Posted on 01/02/2002 8:52:04 AM PST by Prodigal Son
In December, he reiterated his support for the war during a speech delivered at Durban's Grey Street mosque, saying bin Laden should be captured and tried for the attacks. It was pointed out to him that such unreserved support for the war in Afghanistan gave the impression that "we are insensitive to and uncaring about the suffering of the Afghan people..."
Former president Nelson Mandela has repudiated his controversial statement that Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden should be held responsible for the September 11th attacks on the United States.
In a statement released by his office, he said subsequent discussions with family, friends and advisors had
convinced him that his view may be "one-sided and over-stated".
Mandela provoked the ire of the Muslim community in November last year when he vocalised his support for the war against Afghanistan at a Washington press conference held after his meeting with US President George W Bush.
At the time, the former president told the audience that bin Laden's al-Qaeda network should be smashed and terrorist strongholds destroyed.
In response to the speech, angry Muslims said the elder statesman had no right to label bin Laden a terrorist when he had not been convicted in a court of law.
In his surprising about-face, Mandela said that he wished to register his sincere regret "if the manner in which we stated our position gave any offence to Muslims in South Africa and throughout the world".
He also said he would be arranging meetings with Muslim leadership in South Africa early in the new year to personally convey this message to them.
"We are also writing to President Bush to appropriately qualify the view we previously expressed to him in person and in correspondence."
Mandela clarified his new position on the matter, saying labelling bin Laden a terrorist could "be seen as undermining some of the basic tenets of the rule of law".
He emphasised that his opposition to all forms of terrorism remained total and said he supported international efforts to combat and eradicate terrorism.
I think there's plenty of evidence to condemn bin Laden as it is, so I think Mandela's wrong. But I thought it should be pointed out that he's not making excuses for what happened, nor is he saying that the attacks were justified in any way.
Well, it seems to me that there are two ways to determine that someone is anything: First would be to try them in court and get a conviction (which seems to be the complaint here) and Second would be the statement of the person himself. Any casual observer would notice that bin Laden himself (in the video tape) talked of his organization (Al Queada) and it's acts as being TERRORISM, but the only difference is he has labeled it "good" terrorism. We can disagree about that point.
The guy has admitted on tape that he is a terrorist and yet nobody should call him that.
If a slight or ample majority of the people in your nation are wacked out sociopaths the politics of the nation will not only mirror that but amplify it.
No chosen representative body - dynamically unstable senseless mob.
Mandela clarified his new position on the matter, saying labelling bin Laden a terrorist could "be seen as undermining some of the basic tenets of the rule of law".The Muslim community in South Africa and in Africa in general represents a constituency that no African statesman can ignore.
I say they are acts of war (most especially the attack on the Pentagon) and bin Laden is a war combatant, and so far from saying that he doesn't deserve due process of law, I say that the legal system doesn't even apply in this case.
Hitler never stood trial, but nobody with any sense at all is going to say, "Well, in order to be fair to Hitler, since he never had his day in court, I won't say that he was a mass murderer." Mandela is trying to pacify his anti-American constituents by backtracking on bin Laden, IMHO.
When I lived in South Africa, he was president. There were some murders or some other atrocity in Kwa Zulu Natal. He got on television and he was very angry at the people who did those things. A reporter asked him what about the complaints from the suspects (ie - the underlying cause behind the matter). He was livid (no joke). He was spitting mad and said "there is never any excuse for murder".
That's what he said in the beginning after 9/11 too, more or less and now the shock is starting to wear off and he's backpedalling. It gripes my @$$. He can say what he wants. I don't expect a lot out of him.
Honestly, I don't care. We need to show this generation's youthful idealists that their radical way will be met with a 2,000 bomb shoved up their aaa...
They'll get the message sure enough. They always do.
Like I said, I still think Mandela's wrong because there's plenty of evidence linking bin Laden to this and other terrorist actions. And I agree that no formal trial should be required. But at least Mandela's not excusing the action or arguing for leniency.
There's the problem right there in the story. We are NOT at war with Afganistan, we are at war with the Taliban and Al Quidea, and bin Laden.
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