IbnRushd
05-08-06, 18:27
Truly a Shame
Friday 28 July 2006,
by Tariq Ramadan
"At which point may we use the expression ‘War crime’? How many children must be lacerated in the debris of the Israeli air raids before we reject the obscene formula "collateral damage" and consider taking legal action for crimes against humanity? " In Beyrouth, Robert Fisk, journalist, The Independent, July 20, 2006
The French poet Charles Baudelaire had this merry expression: "The devil’s finest ruse is to persuade us that he does not exist." In the same vein, one could affirm that the most diabolic achievement of the plotters of today is to persuade us that plotters and plots do not exist.
The instrumentalisation of "the war against terrorism" has reached the epitome of lies, hypocrisy and intellectual and political terror. One should have perhaps paid more attention by the comments made by Ariel Sharon after the September 11th, 2001 attacks where he stated that Yasser Arafat was "[his] terrorist", indicating, in a curious premonition, that one day the Palestinians were going to pay the price for New York. A global strategy of confrontation has been unleashed first in Afghanistan, then in Iraq - with hundreds innocent civilians of the “collateral damages” - before the lightning rod would eventually strike the Palestinians in "the devastated territories."
It is common knowledge that the attack on South Lebanon by Israel had been in the works for a few months. The observers, as well as Hezbollah were aware of this. The latter anticipated the attack, hoping it would shift the conflict’s center of gravity. They did not expect, however the spinelessness of dictatorial Arab governments and their quiet complicity while hundreds of innocent civilians succumb under the weight of bombs. We knew it, though. The concept of an "innocent civilian " exists only marginally in the lexicon of Arab autocracies
One could have expected that the United Nations, the proclaimed voice of the wisdom of the nations, would intervene and put an end to the massacre. So many bad memories have reawakened. It was more than ten years ago in Srebrenica that the peace forces left those they were mandated to protect and whom they had disarmed beforehand. In Rwanda the United Nations forces came to protect and rescue the White people, "the foreigners", and once again left the Tutsis in the deadly hands of the Hutu. Two weeks ago, Lebanese families and civilians came seeking asylum in the headquarters of the United Nations forces run by Ghanaians. The Lebanese were denied protection. On the road to exile, a few hours later, Israeli bombs decimated a family of 27 people. Now, there is no guarantee that the UN can even protect themselves, judging from the recent bombing of a UN outpost in Southern Lebanon by Israeli forces. Five UN peacekeepers were killed, to the “deep sorrow” of the Israeli Prime Minister. This appeared to be the “unbearable scandal” while more than 350 innocent civilians have already been killed and the war continues. What is the role of the United Nations representatives? Who do they serve? Truly a shame, time after time.
Israel announced that it needed seven to ten days to conclude its operations. The G8 demanded a cease-fire; then, nothing except silence and embarrassment. By a fortunate coincidence and deadly scheduling, Condoleezza Rice announces her visit to the region, exactly ten days following precise details given by the Israeli Prime Minister. One might presume that Tel Aviv is in charge of the American Secretary of State’s agenda. The still need more time... here is, by accident, the green card sent to the Israeli government to carry on the massacre after the expected failure of the conference in Roma. At this point, it would be wrong not to quote Nicolas Sarkozy’s query, and its formulation, to the Israeli Minister of Integration who was on a special visit "to bless" both the French who decided to exile themselves to Israel and the valorous Israeli army: "How much time does the State of Israel require to complete the work?" (The World, July 20). To complete the work? To take innocent lives, to ransack a country? Judging by the graphic images that make their way to our television screens regarding the fatal consequences of "this work to finish", Sarkozy’s comments are much more shocking than the expressions "hooligans" or "rabble. Once again, what a shame. Yet, so few echoes in the media.
The Agence France Presse has just informed us that the United States have recently provided weapons to the Israelis of "precision guided bombs. " This, probably to avoid killing too many civilians. What compassion! As we are told, the United States and the United Kingdom believe that all these dead individuals are the victims of the necessary and imperative "war against terrorism". As a matter of fact, this war justifies anything and everything: State terrorism, murder, torture, abductions, liberticidal laws, and, in time, the criminalization of immigrants and applicants for asylum.
To those who observe without flinching to the horrors of the Middle-East, the iniquitous oppression of the Palestinians, the suffering of the Lebanese, to those who believe that it is sufficient to be neutral as a form of self-protection, to those who are not exposed to paralysis as are those "foreigners" whose respective countries protect and repatriate by the thousands while the "Lebanese" and the "Arabs" are left to their wretched destiny. To them it is necessary to forcefully convey that the madness or murderous complicity of the United States and their allies has, and will have, consequences which will not stop at the borders of their rich countries like one would stop immigrants and asylum seekers "from over there".
In our everyday lives, in our social peace, in our cordiality, in our safety, in our laws, in our rights, in our freedoms as in our lives, we will soon experience very concretely the consequences of our cowardice in the face of barbarity. The muteness of those who cannot denounce once again "official terrors” nor rise against so many injustices and such horrors is a shame. Undoubtedly, we will one day be invited, in one way or another, to the table of those who have scores to settle. Like so many others, we too will have to drink the substance of our dehumanized shame, resignation and passiveness.
I have been very contemplative these last few days. What is the use of "condemning the silence" of the international community vis-à-vis the continued oppression of the Palestinian people and the massacres perpetrated in Lebanon. How is that useful? Perhaps in order to give oneself the right, in the name of consistency, in being silent when the powerful of this world are toiling to "condemn" the consequences of their silence! Perhaps, there is some logic to that.
Or it is a simple question of dignity... we will refuse to stay silent and never cease resisting oppressors and murderers, be they rich or even "civilized"!
tariqramadan.com
Friday 28 July 2006,
by Tariq Ramadan
"At which point may we use the expression ‘War crime’? How many children must be lacerated in the debris of the Israeli air raids before we reject the obscene formula "collateral damage" and consider taking legal action for crimes against humanity? " In Beyrouth, Robert Fisk, journalist, The Independent, July 20, 2006
The French poet Charles Baudelaire had this merry expression: "The devil’s finest ruse is to persuade us that he does not exist." In the same vein, one could affirm that the most diabolic achievement of the plotters of today is to persuade us that plotters and plots do not exist.
The instrumentalisation of "the war against terrorism" has reached the epitome of lies, hypocrisy and intellectual and political terror. One should have perhaps paid more attention by the comments made by Ariel Sharon after the September 11th, 2001 attacks where he stated that Yasser Arafat was "[his] terrorist", indicating, in a curious premonition, that one day the Palestinians were going to pay the price for New York. A global strategy of confrontation has been unleashed first in Afghanistan, then in Iraq - with hundreds innocent civilians of the “collateral damages” - before the lightning rod would eventually strike the Palestinians in "the devastated territories."
It is common knowledge that the attack on South Lebanon by Israel had been in the works for a few months. The observers, as well as Hezbollah were aware of this. The latter anticipated the attack, hoping it would shift the conflict’s center of gravity. They did not expect, however the spinelessness of dictatorial Arab governments and their quiet complicity while hundreds of innocent civilians succumb under the weight of bombs. We knew it, though. The concept of an "innocent civilian " exists only marginally in the lexicon of Arab autocracies
One could have expected that the United Nations, the proclaimed voice of the wisdom of the nations, would intervene and put an end to the massacre. So many bad memories have reawakened. It was more than ten years ago in Srebrenica that the peace forces left those they were mandated to protect and whom they had disarmed beforehand. In Rwanda the United Nations forces came to protect and rescue the White people, "the foreigners", and once again left the Tutsis in the deadly hands of the Hutu. Two weeks ago, Lebanese families and civilians came seeking asylum in the headquarters of the United Nations forces run by Ghanaians. The Lebanese were denied protection. On the road to exile, a few hours later, Israeli bombs decimated a family of 27 people. Now, there is no guarantee that the UN can even protect themselves, judging from the recent bombing of a UN outpost in Southern Lebanon by Israeli forces. Five UN peacekeepers were killed, to the “deep sorrow” of the Israeli Prime Minister. This appeared to be the “unbearable scandal” while more than 350 innocent civilians have already been killed and the war continues. What is the role of the United Nations representatives? Who do they serve? Truly a shame, time after time.
Israel announced that it needed seven to ten days to conclude its operations. The G8 demanded a cease-fire; then, nothing except silence and embarrassment. By a fortunate coincidence and deadly scheduling, Condoleezza Rice announces her visit to the region, exactly ten days following precise details given by the Israeli Prime Minister. One might presume that Tel Aviv is in charge of the American Secretary of State’s agenda. The still need more time... here is, by accident, the green card sent to the Israeli government to carry on the massacre after the expected failure of the conference in Roma. At this point, it would be wrong not to quote Nicolas Sarkozy’s query, and its formulation, to the Israeli Minister of Integration who was on a special visit "to bless" both the French who decided to exile themselves to Israel and the valorous Israeli army: "How much time does the State of Israel require to complete the work?" (The World, July 20). To complete the work? To take innocent lives, to ransack a country? Judging by the graphic images that make their way to our television screens regarding the fatal consequences of "this work to finish", Sarkozy’s comments are much more shocking than the expressions "hooligans" or "rabble. Once again, what a shame. Yet, so few echoes in the media.
The Agence France Presse has just informed us that the United States have recently provided weapons to the Israelis of "precision guided bombs. " This, probably to avoid killing too many civilians. What compassion! As we are told, the United States and the United Kingdom believe that all these dead individuals are the victims of the necessary and imperative "war against terrorism". As a matter of fact, this war justifies anything and everything: State terrorism, murder, torture, abductions, liberticidal laws, and, in time, the criminalization of immigrants and applicants for asylum.
To those who observe without flinching to the horrors of the Middle-East, the iniquitous oppression of the Palestinians, the suffering of the Lebanese, to those who believe that it is sufficient to be neutral as a form of self-protection, to those who are not exposed to paralysis as are those "foreigners" whose respective countries protect and repatriate by the thousands while the "Lebanese" and the "Arabs" are left to their wretched destiny. To them it is necessary to forcefully convey that the madness or murderous complicity of the United States and their allies has, and will have, consequences which will not stop at the borders of their rich countries like one would stop immigrants and asylum seekers "from over there".
In our everyday lives, in our social peace, in our cordiality, in our safety, in our laws, in our rights, in our freedoms as in our lives, we will soon experience very concretely the consequences of our cowardice in the face of barbarity. The muteness of those who cannot denounce once again "official terrors” nor rise against so many injustices and such horrors is a shame. Undoubtedly, we will one day be invited, in one way or another, to the table of those who have scores to settle. Like so many others, we too will have to drink the substance of our dehumanized shame, resignation and passiveness.
I have been very contemplative these last few days. What is the use of "condemning the silence" of the international community vis-à-vis the continued oppression of the Palestinian people and the massacres perpetrated in Lebanon. How is that useful? Perhaps in order to give oneself the right, in the name of consistency, in being silent when the powerful of this world are toiling to "condemn" the consequences of their silence! Perhaps, there is some logic to that.
Or it is a simple question of dignity... we will refuse to stay silent and never cease resisting oppressors and murderers, be they rich or even "civilized"!
tariqramadan.com