!

Bush has also stated that he will try to give the United Nations some role to play in the so called post-war Iraq, second to the role played by the un-United States of America, and not so great Britain. Bush,Blair join Sharon in the War Criminal Hall of Shame..

The Islamic Republic was the largest Republic for more than 1000 years, and we're deceived by not even 100 years of this new found democracy? You could walk from southern India, to Lebanon, to Central Africa, on foot, without a passport, without worrying about being robbed, or killed, because this entire region, including Spain and other parts of Europe, lived under the peace of Islam.

The people of Baghdad, mostly who are Shiite, have spoken, the High Imam of the Shiites in Baghdad gave a Fatwa to the Iraqi's to fight the US invaders. These people could care less if his neighbor is Sunni, or Shiite....let's not abandon one another!! We should support each other BEFORE supporting an American invasion. So this is a reminder to us, that this US-Led Coalition is not in a WAR, they are INVADING, and Iraqi's are doing nothing wrong by fighting off these invaders trying to steal their land. This is the motivation of an Iraqi, versus a US soldier's motivation to spread this nonsense idea of installing demo
2003-04-08

ELO FROM CANADA said:
To Azman Ali:
I know you hate America Azamn. I know you are really resentful that a non-muslim country can be so successful and arab countries are so crappy. But don't get mad at us for your troubles. You guys live in an impoverished waste land where no one wants to move to. Your answer is lost in the clouds, some Utopian dream land. You think retreating into a cave and reading the Koran is gonna save your country, and propel them into the future. Forget it. You can dream all you want.
2003-04-08

AZMAN ALI FROM MALAYSIA said:
Bush has become the cruel president of the entire american civilization. All of his action were framed by the people with the sick mind and to deny the peace throughout the earth. Today he took order from isreal and the currupt capitalist soceities of the US to invade iraq, follow by syria, iran and all arab king contries (remember the current arab kings are those appointed by british empire after WW1). With the collapsed of communism in USSR, we thought that the 21st century will become the moment of success and happiness throughout the world. Instead, the 21st century was celeberated with the invasion of Afghanistan, then Iraq. As a muslim, i know this moment will come, because in the heart of every christians and jews, they will never sincere with muslim unless we disobey the teaching of islam and becoming christian or jew. The moment will come when, medinah will be attacked by the unbelievers and none of the muslim will be able to perform hajj in MECCA due to the act of war againt islam. When the moment comes, we'll act as we suppose to act, we will give our live to defend the blessing religion of Allah, Islam and the teaching of muhammad, P.B.U.H.
By invading Iraq, the true color of american administratration is emerging, they just hate islam and will attack the weakest muslim nations. Call to american and british governments, from now on, you will be skeptical with everything related with islam, the most you have gave a very solid reason to all muslim in the world to hate you. remember islam is not a country, it is not a feasible entity, it's the way of life of every muslim who belief in Allah and Muhamad PBUH. So it can't be destroyed. This is the truth of today world political situation, the truth is only the belief on Allah. Call to my brothers and sisters in iraq , afghan and palastine, be patient with the fate that being put upon us by Allah, the day of peace will come when we enter the second rome. The moment of glory seem too close.
2003-04-08

ABDUR RAZZAQ FROM USA said:
Jamila is correct-that for the first half of the US's existence, it was supported mostly by agriculture, coming from slave labor. The economy would have collapsed without cotton and tobacco exportation which is why Lincoln had to preserve the Union. However, the US became a superpower due to its industrialization and its vanguard approach to developing it.
Second, as a black American I have witnessed how this country has systematically led my peple from shackle slavery to economical and political slavery. Inner cities get the worst politicians, have the highest crime rates, the worst educational facilities, and the least amount of opportunity. I view these as obstacles set up to hinder the progress of black people. However, if one realizes that the system is against him and works his butt off he can be successful and beat the odds. This situation is akin to what faces Dar al Islam. We know that the world does not want Islam to be too successful and to spread however, we cannot continually blame the West for our shortcomings. We most resurrect the religion in our own selves, then rebuild our communities, and finally the Ummah. We must work together upon righteousness and taqwa, and stop wasting our time pointing fingers.
As salaamu alaikum.
2003-04-08

SOLOMON WEISKOP said:
To Western readers:
The surreal and pathetic unreality exhibited by the Iraqi Information Minister Sahlaf(denying the presence of American troops in Baghdad, and celebrating imaginary Iraqi military victories)can, perhaps, be better understood by reading some of the posts on this site. Here one begins to witness the evidence of a long-established cultural tradition of unwillingness, even inability, to open one's eyes, oppose untruths, and honestly confront reality.
2003-04-08

CHARLES TULLO FROM CANADA said:
To Rajawali:

I hate to tell you this, but no one gives a ..with the "hearts and minds" of radical muslims. The US could build a McDonalds in Iraq and these radical muslim losers would whine and moan about America conquering the world. What we are doing in Iraq is destroying an evil regime, and getting rid of terrorist. If you religious ..don't like that, too bad.
2003-04-08

MOHAMED YOUNUS FROM INDIA said:
This is shows domination of United States.All are condemn this one.In U.S people will reject Bush government and punishment of Bush and Blair.UN will interfer to stop the war.hereafter nobody will not interfere another country matter.world will punishment with Blair and Bush.please involve UN and arrange meeting and stop the war sudden.if we don't bother about this it must be very dangerous to world communication.
2003-04-08

JAMILA JUMA FROM INDIA said:
robert21197:

I think you are off the mark. Read a non-biased history book of the Arab peoples. The Arab rulers have been more secular, especially the Jews have prospered and have been treated very well under Muslim rulers. Another thing, Syria, Iraq and Iran and other countries like UAE all have Christians and Jews living a good life. But you never hear that in Israeli controlled US media. Did you ever hear that thousands of Muslims have been mudered in cold blood by Hindu extremist party within last year in India and that the BJP party is growing more and more Hindu oriented? Are you guys even aware that AlJazeera is despised even by the Arab politicians and rules? No! The current religious Hindu BJP regime in India just like US and Israel commit crimes openly and in bright daylight all the while claiming to be fathers of democracy and secularism. What hypocrisy! Atleast the Arab kingdoms don't have double standards as blatantly false. If US wanted to conquer Iraq for protection of its own oil interests and security of Israel, it should have been open about it. The facade of "Iraqi liberation" and "freedom of Iraqi people" sounds to most citizens of world like a bunch of bullsh**t.
BTW, most Muslims hate Saddam and a lot of Muslims ADORE American virtues and the opportunities it provides to all. But American Foreign Policy is what is so unpopular in the world and the arrogance it portrays to the world. Bombing is not the ANSWER! If America wants to be worshipped in Arabs' minds the only answer is even-handed policy in regards to Palestinian-Isreali. Subdue all the dual loyalists (Isreali Americans)like Paul Wolfowitz, David Feith, Wurmser, Richard Perle, Thomas Friedman, Charles Krauthammer, George Will, A M Rosenthal, Steve Emerson et el..and other 25-30 crooks Sharon's henchmen and than you might have a little less lopsided US Foreign Policy.
PS: Most educated Arabs & Muslims know about corruption in Washington and that's what pisses them off.
PEACE.
2003-04-08

ABU ANTAR FROM IRAQ said:
Elo and sam3.

Elo: Israel introduced terrorism to the Middle East with its terrorist Hagana and Ergun gangs. And of course the the US gets richer by buying oil dirt-cheap from the corrupt House of Saud and Sabbah family while the rest of the Saudis are imporverished. Saddam is no more wacko and criminal than Sharon, the butcher of Sabra and Shatila, Begin, the butcher of Dir Yasin, or Perez, the butcher of Qana. They are all criminals, and if there is a country in the Middle East that should be bombed for violating countless Security Council resolutions, invading other countries, still occupying other countries, solely possessing nuclear weapons in the region, and violating the Geneva Conventions by torturing prisoners, including women and children, then it must be Israel, not Iraq. Israel is NOT a democracy as your Zionist media keep telling you. It's a racist, fundamentalist theocracy where a citizen's status is determined on whether he's an Ashkenazi Jew, a Sephardic Jew, or an Arab (Christian or Muslim doesn't matter).

Sam3: Dude! You should stop watching adult movies and get a life. Go out more often, or better still, get some professional help.
2003-04-08

RAJAWALI FROM TEGANU said:
To lose the hearts and minds, which the Americans have surely done so far in Iraq, would surely be to lose the war, whatever the strategic results. But don't whisper "Vietnam", and certainly "quagmire", the word with which the Iraqis daily taunt the Americans. To do so in print has invited the reflex denial that the topography -- desert versus jungle -- is different and not good for guerrilla war; that Vietnam took 10 years to lose and we've been here two weeks. One historian wrote last week that the Iraqis were not "politicized as the Vietnamese were by the Vietcong", a startling observation given the evidence of recent days. Nationalism, patriotism and fatwas from the Arab world are surely enough. Iraqi strategists, according to one Arab editor, study Vietnam constantly. And they talk of it too. Not only will 100 Bin Ladens be unleashed by this struggle, they say, but "100 Vietnams".
2003-04-08

ROBERT21197 FROM GLOBAL CITIZEN said:
Jamila, you missed a crucial point, as well. If you go to the Encarta encyclopedia online, you'll find that the Middle East was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and that Arab "warriors" spread the teaching of Islam in the region. The warriors who conquered, yes conquered, the region eventually populated most of the Middle East in the long reign of the Ottoman Empire. The Muslims who occupy Egypt engaged in a bloody campaign to overtake that country by force. Does that make what happened to the Native American Indians (in the U.S) right? It was something shameful indeed here in the U.S. However, I do have to contradict what you had written about Negro slaves and the Chinese. Much of our countries wealth was built by the advent of modernized factories during the Industrial revolution. People all across the U.S worked on industrial floors building staples of the modern world. Many of the world's great inventors and companies are from here.

for example
telephone - Alexander Bell
car - Henry Ford
aviation - the Wright Brothers
PCs- Steve Jobs
Coca Cola, IBM, Microsoft, etc.

along with Charitable organizations
UNICEF, the Peace Corps, CARE, Samaritan's Purse, Compassion International, etc.

Before September 11th, 2000, Muslims faced virtually no persecution here in the U.S. Muslim worshippers followed the Islamic faith without fear. The government has done nothing to restrict Mosque worship here.

just one question for you, if I may, here in the states and also in India, we are allowed to practice our religion of choice or none at all. Do you think we would have those same options in Syria, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, or Afghanistan (during Taliban reign)? If I had proclaimed a devotion to Christ in those places, I wouldn't be here to type this out or I would've, at the very least, been beaten severely or expelled from those places.

While MSNBC, CBS, CNN may be pro U.S, Al Jazeera, Iraqi tv, and this web site cause Arabs to hate the U.S/
2003-04-08

JAMILA JUMA FROM INDIA said:
Abu Antar: and ELO

I couldn't have said it better myself, Abu. Just look at these pathetic so called "MidEast experts" on TV calling "Eye-rak" and "eye-ran"..the Baby Bush calling the Prime Minister of North Korea a pygmy....what a bunch of arrogant idiots. Most Americans are like naive, lovable piggy-wiggies, throw them anything on CNN and they would gulp it down without reading the labels. The idiotic Bush did not even know what the name of Pakistani PM was before the Bushites started wooing Mushsarraf for siding w/ USA. LoL!
2003-04-08

ELO FROM TURKEY said:
To Jalal. I think you're right on many accounts. However, i don't think it's booze or women. The arab countries have not grown up in a free country. They are restricted by all these religious conventions and norms. They have to break free.
2003-04-08

SAM3 FROM USA said:
To Abu Antar,
Exactly. If you become weak, your neighbour is going to rob you. If you guys can excuse my language here, there's a lot to be learnt from adult films. the girl works on the man's tool and the reward she gets is he rams it into her behind.
The present arab governments are behaving like the girl and the US+Israel is the man, in my analogy. Its time for the arabs to wisen up. What do you say
2003-04-08

ELO FROM TURKEY said:
Hello Abu: I have to inform you of something. The USA never got wealthy from stealing from poor decrepit countries like Syria and Jordan. How can you become wealthy by stealing from the poor? We became successful by allowing people to empower themselves, to be free and to use their brain power to create technology. That's what you all in the middle east just can't understand. Well some do. That's why they immigrate to the USA.

One other thing. Please Abu, get away from the "WE ARE MORE MORAL THAN YOU," argument. I here this one all the time. You guys are going to lose that one. From the world that gave us religious zealotry wackos, Saddam Huessein, Kurdish oppression, and a host of other terrors, that argument just ain't gonna fly.
2003-04-08

ELO FROM TURKEY said:
TO Abu Antar:
Here you go again...it's the old "WE ARE MORE MORAL THAN YOU" routine. Well Abu, your utopian dreams of a perfect country does not exist. Every regime, from the USA, to Iceland, to Iraq, to China, have committed attrocities. History is almost nothing more than bloodshed. But at least the USA did something about it. They modernized. They got religion out of government and institued a Bill of Rights. Yet, the Middle East did not. Why? I don't profess to know why, but I'll tell ya one thing. I would much rather live in Tibet than Iraq. I would much rather live in a crap hole in Arkansas, than live in an oppressive regime in Egypt.
2003-04-08

ELO FROM TURKEY said:
To Abdur Razzaq:

I think you are right on many issues. I don't think all Arabs are imperialists. I do think that Arabs, as well as the Israelis are nationalists, and the worst kind. More particularly, they are tribalists. Both sides believe that each tribe has a right to the land, either granted by God, or granted by national identity. These are all wrong. God isn't a realestate agent. Until these old ways of thinking are removed from both view's mind, this will never be solved.
2003-04-08

ELO FROM TURKEY said:
To Jamila Juma and Elias.

You are proving my point again. The only way your countries are going to get out of 9th century is to stop blaming the USA and reform yourselves. You losers can whine and moan about how evil the USA is, how we killed Indians, took over the Chinese. blah blah blah. I've heard these .. cliches so much. If you want to play the morality game, be my guest. You know, "We are more moral than you" game. ... Here is a fact you need to understand.

1. There are no angelic regimes. Yes, the USA did oppress Indians, did do some terrible things. I admit that. But at least we are working on it.

2. The Arab regimes, Iraq, Syria, Egypt also opressed people, from the Ottoman Empire, to the current regime of Saddam Huesein. Kurds, Shiites, Sunnis, they have all killed and oppressed each other.

So don't throw me the old "We are more Moral than You" ... I, and other Americans, will be happy to work with Muslims, as I do allready. We'd love to help you guys out. But you all have to do some serious soul searching. ...
2003-04-08

ABU ANTAR FROM IRAQ said:
The claim that the West is going to teach Arabs and Muslims how to create decent governments is pathetic and laughable. At least Muslims and Arabs know that those who are ruling them are despotic thugs, imposed on them by force after a brutal colonial rule.

There are two kinds of ignorance, simple, where you know you're ignorant and strive to better yourself, and complex, where you don't know you're ignorant and could only argue and prove your mulish ignorance.

Most people in the West, especially in the US and Britain, are complex ignorants because they think they're living in a free, democratic society. The fact is, they are ruled by an oligarchy, a despotic Israeli tribe that doesn't tolerate dissent or criticism. Genuinely ask yourselves why you're in a war with Iraq and not with North Korea, for example, and you'll know the dictators at the helm of your society.

And again I address those who keep parroting the same trite line, "blame yourselves and not others". Blame outselves for what? It's like your neighbor cannot defend himself, and yet moral and decent, but you say "I'm stronger, so I can rob him and can get away with it", so you go and rob your neighbor and kick him out of his house and tell him "blame yourself, not me".

It's true we need to blame ourselves, but not for being backward, but for letting ourselves become weak knowing our neighbors are immoral savages who only believe in jungle laws.
2003-04-08

JALAL PIRZADA FROM USA / PAKISTAN said:
Unfortunately, Muslims countries have from the beginning have boxed themselves inward, no wonder most of the arab-oil countries are nothing more than welfare state with majority of the technical-professions are foreigners. Arab countries have failed to realize their visions let alone think of one? But the sad reality is arab leaders have been duped with western booze, women, and not having to work hard since sitting on Oil and Gas and Gold.
2003-04-07

CHRIS PALMER FROM USA said:
Interesting premise. The only Crusade we're in, however, is getting rid of an enemy (Saddam,not Islam) and intending to show the Arab world how to set up a decent government. Five years from now, you may not thank us, but you will agree.
2003-04-07

SAM2 FROM USA said:
Why does everyone blame their problems on other countries? The arab states should blame only themselves. If they aren't killing the westerners or fighting the westerners they are kicking each others asses. People should wake up, and start thinking for themselves. Does anyone see Saddam as a far greater killer than anyone else? Maybe this will help you out - Saddam's hero was Hitler.
2003-04-07

ELIAS FROM UNITED STATES said:
Asalam-u-Alikum,

I have read many comments from muslims and non-muslims arguing different points. To be honest, it is not our religion thats being mocked at, but it is our bad actions that people tend to pick on. Isn't it true that we muslims don't have any unity? Isn't true that most of us don't care about the Quran and Sunah's teachings? Isn't true that out of all the 55 or so muslim nations nobody could stop the war? Instead, Kuwait, Saudi, Jordan, Turkey has supported the war if not publicly but behind the 'scences'for the purpose of staying in power and getting more wealth. I think 'We muslims' should educate ourselves and others and unite and learn how to avoid situations, not being scared but powerful in every way ie. United, Strong, have'Real Democracy', educated, prepared, and true believers in Allah (SWT). I ask Allah (SWT) to guide all of us to the right path of true success. Ameen!

Elias
2003-04-07

JAMILA JUMA FROM INDIA said:
Elo:.....its seems that you missed out one trivial point in your advise...errrr...that the Giant Head USofA has been built after the "white sharks" from Old Europe systemetically killed hundreds of thousands of Native Americans..thier blood has been copiously spilled on US's soil..plus you seem to forget that its vast infrastucture has been mailnly built by the sweat & toil of Negro slaves and Chinese indentured laborers...and to top it all..you must know that most Native Americans have been made drunkards and drug addicts by the "civilized whiteman", go check out the reservations in Long Island and Arizona. The truth US and Israelis can't digest is that Arabs would never bow down to the Lord Whites: recent example being the Palestinians.... get a lesson in history and get some self-respect!
2003-04-07

ABU ANTAR FROM US said:
For those arguing that Arabs and Muslims should criticize themselves and not blame America or Israel, I say this:

1. Civilization isn't only about technological advancement. The US and its master Israel are acting as nothing more than hi-tech thugs, robbers, murderds, and savages, just like the Monguls and the the Crusades at that time. They are morally inferior while technologically superior, leading them to the extinguish and exploit other people. Having the tool to commit murder doesn't make you moral. Morality prevents you from committing those murders, but apparently the lack of morality in Western societies makes any crime against other people justifiable.

2. The Arabs and Muslims were at one stage in history far more technologically and scientifically superior than the "West", but they didn't extiniguish other races, enslave entier continents, and rob other nations. If you look at history, and take both ratios and raw numbers into account, you will find that Western "civilization" is the MOST CRIMINAL of all civilizations! No civilization on Earth caused more death, destruction, exploitation, racism, hatred, and robbery than Western "civilization". Western "civilization" built its riches and prosperity on the crushed bones and blood of the other people.

3. Most of the wars and bloodshed in Muslim countries are the DIRECT RESULT of Western colonization and exploitation. The US and its Gulf "allies" funded Iraq to attack Iran to curb the spread of "Islamic fundamentalism", while at the same time funded Iran through Israel (Iran-Contra scandal) to prolong the war. Most of the wars in region (Isreal and its neighbors, the Lebanese Invasion of '82, Jordan's Black October, etc) are the result of the establishment of the state of Israel.

The West has inflicted, and still is, horrors and pain on Muslim countries JUST BECAUSE IT CAN. It's time for those in the West to confront themselves in the mirror and repent for all their crimes against humanit
2003-04-07

ABDUR RAZZAQ FROM USA said:
John Norman: The author raises very poignant issues here and I would like to here you two debate. I know from reading your numerous posts that you are unsympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians, but you wrote some questionable statements here. Palestine was an Arab territory under Ottoman control, and the desruction of the Ottoman Khalifaat does not justify handing over any territory to anyone, if they are not the indigenous people of that area. The Arabs then, just like today, were poisoned with Nationalism by the British, which caused them to accept the splintered up parcels of land they were given. And even still, Arabs did not have to be imported to these countries to populate them. Europe, seemingly, just wanted to get rid of Jews, and there has always been animosity and anti-semitism in Europe. And please do not be the pot calling the kettle black. If Arabs were imperialists, that does not justify Israeli imperialism. For the most part Muslims treated Jews with dignity and respect, and the plotting of Jews against Islamic rule caused most of the friction between them.
2003-04-07

ELO FROM TURKEY said:
If you are a loser country, you can ask two possible questions as to what has caused this situation.
1. What did we do to cause this?
2. Who did this to us?

If all you religious wacko zealots keep asking the second question, and not the first, the middle east will never rise out of its loserdom.
The Middle East was allready a backwater before the United States and Israel was even formed. At the beginning of the twentieth century, when America was growing in its industrial might, the Arab countries were living in tents. No one did this to you. No one caused your plight. Not the Israelis, not the Americans, not the Europeans. I confess, i do not know why the Arab countries lost out. But I do know at one point, they were the center of civilization. From Babylon to Northern Africa, the Arab civilization was the greatest at the time. It's about time the Arab countries stop whining, and start reforming.

2003-04-07

CHARLES TULLO said:
I don't know why Palestinians complain about the Israelis. Jordan killed more Palestinians in one month, than the Israelis have in all their existence. The biggest danger for Arabs is other Arabs. Iraqis and Iranians killed millions, yes MILLIONS, of each other. Stop whining and look at yourselves in the mirror. Then you'll figure out what the problem is.
2003-04-07

YUSUF FROM AUSTRALIA said:
John Norman-you need to learn your history and brush up on your logic. Once the Turks lost governance of those lands, doesn't it make sense that they should belong to the people who populated them ie ARABS. The British divided land which didn't belong to them to allow for the creation of a Zionist State. Zionism is not a liberation movement based on the systematic GENOCIDE of the native Palestinian population by immigrant European, African, and American Jews.
2003-04-07

SAM FROM USA said:
I agree with everything Charles Herritt except the comments about treating women like donkeys. Before we go about attacking him on that, why dont we discuss what he said about the other stuff. Also, I agree with the other folks who say that the arabs find it easy to blame USA and Israel. I hope Bush is serious about toppling puppet arab regimes in Egypt, Saudi, Syria and others. Allah (SWT) has blessed the land where our prophets walked by putting oil under the sand. It is really a pity that the common people dont get the benefit.
2003-04-07

AMEN MLOUKH FROM CANADA said:
Well right to the point, I think that there is a lot in common between the two sides
we have in one hand Bush, saddam, Iraq,Oil while in the other hand there is Sharon,Arafat,palestine.

not only the herrassment that the iraqis facing from the invaders but also the shooting on the check points, bombing assasinatting, and it is going to be a street fight which infact we had a lots to prove that.
in the other hands the palestinians has the same in what it facing the iraqis and thats why the palestinians had gone to iraq to help the ressestence through their extensive experience in these kind of fights with the israelis for many years. Again we see in the west bank that sharon do want to kill, deport arafat like his master Bush whom he wants saddam out of iraq intirly same as Araft to lebnon maybe
there is a lot you can find in common between the two nations and their situations.

I just want to say that even the USA with its power and its well trianed troops they can not and will not be able to take over iraq, they might stay for a long time they might not leave at all
the ressestence in palestine with a simple easy wepons could not take over jennin, the USA will not take over Bagdad because there is a lot of commone in whats going on in Rammalla
kar wa far we say that in arabic
the ressientce movments are in a way to be istablishes in iraq now and since the time is too early to judge but we can asume and highly asumeing that whats going on in the west bank is really effected the people of Iraq and Vice virsa
Thank u for giving me the aportunity to express the feelings of many arabs not just me..
2003-04-07

SIMO FROM CANADA said:
Salam Shahid,

I am so impressed with your writing style and the work's content.
This article: The Israelisation of the United States is simply right the point. As a matter of fact, it is economically written (very informative yet there is no redundant sentenses), politically correct (in the sense that it is anti-zionist but not anti-Jewish) and its statements are ideologically fair; I mean its bias is near to the objective than the subjective side of the scale.

Let me sum it up in few words: It is more heart work than hard work because the facts are out there if the ignorant is skeptical and the eloquent short sentences are a very trutful expression!

Salam Mr Alam,


Your Moroccan reader!


Simo





2003-04-07

A. MATEEN QURESHI FROM CANADA said:
Provide a Button to "EMAIL THE STORY/ARTICLE TO A FIREND"
Thanks
2003-04-07

JOHN NORMAN FROM UK said:
Sahid Alam is a Muslim Fifth columnist working to bring the US to its knees and bring in a form of totalitarian Islam. What the hell he is doing teaching at an American University beggars the mind. He is poisoning the mind of American students at this University.

He poisons the mind because he is completely incapable of reading history. Zionism is a liberation movement. Palestine, Syria, Jordan etc was Turkish territory. The British did not partition Arab territory but Turkish territory. If the Arabs knew what logic was when they met it, they would understand that the Arabs got their states in the Middle East, thanks to the British. At the same time the Kurds got a barrel full of injustice. Their land was taken over and handed to the Arabs. If there was any justice, the Kurds would get their independence for their 30 million people. The Arabs certainly will not give it to them. Why? Simple: the Arabs are the imperialist and colonisers in the Middle East, certainly not the Israelis.
2003-04-07

JAMILA JUMA FROM INDIA said:
Dear Charles Herritt:
I am amazed at your ignorance. Open your eyes! Go to NY city and you will see the Orthodox Jews in black coats and hats and untrimmed beards, Jewish women who have their bald heads covered by wigs, and cloaked in black unrevealing dress. Little Jewish boys forced to wear yamulke from childhood can be seen in streets of New York. Go to Brooklyn, smartie pants, and you will feel like you are in Europe of Middle Ages period. But you don't call those Jews backward, huh. You are nothing but a bigot who think how your oil got under those Arabs' sand?
We Muslim women are much more respected in our cultures than your trashy American women, most of whom drool after dollars and fame. And these are the same American women who would drop off their clothes at the site of a dollar but than would scream "sexual harrasment" if they are leered at. What hypocrisy!
2003-04-07

GARAM FROM UK said:
Mr. Herrit: continuing from the points made by my brothers Abu Antar and Gus M. Shihab, i will add my penny's worth, non muslim women didn't even have the right to VOTE, what to talk about owning property, education etc etc...

The last time the arab world tried to use oil as a weapon, 1973 I believe, the saudi king was assasinated, King Faisal bin Saud! Replaced by a relative who was far more pro US followed consequently by OPEC saying that it would never again use oil as a weapon. I think by cutting of the head of the main proponent of THAT idea the western world sent a chilling msg...

I can site you counter arguments and possibly, given enough time, compile a thesis based upon references from other 'pragmatic' sources, till i am blue in the face. would you change your opinion........does it matter? I realised..no it doesn't!

Only my muslim brothers and sisters and there suffering matters...

I will quote the Arab League's ambassador to the UK who yesterday (6/4/03) on BBC Panarama programme said "I have spoken to MP's here (UK) who say that they have not forgotten the wars with france, those were hundreds of years ago, the Arabs (i wish he had said muslims) will not forget this war, never!"

Gus is right...I have seen so many arguments and counter arguments for this sort of ignorant and self righteous comments that I am 'tired' of 'arguing'! This is not dawa...just petty squabbling with morons so that most of us can feel like we are fighting the lie's and the misconceptions and doing our BIT! I include myself in this category foremostly....I am frustrated as i watch the pics on tv, watch as my beatiful baby brothers & sisters have their heads and feet blown off and watch bush and blair talk about liberation! Allah, have mercy upon the ummah, return the rightly guided to guide us. let the veil be lifted from our hearts, let the Ummah of your habeeb (saw) return to You in servitude and honour! Ameen.
2003-04-07

PASHA SHAIK FROM UAE said:
Subhan Allah. I appreciate the efforts in struggling in the path of Allah. May Almighty Allah grant you, me and the entire Muslim ummah (peace lovers)to the straight path which leads to Jannah. Jazak Allah Khair
2003-04-07

ALI KILIC FROM AUSTRALIA said:
Selamu Aleykum

First of all may Allah s.w.t help all moslems around the world and the situation we are in and make us victorious against the kuffar that are trying to annihilate moslems around the world.

Very interesting article. To those moslems who are ignorant and unaware of their environment which they live in, and the secular kuffar govts which they vote for. Does not the kuran say?

5:82 Verily, you will find the strongest among men in enmity to the believers (Muslims) the Jews and those who are Al-Mushrikn (see V.2:105), and you will find the nearest in love to the believers (Muslims) those who say: "We are Christians." That is because amongst them are priests and monks, and they are not proud

We and the whole world are witnessing this right now and no one can deny this and have read about it since the time of rasool s.a.w.

What i dont understand is why are moslems not also aware of the fact that so called moslem countries are NOT moslems govts and do not rule with Allahs laws?

And whosoever does not judge by what Allh has revealed, such are the Kfirn (i.e. disbelievers - of a lesser degree as they do not act on Allh's Laws[]).

Why should we moslems support these people in office who make laws for human beings with there shortsighted minds for? why should we support Capitalism, Communism and so called Democracy if laws are being made by humans who set our boundaries and guidlines? These people in office who pass new laws are simply attributing and attribute of allah (RAB)*unto themselves and committing shirk whether they like it or not and we moslems never ever should support them no matter what.

*for further detail please read 4 basic terms of the Quran by Sayyid Ebul ala el Maududi and Milestones by Sayyid Qutb
2003-04-07

KADIJA FROM CANADA said:
Thank you for such a history of what went on. A lot of people including me have very little knowledge about the middle east history and it is a bonus to read once in a while. Most of those who support the war have no idea of the games that have been played for many years by the western world and israel. Knowledge like these empowers the young generation. If we don't know history, then certainly history will repeat itself. I hope and pray that the western world is not repeating colonization as it did before. I am not generalizing people (the westerners) but i am talking of the politicians who are matrial minded and power hungary.
Thank you.
2003-04-06

GUS M. SHIHAB, ESQ. FROM USA said:
Response to Charles Herritt. Mr. Herritt, you have really degraded the culture, which you claim to belong. If you know anything about history you will know that Christians fought against each other for hundreds of years in Europe and still do today. Take for example the bloody Irish-British conflict. Muslims are the ones who invented the concept of Democracy a thousand of years before the west adopted it.

And of the rest of your demeaning comments, I will not even elevate them with a response. Your hatred his self inflicting. I feel sorry for you.
2003-04-06

SADIA KHALID FROM CANADA said:
What ever written by Shahid Alam is enough for these ill-educated people. i don't want to argue these people who himself are like donkeys because whatever God has give to them is still not fully grasped by them thats why their mentality cannot unfortunately except the true meaning of civilisation.
2003-04-06

ABU ANTAR FROM US said:
Charles Herritt's remarks about Muslims and Arabs treating their women as "donkeys" illustrate the rampant ignorance created by the Zionist-controlled media. If women are treated as "donkeys" anywhere in the world, then it must be in Western societies, especially the US.

In which society a woman is most likely to be raped, to be beaten and abused in domestic violence, to make half as much money for equal work, to be treated as a prostitute marketing her flesh, to become a single teenage pregnant living in social welfare, to be sexually harassed at work, to be ceaselessly harassed by the greedy media to shed off weight and mutilate her body to immitate others?

If a woman dresses decently to protect herself is considered a donkey, then Western women are also donkeys compared to primitive Amazonian tribes who don't put on any kind of dress at all. If anything, shedding off clothes and exposing flesh in public is a reversion to savagery.

Women in Muslim and Arab society are treated as queens and princess. Males have to struggle hard to deserve them. They are not treated as cheap "chicks" and then reglected to rot alone in elderly houses.

As for the oil, the West has been stealing it from the Arabs though its bribed puppet regimes, and if the puppet regime opposes this robbery, it will face the same fate as that of Saddam's.
2003-04-06

HAMZA FROM INDIA said:
very informative and timely article. truth hurts and bitter truth hurts bitterly. is there nothing that we can do? positive rather than negative in our approach
to the problem? we need proper guidance and constructive diaglogue with every concerned individuals/states.
2003-04-06

CHARLES HERRITT FROM UNITED STATES OF AMERICA said:


I'm just an average guy, but with a knowledge of history, and a "pragmatic" world view.

Here are a few points to ponder:

If your Arab/Islamic culture would stop fighting amogst themselves, you might have one Pan-Arabic nation. The artificially created borders could be eliminated if the Arab culture could set aside their diferences and create a democratic federation of Arab Staes. I don't think it can happen, however, because your culture has no grasp of democracy, compromise, and freedom of commerce. Your people hold loyalty to "tribes" and "warlords", Sunnis and Shiites and Whirling Dervishes,and Kurds, and you all want to do is kill each other. In my country, a Catholic Church stands across the street from a Protestant Church, and a Mosque is 8 miles away, and we don't throw bombs at each other. We go to work each day to make money and raise our families.

America is aligned with the Jews in Isreal because they have a grasp of Democracy and freedom of commerce. While I am not crazy about Isreal and the "jewish state", ( I believe they should set up a secular state), I can more closely identify with their culture and politics.

As for Arabia, all I want is a free market price for your oil. I also believe you want to sell the oil. It seems like a simple proposition. You sell it, we buy it, again alluding to free commerce and the purchase of goods at a price determined by the market.

If you want to treat your women like donkeys, and not educate them or not let them drive cars, I don't care. Just let me buy the oil, and don't be upset when your Palestinian brothers see nice looking perfumed Isreal women on the beach in sexy bikins. If you people want to live in the middle ages, go ahead. I don't care. Just sell me the oil, let the West buy it at a fair market price, and do what your society can to prevent terror upon free, innocent people who want to fuel their cars, heat their homes and manufacture plastics and polymers.

WHY DO YOU H
2003-04-06

ABU YAHUD FROM CANADA said:
It is refreshing to hear Arabs/Muslims that do not but into scapegoating. It irritates me when the Arab world blames the Jews and Israel for their problems. No offence, but many Arab leaders are backwards tyrants and they avoid the blame of their incompetence by putting it on the Jews.

2003-04-05

AYESHA FROM UK said:
reply to samir!
shame on you , call urself the hypocrite wishing your muslim brothers and sisters in these muslim countries to be next! may allah forgive you. Yes muslim leaders is another issue. But how can you say the usa and israeli leaders are less brutal ? I think you are tired of the conflict thats all but i hope you dont end up supportting your own enemies. Think about what you say . And why dont you rise up against your tyrant MR Bush oops I forgot you tried but he went to war anyway with out anyones permission!
2003-04-05

BAKRAH ISRAEL FROM US said:
Re: ["I am sick and tired of blaming Israel and the USA for our problems. What difference is there between an Arab, Jew, or American dictator? Nothing, except that the Jewish and American dictator may be better.... I say may Syria, Egypt and Saudi be next - Inshallah"]

zionists should stop posting comments like this. muslims are not so stupid that we would believe a muslim posted that... yes, all muslims would like nothing more than than to see these governments toppled. but why are we not able to do this? because america, with its zionist leadership, is backing these governments. that is why israel and the us are blamed and should be blamed for these problems.
2003-04-05

SAMIR KHAN FROM CANADA said:
I am sick and tired of blaming Israel and the USA for our problems. What difference is there between an Arab, Jew, or American dictator? Nothing, except that the Jewish and American dictator may be better. For too long we have excused our own shortcomings with long diatribes about how everyone hates us.

How many of you would accept a dinner invitation at an Israeli diplomat's house? I bet you, no one. However, we would jump at the chance to eat at an Egyptian or Saudi diplomat's house. Never mind, that the Egyptian or Saudi represents governments that have slaughtered their own more than the Israeli. We are the hypocrites.

I have no sympathy for people that do not rise up against their own tyrants. I have no sympathy for the dead Iraqi troops, especially the Republican guard who have repeatedly killed and tortured other Muslims. Just as much, I have no sympathy for the Syrian soldiers who protect and serve Assad. He is no different than his father - a mad, evil lunatic that should be eliminated. I say may Syria, Egypt and Saudi be next - Inshallah.
2003-04-05

SAM FROM USA said:
true. while the jews had been working hard at forming alliances with usa, what have the arabs been doing ?
2003-04-05

CHESLEY FROM USA said:
Even if every word in this article were correct, the Palestinians de-legitimate their cause by terrorism. Look, they lost several wars. They should accept that and move on. When you lose a war, you lose territory. This is the way the world works. Allah made it that way, I guess. that doesn't give them the right to attack civilians. the Arab world needs to grow up and get some realistic attitudes.
2003-04-05

SADIQ FROM INDIA said:
It is very unfortunate that US Muslims are left with no choices when it comes to electing a US President. No matter who gets into power in US, it will make little difference in terms of a shift towards more humane foreign policies, let alone one that protects Muslims. The Prophecies come true!

Leaders of Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey...in their eternal stupor of hearts, and cowardice are feeding this beast with their own countrymen.

A Muslim who deliberately aids in the killing of his brother is in the same rank as one who has lost his faith. How can one glorify Allah(swt) when he continues to dishonor his own brothers and sisters?

The Word of Allah(swt) comes true! For the Believers it will come as a blessing, and for the oppressors of Believers as a curse.
2003-04-05

OTHMAN SIMON FROM SINGAPORE said:
Thought-provoking indeed!.However, I was 'shocked and awed' by the statement : The man at America's helm was a born-again Christian,.....
If one were to seriously considers the carnage & catastrophe, destruction & deaths that follows the President's Eve of War Address and is still raging on at this time of writing, it doesn't seem to fit the description.Rather, such 'works' correspond with what has been prophesied as that to be carried out by Dajjal (mini or otherwise)- the english equivalent happens to be Anti-Christ (although some describe it as a Jewish King).
Perhaps, my understanding of "born-again Christian" is somewhat shallow, if not totally poor, therefor in urgent need to be enlightened.
2003-04-05

DR.F.M.QURESHI FROM INDIA said:
United States has been overpowered by Zionist ideology who have no respect for Islam and Muslims. The killings of muslims all over the world in the name of terrorism is based on the theory of elimination of Islam through terror='Shock and awe' policy of Zionists. May Allah help innocent muslims.
2003-04-05

YUSUF FROM AUSTRALIA said:
Henry Ford foreshadowed the Israelization of America and the consequences of this in his book "The International Jew" with logic it is difficult to refute.
2003-04-05