THE DOUBLE STANDARD OF LIBERALS AND ISLAMISTS

Jamil Asgor

Recently both the liberals and the islamists have taken on the USA on the Abu Gharib prison issue demonizing USA, calling the Abu Gharib prisoner abuse a manifestation of "American Barabarism", calling America a monster. Some Islamists have condemned it as Western pornography and what not. There is a double standard or hypocrisy on the part of both the liberals and the Islamists who have made too much of these prisoner abuse and made a blanket characterization by using such expressions as "American" barbarism", "American pornography" etc. The fact is that Bush or Rumsfeld is right when they say that these prisoner abuse does not represent "U.S.". What they don't say is that it represents "US" (i.e THEM). Bush-Chenney-Rumsfeld-Wolfowitz is not = Amercia(U.S). They don't deserve any credit for contributing to the great, nor should "America" get the blame for the acts of these NeoCons. American values and institutions that have been built over centuries initiated by the founding fathers. Instead they are undermining it, or abusing it. So it is irresponsible to use expressions like "American barabarism" to describe the prison abuse or call America a monster like Jamat is. These are immature and hasty characterizations not expected of any knowledgeable liberal. To equate the century old American institution built on democracy, secularism and human rights with Jamat is the height of ignorance and stupidity. Jamat may at best be equated to the NeoCons who have been controlling US policy since the days of Nixon. NeoCons may be in control but they certainly have not contributed to the American value and institutions built over the last two centuries. NeoCons are not = America. It is also immature to only characterize Jamat as the monster as if Islamic fundamentalism is = Jamat. Even if Jamat is exterminated today there are 20 other extreme Islamic organizations in Bangladesh who will be unharmed and intact and islamic fundamentalism will continue to grow and flourish. It is one thing to call for the trial of Jamat for its past role in 1971 killing of intellectuals and another to blame Islamic fundamentalism on Jamat alone. Islamic fundamentalism is rooted in the fundamentals of Islam.

What did these bleeding heart liberals and Islamists say when half a million children died due to the sanctions imposed by US on Iraq during the 1990's? Is the torture of a few Iraqi prisoner much worse than the slow, painful and deliberate killing of hundreds of thousands of children brought about by cruel sanctions? (On May 27, 1996, CBS 60 minutes' Leslie Stahl asked the then secretary of state Madeline Albright whether the 1/2 million death of children by US sanctions was worth it, she said yes).

These liberals were cheering on Bush when Iraq as invaded, joining in the chorus with the neocons that Saddam is a monster, Hitler and what not, thumping their feet and complimenting the US for taking on an "Islamic" terrorist, which only shows their ignorance about Saddam and Iraq's history. Saddam was never an Islamic terrorists, but was instead the enemy of Islamic fundamentalism. (See http://www.the7thfire.com/Politics%20and%20History/LiesIraq.html )

During the first Iraq war, a water treatment plant near was destroyed by US during the first invasion, but US refused all request by "Iraqi authorities" for lifting sanctions blocking import of spare parts to repair the water supply plant. As a consequence of that thousands of children suffered from diseases and died. Where were the bleeding Islamists then? It was the infidel Amercians (Veterans for Peace organization(VFP), headed by Larry Kerschener and Phil Steger) who felt the pain for these children and tried to do something about it or at least to draw attention of the world. Please look at the link:

http://www.afsc.org/pwork/1000/102k14.htm

(The placard says Weapons of Mass destruction: Nuclear bomb in 1945 : 110,000, Sanctions on Iraq: 1000,000)

Now who is the monster here, Saddam?, who requested spare parts for the water treatment plant to save the ordinary Iraqis, or the US administration, who refused to allow Iraq to import the spare parts knowing that it will hurt children and other ordinary Iraqis?

We also haven't heard any bleeding heart liberal and islamists talk about the "Highway of Death". This is the most heinous inhuman crime committed by the Bush-1 regime. Tens of thousands of fleeing Iraqi soldiers were shot at from above by US planes like shooting birds. This horrifying act was committed even after Iraq surrendered and was withdrawing from Kuwait. These poor ordinary Iraqi soldiers were fleeing for their lives and were shot at inside Iraqi territory, not in Kuwait even.

Please check out the following links on "Highway of Death":

http://free.freespeech.org/americanstateterrorism/iraqgenocide/HighwayofDeath.ht\
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http://www.intellnet.org/resources/american_terrorism/HighwayofDeath.html
http://www.cornerstonemag.com/pages/show_page.asp?7
http://www.sovereignty.org.uk/siteinfo/newsround/imperium/murder91.html
http://www.racjonalista.pl/kk.php/s,2444
http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0212/pt04.html
http://www.rense.com/general33/vs.htm 

It is silly and hypocritical (Like Penny Wise Pound Foolish) to make too much of the prison abuse to vilify "America", but keep silent about the two historical crimes on the Iraqi people on such a massive scale by the NeoCon controlled US administration.

Jamil Asgor

  Published at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/17475 

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