From: benali@alcor.concordia.ca ( ILYESS B. BDIRA )
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast
Subject: Re: Islamic Fundamentalism in Egypt Targets Christians as it Did Jews
Date: 14 Sep 92 16:10:06 GMT

oueichek@ngulu.imag.fr (Ibaa Oueichek) writes:



The article spoke 
>about actions of terrorism committed by several 
"Fundamentalists" (well, THEY call 
>themselves so, and i really wish other Fundamentalists  have 
the honesty to denounce
>these acts because they pollute the image of Islam)
>was wrong, but i've read a similar article in the 
French journal Le monde, and it gave
>even offical Egyptian confirmation of the events 
(unfortunately, it was a month ago,

First of all, I myself am not sure that those events happened.
The NY times and Le monde are for us (the ones you appearently want
to condemn such acts) are so discredited that we belive that they
could even invent such things. But to be objective, I would say that
the media especially after Iran, and in France after the elections
in Algeria showed a great deal of hate to all Muslims and is apt to
use all unethical means to fight the Islamic resurgence.
This includes:
1)showing part of the truth, the part that condemns Muslims, while
ignoring most of the truth.
2)Interpreting news and showing a biased coverage to avoid showinga any
thing good about Muslims.
3)Generalizing about exceptional events and making them looking as if they
are the rule.

This makes us sceptical about anything the western media or the governmental
media in Muslim countries says about Islam or Islamic activists.
Actually the Arab media is the least reliable media in the world about
the Issue of Islamists.. I might even say that if you invert everything
they say you might end up with a picture that is closer to the truth.

Having said that, I will tell you my opinion about Egypt:
1)The government bears the most of the reponsability of whatever is
happening, they are clearly stirring hatred between Muslims and christians
by showing any event that happens between Islamists and government forces
as an act against christians. They are clearly trying to play the christians
against the Muslims as Sadat tried before he was killed.
2) In upper Egypt there is a long history of repression of peasants that
has nothing to do with Islam vs Cristians, the corrupt government uses
all means to suppress those people, and when they react against Muslim 
government agents, they do not publicize it, and when the action is against
a christian gobernment agent, they publisize it as an act against a copt.
3)The actions of the government might have caused a real conflict between
Muslims and christians in that region, and this is regrettable. I would
condemn any action against an innocent person (whether Muslim or
christian) if I am sure about the circumstances in which it happened.

The solution of all ARab countries is in a real government that
represents all citizens of the countries and which is accountable 
for its actions. The corrupt gangs that are ruling Egypt, Tunisia,
Syria, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and other countries are not accountable,
so they will continue to do what they want.
THIS IS THE REAL ISSUE. OTHER ISSUES ARE MAGNIFIED OR SOMETIMES
CREATED FROM NOTHING TO AVOID TACKLING THE REAL PROBLEM.