From: souissi@ec.ecn.purdue.edu (Ridha Souissi)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.arabic
Subject: Re: Bosnian Muslims
Date: 12 Aug 92 23:39:49 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network

In article <20399@optima.cs.arizona.edu> bakken@cs.arizona.edu (Dave Bakken) writes:
>
>Are you concerned about the suffering of non-Muslims in places
>like Croatia or the Sudan or Somolia or South Africa or .... ?

Sure. A Muslim is against oppression, injustice and suffering
of all humans whether Muslims or not anywhere in the world.
It only is natural that he feels more when those
who suffer are Muslims too because the bond is stronger.
I expect the same from all ethnic groups.  Will you feel
the same if a relative of yours or a complete stranger was
run over by a car in the street?

>Here in the West we believe that people are equally precious
>irregardless of their race or religion.  Some people here don't
>yet fully believe that, but they don't usually say it publically
>because they'd get flamed for being such a bigot.
>

Unfortunately, the actions of the western governments don't
paint the same picture of the West. Which Muslims in the "East"
is saying publicly that the lives of some people are not
precious?

>
>Kuwait was a soverign nation, a UN member, swallowed hole by another.

And so Bosnia was a sovereign country with the recognition of the
West when it was invaded by the serbs.  It doesn't matter for
how long it is independent.

>Many people were outraged by that.  And much of the world does get
>their oil---the blood of their economies---from Kuwait and nearby.
>

That is correct.

>In Bosnia you have what is in effect a civil war, the premature
>recognitions of the Yugoslav republics notwithstanding.  Getting

Why is it notwithstanding? people try to bring several reasons
and repeat them to justify not stopping the killers, but they
cannot convince even themselves.

>involved in a civil war is a very different matter from making
>Saddam disgorge Kuwait.  Is this such a hard concept to grasp?
>It seems like such a simple thing, yet I see a lot of leftists
>and Arab nationalists and Islamists mindlessly comparing Kuwait
>and Bosnia.  

I see innocent helpless people getting killed.  What Saddam did
to the Kuwaitis including the lies like the incubators story and
the blown up facts seems to be a picnic compared to the atrocities
we witness to Bosnians.  The US could at least make some of
those famous "surgical" bombings on some Serbian positions, that
won't cost many US lives.  It could also lift the arms embargo
on Bosnia and give weapons equal in power to what the Serbs have
so that they may be able to defend themselves and die a
honorable death if they have to die.

>
>And America has no vital interests in Bosnia, but the Europeans need 
>stability there.  So the West has many fewer reasons to get involved
>in Bosnia.  Humanitarian concerns are definitely an issue in the West,

That is correct.

>but there are a lot of places in the globe that need help and we can't
>help them all...  And the Balkans are a crazy place that could be
>a tar pit to get involved in.  Hitler never fully subdued it.  The
>Serbs fought the Turks for centuries.  The Serbs and Croats and others
>have committed attrocities against each other this century (and before).
>
>You've done a pretty good job of disgracing yourself with the
>bigotted drivel above---you don't need any help from Allah.

A Muslim always needs and seeks help from Allah.

>Unfortunately, such drivel seems to be the accepted wisdom
>in some parts of the world.
>
>Saddam has caused a lot of that grief.  And he has promised to
>rape and pillage Kuwait again (maybe you like this idea---the Kuwaitis
>somehow deserve it because they have money?).
>

He won't since the watchdog is there.

>If you think this is genocide, then you must think that the
>Israelis are undergoing genocide when Palestinians stab them
>in the streets.  (But maybe you like the idea of a Jewish genocide.
>I have a Muslims friend whose father is in the ulema.  He said that
>the Quran/hadith says all Jews will be gathered in one spot prior
>to being slaughtered.)
>

It is not this way.

>
>And raids are conducted against Israel.  Shall we pray for peace?  (I do.)
>

Prayer is one thing to do.  Action is another.  Have you wrote to your
senator about the massacre of Bosnians?

>Dave Bakken                               Internet: bakken@cs.arizona.edu