| December 2002 Letters to the Editor (Dr. Hassan El-Najjar) and his replies | ||
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Human Price of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine Mission and meaning of Al-Jazeerah
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From:
Jasmine Bergmann (12/29/02)
Subject: How can I support/donate to the Palestinian people?
Thank you for publishing my impression on
the internet. I am Christian but have a spanning understanding for
every religion in this world, be it Hindu, Islam or Christianity. If
we would stop fanaticism, we could all get along. Religion has killed
thousands. That cannot be right.
I will write to my government. The
democracy of Switzerland.
Everyone looks away as Palestinians are
killed. While the US supports a Hitler like government in Israel.
Can you help me, support the Palestinian
people with food, medicine clothes and toys? Can you give me an
address, so I can be sure that the donations get there directly?
The world is very corrupt and I am by no
means stupid.
Editor: The
Palestinian Red Crescent Society
is one of the best
societies to receive donations and distribute them to the needy. Their
email address is:
From: Jasmine
Bergmann, Switzerland (12/28/02)
Subject: Israelis and their supporters should pay for the suffering of the Palestinian people
I have read your reply. You are right.
It is not the question of religion but the
question of power. Albeit I do not agree with terrorism, where
innocent people and children die, the world has taken on a tunnel
view. Everyone looks to the Americas and all that is ever talked about
is September 11th, the people that died. No one ever mentions how many
Palestinians have died, men, women and children.
Israel, goes out and sues Switzerland, the
banks, to pay for their pain during world war II. What about the
Palestinians which were disowned when the state of Israel was
instituted? What about all the people which were killed in the name of
Israel meanwhile? Have the Israelis not repeated, what was done to
them? Still do? What a double moral standard.
It is sad. I wish I could stop the
killing.
Editor:
History has no mercy to oppressors. The Nazi paid for their crimes, so
will the Israelis and their Zionist supporters. They will be sued
wherever they live until justice is served. The Nazis persecuted Jews
for few years but the Israelis and their Zionist supporters have been
persecuting Palestinians for the last 54 years. They disowned them and
denied them even to live in their homeland. They did not extend
citizenship to them, which made them refugees for 54 years until now.
The double standard blinds perpetrators. They don't want to believe
that one day God's justice will apply to them, like Nazis, Fascists,
and the previous oppressors in history.
Yes, you could stop the killing. You can stop the Zionist greed from spreading more wars. You can become active in politics. Influence your politicians, media, and religious and community leaders. The campaigns for greed wars should be rejected everywhere in the world. People everywhere should reject the fake characterization of the conflict. It's not between Muslims and Christians. It's not between Muslims and Jews. It's not between Muslims and Hindus. It's not even between Muslims and atheist Russians. Rather, it is for the most part, a capitalist assault on Third World resources, particularly oil. It is a Zionist relentless campaign to invade the Middle East with a major war in every decade. The objective is establishing a greater Israel that extends from the Nile to the Euphrates. In Chechnya, Kashmir and the Philippines, it's denying Muslims their rights for self-determination. The present conflict is a perfect example of how small groups of organized and powerful people (the power elite) control society and use it for their own purposes. They control politicians through donations and through their privately-owned media. Politicians are given enough opportunity to be visible in front of their constituents if they serve the interests of the power elite and they are denied that opportunity if they show any signs of independent thinking. I'm here describing the United States, which may be different from other societies in Europe. The answer to that is for communities and activists to create alternative media in order to tell the other side of the story that is not told by the special interest media. This will also free politicians from the tyranny of special interest groups. More people should volunteer their time and energy for politicians in their campaigns to minimize campaign costs, and consequently minimize dependence on special interest groups for financial support. In absence of that, politicians will compete to serve the interests of media owners and donors. In brief, the problems of greedy capitalist wars and the reaction to them, labeled as terrorism, will be reduced if more people are involved in politics and governance. If most people continue as they are now, apathetic, disorganized, and ignorant about the motives of politicians, then the power elites will continue their wars. We have a lot to gain from true democracy, mainly peace and prosperity for the majority. But we have a lot to lose if the power elites continue their endless quest for more wealth and more power. We will lose peace, prosperity, and most important is that we lose our humanity by allowing others to be destroyed just because the greedy ones want their resources. Peace.
From: R. Omar, UK (12/27/02) Subject: Dear George Bush
Thank you for your Eid greetings, we are indeed greatly indebted. And thank you for telling us, one more time, that your new war is not against Islam and Muslims. It was time that you reminded us that we should not take the B-52 bombers showering bombs on our cities so personally. Indeed, the six Iraqis who died on the first day of December are not to be counted among the dead; they were illegal combatants, working in an oil factory. As Muslims, we are grateful to you for all the food packages that were sent down from the Afghan skies during the last year. Had we been the children of Israel, it would have reminded us of our great past when Manna and Salva was sent down by God. Let me assure you, Mr. President, American peanut butter tastes so good that our Afghan children became so keen to pick up the food packages that they could not even distinguish between the food packages and thousands of canister bombs that your B-52 bombers left behind in their wasteland. But, of course, it was their bad luck; we will just add them to the list of collateral damage. That way, we will not have to go through the tedious ritual of calculating the number of dead. I am sorry to hear that things are not going well back home. Some unpatriotic Americans have started to ask questions about your war of terror, excuse me, war on terror. They ask for results for the 40 billion dollars you so graciously and hurriedly sanctioned for the great war. That little audio cassette that recently surfaced at the Al-Jazeera did not help much, I suppose. Although you have the Al-Jazeera’s Kabul correspondent firmly locked up in a cage at camp X-ray (and thank God, the international union of journalists has not made a peep about him), this little island of a network keeps coming up with trouble after trouble. You were, however, more successful with Frau Herta D?ubler-Gmelin, the German Justice Minister who so rudely compared your new war policies to that of Adolf Hitler; thank goodness, she was quickly sacked by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder for poisoning the relations. I must also congratulate you on quickly getting rid of Mme. Francoise Ducros, the Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s Director of Communications, who so ungratefully called you a moron despite all the soft lumber that American companies so cheaply buy from Canada in order to help their economy. Mr. President, it is heartening to know that the new Department of Homeland Security is finally off to a grand start. With an operational budget of $37.5 billion and nearly 170,000 federal employees, it should keep the homeland secure. Just let no American walk out of your great country without the protection of pilotless drones for streets of the world have become very dangerous for them. Mr President, in your Eid greetings, you have rightly told us that the new year is full of promises. We look forward to the new ventures. Afghanistan is indeed becoming a little too dull and although great news is in store regarding Iraq, Hans Blix and his team of inspectors are taking too long. Please hurry up or else the current rating will start to go down and you know very well how difficult it is to whip up the hysteria once it has subsided. You know that anthrax cannot be used again to create fear. (By the way, the little leak leading to the US military was plugged very well and I sincerely hope that all patriotic Americans will remember never to ask any questions about anthrax.) So, what are we going to do next time? How would you generate new waves of fear? I suppose those little Napoleons in thousands of homeland security offices would come up with something. Perhaps, you should ask them to start cooking something like the danger of a bio-engineered mosquito bringing a deadly virus. That would be something! It is my sincere hope, Mr. President, that in the new year, you will not be so lenient with men who keep bothering you with their silly questions about Afghanistan. I was shocked to read a report by one Robert Fisk who sketched a graphic picture of little children being blown up in the deserts of Khost. He also had the nerve to draw world attention to the endless queue of mutilated civilians sitting outside the hospital in Herat, hoping to get an artificial leg. Likewise, people who keep mentioning international laws, protocols and agreements should be stopped from reminding the world that in your war of terror (excuse my slip again, Mr President), you have not even spared ambassadors. No one has the right to remind the world that Ambassador Mullah Zaeef is still locked up in a cage in Camp X-ray. I am glad to know that early in 2003, Germans will take charge of the Afghan ordeal. It would be their boys who would risk their lives for this grand show which, we all know, will only last for as long as money keeps coming. But I am afraid, Afghans are rather notorious for their tenacity. There is little hope that what the Soviet Union could not achieve with 140,000 men, we can achieve without large-scale disasters soon erupting all over this unruly land. Those who keep saying that the Afghan adventure is headed for disaster should all be locked up with the “illegal combatants”. (By the way, that was an excellent invention for which its inventor should be amply rewarded.) That reminds me to say that events like the appearance of those four pictures of C-130 planes carrying their human cargo to Camp X-ray should not be allowed to happen again. They do bring the specter of war crimes being launched in some court, somewhere in the world although you have rightly declined to sign the international charter which would put the American soldiers in risk. But the images of those shackled men, which recently flashed on millions of computer screens around the world, was not nice, to say the least. I am also sad to know that some Edward Saids are still around. They keep talking about an impossible linkage: the suffering of Palestinians, so carefully crafted by a 2.1 billion dollar annual aid to Israel and numerous supplements. They have maps, numbers and pictures which they keep showing to the world. The appearance of a new great wall here, barbed fences there, burned olive orchards, destroyed homes, pieces of dead bodies scattered on streets, made-in-America gunships and helicopters bombing the refugee camps. Of course, your war is not against Muslims and certainly there is no link between the suffering of Palestinians and the catastrophes Americans continue to experience abroad. No, the world should accept the verdict of your “man of peace” who looks forward to his new term which will complete the task of fortification of Israel. And finally, let me close by thanking you, once again, Mr. President, for the opportunity you so graciously provided to some of our Muslim brothers and sisters to come and visit you and Laura at the White House at the beginning of the month of Ramadan. That great occasion will always be remembered by them and their children and their children. They are eternally grateful to you and Laura. I am sure you also value their friendship because they the harbingers of an intellectual northern alliance you so desperately need at this time. With all the best wishes for your new year adventures.
From: Jasmine
Bergmann, Switzerland (12/27/02).
Subject: Let us not be divided, let us not kill each other
As much I respect Islam, why must it be
the reason of war? I understand Bin Laden for his hate - Bush only
wants the oil fields. The power.
In the end there is only one God. Be it
Allah or Jesus. Why must we kill
each other over this? It is proven that there is one God. Allah.
Jesus. If we only would trust in Him. Let us not be divided.
Editor: You said it right, God has nothing to do with the war. It's not Islam, Christianity, or Judaism. It's oil, military spending, and Israeli expansion in the Middle East. Your question should be asked to the silent majority in North America and Europe. Why do people in these two continents accept that their governments go to war against Third World countries? It's greed, since the days of Able and Cane, the two sons of Adam. I feel what you're trying to express. But until people in Europe and North America actively oppose their aggressive governments to stop invading the Third World countries, they will continue their invasions, which will trigger resistance over there, called terrorism in North America and Europe. Peace.
From: Purple Haze (12/27/02). Subject: Contacting writers (Fisk and Al-Faisal) Assalamu-Alaikum I was just wondering if you could provide me with some information on how to contact writers such as Robert Fisk and Reem Mohammed Al-Faisal. I would really appreciate it if you could assist me by providing me with the necessary information. Editor: You can contact Robert Fisk at the British newspaper "The Independent." Reem Al-Faisal can be contacted at the Saudi newspaper "Arab News." Use the email addresses mentioned in the websites.
From Michael Childress (12/20/02) Subject: Mugabe's land reform Your labeling of Mugabe's land reform as controversial is outrageous. This is as absurd as the Jews who say that Palestine is rightfully theirs. You must respect the rights of others if you wish for them to respect yours. The land belongs to the original people of Zimbabwe not the settlers; the Europeans stole the land and should be given compensation? logic of the brainwashed. Editor: Thanks for the correction. The title and the content of the news is not Al-Jazeerah's. You said it right. Settlers everywhere who take the land of others by force and without compensation should know that one day they or their descendants will pay the price. Nobody is more understanding and more sympathetic with Africans in Zimbabwe than Palestinians whose lands are being taken from them everyday by Israeli settlers.
From: Nasr A. saeed, Canada (12/17/02). Subject: Arabic Windows and Arabic software Can somebody
help in providing me with Arabic Windows late version, and MS office
late Arabic version, if I can have them, I will translate from English
to Araic.
From: Mahmood Muslim (12/16/02) Subject: Al-Jazeerah and Afkar Ma Sha Allahu, I'm really enjoying your website, you remind me of Afkar Inquiry Magazine. Do you (know/relate to) the magazine? Best Regards Editor: Thanks for your good words. No, Al-Jazeerah is not related to Afkar.
From: Duncan Barrett (12/13/02) Subject: Algeria I read yesterday that the Bush administration is now agreeing to an arms deal with the Algerian government in its war against terrorism. This seems to me to be somewhat hypocritical as the government of Algeria is one that ignored its own landslide defeat over ten years ago and has managed to kill thousands of its own civilians in defending what an apparently illegitimate power. While the US's fight for democracy and freedom has rarely been for any, other than its own power elite, this seems an extraordinary new low point. News of Algeria is rare in Australia and any feedback would be appreciated. Editor: Algeria is a very beautiful country in North Africa. It's one of the 22 Arab states that are members of the Arab League. It's population is of Arab and Berber descent, two groups that have been intermarrying for about 1,400 years to the extent that most Algerians have descent from both groups. Algerians are Muslims and have successfully accomplished an Arabization program to teach and speak Arabic instead of French, which was imposed by the colonial European power for almost a century. The Algerian revolution against the French colonial rule was an inspiration for many nations in Asia and Africa to rid themselves of the European colonial and imperialist rule. However, like in many examples all over the world, the revolutionaries may not become the best rulers of their nations. In 1991, Islamists won the elections but the government denied them their right to rule, which has led to a devastating civil war that is still going on despite sincere efforts from the present President, Boutafliqa, to end it peacefully. After September 11, 2001 attacks, the Bush administration sought partners everywhere in its "war on terror." This has been a golden opportunity for dictatorial governments and oppressive occupiers to receive support from the United States government in cracking down on the populations under their control. Russians have escalated their war against the Chechen population. Indians intensified their confrontation with the Kashmiris and their Pakistani supporters. And Israelis have launched a continuous military campaign against the Palestinian people since March 29, 2002, with full financing and support from the Bush administration. Most Arab governments, including the Algerian government, also benefited from this new US global war. During Cold War I, successive US administrations supported dictatorial and autocratic governments all over the world to win the war against the Soviet Union. Now, with Cold War II being fought all over the world, the US government is again in full support of oppressive occupiers, like the Israelis and Russians, as well as non-democratic regimes, which cooperate with the US war effort. Democracy and human rights are not important in foreign policy. Just compare the $29 million Colin Powell has announced to advance democracy in the Middle East with the $14 billion in loan guarantees to the Sharon government, the most brutal and oppressive regime on Earth. Instead of forcing the Israelis to withdraw from the Palestinian territories, which is the root of most problems in the Middle East, the occupation regime is being strengthened. More important is the obsession with the war on Iraq because of the pretext of weapons of mass destruction. Israel is armed to teeth with these weapons but the Bush administration ignores that. Why? There is a lack of vision for a peaceful and democratic world.
From: Michael Childress (12/12/02) Subject: Senator Lott's reality (A comment on today's Khodr's article) What (Senator Trent) Lott says is
believed by many Europeans as demonstrated by their treatment of
Asians (American Indians and Chinese workers) and Africans (Africans and
Afro-Americans). it is also important to note that these American
(politicians) are hypocrites. Washington, Jefferson, and Thurmond
had black mistresses. There are continued reports of Thurmond's
"black family" that have circulated in the District of
Columbia. So while Thurmond was spewing his racial hatred, he was
sleeping black like the other innumerable hypocrites. For this, he
was rewarded by the handkerchief heads of the Negro group, the National
Urban League.
From: Mahmood Muslim (12/11/02). Subject: Al-Jazeerah Assallamu 'Alaikum, I'm pleased to see that the English equivalent of Aljazeerah is up. It is also sad that the Muslims' pride of Language, the Arabic Language, has been relegated to Second Language in the world. Hence depriving Muslims' Unity. It is a pleasure for the New Site, best of luck. May Allah guide us and strengthen us. Amin! Wasallam. Editor: Thanks for good words but Al-Jazeerah is not related to the Arabic website with the same name.
From: Kaan Dunbar, Turkey (12/11/02). Subject: Information about the Soviet Union foreign policy towards the Middle East Firstly I want to congratulate you for your useful articles about the State's foreign policy towards the regions. And I am a university student in Turkey in the department of International Relations so I want some information about the Soviet Union foreign policy towards the Middle East. This title is related to my course research. If you send me some kind of articles or information which is related to my topic I will be very happy. Editor: Chapter 8 of my book, "The Gulf War: Overreaction & Excessiveness," has a section about the Soviet attempts to avoid the war. Many books were published about the subjects, information about them can be found in the internet. Russian policies (after the Soviet Union) can be followed by reading various books and articles cited in the internet. Al-Jazeerah has published several articles about that you can find them in the news section.
From: M Kay Scott, Huntington Beach, USA (12/11/02) Subject: A reply to the interactive editorial of Hassan El-Najjar and Kay Scott (12/8/02). Thank you for your reply. Yes, we do have extreme opinion differences. Although, I find it somewhat offensive to have someone claim that I am mindless enough to be brainwashed or under some kind of mind control. We have extremely liberal colleges, and when we graduate from them, have quite a liberal view of the world. Then we start to live and our views begin to change. I remember waiting in line for hours in 1973 during the oil embargo. I remember the recession forced on our economy because of it. Interest rates were soon 18%.
What I know of America, which you don't
seem to understand is the fact that the people do run the government.
There is no conspiracy. Yes, we have a low voter turn out and
I am often an offender in this.
Sometimes, I just don't care about the
issues in an election, and sometimes I do. It is not the same 30% of
the people who stay home. For instance, there was an important
local initiative that I wanted to vote for in this election. If
it was not on the ballet, I may not have voted. My Senator has
been in Congress for many years and is popular. He didn't need
my vote. Our foreign policy is not decided
each election, it is an evolving set of
interests. Our world is much different now than it was fifteen
years ago. But, one thing that never changes: our leaders
are in government to protect the interests of the American people and
only the American people. If that benefits others, good for
them, they're lucky. But our
Constitution only gives them
the authority the people bestow, no more.
I would like to remind you of the
movements that have changed the course of public opinion here in the
United States. The Feminist movement, the Civil Rights
Movement, the Anti-Vietnam protests, the
Taxpayers Revolt in California with
Proposition 13, the anti-abortion lobby,
Christian Right movement, and so on. You can read about the
"Virginity" or
Abstinence movement. There is a new morality
which Hollywood just doesn't 'get'. It's there and strong. It's
grassroots.
I know, I have an 18 year old abstinent
daughter. She and her peers have thrown off the loose, 'Girls
Gone Wild' young drug addicted,
alchohol laden female stereotype. The
Abstinence movement comes from the kids who are afraid of disease,
broken families and addiction. It comes from within them
and not without. The schools refuse to
teach Abstinence as a method of birth control. Dirty, rich old
men hate it. It's a revolution.
Don't be deceived. There are no
hidden strings held by a puppeteer. We make our own destiny.
:
From:
M Kay Scott, Huntington Beach, USA
(12/8/02)
Subject: Kuwait's reaction to Iraq's apology I read your feature regarding Iraq's apology to Kuwait. You did not include the reaction from the Kuwaiti people in this article. Our media tells us that it was quite negative. Do you plan to publish their reaction? We would like to see your view of this statement. Editor: Al-Jazeerah published a summary translation of the main points of President Saddam Hussain's apology to the Kuwaiti people without any comments or reactions because the statement itself was the news. The US media focused on reactions of Kuwaiti officials in order to distract readers and viewers from the real news, the apology, which has been a Kuwaiti demand since 1991. This is a typical case that shows how the the US established media operate. They just make Iraqis look like "damned" if they do and "damned" if they don't. Another relevant example is the Iraqi disclosure of weapon programs, which was given to the UN before the deadline. The four major US news tv networks (CNN, Fox, CNBC, MSNBC) worked round the clock to tell their viewers about how Iraqis are deceptive, without anybody looking at the documents. Ehud Barak and Joseph Lieberman were the Fox guests on Saturday and Sunday instigating and calling for war on Iraq even with the Iraqi disclosure that nobody has read yet. The main explanation is that the owners and workers in these media establishments are pro-Israel. Without understanding the Israeli factor in American politics, it will be hard for anybody to understand American foreign policy and American media behavior. They just want an invasion of Iraq no matter what Iraq does to prove its innocence of their accusations because this is the Israeli strategy. Iraq should not look good at all. Therefore, it's apology cannot be accepted and its disclosure cannot be trusted.
From: Linda Stolte (12/6/02) Subject: Finding a project to help Australian Aborigines Hello! Editor: I
hope that readers who know about some of these projects to write to Al-Jazeerah
their addresses.
From: Mike Chittum, San Francisco - USA (12/5/02) Subject: President Bush's speech today about the Muslim Eid
Dear Editor:
I appreciate your response to my November
email regarding the Hamas and their role in upcoming opportunities for
peace in Israel/Palestine. I have posted several (non-bashing,
with appropriate language) letters to the "Arabnews" site
and have yet to see them published. I fear their coverage is too
one sided. I wanted you to know that response,
communication, dialogue are very important these days and, whether we
agree or not, the fact that you do take the time to respond is greatly
appreciated.
The President of the U.S. just delivered a
speech celebrating the end of Ramadan. He spoke about the
goodness of Islam and the many US/Muslim citizens and their
contributions to the US and to the world. It was about 15
minutes in length, with many imams present and watched by many on
US television. It was a speech that again urged
Americans to appreciate all of elements that make up our culture and
our nation. Tensions rise and fall constantly, with UN
inspections, the Palestinian issue and many other items. Sometimes
good, well meaning, generous Americans find themselves hardening to
the Middle East, to Moslems, to Arabs and they feel guilty for having
polarized to one extreme or another. I'm sure that many
Americans who saw or heard the President's speech today took it to
heart. My question: we do not have readily available
access to Arab/Muslim television news - is/will the President's speech
be broadcast? I'm not specifically looking for
predictions on how his speech is/will be received. I'd just like
to know if the Arab world, the Muslim world will see or hear the
speech. Would this include Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the West Bank,
etc.
Editor: I'm sure that it will be summarized and presented in most Arab and Islamic TV stations. Positive attitudes cannot be barred from reaching their destinations. Let's pray that he will follow these good words with good deeds. First, pressuring Sharon to withdraw his occupation troops from the Palestinian territories. Second, stopping the plans of invading Iraq. If these happen, then trust will start to build up between the two great nations.
.
From: Laura M. Stark (12/5/02) Subject: Arab and Muslim bashing Editor: Laura, your letter could not be published at Al-Jazeerah. We promote cross-cultural understanding. It was classified as bashing and threatening Arabs and Muslims. You did not bash Alqaeda or criticize Arab or Muslim governments. Instead, you targeted people. The only ones who benefit from pitting Americans against Arabs and Muslims are the Zionist Israelis, who want America to invade Arabs and Muslims for them. If you truly care about America, you shouldn't wish for it to be dragged into a conflict that has a beginning but no end except death and destruction on all sides. Ask us about what do you want to know, you may change your mind about Arabs and Muslims, who are the victims of the Zionist aggression. You're welcome to contribute to peace, we have a lot of war hawks, actually chicken hawks, already. They are impatient to start the American invasion of the Middle East without thinking about the consequences. Peace to your soul.
From: Terry Stanard (12/4/02) Subject:
Credibility of Israeli Peace Now organizations Editor: They
are sincere for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. However, they
represent a small fraction of the Israeli society. The overwhelming
majority of Israelis still support the Likude and Labor policies of
oppressing the Palestinian people to the point of breaking their will.
The objective is keeping the Palestinian people as a slave labor force
without any political rights (They are not citizens of Israel). From
September 2000 to November 2002, the Labor Party was part of the
coalition with the extreme right-wing Likude Party, which has continued
its blunt war against the Palestinian people. I say this because I don't
want you to confuse the Labor Party with the Peace Now movement. Change
will happen in Israel if the Peace Now organizations become more active
in their efforts to mobilize Israelis against the occupation. So far,
it's a very small effort that neither influences election results nor
mobilizes the street. It seems that the Zionist imperialist ideology is
the dominant one in Israel today, and it is an ideology of war, not only
in Palestine but all over the world.
From: Angel U. Plate (12/3/02) Subject: What about Lebanon? Knowing more about US foreign policy I want to say that I really enjoyed your web site. However, after reading some of the letters to the editor, I didn't see anyone mentioning anything about Syria having control over Lebanon. I get angry that there is so much hype over Saudi, Iran, & Iraq. I also feel that the US does sympathize more with Israel, but why? I am a Christian Lebanese-American, who knows very little when it comes to world affairs, I just know when you are Arab or of Arab decent people consider you a terrorist....or Muslim, no matter what. Editor: Angel, you should not allow anybody to consider you as a terrorist because of your Arab descent. Your ancestors educated the whole world the three great religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Arabs and Muslims also embraced and sustained the human civilization for more than eight centuries. You should be proud of your Lebanese and Arab heritage. You're not less of an American than anybody else in the US. Concerning more emphasis on Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Palestine, this is because the war that is going on and about to escalate there. With regard to Lebanon, it is much better now than a decade ago. Lebanon was devastated during the Civil War (1975-1990). In addition, the Israeli occupation of the south took its toll on Lebanon. Now, the south is free because of the Lebanese resistance and the reconstruction is going on. Concerning the Syrian military presence in Lebanon, it has been much reduced. Syrian forces are there to keep the peace between the Lebanese factions. They will leave when the Lebanese government asks them to leave. But for now, there is peace in Lebanon. Let's ask God to keep the peace. If you want to understand the US biased foreign policy towards Israel, read the opinion editorials of Al-Jazeerah, particularly those of this editor. It's maily because of the lack of checks and balances in the government. While there are supporters of Israel in the highest positions in every government department, there are no Arab and Muslim Americans to form a counterbalance. Read and you will understand.
Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah's. |
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