Article

Letter to the Editor

According to Jalal, Osama hates us because he hates Israel - according to Osama, he hates Israel because they are an extension of us, of our liberal Western ideals and our infidel religions.
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Little Satan vs. Great Satan

In the October 12 issue of pipedream, Jalal Zuwiyya has the audacity to write that the inhuman attacks on America on September 11th are the result of “feelings of desperation, suppression, and frustration” caused ultimately by the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.

Now there are ways to be an antisemite which will arouse a lot of attention – and ways that pass under the radar of an average American college student, such as subtly twisting facts to make it seem as if all it takes for the US to cease being a target for terrorism is for us to abandon Israel to the same criminals and mass murderers who hurt us so badly on September 11th.

Jalal claims as the base of Arab hostility to the US the plight of Palestinian refugees – a problem Israel is blamed for causing, instead of the Arab leaders who following their failed attempt to ‘drive the Jews into the sea’ in ’48, kept the Palestinians living in squalid refugee camps along the Israeli border with few civil rights and even less monetary assistance. Egypt in Gaza and Jordan on the West Bank kept the Palestinian people dirty, malnourished, impoverished, and hopeless while telling them the whole time that it was the Israelis’ fault – fueling a hatred among the Palestinians that encouraged the growth of Islamic Jihad, the PLO, and other terror groups who gladly did the deeds that the Arab governments wouldn’t do themselves.

But all that history is besides the point – that despite what you may have read in the last edition of pipedream, Islamic fundamentalist terror groups are not against us because we support Israel’s continued existence. In fact, it could be argued that they target Israel as a product of their hatred of us! In the rhetoric of the leaders of the Taliban, al Qaeda, and Iran, who is the “Little Satan”, and who is the “Great Satan?” In Osama bin Laden’s own words, the source of his jihad against the United States is our stationing of infidel troops on Islamic land during the Gulf War.

Even more to the point, he stated explicitly in a statement broadcast on international news media that among the “crimes” for which he faults the U.S. is our “creation of Israel!” Once again I feel I must highlight the subtle difference: according to Jalal, Osama hates us because he hates Israel – according to Osama, he hates Israel because they are an extension of us, of our liberal Western ideas and our infidel religions.

Make no mistake, the terrorists of September 11th and those who support them do not “aspire to have a democratic system of government” or to copy our way of life – look at their beliefs and at the actions of the leaders who interpret their scripture for them. Women are given the same rights as cattle, non-Muslims must wear identifying badges, ancient relics of other religions are destroyed (the giant Buddha statues)….the list goes on and on.

May all such teachers of hatred finally disappear from our campus community, speedily in our days.