Author: Ny Daily News
Publication: The New York Times
Date: October 10, 2001
In the second week of October 2001,
Islamic foreign ministers gathered in the Persian Gulf city of Doha (in
Qatar) to discuss where they stand on America's response to the Bin Laden
Holy War.
First they talked. Then they issued
a statement. It sounded reasonable, but it was not. Not if you know how
to translate Islamic political word games:
Word Game No. 1:
The Islamic States solemnly declare
that they support the war on terrorism - providing there are no innocent
civilian casualties.
Translation: They do not support
the war on terrorism.Because terrorists live among civilians, and often
are civilians, it is, in practical terms, impossible to fight them without
civilian casualties. The Islamic regimes murder copious numbers of their
own civilians to stay in power. In recent years, Algeria has slaughtered
more than 50,000 Moslem fundamentalists. Twenty years ago, the Syrian government
killed upwards of 10,000 in the town of Hama. "Moderate" Egypt has massacred
thousands of extremists and thrown thousands more into medieval dungeons.
Iraq gasses its civilians. Iran sends children into battle. Sudan systematically
starves its black Christian dissidents.
Word Game No. 2:
The Islamic States denounces terrorism,
but not movements of national liberation.
Translation: Whatever Moslems do
to "infidels or hypocrites" is, by definition, not terrorism. The gunmen,
suicide bombers and holy warriors presently at work in Israel, Nigeria,
Western China, India, the nations of the former USSR, Turkey, the Balkans
and the Philippines are freedom fighters. Only those who fight back are
terrorists. And that goes double for America.
Word Game No. 3:
Islam is a religion of peace; terrorism
is a perversion.
Translation: Okay, maybe there is
no such thing as an Islamic peace movement. Maybe Moslem countries are
embroiled in the great majority of the wars being fought on the planet
earth. Maybe Osama Bin Laden is the idol of the Islamic masses. Maybe he
is most popular in the mosques and religious schools of the Middle East.
But Islam is peaceful because we say it is. And if you disagree, the entire
Islamic world will rise up against you. So beware.
Word Game No. 4:
The only way to deal with terrorism
is to address its root causes.
Translation: You are the root cause.
You impoverish us by buying our oil and humiliate us with foreign aid.
You protect the Jews (not that we're anti-Semites, God forbid. We only
hate the Zionists because they control the world). Most of all, your success
as a civilization makes us seem like primitive, fanatical failures to our
own children. So we use our schools, mosques, newspapers and airwaves to
teach them that you are godless infidels. But hey, nothing personal. And
remember, in the bloodless war against non-Islamic terrorists outside the
Middle East, we are with you all the way.
