Letters to the Editor, May 13, 2004

Famous Quotes about War&Peace

"What if they had a war and nobody showed up?"

Anonymous

Charles A Beers

The murder and beheading of Nick Berg

Where is your outrage now? This hideous death is "revenge" for the humiliation of Iraqi prisoners!? Your outcry, rage and disgust is so strong over the photos and treatment of Iraqi prisoners- where is your rage and disgust at the beheading of this young man?

Andrea Kline

Editor: Al-Jazeerah.info will publish reaction to the beheading as it becomes available. Many readers would complain if graphic photos of Americans are published. Actually, the US official policy is not showing dead or captivated soldiers. people of other cultures may not object to showing graphic photos. So, no matter what you do, somebody may not be happy.

The murder and beheading of Nick Berg

The beheading of the US captive in Iraq does immeasurable harm to their cause. It was cruel, brutal and utterly callous and seriously undermines attempts to hold America to account for its own abuses.

America and the Israeli occupation of Palestine

America (and its faithful lapdog Britain) must realise that while they willingly condone Israel's brutal occupation of Palestine and have few qualms about the abuse of prisoners, assassinations, extra-judicial killings etc etc there, they themselves cannot simply adopt these same tactics of systematic abuse because the world still (rather naively) expects them to behave with a modicum of decency. This is especially so given their (now hollow) protestations of respect for human rights (re: Guantanemo, Afghanistan, Iraq). Maybe the next President of America might care to examine the irreparable damage to US prestige caused by its blindly pro-Israel policies which are counterproductive even for Israel.

Phil Hong

The murder and beheading of Nick Berg

WHERE ARE THE PICTURES OF NICK BERG???????? IF YOU CLAIM TO BE FAIR AND BALANCED YOU SHOULD HAVE THOSE??

Peter Millin

Editor: Look at the May 12 News photos.

How much power the holy war need to kill civil persons?

It doesn't take a bit of courage to kill with 5 Soldiers one civil person, who is sitting strangled on a chair!

It is really the same foolish like that of the English and the Americans.

I hope Allah will kill the courage warrior.

Sincerly

Willi Veith, Germany

Sorrow

Today, again, God will weep. And we are all to blame. Is this how God / Allah wants us to treat our brothers and sisters?

Auke Doornbosch

Holland

Sen. Graham's Quote from MEET THE PRESS: Republicans and Democrats need to come together to prove to the world that our system works.

"This is not just about humiliation, Tim. The allegations in this report involve rape and murder. Please, don't leave this whole scenario thinking that this is just about a humiliating experience. This is about system failure. This is about felony offenses. And if there's more to come, let's get it out, as a nation work through it and show the world that Republicans and Democrats may disagree on the policy and the war in Iraq, but we have the ability to make sure those accountable are going to be held accountable. And it's just not going to be six privates and sergeants. Other people are going to be held accountable. But Republicans and Democrats need to come together to prove to the world that our system works. Let's get it out."

I agree. Let's get it out now.

Abuse of Iraqi Prisoners

I just want you to know that the American people are horrified by the abuse that a "few" of our US troops have inflected on the Iraqi's while in detention. We are all truly sorry.

Bob Mangold

Iraqi prisoners

Do US soldiers really need the Geneva Convention to tell them not to strip someone naked and then physically and psychologically abuse them?

It's a lame excuse made by some of the soldiers who are aware (as is everyone) that such treatment is torture but they chose to disregard their awareness that it is.

George W Bush and his administration I think knew about it all time.

Janice Keenan

Shame!!!

SHAME on those U.S. senetors who legitimize abuse on the premise that the men in the photographs were prisoners of war! These are the very same hypocrites who claimed only a year ago that the U.S. waged the war to liberate the Iraqi people! How can anybody believe that these men who put Iraqis on dog leashes are there to grant "freedom"? Two wrongs do NOT make a right! The U.S., regardless of its good intentions, has lost all credibility in my eyes. Get the hell out of Iraq, NOW!

Jenny Uechi, Victoria, Canada

The East and the West

Sir,

The question of Iraq and the presence of the so called coalition forces there, after they toppled Saddam Hussain is giving my head a severe headache.

These forces came for two purposes, firstly to oust Saddam ,which they did, and to liberate the Iraqis which they have so far not done.

Now in the quagmire, they have engaged themselves in, they are arguing who did what and who did not do what. And the poor Iraqis have to wait and see who will do what and who will not do what.

This gives them a headache and me too, although I am not an Arab. What happened to the story of the weapons of mass destruction? I, like the American soldiers, have made many a wallpaper on my pc of the tortures of my brothers beyond the border of my country, but unlike them have wept over the the unkindness of the West toward the East during the last 600 years after their so-called Renaissance in the 16th century.

Not even for once have the Americans nor the English mentioned the question of oil in the East. They have come to our region to steal as they have stolen for so many years. One may say oil belongs to the people of the world, as sometimes the West has wrongly argued, but the opposite argument is not at all wrong if the Arabs say the deserts on which we live should also be shared by the world; give us your rain, humidity, and forests and we will give you our oil. Sounds like the simple logic of the Indians in the Paleman's courts, but nevertheless apt and correct. Now with their apologies for their tortures they are hiding the very fact why they are in Iraq and promising they will remain there for another 4 or 5 years.

They will give sovereignty to the Iraqis but what kind? A half kind. The other half is for oil and controlling the price which they themselves will keep.

Thank you,

Esmaiil Fotoohi, Iran

International law comes to Iraq. When to Palestine?

The assurance from U.S. military and civilian authorities that international law and the Geneva conventions will now apply after revelations of prisoner abuse in Iraq is a very welcome signal.

Does this mean that international law is now recognized by members of the Coalition Provision Authority in Iraq as an essential element in resolving conflicts? Does it also mean that high-ranking military and civilian officials will be held accountable for human rights abuses?

Palestinians have been waiting for such a signal for decades. Since the Palestinian Arab-Israeli conflict began in 1948, the United Nations Security Council has adopted more than 200 resolutions on the subject but the trail of unimplemented resolutions is endless. They include resolutions asking Israel to abide by obligations and responsibilities in the 4th Geneva Convention, rescind measures changing the status of Jerusalem, cease building illegal Jewish colonies on occupied Palestinian land, stop deporting Palestinians from the occupied territories, and on and on.

Neither Security Council Resolution 242 on withdrawal of Israeli forces from 1967 occupied territories and asking for a just settlement of the Palestinian refugee problem nor General Assembly Resolution 194 on the right of return, passed annually, has been implemented.

The welcome sign that international law may become recognized as a key factor in setting standards for human and civil rights gives hope that the application of human rights norms will be extended to the Israeli occupied territories.

The belated recognition of international law reinforces a recent BADIL study of peace agreements in 12 areas of the world. The study found that successful agreements contained provision for the application of international law, human rights law and refugee law in solving long-term conflicts.

BADIL takes a rights-based approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and encourages an understanding of this by supporting research into residency and refugee rights and international law, organizing study visits by Palestinians to regions where the reconciliation process is under way and through seminars bringing together legal practitioners, policy makers and academics to discuss peacemaking and refugee protection.

BADIL carries out awareness-raising campaigns within the Palestinian refugee community to increase its knowledge of human and refugee rights under international law and works closely with several Jewish Israeli organizations to increase an understanding of the Palestinian refugee issue within Israel.

A BADIL Commentary

Beithlehem, Palestine

Readers should speak for themselves, not for all of us

Dear editor,

I am writing in reference to Mr. Patrick Dray's (Pennsylvania, USA, May 11, 2004 letters) use of the term "we" when he speaks of "his" personal feelings toward the US. Please do not speak as though you speak for all Americans or their attitudes. Neither, do you know enough about things in Iraq to speak for our government either. You have no right to speak for anyone other than yourself as others are quite capable of speaking for themselves whether they agree with you or not. Your use of the term "many of us" is incorrect also as you have nothing with which to qualify your statements.

Mary Zwahlen Kentucky, USA

Beheading of American contractor

I am an American and a Muslim and of African-American descent, I am sad and heart sick with how very low some Muslims have descended in this war. I am ashamed of their behavior.

You wonder why I do not mention the US government, don't forget I am Black American, everything you see in those photos has been happening to us for 400 years, (and please don't believe the hype, middle America is wall papering their walls with the photos and will welcome the torturers home as heroes).

When are the real Muslims going to stop being afraid of these groups and fear Allah (swa) and take back our religion. The young man who was murdered and decapitated was a contractor and a civilian. May Allah (swa) forgive us.

Peace,

Noor Doumbia

what should we do?

Sirs, I am a simple person who only wants to live and allow my children to become adults., They will undoubtedly hold many of the same traits and ideas that I have. What we hold important is not the same as others, life and ideas are as varied as the universe. I do not know the answers to the problems of the world but I feel in general that people all people want to leave or have a place for our great grandchildren. There's no doubt in my mind that the pollution to our environment is what we as humans must develop a answer for. Modernization I feel is the only solution for us all. Surviving in the meantime is what we seem to be fighting about. Please try to allow peace and life to shine thru so that children everywhere have a chance. I believe that mercy is wisdom . peace to all men .

CLINT WOMBLES

The media and terminology

Can we say WAR CRIME?

So in the last few days all the news has been about the 'abuse scandal' or the 'alleged abuses' of the Iraqi prisoners. Now lets imagine for a second ... what if it were Americans being beaten, tortured humiliated and raped by Iraqi prison guards. (not to mentioned having their country occupied) I'm sure that headlines across the world would be screaming WAR CRIMES abuses and swearing vengeance on the perpetrators. Why is our media constantly being watered down?? America is on trial for committing war crimes against Iraqi POW's, but we refer to it as abuse or scandal?! Though Bush, conveniently snubbed our globally recognized Court responsible for trying War Criminals. It does not mean that media should avoid or refrain from the issue of war crimes. We depend on the media to ask questions and to challenge our world leaders. This is a high responsibility and in my search to find more objective truthful information, i'm finding it harder and harder to find journalists and writers who are willing to ask the right questions and print the whole story as it happened. My question is: Why are the writers and/or editors afraid to refer to wartime atrocities as war crimes. Are they being influenced some how?? If this were CNN or FOX news i'd understand.

One more thing ... let's imagine once again if the roles were reversed ... what would America's military response would be... Is this freedom? maybe it's Liberation eh?

thank you and may peace prevail one day...

buddha-smurf, cmf