Incomplete protests
Recenty there have been demonstrations in some muslim countries, few acctually..(And not surprisingly..almost nothing in the arab world)to protest against that US interrogators at Guantanamo Bay desecrated copies of the Quran.
I think it is a good thing to show the world how wrong and dangerous this behaviour by US interrogators/ soldiers is.
I could'nt help thinking about how it seems to me there were no such protests, or at least not equal(If I somehow missed it), against violated human rights in Abu Gharib and many other places in Iraq, Guantanamo and probably other places as well.
I try to understand why is that..
Mabe it's because this place is used to having human rights violated.Our own regimes are no better. The most horrible imaginable things can happen to anyone.
So when foreginers come here and do that, it is no news..Maybe different, maybe harsher..but not completly new. It is scary how pepole can actually get used to the most horrible things , when they live with it all their lives, and just consider it as normal.
And also, maybe a lot thought that pepole live and die all the time.. But an ideologie and a religion is one of the "big causes". Like a country. A lot think that a country is bigger and is worth big sacrifice, pepole are prepared to pay thier lives/ loose their beloved for sake of the coutry. Any way there is some thing I am sure of. I know what demonstrations (among many others)I missed seeing.
Many Syrians think: Don't worry..Iraq is light years away..We have nothing in common no more..But hey..It is not so far..this effects the whole area. You never no what can happen.
Here in the arab world, pepole are scared, disgusted of the horrible descrating and violating actions against Islam and arabs.
Through the history...All the bloody horrible attacks on Islam, from all parts and directions in the world, are still not as bad as this.
Is it when some commit actions that only complete bloodthirsty ignorants can do..In the name of Islam. They act like a devil. These creatures who kill thousands of innocent hungry Iraqi pepole just searching for worke (and they get killed in the queue because they searche job in places ruled by the current authorities, that is cooperating with the alliance troops, the "enemy") .. ,These who behead foregin journalists / workers/captives in spite of what Islam says..Inspite of what arab traditions say.
Their absolut most numbered victims are always civilian Iraqis. I hope the world think about that before juging..Usually that does'nt happen a lot.
I wish we could demonstrate to say what we feel. Buthere...in this place..No one dares of dreaming of making demonstrations about any thing, even if your dear neighbours or sisters and brothers are butcherd. No demonstration here without "security forces".
8 Comments:
The report by Newsweek might not be true (they retracted it)
Here are two discrepancy that I find strange about Islam in the Middle East (from a political context)
1. Suicide bombers. Suicide is a terrible sin and yet we will see now and again suicide bombers celebrated as Martyrs. How so?
2. We will hear and see the uproar about defending Islam when Westerners kills in the Mosques in a combat zone; and yet there will be silence about "defending Islam" when a killing are done by Muslims in Mosques or a Shiite Mosque is being bombed by Sunnis.
And in places like Iraq the biggest tension about Islam is not about Islam vs Christianity or other religion, but within Islam itself, between Sunni and Shiite.
And if you observe a large number of critcism of Islam in the West, you will see a pattern caused by
"Is it when some commit actions that only complete blood thirsty ignorants can do..In the name of Islam.". Outsiders by nature cannot tell the difference, with competing image people defending Islam as a religion of peace and continuous reporting about killings and beheading in the name of Islam; which one is true? It is easy for me coming from Indonesia to tell the difference, but not to people in non-Muslim countries.
Right now a lot of perception of Islam in the West are determined by "only complete blood thirsty ignorants" and there is no strong counter voice within Islamic community to challenge it publicly.
Some of the answers to what you said are allreay in my post in my opinion. As I said The absolute most numbered victims are civilian Iraqis,And don't forget that if you think pepole are too quite well the first victims of that are Iraqi muslims, part of the muslim world! So it is not fair to blaim the whole muslim world! allthough ofcourse it is horrible the beheadings of foreginers too. And countries, as muslim religious leaders and parties have all repeadtly condemned that disgusting terrorism. But I guess that does'nt make as much dramatic news as what the terrorists say and do , so the media focus more on them, and the pepole, specially in the west, will always remember the more "dramatic" news more from here.
Quite the opposite about Iraq: Shia and sunni. the majority,who are shia
..have been very peaceful towards the sunni allthough they, the shiaa..have lost a lot of blood. Many say it is thanks to Sistani, leader of Shia..That said that even if you (To iraqis)see Iraq's innocent children get slaughtered you should never be tempted to start a religious civil war in Iraq. There are many evil attempts to attack Iraq and divide it and we should not let them succeed.
And it is very far from all the sunni who have participated in such horrible deads. I saw a report recently about Iraq, were a foregin journalist said talked about how Iraqis working as soldiers and police are beeing attaceked. But how he still saw hope in Iraq: From Pepole like [a name that I don't remember now], he is a young sunni, and his village has been attacked and threatend by fanatics( sunni..I think), who want ( to force )them to support them and fight for them and give them what they want etc.
But that just made him more determind to fight back, so he contacted the authorities to join the forces, to learn how to protect his village..and the rest of Iraq.
p.s " The report by Newsweek might not be true (they retracted it)
"
Human rights have been horribly violated..I hardly think that who participated in that would have any problems from doing what the reports said. That they retracted it is a scary thing as I see it, but a lot of pepole think and fear that such reports might cost American lives because of revenage..and liberal democratic ideas like free independent media have no real place in a war because of such fears.
And by the way..Even before the American media reports..2 ex- prisoners who have been realeased already said that such actions happend. Among many others as well. But that, again, was not much highlighted in western, specially american media..
More "dramatic" reports, that give more listeners / viewers, like beheadings/ other attacks on western interests always catch more attention.
"But I guess that does'nt make as much dramatic news as what the terrorists say and do , so the media focus more on them, and the pepole, specially in the west, will always remember the more "dramatic" news more from here."
Which is the way mainstream media works around the world.
"liberal democratic ideas like free independent media have no real place in a war because of such fears."
Catherine, the media is never free of manipulation; some media is more trustworthy than the rest off course. I have no doubt Newsweek get pressured by the US government; but if Newsweek does have a foolproof sourcing on its story, I don't think they will back down. What they will logically do is expand its coverage on it (like the Abu Gharib scandal).
Maybe..But Abu Gharib scandal(human rights), as I said, did'nt bring as much attention, demonstrations,and anger in the muslim world..That brings fear, specially in US. So I think it's much harder for the media to do the same things here as about Abu Gharib.
I know it is the way it workes in media..UNfortunately.
This is a good analysis and Q&A about the Newsweek apology.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2005/05/12/DI2005051200985.html
Anyway...AS i said..2 ex-prisoners who were realised talked about what was going on, confirmed reports of abuse of human rights and very bad treatment etc..Among all that also they did say the same thing as newsweek. But that was before newsweek ever said anything!
The irony is probably thattheir sayings were pubished in arab media, arabspeaking. Arab world could do nothig, as usual and kept very silent..Almost uncaring.. But when newsweek and international media said same thing it reached other, non arab muslims in the world, and they were not so silent about it.
Sorry..I mean they were released, not realised!
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