Letters to the Editor, May 5, 2004

UK wrongdoing

I am appalled by the recent stories in our papers and on the television,

As a senior citizen of Great Britain, I would like to say that I feel it is very important that all Iraqis report any wrongdoing to them by a member of the coalition whilst in detention. This could be done to the International Red Crescent (Baghdad 00964 7766982), or any respectable body such as Amnesty International.

I wish the very best for all Iraqi people.

Sarah Meyer Rodmell, E. Sussex, UK

Iraqi suffering

As an American; I send my most sincere and heartfelt apologies to you, and your people for this outrageous breach of conduct and MALCONDUCT against the Iraqi men who suffered this un-American Activity.

V.K. Durham a member of We, the People
http://www.theantechamber.net/V_K_Durham/HoustonProblem.html

Re: Torture: Empire's Dirty Little Secret by Mike Whitney

Mr. Whitney,

It is really interesting and hypocritical of you and so many others to be so actively denouncing what has happened to these "prisoners" under the watch of the United States Military (I am very glad that this was exposed and hope it will be dealt with swiftly and harshly) WITHOUT also reiterating and reminding all involved, about the atrocities committed by the Saddam regime. I am especially reviled with the rest of the Arabic and Islamic nations at their total silence during the Saddam years.

I was not in favor of the war for the reasons that Bush stated but I was in favor of someone, preferably the UN to stop Saddam. NO ONE ELSE had the courage or the righteousness to do so. And it is now apparent that the UN and several of the European countries were negotiating illegally with Saddam. Until you can explain to me where your outrage was during the Saddam heydays there is nothing you can write that has any meaning at all.

Ursula and Edgar Mosley

The US, Iraq and Palestine

Dear Sir,

The only reason the US military has occupied the Arabian peninsula since 1990 is because of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait--and because Iraq remained a threat to the whole region--and the world. Iraq did not fulfill many of the promises it made when it was forced out of Kuwait. That country's government killed many of it own people during that period, refused to cooperate with the UN inspectors and in fact at one point threw them out. Now how any of those things can justify flying airplanes into buildings and killing thousands of people who had nothing to do with any of those things makes absolutely no sense to me, at all. I still think the only solution to the whole issue is the complete withdrawal and separation of Americans and Arabs because the Arabs hate so deeply.

John Meekins

Editor's reply to John Meekins and Ursula and Edgar Mosley

That the US war on Iraq was to rescue the Iraqi people from Saddam and his regime is not simply true. There are still many more oppressive regimes in the world, such as the Israeli occupation government, and the US has not invaded them.

How do you know that Arabs, Muslims, and many people around the world did not criticize the Iraqi regime. Have you read the media of 56 Islamic nations?

The Saddam regime practices was an excuse, not a reason for the war and the occupation of the Arabian Peninsula. We're now more than a year after the invasion of Iraq, why is the US still maintaining its military presence in Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and of course Iraq?

After the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq was destroyed and weak. Sanctions killed about one and a half million Iraqis.

The accumulating literature indicates three reasons for the US occupation of the Arabian Peninsula: Controlling 66% of the world's known oil reserves, serving Israel by destroying its last strong enemy in the Middle East, and justifying the humongous military spending in the US after the end of the Cold War.

If it is just the Iraqi as a threat to the regime as you say, then the US needs to invade and occupy Israel, the true threat of peace in the Middle and the world. Israel has been violating all UN resolutions and has been occupying the Palestinian territories since 1967. However, the US did not bomb or invade Israel. To the contrary, Israel has been receiving all the money and weapons it needs to maintain its aggression against the Palestinian people. This is the root of the problem. Without solving it, America will be dragged to more wars against Arabs and Muslims by supporters of Israel. War is not a smart solution. It creates hate on all sides and doesn’t solve any problems.

Jessi Morgan

Operation Unveiling Civilised America

Dear Yamin Zakaria,

I appreciate your opinions expressed in/for Al-Jazeerah regarding the recent events involving the Iraqi POW's. Although many of the things you said were true, many of them were embellished not unlike many of our (America's) media. I feel it unfair for you to judge all Americans on what you have heard, just like it is unfair to judge all Iraqis or Muslims on what I have heard. I admit, I do not know much about your religion, but I know about mine and my country. There are many scandals with our politicians, law enforcement and even our religious leaders, but there are also good honorable everyday people who value life and decency.

I also value my freedom and my right to be able to live each day as I want. I cannot imagine living as a woman in your culture. You may think every female here prances around naked looking for sex, but you would be sadly mistaken. Is it not true that in your culture, men can have more than one wife? And what possible reason would you need for more than one woman? More sons? Yes, well to me, that sounds like a good excuse for men in your culture to just get sex whenever they want. Just because you can marry them does not mean you are being monogamous to your partner(s).

There are many many problems within my society, but fortunately for me, I can choose to not be part of them. That is my choice and my right. You though, can use your religion and culture to hide behind treating others badly all the time, not just a couple of instances like the recent events. And by the way, I think your idea of letting Iraq punish the American soldiers that abused the POW's is a great idea. America would never allow it, but if they (the soldiers) were thinking they could do something like that and get away with it, they should most definitely be punished. Another thing, porn may be made a lot here, but that really does not mean we are all porn addicts.

I know a lot of single moms and dads too for one reason or another who are great with their children. It is definitely better for a child to be raised with a single parent than to have two parents who hate each other enough to fight all the time and take it out on the child. Our cultures are very different, and I want to thank you for giving your opinion about ours. Many people need to get back to some core values and morals, but I still think we are better off because I am free to share my opinion back with you unlike the women in your culture.

Sincerely,

Jessi Morgan

Editor: Yamin Zakaria is a British Muslim. There are tens of millions of Muslims living in the northern hemisphere (North America and Europe, in particular). You're wrong about them. More important is that you're wrong about women in most Islamic countries. It may help you to know more about Muslim women. Right now, the President of Indonesia, the largest Muslim country, is a woman: Megawati Sukarno-Putri. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh is also a woman, Khaledah. Pakistan elected a woman (Benazir Bhutto) twice as Prime Minister. Turkey elected Tansu Chiller as a Prime Minister in the 1990s. My question to you is how many women were elected in the west as heads of state? What about the United States?

With regard to your note about Muslim men marrying more than one woman. This is a religious permission but it's not the norm anywhere in the world. If you read the Bible well, it was allowed to Abraham and his descendants. Among these were Israel, Moses, David, and Solomon.

The wisdom of marrying another woman, although it's rare, is necessity in most cases. Examples are infertility or sickness of the first wife. It's more humane to keep the first wife in marriage if she is sick or infertile (if she chooses to) than divorcing her. It's also more decent than affairs. The world would be better off if we try to understand other cultures on their own, not using our own standards. But differences should not justify atrocities or wars.