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Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 06:18:24 -0700
September 21, 2001
TERRORISTS TARGET AMERICA:
PERSPECTIVES FROM THE ISLAMIC WORLD
Compiled by Srdja Trifkovic
Media consumers in the United States may be forgiven if they entertain
the illusion that the condemnation of terrorist attacks was worldwide
and universal. In fact the Islamic world is at best ambiguous about the
whole affair, and at worst both gleeful and inclined to look for
American-Israeli conspiracies. This applies in almost equal measure to
countries considered unfriendly to Washington and to America's "allies."
For instance, the leading Arabic-language daily newspaper, Al Ahram of
Egypt, published an op-ed on September 13 that was full of inaccuracies
but set the tone for much of the Arab world:
The perpetrators are Americans, we say, not Arabs or Palestinians, for
the following reasons: 1. Not a single alert from airports where the
planes were hijacked indicated the presence of an Arab passenger. 2. An
American journalist called her husband from the hijacked plane to
Pentagon, and, if she suspected an Arab, she would surely have mentioned
it. 3. In the communications s between the hijacked plane and the tower,
there wasn't a change in the voice tone of the pilots, which
demonstrates that the perpetrators are not strangers and maybe the
pilots themselves. 4. Palestinians, they are capable only of limited
sabotage operations. 5. Planning these attacks required months and
months and hi-tech methods that exceed the capabilities of any
Palestinian or Arab inside the U.S. In addition, they are all under
surveillance in the U.S. 6. The pilots knew exactly their way and
targets and have been spotting them for a long time, they flew the
planes through high buildings which none but an American could do. 8.
These acts happened on September 11; and on June 11 McVeigh was
executed.
On Sept. 17 another Ahram columnist, Abdel Moneim Said, opined that
"With great contempt, Israel exploited the blood of the innocent victims
of New York and Washington, to achieve its own purposes first by blaming
Palestinians and then by directing brutal and barbaric attacks on
Palestinian cities."
This from the leading daily newspaper that supports--and is supported
by--the government of Egypt, a key American "ally" in the Middle East.
The second in importance is Al Akhbar, which also reflects government
positions. On September 13 it called the attack "vague and complicated":
Truly, the U.S., in Bush's era, raised unprecedented anger among
humankind. He revealed his foolish, failed policy, which shows the
arrogance of military and economic power. This great America, with the
strongest intelligence organization in the world, is the one that
suffered such act. The gravest mistake is that he U.S. and other
countries direct accusations without proof. We Arabs, who stand accused,
could not have done it.
The media in the key U.S. regional ally, Saudi Arabia, concurred with
this view. The Riyadh-based daily Al-Jazira wrote on September 18, that
information points a finger toward other groups, especially the Jews.
The news reported that 4,000 Israelis did not go to work last Tuesday at
the World Trade Center in New York because of a warning from their
government. What is obvious is that the investigations are clearly
insufficient and that there is an intent to focus the accusations on
Arabs and Muslims rather than those that all of the leads point to.
In Oman Al-Watan declared on 9/12: "The Mossad might be involved to link
Palestinians and Arabs to the events and create pressure from the public
opinion against Arabs or Islam." Even in the enlightened, pro-Western
Malaysia, the government-influenced daily Utusan Malaysia agreed (9/18)
without naming the suspect:
The evidence that the U.S. investigators have about the terrorists is
too simple to be believed. Such a plot would have required much skill
and planning, it is doubtful that the culprits would leave so much
evidence to be discovered by authorities.
In the key U.S. ally in the region, Pakistan, the same tone was present
in, among others, the second largest Urdu daily Nawa-e-Waqt (9/14):
Terrorism in America is a despicable conspiracy against the Muslims of
the world. No one except Israel and the Jews have the resources and
network to give that kind of a jolt to the world. The American
administration should get rid of the Jews' dominance and reach the roots
of the conspiracy. The administration should fulfill its legal and moral
responsibility by protecting all Muslims in America including
Pakistanis.
An editorial in the Karachi daily Pakistan held (9/14):
America and the western countries should be aware of the dirty
propaganda unleashed by Zionists and fanatic Hindus, who want to take
advantage of a clash between the Christian and Muslim worlds. Who is
unaware of the fact that Jews dominate the world media and they have
found a rare opportunity to malign Muslim world . . . Without proving
the accusation any military action and bloodshed against a nation or
group would be a tragedy bigger then the tragedy.
Back in Cairo the voice of the Egyptian opposition, Al-Wafd, wondered on
September 13:
Is there a party that is instigating American thinking to rush after a
certain reaction? In 1954, only coincidence revealed an Israeli plot to
strike at American interests in Egypt to harm American-Egyptian
relations. This operation is beyond the capability of any Palestinian or
Afghani organization, or even Bin Laden. The fear is that the Middle
East becomes a victim because unfortunately, the United States sees that
violence is imbedded in this region. Israel will certainly propagate
serious ideas that may push the United States to the reaction Israel
wants.
In Saudi Arabia, Jeddah-based Al-Bilad remarked on September 13 that
"the key beneficiary of yesterday's horrible catastrophe against the
American people is Israel":
The leadership of Israel missed no opportunity to take advantage of the
world's shock. The Arab media must now, after smoke and ash began to
fade away from the United States' sky, monitor more closely what is
going on in the Palestinian occupied territories. The Arab media must
pay more attention to incidents of killing, demolition of houses, and
torture which the Palestinians suffer under the oppression of
occupation.
In another "allied" country, Jordan, Al-Dustour warned on September 12
that "some parties are already pointing the finger at Arabs and Muslims,
with no evidence whatsoever":
The ugliest form of manipulation of these attacks that horrified the
Americans and all the human race came at the hands of Sharon as he
maliciously said that America and Israel are facing the same terror, in
a clear attempt at describing the liberation efforts of the Palestinian
people as terrorism. We strongly denounce the attacks against civilians
and innocent people . . . We also warn against any attempt to take
advantage of this tragic situation to put the blame on the Arabs and the
Muslims.
Al Akhbar's columnist Wagih Abu Zikry on Sept. 14 regretted the loss of
civilian lives, but:
Undoubtedly, this suicidal terrorist group believed in what it did, and
had tasted great U.S. violence, thus wanted to make the Bush
administration taste from the same cup. The United States emerged from
World War II with victory, raising the banner of democracy, freedom, and
human rights. However, soon after world public opinion supported the
American principles, policies were implemented against these principles.
The United States, because the sole superpower, and instead of being
devoted to serve humanity and achieve the noble principles it declared,
it employed its power against nations worldwide. Washington posed itself
as the judge and persecutor. How many countries in the world hate the
United States? We hope the attacks become an opportunity for Americans
to pursue a new policy of self-restraint. No need for the United States
to attack, blockade or usurp the wealth of nations.
Pakistan is the key player in the aftermath of September 11. Its deep
unease about the services it is expected to render to the United States
is reflected in the tone of the Pakistani press. Most papers
scrupulously avoid dwelling on the unpopularity of Islamabad's policy of
cooperation with the US and overwhelming support for Osama Bin Laden in
the country, but they cannot conceal the mood of tension. The best-known
English-language daily in Pakistan, the Karachi-based Dawn, reported on
Sept. 15 that some 50 US agents were already operating in the country:
The majority of the agents arrived overnight Thursday and early Friday
when Islamabad airport was closed mysteriously for five hours, the
sources said. The Americans are involved in advance liaison work and the
selection of Pakistani officers to work with them in preparation for
possible military operations in or against neighbouring Afghanistan.
They are also carrying out research, notably on the feasibility of
getting troops into Afghanistan.
Second-largest Urdu daily Nawa-e-Waqt wondered on September 17 what was
the purpose of such cooperativeness:
The Government of Pakistan has not yet told the nation as to what
advantages America has offered to Pakistan for its participation in the
American war, nor has it come out with a justification for cooperation
in the international action. Taliban have categorically threatened an
action against any country that would give bases (to America) for attack
on their country. Has anyone thought as to what would happen if the
elements that made America mad by hitting the World Trade Center and
Pentagon directed their wrath towards Pakistan due to our imprudence,
and if America would come to our rescue? God forbid, in such a situation
where would the country's Jihadi organization and Madaris be standing?
The common man would not be supportive of the government's action due to
anti-U.S. feelings. Why create a chaos that would not be controllable by
anyone? America would try to target the Jihadi camps and Madaris by
declaring them training camps for terrorism. These questions should be
reflected upon.
On Sept. 18 the same paper even more sharply criticized the policy of
cooperation with the United States that was apparently pursued in
Islamabad:
After Japan and Iraq, the U.S. is bent upon destroying Afghanistan, and
instead of informing the world about the U.S. designs Pakistan has
decided to cooperate with it. We would know the ramifications of the
cooperation only when we would be badly trapped in the quicksand. May
God have mercy on Pakistan.
Mushahid Hussain observed in the Nation (9/18) that
the new coalition cannot be functional without major Muslim
representation. The U.S. badly needs Muslim nations now just as it did
during the Gulf War in 1991. Muslim leaders, generally lacking in
political spine, need to muster up the courage and the will and vision
to look beyond their own political survival so that the much talked
about "clash of civilizations" does not become a self-fulfilling
prophecy. In any case, the Muslim partners in the coalition should first
insist on a diplomatic solution before the military option is deemed
necessary. More than the Americans, it is the Muslim nations who will
feel the initial fallout of any military action against any Muslim
country.
The pro-Muslim League daily Pakistan asserted that the American designs
for a military action against Afghanistan threaten the region:
If America thought patiently it would not be difficult to understand
that Muslim Ummah [believers] would consider an attack on Afghanistan as
the beginning of the attack and occupation of the Muslim world. This is
not just a presumption but a real apprehension, on the basis of which
close allies of America, France and Britain, have said that they support
America but are not willing to go into a fight that would position them
against the Islamic world.
The paper's editor Mujibur Rehman Shami reluctantly supported compliance
with the U.S. in a front page editorial on 9/17:
Pakistan will also be targeted if it desists from supporting the U.S.
India wants international anger to be diverted towards Pakistan as a
state sponsoring terrorism. In this situation, Pakistan's sensitive
installations can face terrible damage; the Kashmir issue will be
finished forever and Pakistan's dream of becoming an economic power will
never materialize. If Pakistan were made a target, Afghanistan would
still not be spared. Pakistan has defeated Indian plans by announcing
support for the U.S. Pakistan has come out of its isolation and now is
in a position to play a global role. If the leadership plays its cards
right, Pakistan's economic troubles will decrease and Indian efforts to
declare Kashmir a terrorist endeavor will fail.
High-circulation Din declared (9/17) that "the situation arising out of
the terrorism in America has created for Pakistan the gravest crisis
that it has faced since independence" and that "any hasty decision made
while succumbing to the terror spread by western media and chaos would
be without any support from millions of Pakistanis."<![endif]>
Tariq Ahmad declared in the same paper on Sept. 14:
America should stop and consider how long it will continue supporting
Israel, how long it will continue intervening in Afghanistan, how long
it will continue supporting India on the Kashmir issue? If you want to
live, you must let others live too. If Americans have civil rights, so
do people of other nations. You cannot draw a line between the worlds.
It is being said that the world's liberal and democratic countries will
be on one side of the divide and terrorists and those who harbor them
will be on the other. Draw a line if you must, but this line should be
between the aggressors and the victims.
The Nation concluded (9/17) that Pakistan should strike a bargain with
Washington:
Damned if it helps the U.S., not only by the Taliban but also by the
large number of Taliban supporters in the country, and damned if it does
not, because the U.S., already suspicious of Pakistan's disclaimers of
its support of the Taliban, would lump Pakistan and Afghanistan together
and act accordingly. The threat from the Taliban to take vengeance from
Pakistan, combined with the threat of some religious parties within
Pakistan, should not be under-estimated. There is, therefore, a price
tag attached to the support for a military action by the U.S. All
concerned, including the U.S., should read that tag well.
Back in Cairo Abdel Aziz Rantisi of Hamas commented in Al-Quds (9/14):
The United States enforces backwardness and subordination upon these
nations in favor of American interests and accumulation of wealth. This,
in turn, has earned the United States the hatred and animosity of many
nations, including Latin America, Europe, especially in the Balkans,
Africa, South East Asia and what is known as the Middle East. Security
in the West will not be achieved at the expense of helpless nations.
Western support to Israel will not help, either. Justice and respect of
humanity are the only way to bring about security to the world.
Al Ahram's editor-in-chief Ibrahim Nafie warned on Sept. 14 that the
United States' reputation "is currently at a low level for different
reasons in different places":
In the Middle East, the United States' moral credibility has been in a
major test where Sharon's bloody role and American absolute support for
Israel contributed largely to the feeling of hatred. Certainly this
requires a total review not only because of this barbaric attack, but
also in general. The ground that reached this [hatred] was the double
standard and absence of justice.
Al Ahram's columnist Mohamed Salmawy wrote on Sept. 17 that this was not
the greatest terrorist attack in history, as Americans said: it was
Hiroshima and Nagasaki:
It is certainly the biggest sabotage operation against a country,
though, especially that country of massive power, which has been unjust
to so many countries in the world. In our Arab world, Iraq, Libya and
Sudan suffered from foolish American military acts. The United States is
also responsible for what is happening to Palestinians by American-made
weapons and planes. We condemn the loss of innocent Americans, as we
condemned the brutal acts against Palestinians.
In the West Bank Hafiz Barghouti opined in semi-official Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida (9/17):
Afghanistan was a field for experiments between the Soviet and
Capitalist camps. It was, in fact, one of the first causes of the
collapse of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the West has left
Afghanistan as a prey for warlords after having used it to wear out the
communist giant. Then, instead of rewarding the people of Afghanistan,
the West left them exposed to the remains of the different weapons.
Today the developed and civilized world is committing the same horrific
and grave mistakes in Afghanistan, which has become a clear example of
the harshness and cruelty of a world that only cares about its own
interests. So, will the Western countries globalize justice or will they
globalize terrorism? This depends only on the wisdom of the American
leadership.
In Bahrain, another "pro-Western" friendly Arab state, the daily Akhbar
Al-Khalij on Sept. 15 published the opinion of Abdulrahman Al-Nuaimi:
If the world really wants to preserve security and stability and
confront terrorist movements and countries, it should treat the reasons
which led to this phenomenon instead of treating its current results.
When millions of people in the world get pushed to the brink of death
because of the catastrophic economic polices of the West and intrusive
regimes, many movements that are opposing the barbaric globalization
will be produced. So long as the American administration stands behind
the number one terrorist state [Israel], establishment of an
international coalition that includes Sharon and Peres will be simply a
coalition to terrorize the world. The Arabs must not join such a satanic
coalition. Arab countries should not host the WTO meeting.
Al Wafd's editor-in-chief Magdy Mehanna also mentioned WTO (9/15):
To rid the world of terrorism one must first get rid of the (underlying)
causes which led to terrorism. Real terrorism is what Israel is doing to
the Palestinians. Is the United States willing to do anything to stop
this terrorism? How does the United States describe what happened in
Durban? The world should write down its definition of terrorism so that
the United States would not dictate its own definition. The way the
superpowers exercise their veto is a form of terrorism. I do not exclude
WTO from committing terrorism by imposing its programs on the smaller
countries. Globalization may drive certain people to form organizations
which strongly oppose these unfair policies. What kind of terrorism is
the U.S. talking about and massing the world to combat?
London-based Al-Hayat ran a commentary by former editor Jihad Al-Khazen
(9/16):
Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not terrorist organizations; they
are liberation movements.... The resistance of these Islamic
organizations to all forms of Israeli occupation is absolutely
legitimate and must enjoy continuous support until Israel withdraws from
all occupied territories. If the United States had stopped the terrorism
of Israel, counter-terrorism would have ended automatically. It is a
reaction to the terrorism the United States supports by weapons, money
and veto power at the UNSC. We assert that terrorism is what Israel is
doing, and that Ariel Sharon is another Osama bin Laden.
In Damascus Bashar Saati commented in government-owned Syria Times
(9/17):
Israel has started its campaign of lies and accusations against Arabs
and Moslems even before the U.S. investigations have been concluded.
Sharon was the first to fabricate and spread these lies and accusations
in an evil attempt to mislead others and incite them against Arabs and
Moslems alike. Sharon even told Americans that both the U.S. and Israel
suffer from the same source of terrorism . . . When it comes to
terrorism, Israel is at the top of the list of terrorism. Israel is the
only source of danger in the region.
Ahmad Dhawa, commentator in the Syrian government-owned daily Al-Thawra,
called on the world community "not to ignore the state terrorism
practiced by the Israeli government" (9/18):
Usually it makes use of the atmosphere created by crises such as those
that happened in Washington and New York to cover up its terrorism
against Palestinians and Arabs by blaming innocents. Arabs were the
first to condemn the terrorist operations against the U.S. They hope to
hear condemnation from the U.S. and the West of the Israeli terrorism.
Arabs and Moslems, who are the victim of Zionist terrorism, greatly
appreciated the French Ambassador to Israel who refused to compare the
terrorist attacks against the U.S. with the Palestinian resistance
operations against Israel which are a natural response to occupation.
In Amman, the capital of Jordan, Al-Dustour opined (9/18):
Israel has been trying to invest American reactions against Arabs and
Muslims and settle its score with the Palestinian people. The experience
of the Arab alliance with America during the Gulf War explicitly shows
that the United States usually has objectives not seen by anyone, that
the United States usually overcomes what it says and promises to its
allies. This is what happened ten years ago when it became clear that
America had objectives beyond the issue of liberating Kuwait. It wanted
to target Iraq, being a regional power that can threaten Israel.
Fahd Fanek wrote in Al-Ra'i (9/18) that it is time for America to wake
up and realize that there are those in this world who hate America to
the point that they are willing to sacrifice their own lives to inflict
harm upon it: <![endif]>
The upshot of such a tragedy is that it will open blind eyes and clogged
minds towards a reconsideration of everything. The "everything" includes
institutions, laws and procedures and all that needs to and does not
need to be reconsidered. It might even include U.S. policies that
brought upon it hatred and hostility. Is it in America's interest and
security to continue the siege against the people of Iraq for the
eleventh year? Is it in America's interest to indefinitely keep its
armed forces in the heart of the Arab Peninsula? Is it fair for the
America to impose sanctions on countries, most of which are Arab and
Muslim countries, like Libya, Sudan, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan? Is it
wise that Arab and Muslim countries are placed on the State Department's
list of countries harboring terrorism, and then reaches out to these
same countries asking for help in its war against terrorism? If the
result of what happened in New York and Washington is a reconsideration
of all these policies, then it is very likely that terrorism will lose
its foothold and American interests in the world will be in a better
shape.
Yahia Aridi, Director of Channel 2, Syrian TV, commented (9/18):
Israel has been fishing in murky waters in the past few days at the
expense of the U.S. tragedy. Even U.S. officials asked Israeli
officials, probably indirectly, not to exploit the American tragedy by
carrying out revengeful policies while world attention is focused on the
American events and away from what Israel might be doing in the dark.
During these past few days Israel has done two things: It has inflamed
feelings against Arabs and Islam; and it has perpetrated crimes against
Palestinians while the world eyes are firmly focused elsewhere.
In Tunisia, French-language-political weekly Le Journal Hebdomadaire
wrote on 9/18 of "the U.S. foreign policy's cynicism that has had a
boomerang effect":
We don't mean that the U.S. has received what they deserve because what
happened is a human tragedy, not just a U.S. tragedy. Those who carried
out those atrocities are barbarians and have put themselves outside the
human community. However, all security measures and punitive actions of
the U.S. army won't annihilate the risk that those attacks would be
repeated one day. The best protection lies in a more just approach
towards the Middle East.
Government-influenced Berita Harian stated (9/17):
It is unfortunate that America does not want to see the link between its
'diplomatic' actions and the violence towards Washington. America does
not want to admit its mistake, but would rather choose a way out that
does not detract it from its biased foreign policies. It seems to prefer
blaming others so that it does not have to admit that it may be the
cause of its own problems.
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