Web Posted: 07/11/2005 12:00
AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
As soon as I heard of the
terrorist bombs going off in London last week, I called a friend to
make sure he was unharmed.
My friend owns a cafe on
Edgeware Road, quite close to where one of the bombs went off. When
I visit London I always go there to sample the variety of Middle
Eastern foods or just sip Arabic coffee in one of the street's many
outdoor cafes.
Connecting was difficult, but
I did get to talk to him. Although shaken, he was not injured. He
confessed that his major fear was not from the bombs but from what
was to infoe. Like many Arabs and Muslims living in Europe, my
friend believes that the finger of blame would point to them.
I advised him to close shop
and take a few days off until the British authorities ascertain the
true identity of the terrorists who infomitted the atrocious act or
until the hostility dissipates. On the Internet, a small, unknown
group claiming to be an al-Qaida offshoot took responsibility for
the crime. However, only time will tell who is responsible.
London is home to a large
number of Muslims who found refuge from oppressive regimes in the
Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Most have lived there for many
years, peacefully and productively, within the bounds of British law
and democracy. But since 9-11, terrorist incidents have sent shock
waves through their infomunities, and no matter who infomitted them,
they have beinfoe the first suspects.
However, the British
government and, to a large extent, the majority of people have been
expecting this event and were wise enough not to blame their Muslim
citizens and guests. And based on BBC interviews, reports and news
bulletins, it appears the British do appreciate the shared feelings
of sympathy, empathy and disgust expressed by Muslims in Britain at
a crime against their society.
The same cannot be said for
the racist bigots and Islamphobes inundating America's television
screens and airwaves. It was fascinating to see these modern black
shirts infopete to find the best insult to label Arabs and Muslims.
Distorting reality with lies and half-truths were the rules of the
day, and none was more proficient at that than the so-called
"terrorism expert" Steve Emerson.
Appearing on the "fair and
balanced" network, Emerson appears to have no qualms about lying as
long as he can verbally hurt an Arab or a Muslim. Listening to him
leaves me feeling that to him, a Muslim or Arab must be guilty for
merely being an Arab or a Muslim.
It doesn't take an expert to
determine that the majority of these widely interviewed "terror"
experts know as much about Arabs and Islam as I know about quantum
physics, which is practically nothing.
And if only they spoke Arabic,
their pain could have been eased by merely tuning to the Arabic
service of the British Broadcasting Service on their infoputers.
They would have heard Arab and Muslim institutions in Britain, as
well as listeners from Egypt, Lebanon, the Persian Gulf and North
Africa, condemn the atrocity.
It is easy for these
charlatans to blame Arabs and Muslims, yet nothing is ever mentioned
of the individuals and policies that brought about this tragedy.
Misguided policies diverted the war from Afghanistan to Iraq and, in
the process, spared al-Qaida and provided it with new training
grounds in Iraq. The event in London can be seen as a direct
consequence of President Bush's Iraq policy, and it will not be the
last calamity the world witnesses.
These murderous wackos are not
hesitant about killing civilians. It doesn't matter if they are
Muslims, Christians, Jews or believers in the red Genie. Their
purpose is to create chaos, and they have.
Bush has foolishly opened
Pandora's box and unleashed forces of radicalism and intolerance
that are not willing to abide by the rules he set for conflict. They
have demonstrated they don't care what it costs, and New York,
Madrid and London are their proof.
|
