From: antbh@strix.udac.uu.se (Bernhard Helander)
Subject: Re: ISLAMIC WORLD NEWS
Organization: UDAC, Uppsala, Sweden
Distribution: soc.religion.islam
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 12:12:08 GMT

malek@pi.titech.ac.jp (Zidouri Abdelmalek 03/95) writes:

>I would like to cross post this article from soc.culture.african so
>that some brothers and sisters may clarify some points to Bernhard 
>Helander who might have been doing a lot to help the SOMALI CASE
>but sure that is * LIHAJATIN FI NAFSI YAQOB * that is : he has his
>own reasons and we thank who ever helps us. BUT..
>I wrote: 

>In-reply-to: antbh@strix.udac.uu.se's message of 26 Aug 92 07:47:43 GMT

>In article <antbh.714815263@strix> antbh@strix.udac.uu.se (Bernhard Helander) writes:
>>Putting the blame on Boutros-Ghali does not seem a very productive way of going
>> about to solve the Somali dilemma. The latest issue of this obscure journal
>                                                            ******************
>Yes but He is representative and we see clearly his double standards  
>when dealing with the problem of his co-religious people the ORTHODOX
>SERBS he is even defying the security council. But when it comes to 
>SOMALIA it tooks him more than THREE months to respond to the council
>(since April) to publish the report about the situation in Somalia. This 
>sudden compassion to the situation of the somalis muslims from the UN 
>SG is far from abvious. 

I'm getting a bit fed up with all complaints about Boutros-Ghali. SOmalia
is a special operations and in order to fund it the security council demanded
a throrough technical report. As soon as the report (the Hansen one) had been
produced and the obstacles in the security concil removed, Mr Boutrus Ghali
acted as promptly as can be expected of him. One may be critical of why
the process did not begin earlier, say during the former s-g, but as things
are it is hardly conducive to the peace process to have a bunch of misinformed
people running around shouting complaints about the s-g.

>about the journal WHO ARE YOU to judge if it is obscure.

I think it is rather strange that a jorunal posing as "muslim" publishes
propaganda straight out of the propaganda pamphlets issued by one of the 
warring parties in a futile civil war. The term obscure was originally not
my own description, but taken out of the letters that I got in support for
my criticism. I share the opinion and this strange posting that I am in the
process of replying to furhter strenghtens my conviction.

 
>When the I.W.N says:

>|** >Somalia's eastern neighbour, Saudi Arabia, is awash with oil wealth but
>|>that is used to fight Muslims not to save them.
>|>In the Gulf War, the Saudis paid more than $60 billion to destroy Iraq.
>|>They had paid an equal amount to the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Husain to
>|>try to destroy Iran prior to that.
>|>The Saudis have given little or no help to save the starving millions
>|>in Somalia, just across the Red Sea.

>you say: 

>>do hope that those of you who protested against the Somali article in
>>the previous issue of this journal also made sure to bombard the editors
>>with e-mail. The discussion in soc.culture.islam was truncuated by an
>>anonymous "moderater" who, assuming the role of the angel Maka'eel, took
>>it upon himself to remove all negative articles on the ground that they
>>were "political".

> Islam  is a WAY OF LIFE and deals with all ISSUES of LIFE.
>and this time you say:

I don't contest what Islam is, I do, however, argue against war-propaganda
regardless of the religion of the person spreading it. By the way, you miss-
quote me, because what I said was that the most significant role of the 
Saudis in this war has been to ship arms to some of the factions.


>>  I strongly urge anyone in administrative charge of this newsgroups to remov

>>  all future postings from "Islamic world news" on the grounds that it has nothing to do with neither Islam nor news.


> So you point yourself AS AN EXPERT IMAM (Muslim Scholar and leader) 
> and AS AN EXPERT JOURNALIST.

No, I do neither of those things. Precisely as you said Islam has to do with 
life, but the war propaganda and other misinformation about the Somali
crisis spread by the so-called Islamic World News, has nothing to do with
life, it only fosters more war and death! I am not a journalist either, I am 
an anthropologist and I pride myself on being more up-to-date with the
situation in Somalia than anyone so far appearing on the pages of Islamic
world news can do.

>--
> Malek.
> 
> "We cooperate in what we agree on, and forgive each other for that
>  in which we disagree." Hassan El Banna.

A wise statement. Unfortunately it seems more difficult to live up to
than to write about. 

Now, these things said, I hope you will see that I have answered your 
questions without hostility or malice. Please, if you have any influence
over the journal, make them stop their postings to this news group. 
-- 
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