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| Robert Fisk - Arabs are like mice |
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| BrKhalid |
| 02/18/03 at 08:42:29 |
| Robert Fisk A million march in London but, faced with disaster, the Arabs are like mice 18 February 2003 Could anything be more pathetic than the Arab demonstration against war? A million Britons marched in London, more than half a million Spaniards in Madrid; 200,000 in Paris and New York. And Cairo? Well, just 600 Egyptians turned up in their capital to protest at America's forthcoming invasion of brotherly Iraq – surrounded by 3,000 security police. By way of contrast – brave contrast – 2,000 Israelis protested in Tel Aviv against the war. What on earth is it with the Arabs? Of all people, they – and they alone – are likely to suffer in this American invasion of their homeland. They – and they alone – have the will and the ability to understand that this US military adventure is intended – as Colin Powell, the Secretary of State, frankly declared last week – to change the map of the Middle East. Yet, faced with catastrophe, the Arabs are like mice. Their leaders may agree with their people – but they will not let their people say so. President Mubarak of Egypt has made it all too clear there is little he can do to rein in President Bush. King Abdullah of Jordan has said there is almost "nothing" the Arabs can do to avert war. Which means Arabs ask, more and more, what their leaders are for. The presidents and kings of the Arab world agree with their people, it seems, but do not wish them to express the views they themselves hold. It's one thing for Mr Mubarak to criticise the United States – quite another for Egyptians to do so. What on earth, one wonders, did the 3,000 Egyptian security police think as they surrounded their protesting brothers and sisters? True, 200,000 Syrians protested against the war in Damascus. But no one protests in Syria unless they are in accord with their government, which means that this particular "popular" protest was arranged by the Arab Socialist Baath Party of Syria. But at least the Syrians did not carry, as their neighbours in Beirut did, portraits of Saddam Hussein. For in Arab capital cities, there is a special problem. Repeatedly, Arab opposition to war is trammelled up with Arab support for the Iraqi dictator. In Cairo two weeks ago, pictures of the Iraqi leader detracted from anti-war protests. In Beirut on Saturday, men who had fought each other in Lebanon's 15-year civil war came together to oppose America's invasion of Iraq, but were then demeaned by far greater numbers of Lebanese who supported Saddam Hussein and carried pictures of the wretched man to prove it. Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of the Lebanese Hizbollah guerrilla army, castigated the Arabs for their "silence" and urged them to "re-evaluate" their attitude towards Europe following the protests against war – this, remember, from the man who leads an organisation whose satellite groups once held dozens of Westerners hostage in Lebanon during the 1980s. Sayed Nasrallah also deplored the fact that "the greatest Muslim demonstration in history" – the gathering of two million Muslim pilgrims at Mecca for the Haj – had not used the slogan "Death to America" or "No to War". Nasrallah also accused "certain" Arab regimes of "supporting the war or approving of it in secret". And, of course, we all know who they are. [url]http://argument.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=379380 [/url] [hr] Just to clarify for the Non Muslims amongst us. These Arab leaders do not govern by Islam and do not represent how Islam should be implemented. Even Robert Fisk can see that. |
| Re: Robert Fisk - Arabs are like mice |
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| panjul |
| 02/19/03 at 00:09:56 |
| [slm] To get rid of mice, you let out the cat. I say we ship them all off to the moon. Why don't the people rise up??? The people, i'm sorry, are no better than their leaders. The leaders cowardliness reflects in their people. Now Bush--he's an idiot but he's certainly not a coward. So neither are his people who have the guts to stand up to him. |
| Re: Robert Fisk - Arabs are like mice |
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| Tesseract |
| 02/19/03 at 02:24:15 |
| [quote]Now Bush--he's an idiot but he's certainly not a coward[/quote] I wonder what makes u say that? The President of the country which is the only super-power on earth now, goes into hiding when 4 passenger planes crashed (2 in WTC, 1 in Pentagon, and 1in Pennsylvania) and the country came under the alarm that it was being "attacked". In such a situation, should the President be at front or be in hiding? And later on when he came out of hiding, the Vice President went into hiding...........these people are nothing but a bunch of cowards >:(. Wassalam. |
| Re: Robert Fisk - Arabs are like mice |
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| jaihoon |
| 02/19/03 at 03:23:46 |
| Light a candle, instead of cursing the darkness :) |
| Re: Robert Fisk - Arabs are like mice |
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| panjul |
| 02/19/03 at 10:30:17 |
| [slm] Jaihoon, what does that mean? is it a line from a poem or something? these people are nothing but a bunch of cowards these people sitting holding power don't care what the world thinks, on the other hand the arab govts. care about what *america* thinks! they realize that many in the american govt. as well as in many corners of the american public they see the arabs and muslims as, scumbags. |
| Re: Robert Fisk - Arabs are like mice |
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| zomorrud |
| 02/20/03 at 08:16:14 |
| [color=blue] bismillah... assalamu alaikum what a catchy title? i wonder if it is right journalistically to liken a whole race to a rodent? i reckon any thing goes these days. but r. fisk seems to be blinded by anger. his article acknowledges teh protests in syria and lebanon, but i guess he goes on to doubt the motives and discounts them as show offs? then he concludes that 'arabs' are like mice because so few protested in egypt. ::) and with admiration he notes the size of the protest in israel. of course people in israel are not going to support war in iraq, because they'll be hit in retaliation. it does not take a genius to figure that their motives are not exactly alturistic. anyways, i don't see how ranting about the clear apathy in the middle east when you are not there is being any use to the cause or the people. what is needed now is to try to motivate and inspire the 'arabs' to get more involved in government politics. most of the people are just tired and in a collective state of depression. light a candle and show them the way, like bro jaihon said. and why is mr. know-it-all-fisk purporting that the war in iraq should be an 'arab' problem? why the colonial ideology? it is a muslim problem period. all muslim countries are accountable (in front of Allah at least), to what eventually will happen in there. oooouf, politics! it sure gets your bp rising. i'll try to breathe deeply now and think of cute things to relax ... take care wassalam [/color] |
| Re: Robert Fisk - Arabs are like mice |
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| Maliha |
| 02/20/03 at 08:31:16 |
| [quote author=panjul link=board=ummah;num=1045575750;start=0#4 date=02/19/03 at 10:30:17] [slm] these people sitting holding power don't care what the world thinks, on the other hand the arab govts. care about what *america* thinks! they realize that many in the american govt. as well as in many corners of the american public they see the arabs and muslims as, scumbags. [/quote] [slm] I don't know if hiding behind mass weapons of destruction and bullying countries that have already been "bombed to the stone ages" is really considered courage ::) I mean come on, let's reflect on the true meaning of courage...(according to the dictionary) Courage is that firmness of spirit and swell of soul which meets danger without fear. What kind of danger is America facing without fear? None!!! By going to war, America has *nothing* to lose and everything to gain. America doesn't care about the rest of the world because she doesn't have to..simple as that. If there was any economic, or political disadvantage to being involved with this war, then rest assured they would not dare lift a finger. Let's not go into the politricks of demonstrations...So what the U.S lets a couple of people take to the streets and "vent" of their "anger". Its good for a democracy...the illusion of freedom. What happens after millions go to the streets? Bush states he is not moved by it..and it doesn't change his stance on war. So millions are appeased by screaming their slogans, and Bush is intent on moving forward. Sadly enough, Arabs are not that sophisticated to allow their populations to take to the streets and then simply ignore what they have to say... We have countries that are being lead by ignorant people *world wide*. Current leaders are simply idiots, and please when compared to the likes of our Predecessors (Umar Bin Khattab, Khalid Bin Walid, Sallahuddin *RA* The Rasul [saw] himself!, just to name a few), I think we are insulting the term cowards by not applying it to the people who are leading us today. Sis, Maliha [wlm] |
| 02/20/03 at 08:44:00 |
| Maliha |
| Re: Robert Fisk - Arabs are like mice |
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| panjul |
| 02/21/03 at 01:08:02 |
| [slm] I don't think Fisk was saying that arabs are of a low race. mice represent meekness. so he's saying they are meek. all 100% of them? no. he's not saying that either. does he believe that they can't get over it? no, he wants them to rise up. although i disagree with some of the things he's said about middle eastern politics in some of his past articles, Fisk is a good man. (and my favorite journalist.) He does not have an agenda against *anyone*, so far as i've seen. |
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