Comments on: The chickens come home to roost

By: Christiaan

Christiaan — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 12:58:31 +0000

Thanks for the link, I have seen this very good documentary. I agree that “Al-Qaeda” is a very politically motivated term (it helps bin Laden and Bush) but there was and is an alliance of militants originating from the Saudi-funded Arab fighters who flocked to join the mujahideen resistance movement against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

According to this CNN interview with Osama bin Laden in October 2001, this is what he had to say about it:

The name “al Qaeda” was established a long time ago by mere chance. The late Abu Ebeida El-Banashiri established the training camps for our mujahedeen against Russia’s terrorism. We used to call the training camp al Qaeda [meaning “the base” in English]. And the name stayed.

So, unless we’re all being hoodwinked, and Osama bin Laden and Bush are in cahoots (which I admit is a very real possibility), “Al-Qaeda” does stand for something reasonably tangible. I use the term “so-called Al-Qaeda” simply because it’s a politically charged term first introduced to us by the U.S. government.

By: ps

ps — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 08:24:40 +0000

Al-Qaeda Is Fiction: The Organization Doesn’t Exist

hi christiaan, download and watch the 3 part bbc documentary -
worth watching imo.
cheers.

Mark Perkel | July 4 2005

three films produced by the BBC called “The Power of Nightmares” which explain how various groups use the fear of terrorism to advance their political power

they are an hour long each and are about 75 megs each. They are however extraordinary and it’s quite an education into the history of Islamic Terrorism and American neo conservatives. Here are the links:

prisonplanet.com/articles/july2005/040705doesntexist.htm

By: Christiaan

Christiaan — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 18:19:46 +0000

I hear ya Bruce, but I’m not sure there’s all that much to talk about. And it’s not even a matter of “appeasing terrorists” either, which, as you know, is what some people call efforts to get to the root cause of these problems. No, “appeasement” assumes that our governments actually conduct themselves in a reasonable manner in the first place. Of course they clearly don’t, and we as Western citizens have not managed to stop them.

In 1996, Madeleine Albright, then the U.S. secretary of state, was asked on national television what she felt about the fact that 500,000 Iraqi children had died as a result of US-led economic sanctions. She replied that it was ‘a very hard choice,’ but that, all things considered, ‘we think the price is worth it.’ These are not the words of a reasonable person.

It’s not reasonable to invade other countries and murderously bomb them in aggression. It’s not reasonable to support Israeli apartheid oppression and tyranny, it’s not reasonable to sell weapons to violent dictators throughout the world, it’s not reasonable to believe that we have more rights to oil than the rest of the world.

These aren’t pet issues of some pinko commie activist. These are the said reasons for the September 11 attacks. Anyone with an internet connection is free to go and read it for themselves, and I implore them to: Full transcript of bin Ladin’s speech

As you know, people don’t just wake up one day and decide to be terrorists. There are causes and affect and until people realise this there won’t be peace. I don’t think we need to talk, we just need to start conducting ourselves in a reasonable manner in this world.

By: Bruce Puriri

Bruce Puriri — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 08:41:40 +0000

“He who warns is excused.”

That is an important quote in this context.

I consider there is an ethical base in that code.

If I was of a mind to take up arms, and if I was a young Arab there would be reasons for me to be of that mind.
If my people, my culture, the people dear to me, those I loved, were experiencing the abuse that many Arab communities are experiencing , I would consider fair warning had been given.

The bombs and rockets used against Arab homes and communities are no more discriminating, perhaps less so, than these bombers.

Like any person living a happy life, I want peace and oppose the practice of warfare. A person with the sunshine and fulfilment in my life of a typical Kiwi pensioner, does not have the grounds to urge violence.

But once again, the mujahadeen have won my uncomfortable and reluctant respect, and they are entitled to a fair hearing for their claims of injustice.

We cannot forever refuse to talk with these people.