richard joseph

What are the security forces of Arab states doing to prevent such massacres
as that which occurred in Karbala this week? Are they cooperating,
exchanging information, and coordinating their efforts?

What happened in Karbala could have happened to any sect in any Arab country
on any religious holiday. This is a dispicable Arab problem for which Arab
leaders should assume responsibility. It is deplorable that they have not
done so.

Richard

epstein

Hi Richard,

My impression, right or wrong, is that the Shi'ite majority in Iraq is the
most moderate section of the population, extensively denied any religious
freedom or expression during the Saddam regime. Perhaps, in control, they
could pave the way for a stable and possibly democratic Iraq, which
obviously would not please the extremists in the Sunni triangle.

Kind regards,

Ivor

leftbank

"EPSTEIN" <morway@optushome.com.au> a écrit dans le message de
news:4046e1e0$0$3955$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...


Ayatollah Khomeni was a Shi'ite. Democracy in Iraq is a pipe dream. There is
an arab proverb which goes something like "If you are a sheep, then I am the
wolf. But if you are the wolf then I am the sheep." If, as I suspect, this
pure Darwinist aspect is deeply ingrained in arabic culture then any idea of
democracy is a non-starter.

Ali Sistani is being nice to the Americans right now, simply because he
knows that any democratic structure left by them when they go, will make him
the all powerful dictator of yet another arab kleptocracy.

Shi'ites, Kurds and Sunni's hate each other. Thats just the way it is. No
one group will accept to be ruled by any other. If Chirac had based his
criticism of America in terms of their understanding of how Arabs behave,
rather than out of a petty "anything but America" attitude France would have
earned more international respect than it currently enjoys.

The best one can hope for is the breakup of the country and a massive
international presence to prevent genocide.

richard joseph

Hi Ivor,

The Shi'a are the majority in Iraq. For the most part, they opposed
Saddam's regime. But many secular Shi'a were (and probably still are)
Ba'athists.

The Arabs need to get on the band wagon of the war against terrorism. Or
else they will become its principal casualties. Unscrupulous zealots like
Zarqawi don't care about the ethnicity or religion of their innocent
victims, so long as their deaths serve to "prove a point."

Richard

bachir hay fina

Arabs All they have done is condemn the US and Israel.

They have asked for steps to be taken in order to secure this events, not
for the sake of innocent lives, but because it serves Israel and the US.

richard joseph

Arab governments must reassess their position. So must Israel.

Attacks on innocent civilians is neither heroic resistance nor imperative
for security.

Richard