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09 August 2010
Those who try to make the word ‘terrorism’ a
synonym of the word ‘Islam’ try to brainwash us these
days by the phrase “I am a Muslim, I am against
terrorism”, which many Arabic-language TV stations
have started to use during the month of Ramadan, when
TV viewing becomes a dominant pastime in the Arab
world. This phrase is coined neither by Muslims nor by
the real enemies of terrorism; and the objective of
funding the intensive broadcasting of this phrase in
Ramadan is not exonerating Islam of an accusation
leveled against it by Zionists and their allies among
the neo-cons in the wake of 9/11. This is clear from
the political connotations of this phrase which
suggest that “although I am a Muslim; yet, I am
against terrorism”. In this sense, our enemies accuse
a billion Muslims of terrorism; while Christians,
Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and others are exonerated of
any link with terrorism. One is entitled to ask: how many terrorist crimes
the Zionists commit against Muslim and Christian Arabs
in and outside Palestine, including murder,
assassination, home demolition, setting mosques on
fire, etc. Yet, have we ever seen a phrase saying “I
am a Jew, I am against terrorism”? How many war and terrorist crimes have the invading
American and Western allied troops have committed in
Iraq and Afghanistan, including genocide, torture and
assassination which claimed the lives of over a
million Iraqis and hundreds of thousands of Afghanis
and Pakistanis. The victims are always Muslims:
civilians, women and children. Yet, have we ever seen
a phrase such as “I am a Christian, I am against
terrorism?” The fact is that the intensive racist campaign
since 9/11, 2001 has targeted Islam and Muslims. If
measuring events by their outcomes is the right way,
it can be said that 9/11 aimed in principle at finding
an excuse for waging a war on Muslims and covering up
all the crimes committed by the Zionist and racist
Israeli troops in Palestine, like Judaization,
expulsion, killing, imprisoning, torture and
displacement. One cannot but ask, are not 1.3 billion Muslims
capable of facing this racist campaign through
well-informed and open-minded research institutes
capable of addressing the West in its own language and
style and conveying to it the sublime message of
Islam? If this message is spread and soundly
implemented, it will be a genuine savior to humanity
of all sins and tragedies which destroy spiritual
peace and social cohesion. Let us remember how the word ‘terrorism’ was coined
and how it was used by of the Apartheid regime to
brand Nelson Mandela as terrorist; and how all
resistance movements have been branded as terrorist by
Fascists and Nazis until they triumphed and achieved
freedom and independence for their nations. What we read today on Wikileaks shows that the
United States exports terrorism to the world:
“Wikileakes releases CIA paper on U.S. as ‘exporter of
terrorism’” (Washington Post, 25 August 2010). Three
papers described as ‘classified’ by the CIA’s red cell
name the Pakistani David Headley and others to show
that the U.S. government has become an exporter of
terrorism. Headley acknowledged his responsibility for
the Bombay attack which claimed the lives of 160
people. The paper adds that “Such exports are not new.
In 1994, an American Jewish doctor, Baruch Goldstein,
emigrated from New York to Israel, joined the
extremist group Kach and killed 29 Palestinians
praying at a mosque at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in
Hebron”. It should be recalled that last month Wikileakes
published 76,000 secret documents, part of American
military files and field reports about the war in
Afghanistan. The Pentagon asked for the documents to
be withdrawn because they make the American troops and
their Afghani agents liable to the charge of
terrorism. This coincided with the sandal of Mohammed
Zia Salehi, the chief of administration for the
National Security Council about whom the New York
Times published an article entitled “Key Karzai Aide
in Corruption Inquiry Is Linked to C.I.A.” (25 August
2010). Reports confirm that Salehi was released upon
Karzi’s intervention because he knows everything about
corrupt deals inside the Karzi’s administration. An
American official stated that it was common practice
to deal with corrupt people in Afghanistan. He adds:
“If we decide as a country that we’ll never deal with
anyone in Afghanistan who might down the road — and
certainly not at our behest — put his hand in the
till, we can all come home right now,” the American
official said. “If you want intelligence in a war
zone, you’re not going to get it from Mother Teresa or
Mary Poppins.” (New York Times, 25 August 2010). This is a clear acknowledgment of the absolute
separation between morality and what American troops
are doing in Afghanistan. In an article entitled
“Making Afghanistan More Dangerous,” Jason Thomas
asserts that American troops use mercenaries they call
‘security firms’ in protecting “foreigners,
civil-society organizations and aid,” but also
corruption money sent in cash in protected vehicles”.
(The Herald Tribune, 25 August 2010). What do these people have to talk about Islam as a
source of terrorism? And how could they accuse Muslims
of terrorism, while they themselves are major
exporters of terrorism? Can those who use torture,
assassination, corruption and wars as their declared
method of occupying one Muslim country after another
and killing millions of innocent Muslims accuse those
who defend freedom, dignity and sovereignty of
terrorism? The phrase which should be promoted on
Arabic-language TV channels should be “I am a Muslim,
I am a victim of terrorism”. As to our enemies, the
stigma of terrorism, war, Judaization, settlement
building, home demolishing, assassination and other
crimes will haunt them throughout history, because
they are the makers of terrorism regardless of their
religion. Prof. Bouthaina Shaaban is Political and Media
Advisor at the Syrian Presidency, and former Minister
of Expatriates. She is also a writer and professor at
Damascus University since 1985. She's got Ph.D. in
English Literature from Warwick University, London.
She was the spokesperson for Syria. She was nominated
for Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. |