On 11/18/06, Louis Proyect wrote:
> When we first meet Mukhtar Omar in the film, he is giving lessons in > the Quran to young boys in a Senusi village. Throughout the film, the > character's religious faith goes hand in hand with his determination > to resist the occupation. His Islamic beliefs in the brotherhood of > man also lead him to avoid treating Italian prisoners with the same > kind of cruelty that his own fighters endured. <snip> > Shortly after the fascists hung Omar Mukhtar, his followers issued a > statement that could be a rallying cry for the Iraqi resistance today:
IIRC & FWIW, the film was financed by Omar Khaddaffi. On 11/18/06, Yoshie Furuhashi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Were Omar Mukhtar alive today and leading resistance anywhere, it would be unlikely for him to receive much sympathy in the West. That he was a Muslim religious teacher alone would stand in the way. Truth be told, there are some in the Iraqi resistance with whom one cannot possibly sympathize, given their treatment of their POWs and hostages, which stands in stark contrast with the film's portrayal of Mukhtar's stance toward his prisoners (whether that's truth or idealization, I do not know):
there's no reason why the "West" should sympathize with him. What's worth sympathizing with is the _struggle_ against colonialism and imperialism, not the _individuals_ who may temporarily lead that struggle. I see no reason to lionize the "lion of the desert" or anyone else for that matter. People make errors, believe in conflicting ideals, etc. (If you remember, I believe that monuments, special days, etc., should not be named after living persons (the Mayor Tom Bradley International Terminal at the Los Angeles Airport -- though now he's dead. so it's OK; Anita Hill Day; etc.) The US has a good rule: not putting any living person's name or face on stamps, money, etc. The rule against having cults of personality should be made general.) -- Jim Devine / "That's free enterprise, friends: freedom to gamble, freedom to lose. And the great thing -- the truly democratic thing about it -- is that you don't even have to be a player to lose." -- Barbara Ehrenreich.
