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Statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting
blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those
conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to
examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself
that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys
after this process of grotesque self-deception. Mark Twain We have waited as long as we could to offer our opinion on America’s proposed plan to attack the people of Iraq. It is still hard to believe America would actually go ahead with such an ill advised plan, but it appears they are determined to proceed even in the face of the clear opposition of most of the rest of the world. Let us be very direct, the US plan to attack Iraq is not only a very bad idea, it is a completely insane idea. This does not mean we are supporting Saddam Hussein, his regime, or his policies. We would like to see a world with no dangerous leaders and no aggressive militant ideologies. Our concern is for the people of Iraq who are our beloved brothers and sisters, and who are invariably innocents caught up in a cruel web of murderous geopolitical machinations. Immediately after the unconscionable September 11 attack on the United States, it is likely virtually everyone in the world felt sympathy for the people of America in their heart rending moment of grief, and the world’s peoples and governments would have then provided every assistance to carry out a successful worldwide search for the perpetrators of that terrible act; but, when we were confronted daily with pictures of burned and mutilated children in Afghanistan, their lives and futures stolen from them by American bombs, that natural sympathy quickly disappeared to be replaced with a growing repugnance against the unfeeling cruelty of the leaders of America. If it was indeed Osama bin Laden who was responsible for the shockingly cruel events of September 11 in America, we would have no reservations at all about his apprehension and punishment; but, we shall still find it difficult to ever forgive the American government for the many thousand innocent lives of our dear brothers and sisters destroyed in what we consider a completely unjustified revenge attack upon the civilian population of Afghanistan. Now we face yet another completely unjustified revenge attack, this time against the civilian population of Iraq. Yes, of course we know America claims to be the ‘friend’ of the Iraqi people and that their stated target is Saddam Hussein, but their battle plans belie such claims. The proposed American battle plan is a most uncivilized plan known as, “Shock and Awe.” Simply put, the battle strategy behind ‘Shock and Awe’ will mean 300 to 400 cruise missiles per day being fired into Iraqi military targets, AND Iraqi civilian targets with the acknowledged expectation of as many as 400,000 causalities within the first few days. Furthermore, high level US military analysts have proposed the use of nuclear weapons as an effective instrument in their plan to quickly and completely devastate the people and countryside of Iraq through ‘Shock and Awe’, rendering them helpless in the face of an invasion by American military forces. We have carefully watched the unfolding of events since the September 11 attack on America, and we are convinced something has gone terribly wrong. It seems there are only two likely possibilities; either there is a hidden agenda that in some mysterious way requires the dangerous course of action that the American government has embarked upon for its outcome to be realized, or perhaps the loss of 3000 or so of their citizens, killed in one terrible act of violence, has so traumatised those governing America that they are no longer capable of rational decision making. It is hard to know which of those two possibilities constitutes the most serious danger to the future of human society: but, at least if it is the second we can at least feel some sympathy for the depth of their sorrow as we fear their wrath. This sad situation has many similarities to the psychological trauma suffered by the parents of a child who has been brutally murdered. It is for exactly this reason that the father of a murdered child is not allowed to determine the fate of the murderer, he is not psychologically capable of doing so rationally. Even at this still early moment, as events unfold affected by the September 11 attack on America, we see some very disturbing trends being established. Violence, discrimination, persecution, and fear have drastically increased all across the world. Already, a recent poll in Britain found Iraq to be considered only the third most dangerous country in the world, North Korea being number two, and America deemed to be the most dangerous of all the nations in the world. Unfortunately, we also see the beginnings of America becoming the most hated country in the world. If things do not change we must predict that U.S. President George W. Bush will be judged by future generations to be the worst president in American history. We take no pleasure in giving voice to these sad facts. America is a great and powerful nation. America could, if it was the will of the government and the people, be the single most significant force in the world today in helping to make right all the many wrongs that presently exist in human society. If America does not listen to the rational voice of peace loving people from all over the world, and incredulously goes ahead with its plan to attack Iraq, what does the future hold? If America succeeds in this brutal attempt to impose their will on the people of Iraq could they be expected to stop there? It is impossible to know who will be next, but that there will be a ‘next’ is without doubt. Ultimately every nation, even every person, in the world who does not accept the American way of life as the only right way of life must feel somehow at risk. Let us not forget the critically dangerous precedent that was set when six people in a car driving peacefully along a highway in Yemen were blown to pieces by a Hellfire missile fired from a Predator unmanned, flying, surveillance and launch platform, developed and operated by a US government agency. These six people were murdered because one of them was ‘suspected’ of having links with the nebulous Al Queda network. We wonder since that unmanned missile attack, how many minds in the world have been crossed by the thought, while driving down some road in their country, “could that someday happen to me?” Not a comforting thought!!! So where will it all end? If things continue as they are with America willing to unilaterally act with massive military force against any who oppose their perceived interests it could get MUCH worse. America is not too many years away from the technological expertise necessary to carry out full 24 hour a day surveillance of every person on the planet, and to implement at a moments notice the means necessary to punish, imprison or eliminate those who hold ideas considered in opposition to American interests. Of course, we could choose take the much kinder and gentler path into the future offered by Islam. We pray that this is Allah’s plan for the world, to live in peace and harmony, with tolerance and justice, in a right Islamic society where people of all races and religions find happiness and fulfillment, where honesty and equity exist throughout the lands. It seems clear that the potential for Iraq, in its presently weakened position, to harm even its closest neighbors could be easily removed by some peaceful means. We make this plea to U.S. President George W. Bush, the government of America and the American people: please give up the use of violence to attain your desired ends, please treat the nations and peoples of the world with loving kindness, please take no more than your fair share of the world’s so very limited resources, please make amends for the excesses of the past, please accept that the ‘American dream’ is not everybody’s dream, and please give objective consideration to the possibility that Islam may offer great benefit to the world. (Note: We have attempted to be honest, sincere, and well-meaning in giving this opinion. If anyone is offended by anything we have said, we most surely did not desire to cause you discomfort, if we have made any factual errors we must apologize, and for our failings in the presentation of these opinions may Allah forgive us.)
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Attack on Iraq - How Bad Can An Idea Get!