It irritated me hearing that members of the ruling Palestinian faction Hamas deploring the killing of Zarqawi, describing him as a “casualty of a crusade against Arabs and Muslims.”
This morning, my friend and colleague Omar, author of 24 Steps to liberty, told me that a member of Hamas was interviewed on one of the Arab channels strongly criticizing the killing of the worst terrorist history has ever witnessed.
I immediately recalled how Palestinians well treated in Iraq and realized how ungrateful they’ve become to the country that provided home and shelter for them. It made feel so angry to feel that after all what we’ve done for them, they bit our hands.
For fifty eight years, Iraq was and is still a home for the Palestinians who once were dismissed from their lands. They lived, worked and joined Iraqis in almost everything except to suffer the terrible life Iraqis went through. They were favored on Iraqis themselves in everything starting from schools, jobs and salaries. Saddam, who deserves to be spit at, made them kings in our country, not theirs. Now after all of this, Hamas officials show up with all this hatred to the Iraqis who once suffered because of them and say Zarqawi is a “martyr”. I wished I could see him in person and spit at his face and beard that hides a demon underneath. That’s all I want to do. I don’t need words to tell him what I really feel about this. How can I speak to a person who considers the killer of thousands of innocent Iraqis a martyr? What language I should use with him?
The Palestinian people did a terrible mistake by choosing this group to be their leaders. I don’t even know whether this is going to be an official statement in the name of the people. If so, I would be so sad and angry. I hope this man was not talking on their behalf.
Now I know why this group was branded as terrorist by the U.S. and the European Union. They deserve it and they are really worthy of it. Let them dance on the blood of the innocent children, women, and elderly who had no guilt but being helpful to the homeless.
Zarqawi’s killing made me realize many things I wasn’t really convinced of or let’s say, confirmed to me how spiteful some Arabs are regarding the situation in Iraq. Aljazeera, for instance, played a big role in increasing the violence and killing any hope for a better future.
The propaganda Aljazeera did for al-Qaeda turned 90 percent of Iraqis against them after years of respect to this news channel. Aljazeera was the very first channel that broadcasted the beheadings of the innocent westerners by Zarqawi and his criminal men. The footage encouraged increasing the violence and the fear inside everybody and worsened the situation that was supposed to be positive, not negative.
When Zarqawi’s death was announced, most of the Arab and western TV stations and news agencies mentioned the crimes he did except aljazeera. On the contrary, they showed and talked to all those who believe that he was a “holy warrior and a martyr”.
No wonder why Aljazeera is also branded as a channel having a terrorist propaganda. They also deserve it.
One last thing I want these two little things, Hamas and Aljazeera, to know that they let us down and helped in more killing of innocent Iraqis. The day will come when both of them regret the days they rejoiced the killing of the Iraqi innocent citizens.
This morning, my friend and colleague Omar, author of 24 Steps to liberty, told me that a member of Hamas was interviewed on one of the Arab channels strongly criticizing the killing of the worst terrorist history has ever witnessed.
I immediately recalled how Palestinians well treated in Iraq and realized how ungrateful they’ve become to the country that provided home and shelter for them. It made feel so angry to feel that after all what we’ve done for them, they bit our hands.
For fifty eight years, Iraq was and is still a home for the Palestinians who once were dismissed from their lands. They lived, worked and joined Iraqis in almost everything except to suffer the terrible life Iraqis went through. They were favored on Iraqis themselves in everything starting from schools, jobs and salaries. Saddam, who deserves to be spit at, made them kings in our country, not theirs. Now after all of this, Hamas officials show up with all this hatred to the Iraqis who once suffered because of them and say Zarqawi is a “martyr”. I wished I could see him in person and spit at his face and beard that hides a demon underneath. That’s all I want to do. I don’t need words to tell him what I really feel about this. How can I speak to a person who considers the killer of thousands of innocent Iraqis a martyr? What language I should use with him?
The Palestinian people did a terrible mistake by choosing this group to be their leaders. I don’t even know whether this is going to be an official statement in the name of the people. If so, I would be so sad and angry. I hope this man was not talking on their behalf.
Now I know why this group was branded as terrorist by the U.S. and the European Union. They deserve it and they are really worthy of it. Let them dance on the blood of the innocent children, women, and elderly who had no guilt but being helpful to the homeless.
Zarqawi’s killing made me realize many things I wasn’t really convinced of or let’s say, confirmed to me how spiteful some Arabs are regarding the situation in Iraq. Aljazeera, for instance, played a big role in increasing the violence and killing any hope for a better future.
The propaganda Aljazeera did for al-Qaeda turned 90 percent of Iraqis against them after years of respect to this news channel. Aljazeera was the very first channel that broadcasted the beheadings of the innocent westerners by Zarqawi and his criminal men. The footage encouraged increasing the violence and the fear inside everybody and worsened the situation that was supposed to be positive, not negative.
When Zarqawi’s death was announced, most of the Arab and western TV stations and news agencies mentioned the crimes he did except aljazeera. On the contrary, they showed and talked to all those who believe that he was a “holy warrior and a martyr”.
No wonder why Aljazeera is also branded as a channel having a terrorist propaganda. They also deserve it.
One last thing I want these two little things, Hamas and Aljazeera, to know that they let us down and helped in more killing of innocent Iraqis. The day will come when both of them regret the days they rejoiced the killing of the Iraqi innocent citizens.
Well said BT.
ReplyDeleteJust another example of your Arab buddies showing their true colors. Let’s face it, these idiots would sell their own mothers if it somehow advanced their anti-American stance. I’m not one least bit surprised by their reaction and neither should you be.
ReplyDeleteI know this realization is very painful for you BT but you have had your eyes opened.
ReplyDeleteHamas is a death cult. They do not give a damn about you or Iraq or the Palestinians for that matter. They would love nothing more than to spread their culture of death to Iraq.
You know this to be true about Zarqawi and now you know it to be true about Hamas.
I have told you many times what Americans want for Iraq. What we believe deep in our souls.
Killers so often in the Arab world are celebrated as heroes. In the USA they are condemned, prosecuted, and imprisoned.
When any Iraqi civilian dies our heart breaks. When Iraqi soldiers die our heart breaks just as much as when American soldiers die.
Do not let these worshipers of death gain control of your country BT.
Al Jazeera, Hamas, Al Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood...they are all cut from the same cloth.
ReplyDeleteThe ideology of hate, death and violence cuts across the ME and comes in many forms. Now that Iraq has a free press, perhaps they can one day become the source of unbiased Arabic news. Ever consider a career in TV bt?
By the way, I thought that Al Jazeera had already lost a lot of credibility with Iraqis sue to their support of Saddam during the buildup to the war.
BT, I am sorry you were irritated by Hamas' statements, but honestly I am not surprised at all, after all Hamas is itself criminal.
ReplyDeleteFor years we have heard nonsensical self-righteous and unjustifiable ranting from them.
But remember, Hamas is hardly the sane and responsible entity that can advocate who and why the "Muslim Arab" nation should mourn for.
I have long disliked Hamas. I have even said that publicly. At a forum before the illegal invasion of Iraq I was invited to speak against the war.
I let it be known that I would be speaking out against suicide bombings and Hamas' ways as well. I was kindly told that I was no longer welcome.
Also, Hamas was voted into power primarily because of the corruption rampant in the PLO-led Palestinian Authority, not because it was the best choice for the Palestinian people. The PA had become so impotent and incompetent, many believed that Hamas was the ONLY alternative.
But I wholeheartedly agree with you, BT, the Palestinians made a huge mistake by electing Hamas. Some may excuse it saying desperation drove them to it.
There will be a referendum to vote on whether they should recognize Israel on July 26. This was pushed through by Fatah head Mahmoud Abbas.
Many Palestinians already recognize Israel but Hamas refuses to, defying the Arab League as well.
Unfortunately, many Arabs in the region support Hamas, seeing it as resistance. While it may call for resistance against Israeli occupation, which is both noble and their right, it is the methods of Hamas which are not.
Targeting of women and children, rather than military targets, is evil. So, if that has been their way, it is not surprising they would praise Zarqawi for doing the same thing.
Had Hamas chosen purely Israeli military targets, that would have been righteous resistance to occupation. But targeting civilians?
Hamas, Zarqawi, Al-Qaeda at 911, Badr, the Marines at Haditha (Ishaqi, Hamdaniya, Tal Afar and Falluja, too), the Israelis at Bait Lahya, the Phalangists at Sabra and Shatila, the Marines at My Lai, Tim McVeigh in Oklahoma, Saddam's purging of the Kurds, the Serbs in Srebrenica, - all the same, criminal and evil.
As for the Palestinians in Iraq, yes, they had been welcomed in Iraq for more than 50 years. But some - yes a few - also were jailed and/or killed by the Mukhabarat.
But after the invasion they have been treated badly in Iraq because they were associated with Saddam who favored them.
That is unfortunate and is not the Iraqi way. There are currently dozens of families with women and children stranded on the Al-Tanaf border crossing with Syria.
Working with UNRWA and the UNHCR, Syria has tried to accomodate many of these families, but they are all holed out at the Al-Hol refugee camp at Hasaka. Their houses in Iraq, where many have been for decades, have been confiscated.
They should not have been made to pay for being favored by Saddam. Nor should they now be blamed for what Hamas is saying about Zarqawi.
Having said that, we should also not be surprised that some Arabs have mourned Zarqawi.
In the first few months after 911, many Saudis (including in the monarchy) saw bin Laden as a hero.
It was only when this "hero" started targeting and killing other Saudis that he began to lose his "heroic" status.
While Iraq suffered under the US-imposed UN sanctions which killed 1.7 million people, the Arabs did nothing. Yes, there were individual efforts and some humanitarian intitiatives but they were grossly insufficient.
Iraqi civilians were made to pay for the invasion of Kuwait. The Arabs could not see that they were punishing Iraqis with their negligence just as much as US policy was.
And that, sadly, is what is happening now. Many Arabs cannot see that their support for Zarqawi is equal to supporting the illegal and brutal occupation of Iraq.
The US military kills using F-16s and Abrams tanks, and trigger-happy US soldiers at checkpoints. Zarqawi uses beheadings and suicide bombs against Shia funeral processions and mosques.
The end result is the same no matter how anyone twists and turns it - innocent Iraqis are dead.
We Iraqis have called for accountability (and punishment) from US military authorities for how their soldiers conduct themselves and show a disregard for Iraqi life.
By the same standard, we should call for accountability (and punishment) for the crimes Zarqawi and his cadre have used against the Iraqi people. He and his people have shown utter contempt and disregard for Iraqi civilians.
And we call on other Arabs to understand this.
After all, the murders of Iraqi civilians by US troops and death squads and Zarqawi are byproducts of the US occupation.
It was only when terror struck Amman that many Jordanians finally turned on Zarqawi.
I hope Arabs can spot what ails this region before every Arab capital is hit with tragedy.
While we condemn the acts of barbarity that lowly criminals like Zarqawi commit against civilians, we should also not forget that this weekend an entire family was torn to pieces from Israeli artillery while they were picnicking on a Gaza beach.
See these pictures of the beach massacre.
Innocent civilians are dying here and there. Both peoples are paying the price of brutal occupations.
And both peoples have been led by uncaring governments.
As for Aljazeera, I have heard it is run by a Palestinian CEO or something who has almost never criticized Hamas. So, again, not surprised there either.
Side issue: I have heard that the US spent $500 million to combat, track, and kill Zarqawi and Al-Qaeda in Iraq. How much is being spent on the death squads?
How many death squads have been arrested lately?
Another thing I am looking for is to see if the so-called Baath Party communiques will join the Iraqi people in celebrate Zarqawi's killing and condemning him.
Hey BT,
ReplyDeleteI feel the need to take the devil's advocate role, not only because there are a number of Arabs who hold this point of view you mentioned, but also because some Iraqis do. But just to make it clear, I DO NOT feel that Zarqawi was a good man. He spread violence and hatred in this good country, and hopefully his death will lessen this.
I met a couple of Iraqis over the weekend who were upset by Z's killing. Why? Is it b/c they don't mind the thousands of innocents killed? No. It's because they believe in this 'conspiracy' theory that he did not kill Iraqis, that some other underground force did. They saw him as fighting the occupier.
Unfortunately, alot of Arabs hold this mentality. Those outside of Iraq do not realize that he targeted Iraqis. And the media ingrains this mentality in their minds, including Al Jazeera.
Whether its Palestinians or Iraqis, I don't think they want the spilling of Iraqi blood. I don't think they wish death on us. I think they just see someone else as the enemy, and that this enemy is blowing up Z's role in the Iraqi cycle of violence and death
An evening walk before dinner,
ReplyDeleteacross the Tsupe River, whose distance across is about 5 m. in normal times, while standing on the span across 1 of the bridges, I thought about your life story, my life story, all our life stories, as various separate bridges across the water.
I imagine the least of these bridges approaches a distance of about 100m. That would be the one near our daugters' junior high school. A bridge the cross country team uses about 3:30 these afternoons. A decent bridge, A bridge for youth from one section of schooling life to the next. Their next step would be to either follow the river further as it bends to the East until you can see the main school high school, called East High school. In every town that I have visited, there is an East high school. and that East named school is always the most desirable high school in the area. If you have greater dreams, there are two directions to take, north or south. outside of this town.
Once you cross any bridge you are outside this neigborhood-world. No matter how close your house to a school, if it lies across a bridge, it is not traditionally part of your tribe. you and your neighbors usually belong to another school district. So here in this small area of this small town there are 4 small school districts for 5 small farming communities that huddle near the feet of the 5 bridges.
All 5 bridges are along a gradual sweeping river bend, about a 1 and a half km, you can see all five. Is it a wonderful sight?
I heard news that Hamas distanced themself from the statement, saying that it was not an official Hamas stance on the killing of Zarqawi.
ReplyDeleteNon violence is the only way...
ReplyDelete"I have told you many times what Americans want for Iraq. What we believe deep in our souls. "
ReplyDeleteHow can you speak for all Americans ? American are of all different types. Some may want peace for Iraq. Others want to build Iraq into some kind of flypaper for terrorists like madman Zarqawi, ignoring grief and terror for Iraqis caused by this.
SOme are genuinely horrified by dictator like Saddam. Others suppor t him in insane war against Iran when it suits them, and ignore his use of chemiacl weapons. Some genuinely like overthrowing him because of horrors on his people, others just want to show how almighty America is and send a message to other American enemies.
Some want Iraq to be peaceful and free. Others want Iraq to be a US ally (puppet) first, then anything else later.
Some genuinely respect Iraq's ancient culture, others just think that no one who is not Western has any great culture produced and all Muslims ar e terrorists.
it remains to be seen which Americans will decide what happens in Iraq.
About Hamas, resistance to military occupier Israel is right. Murdering women and children is evil, whether by Hamas or anyone else.
I agree with Fatima here. Zaraqawi was most vicious murderer.
It is possible that outsiders believe American propoganda build up Zarqaw's role. Outside Arabs or even few Iraqis have no reason to trust Americans and might think he was American creation. Its not totally stupid.
American government did increase his role through propoganda (reported in actual American papers too), just as they tell lies about nuclear weapons in Iraq before war.
Outside Arabs should pay attention to Iraqis, and vast majority celebrating.
The word that describes all of this is "conditioned." The people on the side of pro-killing were conditioned to think the way they do now. I think Zarqawi's death is another leap forward for true peace, which is farther than we all think. There will always be death and most of it will be the innocent.
ReplyDeleteHi guys,
ReplyDeleteSorry for the short notice. I will be up in Kurdistan for a week or so. So don't panice if I don't show up online frequently :P
I will try to be online as much as I can.
cheers,
BT
Truth About Iraqis re: the artillery shell killing of the palestinian family at the beach, latest reports are that they were killed by palestine mines buried to prevent Israeli infiltration.
ReplyDeletePalestine is about to explode. Everyone in the west is just waiting for it. The freedom of the Iraqis is the countervailing force to the rabid hate against America, religions and outsiders. May Iraq have an ever more peaceful future to further this experiment.
Have a safe trip man, be careful and take care of yourself.
ReplyDeleteAnd try to stay away from the shisha while you're away, that stuff's bad for you (or so they tell me).
Salaama.
I will be up in Kurdistan for a week or so.
ReplyDeleteCool! I am looking forward to a Baghdad resident's view of the Kurdistan region. You can tell us whether or not it is truly The Other Iraq like these promotional commercials say!
BT,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your blog. It leads to deeper understanding of the issues, which the vast majority of Americans (me included) lack. While I might not always agree with your point of view, I respect your views, all the same.
I am amazed at how often people, of all cultures, affix labels to others. And those labels can be powerful ... whether a group is labeled a "resistance movement" or a "terrorist movement," for example. I do not care for Hamas, and its positions, but that does not mean that every supporter of Hamas (which also does worthwhile work for some Palestinians) is - each and every one of them - criminal.
Can you tell us how this might end? What must be done for Iraq to unite and expel the foreign terrorists - and ask the U.S. to leave as well?
I suppose the answer, if there is one, lies in the principles of non-violence. Religion has far too been utilized by others to promote violence, throughout the world. If Iraq could lead the world, through its religious leaders (and political leaders), both large and small, uniting to call for an end to violence - and, just as importantly - calling for enforcement of the rule of law (i.e., the apprehension of those who continue to commit violence), perhaps a solution can be found. Can Iraq show the world such an answer, thereby providing hope for all humanity?
I doubt now if the solution to Iraq's difficulties - the violence and wanton destruction - can be imposed from the outside.
It seems as if the world has a long way to go in order to achieve peace and freedom for all. I am hopeful that Iraq will show the world a path toward peace.
Aragorn58
"I immediately recalled how Palestinians well treated in Iraq and realized how ungrateful they’ve become to the country that provided home and shelter for them. It made feel so angry to feel that after all what we’ve done for them, they bit our hands.'
ReplyDelete-----------------------------------
I guess now you can see how an American Soldier feels.
TIA, I give permission to whip me with wet spaghetti if I am wrong, I only skimmed parts of your post,
ReplyDelete"The death and destruction is a by product of the occupation by the US."
Of course there is an element of truth in this. But I really don't think any of the resentment between Shia and Sunni was being transformed by any other process in Iraqi culture. Correct me if I am wrong. Sure the resistance found the US military much harder targets than the civilian contractors and administrators working for the US. BUT was the resistance acting nobly by going after the softer targets because they were getting their you-know-whats attacking directly the Americans.
I don't know how anyone else stands, but I STRONGLY condemn the resistance for using violence to achieve their ends. Why? BECAUSE the war is "the White Man's game"(please excuse the 1960-70's rhetoric). This is exactly what the US military is designed to do, fight, kill, burn, loot sometimes, rape on occasion. That kind of action is playing in the US hands perfectly. Killing civilians has gotten the noble resistance a bad name. And they deserve it. If the noble resistance had adopted a political, absorb and conquor, they would have had the US out of Iraq before now, with all their objectives, and their oil.
So, the resistance was not really in control of much of anything, is what I really believe. There was/are much larger social forces in Iraq that were exposed, released by Pres. Bush's stupid actions. These larger social forces have been denied within the societies of the Middle East. I would go further and say that Israel was also a distraction. There are internal frictions that have not been addressed while the attention has been focused on Israel, and the PLO. Certainly Israel and the PLO are part of the problem, but I am beginning to think they are on the surface, perhaps vents for acceptable release of tensions that exist at deeper levels, I could be wrong, as my wife often says ;-) But this is my thinking now.
PS,
ReplyDeleteTreasure, I think we have to tolerate some of this crowing by the US bloggers. They are ignorant and worse ignorant of their own ignorance. My old professor said this is the best situation to be in. ;-)
Only personal experiences will change these characters. Arguing is a waste of time. I was one of them, so I can't be too critical. I lived in that bubble world. I still live in a bubble, but probably it is a larger more varied bubble than the present social structure that is happening in the good ole USA.
Yeah this all sounds condescending. And yes, partially. I know that I am ignorant of alot of things. When I look back at the times when I was a teacher and Georgia and now. I feel that I have come a long way. and yet there is so much farther to go.
[ugly American] “Killers so often in the Arab world are celebrated as heroes. In the USA they are condemned, prosecuted, and imprisoned.”
ReplyDeleteAh, rubbish, man. You celebrate your murderous Marines and soldiers as heroes. The more people they kill, the more you celebrate. You cover them in glory and medals. So don’t come natter to us about your pacifist culture … it’s just a matter of framing the violence of your soldiers as being a force for right instead of the evil which it is.
I like the way they imprisoned the members of Sassaman’s unit for the murder of Zeydun. I like the way they prosecuted the marines that massacred the POW’s on tape in Fallujah. I like the way Americans gathered to condemn Pantano, who cold bloodedly executed two unarmed Iraqis at pointblank range.
Yeah, more meaningless spin from the Ugly one.
[tex] “Now that Iraq has a free press, perhaps they can one day become the source of unbiased Arabic news.”
ReplyDelete* cough cough *
*ehm*
U.S. Military Covertly Pays to Run Stories in Iraqi Press
By Mark Mazzetti and Borzou Daragahi, LA Times Nov 30, 2005
“WASHINGTON — As part of an information offensive in Iraq, the U.S. military is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by American troops in an effort to burnish the image of the U.S. mission in Iraq. The articles, written by U.S. military "information operations" troops, are translated into Arabic and placed in Baghdad newspapers with the help of a defense contractor, according to U.S. military officials and documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times.” //end excerpt
[fatima] “I met a couple of Iraqis over the weekend who were upset by Z's killing. […] It's because they believe in this 'conspiracy' theory that he did not kill Iraqis, that some other underground force did. They saw him as fighting the occupier.”
If that were true, they might have a point. However, his own actions condemn him. He never fought the Occupation … instead I see his actions as benefiting the Occupier in every possible way by causing sectarian strife and division in Iraqi society instead of unity. He killed way more Iraqis than Occupiers, and that’s a fact. The real “conspiracy theory” is the question of HOW FAR did the US go in using him to facilitate PSYOPS techniques on the Iraqi people.
Good riddance, I say.
The Palestinians have always been ungrateful. They always manage to make themselves unwanted.
ReplyDeletePalestinian = ungrateful.
Sentence:
"He was so Palestinian towards me."
Treasure
ReplyDeleteThat was great a post.
I think that Arab and muslim people outside ME who watch Al Jazira think Zarkawi an arab hero or at least a good guy. That was how Al Jazira and others painted him. A lot of muslims think all western main-stream media are lying however Al Jazira is always telling the truth.
I heard that there were suicide attacks today in Kirkuk, so be careful and good luck on your trip.
The lack of support for the people
ReplyDeleteof Iraq from the Muslim world
was evident beginning with
the attack on the United Nations,
The attack on Iraqi Red Cross,
The attack that killed al-Hakim
and 200 innocents, the attacks
on new Iraqi Police Recruits,
The Shia Civilian areas ...
on and on and No protests in Iran
demanding their government cooperate fully with new Iraqi
Government and United States ...
On would think Iran would cooperate for say a good 3 year period to allow Iraqi people
a path to choosing their government in peace ...
But NO ... endless anti-American
rhetoric while Muslims were killing 300 Iraqi/per week ...
This is why US simply can not give the 400 million to Hamas in aid ... Hamas must change ...
they must accept a two state solution and bargain hard for
land swaps with Israel in order
to link Gaza with the West Bank ...
Much of this was studied already .. I believe if the Palestinian people actually saw
and understood the complete peace proposal that Clinton offered Arafat years ago they would have
demanded Arafat accept the proposal ... but now Hamas seeks endless war with Israel ...
Why doesn't Hamas let a United Nations inspection team into
Gaza to inspect the area where
the Palestinian family members
died ... Israel claims no air strike, no shelling fronm the sea,
and no artiliary shell was fired ... A UN team can easily tell whether the exposion came from the air or a Burried Mine???
And if it was a mine then Hamas MUST acknowledge that and more importantly if so mine detection teams can be brought in to inspect
the entire beach ... progress
is in the Hands of Hamas.
"Zarqawi 1967-2006"
ReplyDeleteIllustrated by gringoVision.
Riding a bicycle in the rain,
ReplyDeleteyou need a clear umbrella, white shirt and tie, suit pants and a clear plastic umbrella. Another accessory is a plastic grocery bag to cover the seat while you go inside the 7/11 to use the copy machine. Or if you don't happen to have that plastic bag, your always necessary handkerchief will do to dry the seat. These things and more I carry with me in my black soft, flexible sided briefcase.
The last part of the journey is always the most difficult, How do you pick up a bicycle to carry the front wheel over a gate step, while opening the gate and holding an umbrella?
Alas, these people have only one care, themselves. They don't care about you or your country, and one must wonder what they did to endear themselves so much to Saddam that he would treat them like royalty and yet treat his own people like dogs. There are reasons that Hamas is a terrorist group, along with many other groups, and now you see why.
ReplyDeleteWhy do the Iraqi's continue to listen to Jazeera's poison!? Blow up their offices and send their reporters back where they came from. Al-Jazeera is not welcome in Iraq and they should know this.
ReplyDeleteI have been living outside of Iraq for 15 years, and it always troubles me this gradually increasing hostility of Iraqis towards other Arabs and especially Palestinians.
ReplyDeleteMy generation grew up with the nationalistic teachings (fed to us with the milk as my non Arab mother would say) and the resultant firm belief that the state of Israel was created on the destruction and displacement of our brothers the Palestinians.
By adulthood and foreign travel one gets to see both sides of the argument, but this has not lessened my sense of the extreme injustice of the displacement of so many ordinary Palestinian people, who find themselves living as foreign nationals all over the world usually trying to get to a western land that would eventually grant them the nationality and passport they could actually use (sadly this is exactly the situation many Iraqis now find themselves in, either suffer the hell that is home or the hell that is exile)
My first experience of this Iraqi-Palestinian hostility was in 1999 my then 17-year old sister and brother in law spoke with some bitterness at the competition from Arab students for university places, although I have heard this repeatedly what I am still not sure of is whether there is any truth in this idea that the then government preferentially treated Arab students, from my own experience the Arab graduates in my year were not eligible for the highly esteemed jobs in the biggest teaching hospitals, despite scoring higher grades than their Iraqi colleagues, the Palestinians never had the right to nationality and what meagre advantages that may bestow upon one, and overall I did not feel they were the ones beneficially treated as apposed to the inadequate sons of VIP's, who often had to drop out by the second year in University when it became clear that they couldn't cope with the studies.
I have often wondered if the anti-Arab stance of this new generation of Iraqis is simply the ugly human survival reaction in times of extreme shortages, that means we instinctively want to distribute the little available between those closest to us (thus excluding other nationalities, followed by other Arabs, then other non-Arab Iraqis, other “type” of Muslim Iraqis etc) or if in fact there is a more sinister string to all this? Who in the end stands to benefit most if Arabs hate Arabs, if Palestinians are ostracised, if Iraqis distance themselves from the other Arab countries, and then various bits of Iraq deciding actually the other parts did so much better under the old rule that the only way to readdress the balance is to separate from the rest? Yes I am biased by upbringing, yes I am biased by my nationalistic family, but it looks increasingly like what they warned against is actually happening the question is who is the power that is Dividing and concuring.
Well said Magda.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your honest examination of one of your experiences. Your writing, your open questions to yourself and to others is EXACTLY the reason I am attracted to Treasure's Blog. It is the reason I want to encourage both of you, to add a few flowers of my own around your thoughts and observations.
Good point Magda. I think that just as it is wrong to separate between Sunni/Shiite, Arab/Kurd, Muslim/Christian in Iraq, its wrong to separate between Iraqi/Palestinian, etc. In the end, we are all brothers of the human race.
ReplyDeleteI, and anyone else with eyes, have to be skeptical that a person that had two 500 pound bombs dropped on his head would look so good in his nicely framed “death” photo. My dear friend Michael Berg whose son, Nicholas, was allegedly beheaded by al-Zarqawi had the unmitigated nerve to go on national TV and say that, no, it did not make him feel better that this person was killed because he knows that it won’t bring Nicholas back and in making al-Zarqawi a martyr it will probably only increase the violence. Violence is a cycle that can be stopped by stopping violence. Michael, who is running for Congress on the Green Party ticket in Delaware knows that our diseased democracy really killed his son, anyway.
ReplyDeleteBruno I never claimed my country nor myself to be pacifist.
ReplyDeletenice trolling though.
[Ugly American] “Bruno I never claimed my country nor myself to be pacifist.”
ReplyDeleteNo, you claimed that the US condemns, prosecutes and imprisons killers.
And I comprehensively proved you wrong.
Thank you for bringing it up again.
Hamas' comments about Zarqawi, if true, are despicable. However, it's wrong to collectively blame all Palestinians for them. It's true that Palestinians in Iraq did receive special privleges from Saddam (although they also were also subject to special restrictions, like on owning a car or owning property), they've faced increasing harassment and persecution" since Saddam was overthrown. AS TAI says, blaming Palestinians in Iraq for Saddam or Hamas is not the Iraqi way.
ReplyDeleteglad to see you are beginning to see the light for the trees now. Most Americans have wanted nothing but the very best for your country adn to see these beasts killed.
ReplyDeleteAs a palestinian
ReplyDeleteAll i have to say this raction from many iraqis was so expected.
I have met Iraqis that talk about the palestinians like they are the ultimate reason why there is Chaos in Iraq today.
Hell, they hate Saddam because he is an Arab.They forget that the reason of the vast majority of the problems in Iraq today and before have been caused by no other than an Iraqi.
yeah, Saddam hussien is an Iraqi.
Someone need to remind them of that.
The Palestinians are week, in a vulnerable position.Its easy to attack and condenm every damn thing we do.
The lebanese blame the entire civil war on the palestinians.(Its easy to blame others for one's own problems, it seems they forget how much fragile their Society really is.
They don't need a palestinian or an israeli to show them that)
The palestinians are treated no more but as vermins status and the Plo was evicted.If the true cause of the civil war was solely on Palestinians.Why is there still many many problems in Lebanon.
Have Lebanon problems disappered when they the PLO was evicted.
The Kuwaitis speak ptretty mcuh of the palestinians as they have been Worse than the Saddam invasion.They could forgive the Iraqis that invavded then yet they could not do the same of the palestinians who besides the stupid stand of Arafat on the Kuwaiti/Iraqi deal have done so much good in Kuwait.
Few and very few palestinians were treated like Royalty in Saddams' reign.To assume otherwise would be nonfactual and stupid.
I challenge every Iraqi and other people to do and see the palestinians camps in Iraq and let them then explain to me the "royal treatment" they get.
To iraqis,What a sad situation.
Can I ask a question?
ReplyDeleteWill my comment appear or not?
yes
ReplyDeleteOne more thing
Hamas have denied saying this statement about Al Zaraqwi.
I really started dislikeing Iraqis
Palestinians after the war in Kuwait have NOT interfered in other's
problems.Especially,Hamas that has never fought outside the palestinian territories.
The Iraqis are looking for a justification for hating palestinians.
How desperate of them.
Who laughs first laughs last.
When a palestinian state is formed.
Everything will be changed and there will be a true goverment that put a limit to "middleeast" continuing insults racim and discrimunation we have suffered throught and you are all going to see.