Well, the arabs still refuse to accept any blame and still insist on rationalizing what happened on September 11 2001 as some super Zionist/new world order plot…

Article in Arab News… see what you think…and a couple of viewers have already left a few pointed comments

"9-11) ,IT IS Not the End of the World...!

By: Ahmed Mahir… Former Egyptian foreign minister

Several feelings arise when one remembers the tragedy that took place in New York and Washington on September 11 th 2001, but strong condemnation tops these feelings. What is strongly condemned is the deliberate act by some youths of using their planning skills and abilities in evil and killing innocent people instead of using these abilities to serve their countries. Their countries are in need, on the national level

, of every thought, effort and experience in order to build their societies; they are also in need, on the international level, to play a role that strengthens these countries and enable them to counter challenges and threats.

Territories won't be liberated and nations won't develop, nor will objectives be achieved by means of antagonizing others who would be friends. Strength, power and acts that bring in friends should be the means of realizing these aims.

This is what crosses the mind when remembering September 11 th and its grave consequences that the world is still facing. When contemplating what happened on that day and the subsequent events that followed, I find myself facing several remarks that have to be loudly said regardless of who will find them upsetting and who will look at them satisfactorily.

First, what happened is definitely outrageous, but is not the end of the world. The attacks of September 11 th 2001 were not the first terrorist acts; many countries suffered similar horrifying and illicit acts. I do not want to go through what happened in Japan, Germany, France and Spain, whether in the near or distant past. Nor do I want to look through what is going on now in Palestine and Iraq. Suffice to mention here the years during which Egypt had suffered from evil and blind terrorism. Egypt then stood alone fighting that wave of terrorism without help or response from any of those who are now talking about the importance of joint efforts to fight and face terrorism. Those have, in fact, sheltered individuals who were trying to spread death and destruction in Egypt; they even refused to extradite the individuals involved in terrorism to face justice on the pretext of human rights and freedom of expression, but these justifications currently seems to be forgotten by these countries. Opinion, in fact, used to be expressed through bullets and bombs that took the lives of innocent people and destabilized countries.

Secondly, the difference between what happened then and what took place on September 11 th 2001 as well as the consequences in both cases is another expression of double standard. The victim this time is the US, which fought all its wars outside the American soil and away from its shores since the end of the American civil war. Therefore, what happened on September 11 th 2001 outraged the Americans, who felt a mixture of fury, astonishment, horror and intimidation. The US presumed that all other countries should join it in its war on terrorism because it is the sole superpower; the US wanted these countries to join this war on the basis of its own vision and under it leadership.

Third, amid this state of fury and panic in the US and Washington's desire to force the world to sympathize with its feelings and intentions, Israel managed to equate in American public mind between the legitimate Palestinian resistance against its occupation and the outrageous crime committed on the 11 th of September 2001. In fact, Israeli terrorism and crimes against Palestinian women, men, youth and children is parallel only to the crime committed on September 11 th by a group of misguided and lost youth, as the crime of both emanate from racial hatred and grudge toward the other.

Americans fell in this trap and imagined that they were in one camp with the Israelis against «Arab terrorism». I think the biggest insult that Americans committed against themselves is when they pushed Arabs to mistrust the US, not only as an ally to Israel, but also as its supporter and accomplice in all the wrongdoings. The US also acquired the negative Israeli vision about common efforts which runs contrary to commonplace principle that the world should not be led in a way that leads to dangers and threats. The result of all this is was a cool response from Arab countries to join the so-called 'war on terrorism' and a chill European reaction towards joining what the US intended to lead Europe to. European and Arab countries do indeed reject terrorism, but their cool response was due to their feeling that they were intentions to deflect attention from the real battle in order to serve dubious plots and suspicious objectives.

Fourth, pressures of the pro-Israeli group in the US decision-making circles increased. As a result President George Bush was cornered and his belief in some radical Christian theories was exploited by this group. Consequently, Iraq has become associated with terrorists and accused of possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the intention of providing terrorists with these weapons to wreak havoc, despite investigations and reports that proved otherwise.

Accordingly, striking Iraq has become a «necessity» dictated by reasons other than those declared by the US to justify the war on Iraq. The alleged ties between Iraq and terrorist organizations never existed. As for the WMD, they have been destroyed as a result of the UN inspections. In essence, the real reason was to strike –probably divide- a country able to acquire a potential power that strengthens the Arab ability to face any Israeli plots. It is indeed true, though, that Saddam Husain's corrupt rule dissipated most of these abilities and caused splits and divisions that Arabs are suffering from. All this, however, never changes the fact that the invasion of Iraq was unjustified, and that toppling regimes by force is rejected. The state of chaos in Iraq is a direct result of the wrong policies that do not serve any real cause for the US; it only serves the purposes of those who intend to weaken the Ability of the Arab nation.

Fifth, there is nevertheless some hope that the US might be able to recognize- whoever its next president is- that its interest lies in steering clear from the policies that proved to have failed. The US should know that it is in its interest to get rid of the illusions fed by those who tarnished its image and endanger its interests; the US should initiate a new era of cooperation with the Arab world on the basis of mutual understanding and working to solve the real problem as well as reinforcing mutual interests so as to build a future characterized for peace, security, and democracy. Countries of the region are looking forward to this future that should be build on a strong basis of collective work that conforms with international legitimacy, the UN charter and away from any attempt of dictates and control.


Readers Comments on this article: 

Adam Steil, It is unfortunate that Mr. Mahir, after years of diplomatic activity, still finds it impossible to accept Israel as a friendly neighbor for his country. Worse still, 3 out of 5 of his points revolve around his perceived problems with that country. It is telling that the foreign minister of a country ostensibly at peace with Israel still harbors such manifest hostility. Perhaps Mr. Mahir should focus on eliminating the hate for Jews that is daily spewed from state-controlled Egyptian schools, newspapers and mosques, rather than only on Israeli shortcomings. Instead, he should try to foster tolerance. He could sart by returning his country's ambassador to Israel, who has been absent from his post for more than two years--in violation of the peace treaty his country signed.

 
S. Lofagus, Not only is your entire coverage of the Middle East biased totally in favour of the Arab world (at the expense of your credibility and reputation) but it reeks of hypocrisy. In any case, Arabs comprise about 300 million members worldwide. They have, since time immemorial, repressed themselves and subjugated others; Arabs have no compunction to kill in the name of "honour", "Allah" or for a myriad of other excuses; Arabs are quintessential racists as evidenced by their incitement of hatred for Arab minorities, non-Arab Muslims, Christians, women, atheists, animists, blacks, and in particular Jews; Arabs are very dramatic and enjoy victimizing themselves even though they are the perpetrators of the majority of the modern world's conflicts; Arabs have delusions of grandeur even though the last contribution they have made to progressive civilization was over 1000 years ago, unless one counts hummus and terrorism; the ultimate goal of the Arab is the enforcement of Sharia law globally and the subjugation, if not extermination of anybody that is not Sunni Muslim – in some theatres they do it by force (as in the Middle East), in others by stealth (as in Europe, through “immigration” and refugee policies).  I have no sympathy for a people that glorify death, extol bigotry and worse than all of the latter, want to enforce their primitive worldview on the civilized world.  If Arabs don't start changing the way they define Islam, the rest of the world will do it forcefully for them.

www.arabnews.com/9-11/?article=35?=2

Are you surprised or something?

Quoted: Are you surprised or something?

Nope… just somewhat interested that supposedly intelligent and educated arabs like former Foreign Minister of Egypt (allegedly a pro-western government) are still spouting this crap…

Yeah it's sad.  But leaders on our side defend a lot of things we cannot discuss here without getting locked.  

I hope one day  it's the end of the world for them

The last comment  by that Brit was spot on.  The Arabs seem to have a cultural belief that they are the eternal "victims".  I guess when you haven't culturally progressed since the time of Sulayman the Magnificent, you get an inferiority complex.

What do you expect...

There are 2 officially condoned 'responses' to a problem from an Arab Government:

1) Blame the USA

2) Blame Israel

Depending on which one fits...

Since this was supposed to express xome condemnation/sympathy WRT 9./11, option (2) recieved the most use...

And remember, guys like this control most countries in the middle east, and make this sort of stuff 'de-facto' true by merit of making it the only 'allowed' view...

If you tell someone something enough times, eventually they may decide it's true...