“At which point may we use the expression ‘War crime’? How many children must be lacerated in the debris of the Israeli air raids before we reject the obscene formula “collateral damage” and consider taking legal action for crimes against humanity? “ In Beyrouth, Robert Fisk, journalist, The Independent, July 20, 2006
The French poet Charles Baudelaire had this merry expression: “The devil’s finest ruse is to persuade us that he does not exist.” In the same vein, one could affirm that the most diabolic achievement of the plotters of today is to persuade us that plotters and plots do not exist.
The instrumentalisation of “the war against terrorism” has reached the epitome of lies, hypocrisy and intellectual and political terror. One should have perhaps paid more attention by the comments made by Ariel Sharon after the September 11th, 2001 attacks where he stated that Yasser Arafat was “[his] terrorist”, indicating, in a curious premonition, that one day the Palestinians were going to pay the price for New York. A global strategy of confrontation has been unleashed first in Afghanistan, then in Iraq – with hundreds innocent civilians of the “collateral damages” – before the lightning rod would eventually strike the Palestinians in “the devastated territories.”
It is common knowledge that the attack on South Lebanon by Israel had been in the works for a few months. The observers, as well as Hezbollah were aware of this. The latter anticipated the attack, hoping it would shift the conflict’s center of gravity. They did not expect, however the spinelessness of dictatorial Arab governments and their quiet complicity while hundreds of innocent civilians succumb under the weight of bombs. We knew it, though. The concept of an “innocent civilian ” exists only marginally in the lexicon of Arab autocracies
One could have expected that the United Nations, the proclaimed voice of the wisdom of the nations, would intervene and put an end to the massacre. So many bad memories have reawakened. It was more than ten years ago in Srebrenica that the peace forces left those they were mandated to protect and whom they had disarmed beforehand. In Rwanda the United Nations forces came to protect and rescue the White people, “the foreigners”, and once again left the Tutsis in the deadly hands of the Hutu. Two weeks ago, Lebanese families and civilians came seeking asylum in the headquarters of the United Nations forces run by Ghanaians. The Lebanese were denied protection. On the road to exile, a few hours later, Israeli bombs decimated a family of 27 people. Now, there is no guarantee that the UN can even protect themselves, judging from the recent bombing of a UN outpost in Southern Lebanon by Israeli forces. Five UN peacekeepers were killed, to the “deep sorrow” of the Israeli Prime Minister. This appeared to be the “unbearable scandal” while more than 350 innocent civilians have already been killed and the war continues. What is the role of the United Nations representatives? Who do they serve? Truly a shame, time after time.
Israel announced that it needed seven to ten days to conclude its operations. The G8 demanded a cease-fire; then, nothing except silence and embarrassment. By a fortunate coincidence and deadly scheduling, Condoleezza Rice announces her visit to the region, exactly ten days following precise details given by the Israeli Prime Minister. One might presume that Tel Aviv is in charge of the American Secretary of State’s agenda. The still need more time… here is, by accident, the green card sent to the Israeli government to carry on the massacre after the expected failure of the conference in Roma. At this point, it would be wrong not to quote Nicolas Sarkozy’s query, and its formulation, to the Israeli Minister of Integration who was on a special visit “to bless” both the French who decided to exile themselves to Israel and the valorous Israeli army: “How much time does the State of Israel require to complete the work?” (The World, July 20). To complete the work? To take innocent lives, to ransack a country? Judging by the graphic images that make their way to our television screens regarding the fatal consequences of “this work to finish”, Sarkozy’s comments are much more shocking than the expressions “hooligans” or “rabble. Once again, what a shame. Yet, so few echoes in the media.
The Agence France Presse has just informed us that the United States have recently provided weapons to the Israelis of “precision guided bombs. ” This, probably to avoid killing too many civilians. What compassion! As we are told, the United States and the United Kingdom believe that all these dead individuals are the victims of the necessary and imperative “war against terrorism”. As a matter of fact, this war justifies anything and everything: State terrorism, murder, torture, abductions, liberticidal laws, and, in time, the criminalization of immigrants and applicants for asylum.
To those who observe without flinching to the horrors of the Middle-East, the iniquitous oppression of the Palestinians, the suffering of the Lebanese, to those who believe that it is sufficient to be neutral as a form of self-protection, to those who are not exposed to paralysis as are those “foreigners” whose respective countries protect and repatriate by the thousands while the “Lebanese” and the “Arabs” are left to their wretched destiny. To them it is necessary to forcefully convey that the madness or murderous complicity of the United States and their allies has, and will have, consequences which will not stop at the borders of their rich countries like one would stop immigrants and asylum seekers “from over there”.
In our everyday lives, in our social peace, in our cordiality, in our safety, in our laws, in our rights, in our freedoms as in our lives, we will soon experience very concretely the consequences of our cowardice in the face of barbarity. The muteness of those who cannot denounce once again “official terrors” nor rise against so many injustices and such horrors is a shame. Undoubtedly, we will one day be invited, in one way or another, to the table of those who have scores to settle. Like so many others, we too will have to drink the substance of our dehumanized shame, resignation and passiveness.
I have been very contemplative these last few days. What is the use of “condemning the silence” of the international community vis-à-vis the continued oppression of the Palestinian people and the massacres perpetrated in Lebanon. How is that useful? Perhaps in order to give oneself the right, in the name of consistency, in being silent when the powerful of this world are toiling to “condemn” the consequences of their silence! Perhaps, there is some logic to that.
Or it is a simple question of dignity… we will refuse to stay silent and never cease resisting oppressors and murderers, be they rich or even “civilized”!
Danke für Ihre Klarheit! Aber ich möchte noch eine Sache hinzufügen: Bevor man den Boden eines Landes besetzt, muss man vorher in seine Köpfe eingedrungen sein.
Thanx for your clarity! But I’d like to add something: If you want to occupy a land you first have to occupy its minds.
Mona Sleiman, medical student,
Germany
Israels legitimized retaliatory attacks
The current war in southern Lebanon led by Israeli forces is the third chapter of the “New Imperialistic” era introduced by the USA, officially legitimized as the “war against terrorism”. This kind of war is a totally new one, because it is not led against a government or a state but against guerilla groups or organizations, but still punishing hundreds of civilians involved passively in the conflict. I lack the words to express the events going on in the Middle East. Any human being with a certain amount of sanity will truly recognize, that already before the kidnapping of the israeli soldiers, the israeli government was strategically planning this war, which was already announced in the forefront of the war and strategically checked through via airflights over lebanon and syria to check the territory. Another hint to the prepared war is the perfectly and longtermed preparation and organisation of the strategical operations and the military forces.
Israels attacks go beyond what any human mind would call humanity. And any institution or state which is supporting this kind of war cannot be called human and just (such as the US government). Isreals kind of war even breaks up with international law of war and violates human rights and international law, as the UN messenger Jan Egleland stated. This includes not only the evacuation of a whole country, the destruction of the lebanese infrastructure and therfore the prevention of the fleeing of civilians(such as the international airport, bridges to the neighbouring country syria, ways to beirut etc.), the bombing of civilian buildings such as a textile factory or even worse of a hospital, the killing of more than 350 civilians but also the use of phosphor-bombs and the inclusive strikes in Gaza and Westbank, which are not involved in any way to the kidnapped soldiers.
The reaction of the international community and the neighbouring countries is even more dissappointing as it truly shows a failure of humanity. First the reaction of the arab countries is disappointing as they prefer silence instead of solidarity and any kind of effort to put some pressure on the international community. But this kind of faint was expecatble. More disappointing is the quite neutral or even pro-Israel commentatorship in the medias (especially CNN), which was equally expectable as it is known, that a huge amount of the successful media is jewish. Further, the too-late reaction of the UN again shows its purposeless and powerless existence, as it keeps failing in accomplishing its original task, for what it was created for: the securisation of peace. First it is to blame that the UN reacted after an UN building was bombed and around five soldiers were killed. The up to now killed 350 civilians did not push the UN to criticize the Israelian strikes, which makes one guess that arab lives do not count equal as the lives of UN soldiers. Further we have to witness the powerlessness and disability of the international community to exert any pressure on a country only consisting of 6 million people, committing a human crime and massacre in lebanon.
The most disappointing attitude however -also expecatble- was again proven by the US, which calls the massacre of Israel a “right for self-defendence” and gives them the green light for further intervention. If this is the US-american understanding of democracy, we dont want one of this type. The reaction of the Bush government inclusive his second hand Rice fits to the US logic of “war against terrorism” (which is in reality a new imperialism)already practiced by the US in Afghanistan and Iraq, also because of guerilla groups. The middle east is currently terrorized by Israel and the US, in lebanon, Gaza, Westbank, Irak.
This is a new kind of antisemitism as arabs are also semits, and probably have to undergo an equal experience as the jewish people in the diaspora in order to make the West understand, that is has to respect them, as they equally understood after the european antisemitism and the holocaust, that they have to “respect” the jewish people.
This is truly a shame, because again is proves that the west has not learned any lesson from history. Especially Europe should not neglect its responsibility in the Middle East conflict, which is not to a little extent the result of the european antisemitism.
Thought I could share this with all of you…
I am just back from Lebanon where I went 3 weeks ago with my husband. After 5 days there, Israel started dropping bombs in the country.
We are all the witnesses of a deliberate destruction and aggression of Lebanon – a massacre of the Lebanese civilian population by Israel. What is happening is unfair and revolting, I cannot believe it even today when watching the news… and I want to scream out this injustice…children are dying under the Israeli bombs. How such an aggression from Israel “au vu et au su” of the whole world can be accepted today?
We were in Tripoli, north Lebanon, when they bombed the port 2 minutes walk from our home. The loud noise of the explosion was awful. There was fear and panic in the eyes and heart of everybody. Fear to have to face another war and innocent persons to pay the price as usual. This is the sad reality. The whole country has been paralysed in 2 days and it has taken so few days to Israel to put Lebanon back to 30 years, destroying airport and port, main roads and bridges…
Some days later, we could finally find a taxi to take us to Damascus in Syria, escaping from the northern part of Lebanon, the only road to Syria that was still open and not bombed. We definitely had this opportunity to leave the country and come back to London, but unfortunately other Lebanese people do not have this choice and are still there, this is the case of the whole family of my husband.
Lebanon is in war again. Israel has shown once again to the whole world that it is aim to destroy, and do not want in any way to co-exist with its neighbours, and is dangerous for the security of the region.
The entire world is completely chocked by the Israeli policy blatantly supported and backed by the US. The kidnapping is an excuse and Israel refused to negotiate as it is part of its tactics and policy. What is its strategy? the invasion of southern Lebanon? and the use of this territory to step on be it to “protect” themselves or more likely to steal land from other people, an art they are excelling at – as we can see it in Palestine since so many long years – without facing any opposition!
How can the “civilised” nations, these blind and hypocrite governments just close their eyes on such atrocities and such inhuman actions and invasions!!!! Its total nonsense…Facing all this injustice the best thing is to keep on shouting loud these injustices…pray that things get better and that an intervention will happen to stop this massacre.
Dear reader,
it is realy a shame, how the responsible persons react in case of israels ‘defense’-strategy.
How ever, it does not surprise a person, who trust in the words of God, when he describes this kind of persons:
In Surah 2 – Al-Baqara (The Cow) of the Quran i Kerim it is said:
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
1. Alif-Laam-Mim
…
11. When it is said to them: “Make not mischief on the earth,” they say: “Why, we only Want to make peace!”
12. Of a surety, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realise (it) not.
13. When it is said to them: “Believe as the others believe:” They say: “Shall we believe as the fools believe?” Nay, of a surety they are the fools, but they do not know.
14. When they meet those who believe, they say: “We believe;” but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say: “We are really with you: We (were) only jesting.”
15. Allah will throw back their mockery on them, and give them rope in their trespasses; so they will wander like blind ones (To and fro).
16. These are they who have bartered Guidance for error: But their traffic is profitless, and they
…
So, all I can say is:
Sadaq Allah hul athim.
Your words are the thoughts and feelings of millions of us, who couldn’t have put it so eloquently; it brought tears to my eyes. If only there were more men’ like you in the world, but then again it wouldn’t be a world it would be Paradise. Shakkira xx
I am a Muslim woman with a family living on the other side of the world, in a peaceful, prosperous country. I just wonder – besides praying for our oppressed brothers and sisters, donations of money, and living with other race and religions in harmony, so that they may learn about the beauty of Islam and Muslims; what can I do? I feel very helpless.
Professor Ramadan’s words are full of wisdom and light. Yet, I say the shame is for us, Muslims. Our own Arab leaders have let the Lebanon population down, adding to the fact that they lack the required will and power to act. Saudi leaders think more about their profits on oil than of the Lebanese and Palestine people’s welfare. Truly, the shame is on us, because let’s not forget that the wealth in our Oummah is for all the Muslims. This wealth should have been invested more on securing our Muslim countries than on building grand palaces. Muslims are not terrorists, the Hizbollah is not a terrorist organization, yet western media refer to them as guerillas. L’heure est grave, and the helplessness of Muslims seem to be greater day after day, till the rich Arab countries remember that they are Muslims, and act as such.
It’s a shame when people deside who is a believer and who is not.
In reading the koran you’ll find this sentence on allmost every page.
Reading Sura 2 , there’s such a tremendous arrogance in the islamic world, between “the believers’and the “non-believers’, I don’t understand. In every other religion in the world, you’ll never find that antagonism.
War is always very dirty and very shamefull for all people of the world.
Tauid teaches us that Allah is behind everything. Whay are the followers of Muhammad (saw) being humiliated all over the world? Is it because they no-longer followe Muhammad?
Followers of Muhammad should be able to force non-Muslims into submission to us by our beauty of character. Can we do that? Followers of Muhammad should not kill inncoent people because of a piece of land.
Personally, I don’t care what the jews do, because I don’t expect any good from them, nor from the west. But from the followers of Muhammad (saw), I expect everything.
I wonder where they are?
“Followers of Muhammad should be able to force non-Muslims into submission to us by our beauty of character.”
If followers of Muhammad have such a beauty of character, they should not expect any submission of others. Or it is not enough beauty inside and must be supported by outside factors like submission and respect?
and i will never understand why a sincere thought, a doubtless opinion must be filtered … a person censured! a woman! i am seeing more and more that men want to serve each other .. and women are supposed to be mysteriously hidden .. pretend to be mysterious while being cruel mothers, narrow minded wifes, critical mothers-in-law .. the world, you make people to fear what you prevent not be feared of! seems as a “truth” bears no weapon anymore – it is customized, not rare, not precious.
just to inform mentioning you, prof. Tariq:
http://lebanonthesedays.blogspot.com/
i hope the short paragraph doesn’t boder,
sincerely Bojana K. Gabar
On a small scale all of us Muslims can be an advocate of the Islam of Love and Peace, not the Islam of Death and Destruction.
If all muslims start doing this, that would be agreat advancement already.
With regard to Politics, regardless of whether you are a Muslim or not: you can allways do things to influence policymakers.
– Write local politicians;
– Participate in local Political Parties
– Join or start a European or American Political organisation and lobby for your ideals.
My motto is that :with a little axe you can take down a big tree.
If you apply your wisdom when uttering ideas in written or spoken form, you can mold and influence the future. Words are energies. So are MR Ramadan’s words.
Allow me to give mr Ramadan these words: do not be disheartened as that is what I sense you are (for jist a bit) in you article above. Your words inspire so many young and old moderat muslims to get up and stand up and be active in choosing the destiny of Islam.
You partly inspired me, and I am now active in my ways.
You’ll agree by the way that we should not mix too much Islam with Politics. Although I admit that is difficult as our beloved Prophet did leave us with an example that does not separate those two things.
Salaam to all –
This is a very well written article, but a heart breaking one too….that highlights the hippocracies of what a civilization we have become, collectively.