One Down Two to Go

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Sigalph,

I am not found of Hussein, but I love you man (your style I meant)

You sensed wrong on my word ‘big’. All War materials of Blonde, like Aircraft Carrier, C-130, missile, ….are not only big they are huge. With these massive equipment blonde can literally tear a nation and thus won big. Did I get it right now?

TAhmed:

I lost a friend and lost two I knew. I know Bangladeshi women who later came in a TV Show with newborn baby, wearing head scurf with others whose husband perished. Emotional impact of such devastation is overwhelming. But as soon Muslim name came up as culprit, even you could not stop worrying about your daughter in NJ, and the president of the US was concerned for backlash. How does then fearing of backlash equate not to feel for families who lost in 9-11? It was a double jeopardy for Muslims.

If I may allow myself, I will go little off track. After 9-11, I joined a Hindu festival, where a person was expressing his delight ness of what may happen to Muslim till he was told that we are Muslim. Air traveling of some of my Arab friends was nightmare with one expression only ‘it ain’t fare’. Shikh Hindu of NY came forward in support of Muslim. Some Hindus in offices became immediate expert on defining Muslim and Islam. Jokes flew, “If I were Muslim I would not stay in a Muslim nation now, because AB is eminent”, “you look like terrorists”, “Muslim culture is a culture of terrorists”, “Muslims are like cults”, “nuke solves problem”, “vermin needed to be exterminated”…………. You do not hear this much because Muslims does not have ADL like institution. But again, please contact the institution name CARE if you have doubts.

Writing only from one corner of view, while ignoring or minimizing other part will not take away the issue and the issue is, Muslims in USA cannot sit idle any more. 9-11 was a wake up call. A wake up call not only to face mullahs but also for average peace loving Muslim in USA too. What can be done with mullahs in Pakistan, Bangladesh…. also are issue, but Muslims in USA must work hard to have a solid representation in mainstream. May I say that beauty of America is practicing peaceful living among pool of diversity? Look at NY, people of so many nation, religion, culture are doing fine. Do you think people who wears added piece (Jews the cap, hindus the red stripe, Muslima the headscarf) of means are for attention only. If there believes make them to wear certain things or to practice certain thing, should those faith and believes be always put in scrutiny under logics and rational. Americans were not much aware of what ‘Muslim’ is, nor they were in need. But 9-11 certainly has changed that. Presently, fear of backlash has reduced to minimal level (Bush deserves thanks for this), but please look at the media of how many times word Muslim, Islam, Arab are added to every piece of derogatory happenings. Why Wolf Blitz brought a ‘Muslim expert’ asking this question “please explain why Islam is not a violent religion” when John Allen Muhammad was caught. Do you believe this sort of ‘orchestrated defense’ helps? Any avenue where word ‘Muslim’ and ‘Islam’ can be used in derogatory fashion is used. Did you watch “John Stuart’s nightly show” or (can not remember now) “ we hate Muslim parody song (this song was absolutely refreshing on addressing hypocrisy practiced towards Muslim by media)”. How about that Hindu dude who was caught of buying arms for AQD. You did not heard word “Hindu XYZ”, you only heard “XYZ”. Imagine how the news would have played if it would be a Muslim from Pakistan.

Incident like these are in ample. I do not amuse myself in conspiracy theories, but I do believe that bad PR can lead to serious abuse. Practice of fairness dictates let give a chance to hear all, before concluding, “Muslim are paranoid because of their tradition and how they are taught”. All most all-major news media has hired Islam/Muslim/Middle-East/Palestine expert. How about coming up with a TV or Radio show, where a practicing Muslim will be seen of how he/she speaks, deals, applies logics & rational and Muslim view of Palestine and Kashmir. May be our neighbors if cares and in need, will have an alternate view points along with what “Middle East, Muslim & terrorist Expert” are providing. I cannot take face value on reports of Muslim or any terrorist happening from WP, NY Times who has proven big time already how they lie and manipulate news.

Ms of Deshi Muslims loves this nation. If a borne white American can criticize USA, why a ‘Deshi Muslim US citizen’ be ridicule when he objects and being critical on certain issues and policy of USA, why he/she gets put down via comparing to what goes on in Bangladesh or Pakistan.

It is silly not to acknowledge that some deshi people have problematic mindset, reminding that continuously helps inner one. You deserve thanks for that.

The sum total of apologist arguments is to call the adversary:

childish (MaheshG), homosexual (shobuz), and racist (arjun).

And all of that trying to explain why you guys hate Saddam but hate it more so to see him go.

Re Dost mittar 274

Should be the same but I may have used more colloquial intonations (should catch myself doing that).

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#271 Sigalph

“you guys are just plain jealous that the beautiful blonde won and won big”


Why should your acquaintance with ‘blonde (guys)’ and your knowledge of their ‘big’ would make GUYS jealous?



“And I won`t anymore on this board”.

What is it ! no more chit-chat, no more fact twisting, need a fix in CPU, need a re-format of your brain with new installation. Damn those viruses from ‘blondes’. ……Paging Dr. Afghan mullah.

shobuz #280 no doubt the examples i gave have to do with one kind of pakistanis only. there are indeed many decent pakistanis too who are hospitable and friendly to foreigners as well.

You ask if i had spoken to the average muslin in NY on how they felt - i am not sure what you mean by an ``average`` muslim (is he an african, an arab or a pakistani, for example), but i have a brother in that area and immediately after the attacks i called to see if he was OK - NOT because I was worried at all about his being attacked in an anti-muslim backlash, but because i was concerned he may have been one of the victims of the terrorist attack on the WTC (fortunately, he was OK). I did worry a bit about my daughter (in a university in new jersey), and this is what she told me: not only was she fine, a number of american students had asked her to let them know if anyone harassed her. This was a constant theme i heard from other places - my nephew told me his teacher approached him and told him to let him know if any student said anything negative to him due to 0/11; and US politicians went out of their way to set an example of tolerance (Bush, who is fashionably reviled by so many muslim ``intellectuals``, to his credit maee a number of very public visits to mosques to reassure muslims and also noted his appreciation of the muslim community in a major speech he made to the congress after 9.11).

The familiies I was concerned about on that day were the families of the VICTIMS of these attacks. When I saw one of the towers starting to collapse before my eyes on TV, I knew that I was watching thousands of lives being suddenly wiped out. And my heart seemed to sink to the ground at this thought. These were mothers and fathers, the best and the brightest from around the world (including over a hundred from pakistan) who were lost that day. It is THEIR families i am concerned about - the sad faces of teenagers carrying pictures of their fathers or mothers in case someone had seen them are the faces of 9/11.

NOT these stupid, self-centered ``muslims`` (they are a disgrace to the name) that you are thinking of who can only think of themselves and their fears of a backlash - they deserve nothing but contempt. Have they no concern for anyone but themselves?

I am not interested in these hypothetical images of Auschwitz - I am only interested in real life images of 9/11; office workers jumping to their deaths from skyscrapers to escape death from fire; wives calling husbands over the telephone from hijacked planes moments before they were vaporized; the 70 or so bright young pakistani professionals lost that day, unremembered and overlooked by the pakistan press, the pakistan government and the pakistan people. I am ashamed i cannot name even one of them, and have scoured the internet and found not one memorial to them - they are merely numbers to all except their close relatives who mourn their loss quietly in pakistan. What kind of a people are we if we shed no tears for these real victims, but have no shortage of tears for ``muslim families`` in the area whose only concern even on that terrible day was only that of a backlash?

Tahemd,

Your points are taken.

Yes there exist some bad examples of what happened in Pakistan. But I am sure there also exist some good experience in Pakistan too.

However; have you spoke to average muslim in NY of how they felt after 9/11? How about the registration process. Ask average Muslim if they were worried about a backlash of the 9/11 incident. Sure President Bush felt and spoke about it. Things simply do not end there. The way public were notified about future possible threat of bigger disaster, it has caused concerns to the Muslim that indeed these disaster ever happens via Muslims then future of Muslimism will not be easy in USA. Jews never expected an Auschwitz could ever happened in Germany until it happened, Japanese and Germanys didn’t think they would be in problem during 1945. Yes it has passed long ago, and an Auschwitz type in this era of America is un-thinkable, but stories are there. I am ‘this type of Muslim’ and ‘not that type of Muslim’ did not help Jews and Japanese. Wearing hizab or not wearing hizab may not be a major deal, but sure is a tool of measurement of average public feelings towards Muslims.

I guess what I am trying to get is that there exist a genuine effort by some powerful groups who are working very hard to equate this: “Muslim are doing bad things hence it is the religion and culture itself that is bad, hence they should change it”.

If definition of ‘integration of Muslim in American culture’ equates to ‘wearing tight jeans, no hijab, drinking and mingling with actives that are not allowed in Islam’ then what can I say. I personally do not think that is what all Americanism means, but that is exactly some people are trying to equate. If Richard Pearl and many like him gets upper hand in administration then please read what they wrote of Muslim and Arab and how they will be corrected. Sure one can ignore these, or concern of Muslim over these can be defined as ‘Muslim Paranoia’.

America is not Bangladesh, Pakistan or India. One principle that rose above all mottos is that any US citizen has right to defend himself using judicial system against any accusation. No nation including America could not have perfect record on this, but how much off it is from this principle is a tool to measure if any individual, group, minority have suffered backlash or not. Please then go to CARE and other sources, find out of incident that you will never find in mainstream media. You simply cannot put all these people in “mullah basket” and “case is over”.

Blacks did not get there equal right via aligning with White believes. They hammered whites until whites realized (some came to sense and some gave up) that they couldn’t practice it any more. Muslims in America should take a hint from these historical events. Simply not wearing hizab, drinking, mingling with non-Muslim and cursing of other Muslim nation will not be enough to aware people that Muslim does not equate to bad synonyms.

Alhamdulliah, Muslims are working on it (At least in NY area) and successes are coming in. People are working to get into politics with keeping usual Muslim tradition and practicing faith. They are man and women from all background. No one is perfect, but this practice is as good as exposing hypocrisy of people who use Islam. Happening of these is the beauty in the ability of American system.

Andy Ronnie doesn’t agree but there are reasons why people are called as ‘African American’, ‘Spanish American’ and ‘Muslim American’.
………………………………………………………………………………

I am working on my writing. Thanks being patient.

Sigalph #271,

``Because Iraqis were being murdered and there is a difference between premeditated murder and dying from disease, hunger what. Wait for the article on AIDS/Hunger/Africa to discuss this. I will not further comment on this Africa theme. ``

What about the Genocide in Africa, Sigalph? That is not hunger or disease?

``you guys are just plain jealous that the beautiful blonde won and won big. There is nothing I can say to make you guys feel better about the doom you`re feeling with the downfall of Saddam. And I won`t anymore on this board. ``

What the hell? Nobody is feeling the gloom about Saddam falling. I wish you would stop being childish in using such arguments. I am neither a Muslim nor an Arab and I have no love lost for the people in middle east. It`s like me calling you racist for no reason whatsoever.

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re: arjun_m # 270

``So again: Was the war in iraq about WMDs or about salvation from tyranny for the iraqi people? If it was the later, why were the iraqis picked for deliverance before the starving AFricans?`` -

Good Observation!

Ciao

re: hamidm2 # 261

Valid questions and to the point, indeed.

Like they say, some times the questions have more of a grain of truth than the answers.

Ciao

re: tahmed32

Tahmedji, I am in agreement with you. In fact, I opt to differ with you on the interpretation of an issue, ``even though we are on the same page``.

re: Sigalph

The issue was not the personalities of the a given president or a particular administration, but rather the policies of the United States over a period of time. No one is denying the need to evict Saddam Hussein and no one is shedding tears over his eviction. What I am simply saying is that the United States must accept the responsibility for its past actions and stop spining a tale of morality and goodness. Secondly, As Arjun_M has said; this war was never about Saddam Hussein - it was about WMD. The United States had to justify the invasion of Iraq to its own public and in the absence of the WMDs, it latched on to the moral about bringing democracy to Iraq.

Iraq was not in material breech of UN resolution 1441 because Saddam Hussein was in power nor because he was not cooperating, but the Bush adminstration thought that Iraq presented a ``clear and present`` danger to United States by possessing the weapons of WMD.

Ciao

sigalph235:
I dont fully understand your bangla but it sounds more lyrical than the bangla I heard in Dhaka. Is there a difference?

one down, 140 million to go,

There was a time, only a few weeks ago, when pakistanb offered to treat indian victims of rape in kashmir. Suddenly there is cease fire in loc, the idea that kashmiris sjhould have Un documents have been dropped.
What has changed, the change has come from a few pieces of paper found in iran. The screws are tightening, and pakistan will be allowed to keep the bomb, only if it becomes a civilised society, certified by indians.

Well, I am ready to recommend one pakistani, for the civilised stamp. That is a good beginning for pakistan, 140 million more to go.