As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at www.chedet.com on December 26, 2008 4:47 PM
1. Every day we hear, we read and we watch on television reports about acts of terrorism somewhere. No place seems to be free from terrorism.
2. From Indonesia to New York, suicide bombers, airplanes, cars and vans loaded with explosives are being blown up, killing people and destroying buildings almost with impunity.
3. Security measures have been taken, using sophisticated and costly methods, specially trained anti-terror squads, electronic detectors and tedious body searches, including scrutiny of shoes, hand bags and luggage. But the terror attacks have gone unabated. We seem to have to live with this danger striking where we least expect with no end in sight.
4. Great thinkers, journalists, political analysts and politicians of all shades and colour have written at length and given their reasons and their analysis of these acts of terror, why people should be willing to blow themselves up frequently killing innocent people.
5. The analysts and writers have attributed such acts as being due to the teachings of the Prophet of Islam, as the tendencies of Muslims to be violent, as the expressions of the clash of civilisation, as the jealousies against people who are better off themselves. They blame the extremism of the Wahabi sect of Islam and the hatred of leaders of the sect such as Osama bin Laden.
6. Based on their analysis they prescribed measures to curb terrorist activities, arresting suspected, subjecting them to torture and humiliation.
7. But still the acts of terror have gone on and show signs of escalating. Muslim airline passengers are made to go through humiliating searches, detained for hours. Hundreds of so-called terrorist suspects have been detained without trial for years, often humiliated and tortured with no means of seeking redress.
8. But through all these the real reason for these violent acts of terror has been deliberately ignored. It is as if the Europeans and the Americans are in a state of denial. It is as if all the European and American leaders fear to state the truth. Their media too appear to conspire to avoid mentioning the true cause of the anger and frustration of the people who commit these acts of terror.
9. Yet if we pause to think we cannot help but notice that these acts began with the forceful seizure of the land of the Palestinian Arabs in order to create the formerly non-existent state of Israel; the expulsion of the Arab Palestinians from their homes and their country, the killings of the Arabs by Zionist terrorists, and the incarceration of the Arab Palestinians in makeshift refugee camps for the last 60 years or so.
10. This is the basic and original cause of the acts of terror. Initially the neighbouring Arab countries tried to regain Palestinian land through conventional war. But Israel with the help of America and Britain defeated the forces of Syria, Jordan and Egypt.
11. Not only were they defeated but Israel grabbed more Arab land. At each attempt to regain Palestinian land, Israel together with America and Britain seized more Arab land.
12. In the area of Palestine which the Israelis have not seized, Jewish settlements were set up. Roads were built on Arab land which the Arab Palestinians are not allowed to use. High walls are built to break up Arab villages, preventing the villagers from contacting their close relatives even.
13. In the meanwhile the world watched the expulsion of Arab Palestinian and their plight with little concern and less sympathy.
14. Against the powerful Israeli forces the Palestinians could do nothing. They have no guns or tanks or fighter planes. Angry and frustrated they tried guerrilla war. But this was to no avail.
15. Eventually they resorted to what is referred to as terror attacks. Not having delivery vehicles they made use of suicide bombers, blowing themselves up.
16. Instead of resolving the Palestinian issue the Americans and the British decided to attack other Muslim countries. Afghanistan and Iraq were invaded, and Syria and Iran are threatened. Naturally this did not help solve the Palestinian issue. It simply aggravated the problem. And now other Muslim people, knowing that there can be no solution by their Government have adopted the same terror tactics as the Palestinians.
17. I was in Syria recently to attend a conference on the "Right of Return" of the Palestinian people I was also in Iran and Yemen. Everywhere I went I found among the ordinary people anger and hatred directed at the Jews, the Americans and the British. Their Governments are terrified by the British and the Americans. But their people are more and more bitter. There will be many who would be willing to blow themselves up even if they will not succeed in liberating their countries.
18. Terror attacks will not diminish for as long as the Palestinians are forced to remain as refugees, are denied the right of return.
19. America will have a new President soon. If the membership of his Cabinet and his staff are anything to go by, there is little that Obama can do, even if he wants to solve the Palestinian problem. All American Presidents and legislators are hostages of Israel. Fail to side with Israel and they will be defeated at the next elections.
20. "Terrorism" is going to be a part of the world scene for a very, very long time.
1. Every day we hear, we read and we watch on television reports about acts of terrorism somewhere. No place seems to be free from terrorism.
2. From Indonesia to New York, suicide bombers, airplanes, cars and vans loaded with explosives are being blown up, killing people and destroying buildings almost with impunity.
3. Security measures have been taken, using sophisticated and costly methods, specially trained anti-terror squads, electronic detectors and tedious body searches, including scrutiny of shoes, hand bags and luggage. But the terror attacks have gone unabated. We seem to have to live with this danger striking where we least expect with no end in sight.
4. Great thinkers, journalists, political analysts and politicians of all shades and colour have written at length and given their reasons and their analysis of these acts of terror, why people should be willing to blow themselves up frequently killing innocent people.
5. The analysts and writers have attributed such acts as being due to the teachings of the Prophet of Islam, as the tendencies of Muslims to be violent, as the expressions of the clash of civilisation, as the jealousies against people who are better off themselves. They blame the extremism of the Wahabi sect of Islam and the hatred of leaders of the sect such as Osama bin Laden.
6. Based on their analysis they prescribed measures to curb terrorist activities, arresting suspected, subjecting them to torture and humiliation.
7. But still the acts of terror have gone on and show signs of escalating. Muslim airline passengers are made to go through humiliating searches, detained for hours. Hundreds of so-called terrorist suspects have been detained without trial for years, often humiliated and tortured with no means of seeking redress.
8. But through all these the real reason for these violent acts of terror has been deliberately ignored. It is as if the Europeans and the Americans are in a state of denial. It is as if all the European and American leaders fear to state the truth. Their media too appear to conspire to avoid mentioning the true cause of the anger and frustration of the people who commit these acts of terror.
9. Yet if we pause to think we cannot help but notice that these acts began with the forceful seizure of the land of the Palestinian Arabs in order to create the formerly non-existent state of Israel; the expulsion of the Arab Palestinians from their homes and their country, the killings of the Arabs by Zionist terrorists, and the incarceration of the Arab Palestinians in makeshift refugee camps for the last 60 years or so.
10. This is the basic and original cause of the acts of terror. Initially the neighbouring Arab countries tried to regain Palestinian land through conventional war. But Israel with the help of America and Britain defeated the forces of Syria, Jordan and Egypt.
11. Not only were they defeated but Israel grabbed more Arab land. At each attempt to regain Palestinian land, Israel together with America and Britain seized more Arab land.
12. In the area of Palestine which the Israelis have not seized, Jewish settlements were set up. Roads were built on Arab land which the Arab Palestinians are not allowed to use. High walls are built to break up Arab villages, preventing the villagers from contacting their close relatives even.
13. In the meanwhile the world watched the expulsion of Arab Palestinian and their plight with little concern and less sympathy.
14. Against the powerful Israeli forces the Palestinians could do nothing. They have no guns or tanks or fighter planes. Angry and frustrated they tried guerrilla war. But this was to no avail.
15. Eventually they resorted to what is referred to as terror attacks. Not having delivery vehicles they made use of suicide bombers, blowing themselves up.
16. Instead of resolving the Palestinian issue the Americans and the British decided to attack other Muslim countries. Afghanistan and Iraq were invaded, and Syria and Iran are threatened. Naturally this did not help solve the Palestinian issue. It simply aggravated the problem. And now other Muslim people, knowing that there can be no solution by their Government have adopted the same terror tactics as the Palestinians.
17. I was in Syria recently to attend a conference on the "Right of Return" of the Palestinian people I was also in Iran and Yemen. Everywhere I went I found among the ordinary people anger and hatred directed at the Jews, the Americans and the British. Their Governments are terrified by the British and the Americans. But their people are more and more bitter. There will be many who would be willing to blow themselves up even if they will not succeed in liberating their countries.
18. Terror attacks will not diminish for as long as the Palestinians are forced to remain as refugees, are denied the right of return.
19. America will have a new President soon. If the membership of his Cabinet and his staff are anything to go by, there is little that Obama can do, even if he wants to solve the Palestinian problem. All American Presidents and legislators are hostages of Israel. Fail to side with Israel and they will be defeated at the next elections.
20. "Terrorism" is going to be a part of the world scene for a very, very long time.
