Saturday, December 9, 2006
All the sickness of the East in one place and one person...the man with his hand on the controls of one of the most influential news outlets in the Arab World -- Al Jazeerah: An Interview With Al-Jazeera Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Sheikh
For what is happening in Palestine, we never use the expression "suicide bombing."
What do you call it then?
In English, I would describe it as "bombings."
And in Arabic?
Literally translated, we would speak of "commando attacks." In our culture, it is precisely not suicide.
But instead a praiseworthy act?
When the country is occupied and the people are being killed by the enemy, everyone must take action, even if he sacrifices himself in so doing.
Even if in so doing he kills innocent civilians?
That is not a Palestinian problem, but a problem of the Israelis...
...Who is responsible for the situation?
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most important reasons why these crises and problems continue to simmer. The day when Israel was founded created the basis for our problems. The West should finally come to understand this. Everything would be much calmer if the Palestinians were given their rights.
Do you mean to say that if Israel did not exist, there would suddenly be democracy in Egypt, that the schools in Morocco would be better, that the public clinics in Jordan would function better?
I think so.
Can you please explain to me what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to do with these problems?
The Palestinian cause is central for Arab thinking.
In the end, is it a matter of feelings of self-esteem?
Exactly. It's because we always lose to Israel. It gnaws at the people in the Middle East that such a small country as Israel, with only about 7 million inhabitants, can defeat the Arab nation with its 350 million. That hurts our collective ego. The Palestinian problem is in the genes of every Arab. The West's problem is that it does not understand this.
I see his point. It's got to be tough to see the "sons of pigs and apes" defeat the "Arab nation".
Even the trees and rocks aren't telling Muslims that Jews are hiding behind them so Muslims can kill them.
The only time Arabs defeat the US and Israel is in cartoons, puppet shows and movies where Arab/Muslims dress up as Jews and other Arab/Muslims exact revenge for Jews not playing their traditional roles as dhimmis and victims.
Al-Jazeera, keep feeding fantasies to your viewers and continue to fall behind the civilized world.
Congnitive Dissonance.
Its the the Arab/Muslim belief that Jews and other non-Muslims are inferior to Muslims and the realization that Muslims may be inferior ones.
Ego? You mean to tell me that planes into buildings, bombs on trains and busses and in cafes, rockets fired indiscriminately into civilian areas is a result of poor self esteem? I think some people need to learn how to raise there children not to hate and teach them some humility.