[b][i]HARBUN ALAL IRHABI AU HARBUN ALAL ISLAMI?[/i][/b]

[Anonymous]

Salam all,

Some time back some forumnites aired their sentiment saying that the current war in the world does not make Muslims and Islam its target. That position I contested and promised to come up with an essay dealing with issue to exaustion. That I was not oppotuned to do all along.

But what follows is an essay by a certain Paul I. Adujie, an Igbo Christian,  a Nigerian residing in USA who wrote the essay and said partly what I want to say. Is it War on Terrorist or War on Islam? as Yusuf al Qardawi titled his sermon few weeks after the USA's declaration of war on terrorists. Harbun Alal Irhabi au Harbun alal Islami  

[Khalil]

Muslims And Islam; Are Under Siege And Attack Worldwide?

By

Paul I. Adujie

Lawcareer@msn.com

New York, United States

Since September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center in New York City was destroyed by hijackers, hijackers, who used airplanes to level these edifices, that formerly occupied choice spots as American landmarks, there have been an undeclared Holy War, because these hijackers happened to have been of the Islamic faith, but shall we paint all Christians as terrorists, just because Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols happened to be of the Christian faith or just as Ted Kynciski the uni-bomber were all full blooded Americans, shall we brand all Americans as terrorists and heinous? People of all religious faiths, possess some virtues and vices, this goes to show, that a person or persons can be of any race or religion, can become twisted or warped, and resort to mass scale murders.

It appears, that all hell have broken lose and many countries are now persistently putting Muslims and Islam, under siege and even ferocious attacks, instead of looking for criminals, it is now the case, that Muslims are being targeted in Spain, France, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, and more recently, in Thailand as well; Almost every country on earth, these days, with a modicum of a population, that is Muslim, has some war on "terrorism" that is being waged, where ever there is a semblance of political opposition, and a Muslim is making demands, even legitimate and reasonable demands, she may become a target by self-avowed 'anti terrorist' Almost every country, with Muslim population, now put Muslims under siege and attack, all in the name of joining American chorus and war on "terrorism" every government now appear to be in some sort of stampede, to join the great bandwagon, of the fabled American war on, you guessed it, "terrorism"! Every government, facing oppositions, even legitimate opposition, now appears to jump unto the bandwagon of the phantom war on terrorism, all these, since September 11, 2001, the term or jargon, "terrorist" have now assumed a very lose definition and application, terrorist has become too loosely defined and loosely applied.

The current US government is detaining Americans and foreigners, (the majority of the detainees are foreign born) these detentions are indefinite, and unquestioned by the courts or anyone else, this means, that the detainees, as a rule, have no recourse, as the rule of law and due process, have promptly, been denied them; The American government at the US Supreme Court, has argued, national security requires indefinite detentions without trials, the US continues to hide behind exigent circumstances argument, the US has conveniently detained hundreds in Guantanamo for years now, and just as it has detained thousands of Iraqis, opposed to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, these detentions, also, are without trials, all these, in the name of war on terror.

Clearly, it is not a coincident, that all the wars on "terror" have had Muslims at the receiving end? Imagine yourself as a Muslim or a green person, and curiously, you find the peculiarity of your kind, being attacked everywhere on earth, and there is supposed to a some sort of satisfactory explanations, of why your kind, is being attacked, every where on earth! It is not easy being a Muslim these days! It is, as if, Muslims are guilty these days, until proven innocent? Imagine yourself a Muslim these days? Noticed how Iraqis are not having any fun from their occupiers? Notice how the world appears to have completely neglected and abandoned the people of Palestine? Have you noticed how Syria and Libya are now on the side of the US, in the phantom war against "terrorism"? Or how the Aceh is being fought with the help of the US military? Islam or Muslim, seem to have replaced the Communist "scourge" feared by the US for decades and pursued with every scintilla of ferocity, strength and armor! The crusades against Islam or the Muslims, is similar and identical to religious persecutions of old, particularly, when compared with, the Spanish Inquisition, of yore, there appears to be efforts, to purge every society, in the countries aforementioned, of Muslim influences and points of view? But why is this? This unsavory campaign, is occurring simultaneously, worldwide, it is as if, the Christian conservatives or the so-called Christian right, feel the need to eliminate the competition? Execution without reason, creating an empire of fear, were things America, accused, Saddam of, but which are now, the same crimes, that the Americans are committing, degrading, dehumanizing treatment of Iraqis, what is going on in Iraq, is wrong, reprehensible, a soldier just yesterday, told of how he prepare the Iraqi detainees, for CIA and FBI interrogators, there have been widely reported cases of tortures, as rampant, a particular handler, told of how he broke tables to fear-up Iraqi witnesses, wires were said to have been attached to Iraqi prisoner's genitals, rapes, writing obscenities on the bodies of Iraqi prisoners, taking pictures of tortured-to-death Iraqis, American soldiers using Iraqi prisoners to "build" pyramids, and footstools! A number of things that have been widely reported to be common indignities, Iraqis are enduring in the hands of America invaders and occupiers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/29/international/asia/29thai.html http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/29/international/middleeast/29syri.html Maureen Dowd writing in The New York Times, alluded to these religious innuendoes, implications, and ramifications, in so-called war on terror, as she stated thus: "Bush campaign strategists don't seem worried that every positive development the administration predicted would happen if we invaded Iraq has soured into the opposite." "As an article on Monday in The Times noted about the growing ranks of angry Muslims: "The call to jihad is rising in the streets of Europe, and is being answered." "Communing with the Higher Father and the Almighty, President Bush has either stumbled into a Holy War or swaggered into one." "In their new book, "The Bushes," Peter and Rochelle Schweizer, who interviewed many Bushes, including the president's father and his brother Jeb, quote one unnamed relative as saying that W. sees the war on terror "as a religious war": "He doesn't have a P.C. view of this war. His view of this is that they are trying to kill the Christians. And we the Christians will strike back with more force and more ferocity than they will ever know." "Bush strategists seem to believe that the worse Mr. Bush makes things, the better off he is, because nervous Americans will cling to the obstinate president they know over the vacillating challenger they don't know." "This is an administration that told us that our troops would be welcomed with roses," Representative Pelosi said. "Instead, it's rocket-propelled grenades. This is an administration that told us that the Iraqi government would be able to pay for its own reconstruction, and soon. And now it's costing nearly $200 billion to the American people." Is a Holy War afoot? Is the "war on terror" orchestrated? Orchestrated for political and religious reasons? These are very troubling questions, questions, that all fair-minded persons must be asking, we all must demand answers from those, who are resorting to appealing to religious emotions, sentiments and "higher-power" as rationale for public policies; Here again, is an excerpt from The New York Times report, from Bangkok, Thailand, "No group claimed responsibility and there was no evidence on Wednesday of a direct link to international terrorist groups. But the main terrorist group in Southeast Asia, Jemaah Islamiyah, which is connected to Al Qaeda, has had a presence in Thailand." "Violence in the region has intensified since the start of the year, claiming the lives of 65 soldiers, police officers, government officials and Buddhist monks. On Jan. 4, more than 100 well-armed insurgents stormed a military depot, killed four soldiers and made off with more than 300 firearms." "Some analysts say the violence is growing out of the same grievances that led to a separatist rebellion in the 1960's and 70's in the impoverished southern provinces, where many residents feel neglected and repressed in this largely Buddhist nation. Such grievances and the long-simmering rebellion offer clear opportunities for militant recruitment and hard-line mosques have begun to appear." "Human rights advocates criticized the police and the military, saying they had used their intelligence data to set a trap and maximize casualties, rather than try to limit the bloodshed." "The government didn't have to kill them all, but anyway the government killed them all," said Sunai Phasuk, a spokesman for rights groups, including Human Rights Watch. "They didn't have to storm into the mosque, but they did storm into the mosque - one of the holiest places in Muslim Southeast Asia."  The attacks were a sign of the severity of discontent in the region, Mr. Sunai said." "No matter who they were, it is quite shocking that more than 100 people, most of them youths, were ready to sacrifice their lives in fighting against the authorities." "Among local witnesses, the phrase "We are all Muslims" was repeated often, suggesting a level of sympathy for the attackers." "About 6 million of Thailand's 66 million people are Muslim, living mostly in the five southern provinces close to Malaysia. Many of them speak Malay and the frontier between the two nations is fluid." "Wednesday's attacks took place in the Yala, Pattani and Songkhla provinces, the country's only Muslim-majority provinces." "Muslims in the south have complained for years that they are discriminated against in jobs and education, that they receive inadequate government assistance and development, and that their language and culture are being neglected and stifled." It is certainly not an acceptable public policy, for any country to oppress and denigrate the rights and freedoms of Muslims, it is now beginning to appear as if, whenever the Muslims protests or express discontent and grievances? They are summarily branded  "terrorists" as they are mauled and mowed down, by state security agencies, in the name of fighting terror? The above scenario, appears now, to be the case in many countries, as too many countries, now seem to giddily quell legitimate Muslim opposition, by branding them terrorists? Suddenly, there are terrorists everywhere? Or is it just a matter of religious purifications or religion cleansings? Just imagine for one moment, that you are a Muslim, how would you feel? With all the overwhelming and overreaching relentless sieges and attacks, that Muslims, worldwide have been subjected? Broadside! The world must distinguish and make clear distinction between, criminals and real terrorists, on the one hand and honest law abiding members of the human race who are of the Islamic faith, generalizations hurts everyone.
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