Posted on 11/17/2004 2:54:24 AM PST by kattracks
DUBAI (Reuters) - Arabs were torn between seething rage at images of a U.S. soldier shooting dead a wounded Iraqi in a mosque and dismay at Iraqi insurgents in Falluja for turning holy mosques into battlegrounds.Viewers said images, which Arab televisions aired repeatedly of a Marine killing a severely injured Iraqi, fueled growing hatred against America and helped create more "terrorists."
"I am not a jihadist, I am just a normal Muslim but such scenes are pushing me to Jihad," said Dubai-based engineer Abdallah. "We don't expect this from the representative of democracy in the world."
"This is one of the things we saw on TV. God knows how many crimes they have committed which we have not seen," he added."
In Saudi Arabia -- the birthplace of Islam and of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, whose group carried out bombings in the country -- residents said insurgents were to blame for taking their battle into mosques.
"If I was in the U.S. soldier's place I would have killed all the insurgents because they are mercenaries," said Saudi Zaher al-Saleh, a 32-year-old teacher. "They have turned the mosques into battlefields and they're killing civilians."
Islamist extremists called for revenge through their Web sites and cursed pro-U.S. Muslim leaders for remaining silent.
"Oh God your enemies have killed your believers in one of your houses. God take revenge for us," one chatter said.
PERSONAL AFFRONT
Some Muslims saw the killing as a personal affront.
"It's as if they had killed every one of us. Today, it's that poor man, tomorrow, it will be me," said Sherine Mohamed, 27, a financial analyst. "Even if militants didn't respect mosque sanctities, U.S. soldiers should have done so because they claim to help Iraqis."
Muslims said pictures showing Marines lounging with their guns in a Falluja mosque were "insulting."
They said soldiers "sullied the ground with their boots" at the mosque where Muslims are obliged to take off their shoes in respect for the house of God.
"They are entering dangerous waters. If they think they are getting rid of terrorists this way, they are mistaken. They are creating more terrorists than killing them," added Abdallah.
International human rights groups said the killing could amount to a war crime and showed the need to better train U.S. forces about the laws of war.
The U.S. military opened an investigation into whether the Marine acted in self-defense, broke U.S. military law or committed a war crime in the fatal shooting of a wounded Iraqi in Falluja, the scene of fierce fighting between U.S. forces and Iraqi and Islamist militants in the past week.
That shooting was caught on videotape by an NBC television crew embedded with the Marines.
The United Arab Emirates' Al-Ittihad newspaper said the killing was "shocking and provocative" and demanded Washington investigate the "horrifying crime."
"If this crime goes unpunished it will set a dangerous precedent in U.S. policies and will destroy everything (good) it has done for Iraq," it added.
Arab animosity toward U.S. presence in Iraq has ratcheted up since the Abu Ghraib prison scandal that resulted in the sentencing of several U.S. soldiers.
Lebanon's Shi'ite Muslim Hizbollah TV al-Manar led its newscasts with the shooting and said it showed "the ugliness of the actions that occupation forces are carrying out in Iraq."
"U.S. forces violating laws and committing atrocities is not new. What has surfaced is only a small part of what Iraqis are facing," said Shehab al-Ahdal, editor-in-chief of Yemen's al-Nahar newspaper.
He should have cut his head off.
When I see a headline stating "Arabs outraged at beheading of civilian!", then I might care how they feel about this situation.
But, people getting their heads sawed off doens't bother them?
Children being shot in the back or being bayonetted for asking for water doesn't baze them either?
Innocent aid workers being shot in the head doesn't anger them?
Bodies of dead contractors being mutilated, drug through the streets, buned and hung from bridges doesn't anger them?
I could go on.
Muslim, thy name is hypocrit.
Why do we embed the enemy with our troops? If we recognize the reality of the propaganda war, why would we not screen Stiles out? We would not have embedded Goebbels. One has a right to speak out against war but, if that posturing harms us in the propaganda war, one does not have a right to be embedded.
If we had not allowed ourselves to foolishly become dependent upon oil, we would not see our "leaders" resisting the pressure to publicize the Arab "rage" as the mark of wretched backwardness under incompetent, corrupt, repressive governments that it is.
Misplaced outrage I think. They should be angry at the Imams who encourage the fighting innsurgents, but MOSTLY they should be outraged at the killing of INNOCENT people who are kidnapped and then brutally beheaded or otherwise murdered.
Their outrage leaves me cold.
...."They said soldiers "sullied the ground with their boots" at the mosque where Muslims are obliged to take off their shoes in respect for the house of God."....
Yeah, just don't trip over the RPG's and ammo dumps, cause you might get a boo-boo on your toe!
Send this article to your senators and congressmen and ask they why NBC still has a license. It needs to be pulled and their air bands need to be auctioned off.
We get 2% of our oil from the Arab world.
I was a bit enraged by beheadings lately. Wonder if they are sensitive about that. Gee, I am hating Muslims, really hating.
Hey Reuters:
Title needs correction.....
"Arabs Enraged as U.S. Marine shoots Wounded Terrorist".
Look out, we might make them even more mad.
Another good case for keeping the media in a tent behind the lines. My outrage stems from the fact that the media praised the actions of a presidential candidate who stalked, shot and killed a wounded vc, even received a silver star for it. I say give the kid a medal, slap on the back, and send him out to kill more ragheads.
Somebody should do a homeland security color code system for Muslim rage, from lowest to highest:
seething
red-faced
spittle-flecked
wild-eyed
insane
You are onto something important. The rage of the Arab male, they seem to be like pots of rage looking for a place to spill. I see this perpetual rage as the result of removing them from their motheers very early, growing up in an all male very homosexual culture and worshipping in a religion that elevates mistreatment of others to an art. These arab males are just vessels of fury.
So apparently this guy is ready to go and disembowel and cut the limbs of helpless women, cut the heads of male hostages, and shoot female hostages in the face at close range.
Give me a break!
Or....
"Arabs Enraged at U.S. Marine Shooting Faking Terrorist".
"Wonder what the Arabic word for "OK" is."
The word is Tieyub (say the T in the back of the throat)
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