wastafarian
11th Sep 2005, 16:54
As the Anniversary of Sept 11, 2001 is upon us, no shortage of those in the Middle East who seem to subscribe to some sort of bizarre conspiracy theory that it was not Al Qaeda (in fact, how could it ever have been an authentic God-fearing Muslim, they ask) who precipitated one of the most famous terrorist acts in history. Plenty of speculation whether it was in fact the Isrealis who did it, the CIA/FBI, or who knows, maybe it was in the same Hollywood basement-studio set where they filmed the Lunar Landings 30-odd years prior.
As much as I like a lot of the folks of the Gulf (although the beedy eyed, bearded, high-water pants types from exotic locales like Riyadh are a little creepy), the conspiracy theory bothers me (sure, I like a good conspiracy theory too-- like that Elvis Presley actually converted to Islam and is now a mutawah in Riyadh).
The folks of the Middle East have been dealt some raw deals over the course of history by outsiders-- yup, often Westerners, but sometimes the muslim sense of victimhood goes just a little too far-- it's a regional obsession. While I COULD be wrong on this and I know that the Great Satan has played numerous dirty tricks over the last few centuries, there is plenty of evidence (note I don't say scientific proof-- that isn't even used in criminal courts) to show that what happened in NY, PA and DC did happen, a lot of innocent people got hurt or killed, and that islamic terrorists did this. Given the poor airport security in the US back in those days, not hard to imagine either.
The Germans came to term with their historical dirty laundry years ago, and the Chinese get offended whenever the Japanese don't express their deep regret every week over the medieval rape and pillage fest their grandfathers had in the Middle Kingdom over half a centrury ago. Muslims would be rightfully offended if the US claimed that the scenes of "collateral damage" in Iraq, kids with legs blown off and women in pools of blood was simply fabricated by Al Jazerra for better ratings, and that Guantanamo Bay is actually an Islamic Club Med-- no lewd women, no booze, forced fasting every day, nothing else to do but pray-- even the owner of the Island has a big bushy beard!!!
The fact of the matter is that a lot of underemployed, screwy, brainwashed and sexually frustrated youths of muslim faith seem to get drawn into wanting to be a Muhammed bin Rambo. Or is the London Tube, Madrid, and somewhere in Iraq (varies almost daily) also just American-style propaganda?
As much as I like a lot of the folks of the Gulf (although the beedy eyed, bearded, high-water pants types from exotic locales like Riyadh are a little creepy), the conspiracy theory bothers me (sure, I like a good conspiracy theory too-- like that Elvis Presley actually converted to Islam and is now a mutawah in Riyadh).
The folks of the Middle East have been dealt some raw deals over the course of history by outsiders-- yup, often Westerners, but sometimes the muslim sense of victimhood goes just a little too far-- it's a regional obsession. While I COULD be wrong on this and I know that the Great Satan has played numerous dirty tricks over the last few centuries, there is plenty of evidence (note I don't say scientific proof-- that isn't even used in criminal courts) to show that what happened in NY, PA and DC did happen, a lot of innocent people got hurt or killed, and that islamic terrorists did this. Given the poor airport security in the US back in those days, not hard to imagine either.
The Germans came to term with their historical dirty laundry years ago, and the Chinese get offended whenever the Japanese don't express their deep regret every week over the medieval rape and pillage fest their grandfathers had in the Middle Kingdom over half a centrury ago. Muslims would be rightfully offended if the US claimed that the scenes of "collateral damage" in Iraq, kids with legs blown off and women in pools of blood was simply fabricated by Al Jazerra for better ratings, and that Guantanamo Bay is actually an Islamic Club Med-- no lewd women, no booze, forced fasting every day, nothing else to do but pray-- even the owner of the Island has a big bushy beard!!!
The fact of the matter is that a lot of underemployed, screwy, brainwashed and sexually frustrated youths of muslim faith seem to get drawn into wanting to be a Muhammed bin Rambo. Or is the London Tube, Madrid, and somewhere in Iraq (varies almost daily) also just American-style propaganda?