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February 22, 2006
Arabs Charge Port Deal Controversy As 'Islamophobia'
Topics: Understanding IslamWell, if that's how the Arabs want to spin it, that's their perogative. But for the rest of the world, we prefer to label it by a far more appropriate term - "being aware of Islamofascism", or perhaps even more appropriate - "Islamo-awareness". Here, the "Islamo" part applies to radical Islam and the Arab leaders that have facilitated it's spread, not the millions of moderate Muslims that for the most part are hiding in bunkers, or the equivalent, afraid to speak out for fear of being attacked by their radical cousins.
However, before I embark on my anti-Arab kick (which is really directed more to the Saudis than Arabs in general), I'll refer all readers to the Sandmonkey for a very good perspective and summary of the controversy, and one from an Arab view (he's in Cairo). His wrap-up gives a hint to his feelings on the matter:
So , basically, I wouldn't approve of this deal personally just because it's a company that is foreign-government owned, but denying it on the basis of "but they are sandmonkeys" just isn't good enough. I think this will lead to a review of the deal and people will do their due dilligance and work and will come out and say either YAY or Nay. I also think that the senators and the congressmen are exploiting the issue for the 06 elections. That we are seeing what will even be a republican strategy for the 06 elections: attack Bush. Show you are independent from the republican establishment. Yes. That's the ticket.Be sure to read his entire post.But again, it's sad that none of the senators or congresmen are bringing this issue up in terms of sovreignty, and are doing the whole "Bush is caving in to the arabs" routine. I personally think its admireable of Bush to take the stand that he is taking, and that it should show the arabs in the US why they can't trust the democrats to be on their side of anything. That they claim to be "on the arabs side" for the conveinece of it all, and that the fact that US muslims have always historically voted for the republican party was always the soundest decision they could make.
With that in perspective, we still have a problem. Are we suppose to pretend that the Arab Bank isn't funding terrorism? Or that we should ignore the ties that bind the House of Saud and al Qaeda. What about the Saudi funding of Islamist extremist groups in the U.S.? Maybe the Arabs (again, primarily Saudis) would like to explain how billions in oil money spawned a global terror network? What about Saudi world wide funding to spread Wahhabism, in what amounts to State sponsored extremism? How about the Arabs explaining the comments in these interviews held by PBS!
How about the Saudis refuting this, and especially this:
The picture of Saudi activities in the United States is not a pretty one.They can't!Freedom House's Muslim volunteers went to 15 prominent mosques from New York to San Diego and collected more than 200 books and other publications disseminated by Saudi Arabia (some 90% in Arabic) in mosque libraries, publication racks, and bookstores.
What they found can only be described as horrifying. These writings - each and every one of them sponsored by the kingdom - espouse an anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, misogynist, jihadist, and supremacist outlook. For example, they:
* Reject Christianity as a valid faith: Any Muslim who believes "that churches are houses of God and that God is worshiped therein is an infidel."
* Insist that Islamic law be applied: On a range of issues, from women (who must be veiled) to apostates from Islam ("should be killed"), the Saudi publications insist on full enforcement of Shariah in America.
* See non-Muslims as the enemy: "Be dissociated from the infidels, hate them for their religion, leave them, never rely on them for support, do not admire them, and always oppose them in every way according to Islamic law.
* See America as hostile territory: "It is forbidden for a Muslim to become a citizen of a country governed by infidels because this is a means of acquiescing to their infidelity and accepting all their erroneous ways.
* Prepare for war against America: "To be true Muslims, we must prepare and be ready for jihad in Allah's way. It is the duty of the citizen and the government."
The report's authors correctly find that the publications under review "pose a grave threat to non-Muslims and to the Muslim community itself." The materials instill a doctrine of religious hatred inimical to American culture and serve to produce new recruits to the enemy forces in the war on terrorism.
To provide just one example of the latter: Adam Yahiye Gadahn, thought to be the masked person in a 2004 videotape threatening that American streets would "run with blood," became a jihadi in the course of spending time at the Islamic Society of Orange County, a Saudi-funded institution.
Freedom House urges that the American government "not delay" a protest at the highest levels to the Saudi government about its venomous publications lining the shelves of some of America's most important mosques. That's unobjectionable, but it strikes this observer of Saudi-American relations as inadequate. The protest will be accepted, then filed away.
Instead, the insidious Saudi assault on America must be made central to the (misnamed) war on terror. The Bush administration needs to confront the domestic menace that the Wahhabi kingdom presents to America. That means junking the fantasy of Saudi friendship and seeing the country, like China, as a formidable rival whose ambitions for a very different world order must be repulsed and contained.
Islamophobia? Get off the Arab Muslim sympathy kick guys, it "ain't goin to play" here, not since 9/11! It's Islamo-awareness, knowing our enemy and taking steps to prevent him, radical Islam and the Arab tribal good ole boy team, from destroying the West.
Moderate Muslims have a tough enough job separating themselves from the nutcase radicals. They don't need another monkey on their back - Arab leaders playing the sympathy ticket. The U.S. public isn't going to buy it, and we damned well don't intend to pay for it.
Posted by Richard at February 22, 2006 2:25 PM
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