On July 28, George W. Bush and his lapdog Tony Blair gave a joint press
conference in Washington to discuss the crisis in the Middle East and terrorism
in general. And Bush once again illustrated why we cannot possibly win the war
on terror under his so-called leadership.
Bush kept repeating a familiar refrain, over and over: The reason for
terrorism is that they hate our democracy. The terrorists are the enemies of
freedom.
Some excerpts from that press conference:
"In Lebanon, Hezbollah and its Iranian and Syrian sponsors are
willing to kill, and to use violence to stop the spread of peace and
democracy."
"It's really important for people to understand that terrorists are
trying to stop the advance of freedom."
"There's a lot of suffering in the Palestinian Territory because
militant Hamas is trying to stop the advance of democracy."
"There is suffering in Iraq because terrorists are trying to spread
sectarian violence and stop the spread of democracy."
"Isn't it interesting, as a democracy takes hold in Iraq, that al
Qaeda steps up its efforts to murder and bomb in order to stop the
democracy?"
"They're violent, cold-blooded killers who are trying to stop the
advance of freedom."
No, George, that's not why the terrorists hate us.
They hate us because of imperialistic attitudes like yours.
They hate the U.S. government's persistent meddling in the affairs of
Arab nations. No one should be surprised at the insurgency in Iraq, a country
that we attacked in an unprovoked war of aggression in defiance of the United
Nations Security Council. They are responding to a violent ongoing occupation.
They are responding to the destruction of their country by U.S. forces over the
past three years that leaves them still today with a serious lack of jobs, a
serious lack of clean water, unreliable electrical power (if any), and
virtually no security.
They hate the presence of U.S. military bases on Arab land. Ironically,
Osama bin Laden was trained by, and fought side-by-side with, the U.S. military
during the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Osama's opinion of the U.S.
changed when we set up a military base in Saudi Arabia after the Iraqi invasion
of Kuwait. His response was in opposition to a Western military presence on
Islamic holy ground.
They hate the U.S. government's financial and military support for
Israel, which has been used to repress, terrorize, and slaughter Palestinian
civilians, and now the Lebanese. Israel received $2.1 billion in military aid
from the U.S. in 2003, and continues to reap similar rewards year after year.
These American tax dollars have been used by the Israeli army and
"settlers" to kill some 3,700 Palestinians -- most of them unarmed
and including over 600 children -- since the start of the current intifada in
September 2000. And now that aid is being used to kill innocent civilians in
Lebanon.
In short, they hate us because they perceive the U.S. as a hostile,
threatening force. And, at least in recent years, they're right.
It's not about democracy, and it's not about our freedom.
Do not buy into the claim by right-wing zealots that wanting to
understand the terrorists' motivations is the same as sympathizing with the
terrorists. Only by understanding their motivations can we address the true
roots of terrorism. Anything less is like putting a Band-Aid on an otherwise
untreated cancer.
Mary Shaw is a
Philadelphia-based writer and activist. She currently serves as Philadelphia Area
Coordinator for Amnesty International, and her views on politics, human rights,
and social justice issues have appeared in numerous online forums and in
newspapers and magazines worldwide. Note that the ideas expressed in this
article are the author's own, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
Amnesty or any other organization with which she may be associated. E-mail
mary@maryshawonline.com.