Adulation of a Serpent (with due apologies to snakes)
It's confounding, to say the least, to realize that someone as odious as Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Iran's proxy jihadist-army, Hezbollah, is praised and viewed as a messianic figure by so many Muslims all over the Middle East and beyond, in other Islamic-dominated countries. That a man, a cleric no less, presumably with an ultimate allegiance to a Higher Power, one said to preach peace and tolerance (Allah, that is, not Nasrallah) could be so adored simply because his focus is on murder. Mass murder at that. Specifically, the murder of Jews, the annilhilation of the State of Israel, mimicking his Iranian paymasters. But he doesn't stop there, jihadists don't; the elimination of all influences of the West, from its human representatives to vestiges of its culture in the Middle East is also on the agenda.But first things first. Sheik Nasrallah, despite his immoral, unsavoury lack of compassion for his own people, sheltering his fighters deliberately behind the mass of civilians within Lebanon, then retreating to permit retaliation to target innocent Lebanese (albeit ardent supporters of Hezbollah who claim they willingly give up their lives for Hezbollah, Nasrallah and Allah - in that order?) so they may then lament murder! pointing the accusing finger at an Israel responding to attack, and ever so successfully manipulating a most willing press, is the new glory of Islam.
From Somalia to Indonesia, from Chechnya to Egypt, there is no hero but Sheik Nasrallah, glory be to him. Heroes in the Arab, in the Muslim world appear to require key requisites: they must hate Jews; they must deplore the existence of the State of Israel; they must hold the West responsible for all their woes; they must continually guard against those who would mock Muhammad and through him, Allah. All those in Western society qualify as justifiable targets of hatred, to be murdered by any and all means conceivable.
At the same time, these passionate murderers who lust after the blood of their enemies, and who plan to expand the territory in which they deploy themselves for the greater glory of Islam, must also create the indelible impression that they have no choice but to behave in such a manner. They are, after all, merely responding to provocations brought by the West and specifically Israel and the United States to belittle Islam. Hezbollah and all those who bind themselves in the fervour of sacred love to the concept of holy war must seek death as martyrs for god - or, even better, persuade impressionable young people to do the suicide bombing in their stead.
And for this noble cause, and for these courageously selfless actions do the jihadists earn such great praise from the Arab street. Israel can apologize for inadvertent killing of innocent civilians in the theatre of war:
Israel said in a report it attacked the area because it had information Qana served as a regional headquarters for Hezbollah. "It contains extensive weapons stockpiles, serves as a haven for fleeing terrorists, and is the source of over 150 missiles launched into northern Israel," said the Israeli report submitted to the United Nations.Kofi Annan, speaking for the United Nations (although at times it appears, erroneously, of course, that he speaks also for other interests) finds it difficult to accept Israel's mea culpa, leaving the impression, quite deliberately, that Israel is not to be trusted, while deliberately inflated numbers of those killed in the air strike are accepted without pause, only to be downgraded significantly at a later date, once the original figure has been generally ingested, causing international outrage and censure against Israel. Outrage against a country attempting to protect itself and its citizens from attack by terrorists accepted as part of the government of its neighbour.
Mr. Annan claimed the UN could not confirm the Israeli assertions, noting that UN peacekeepers deployed in the border area with Israel do not cover Qana.
Lest anyone doubt Sheik Nasrallah's purpose, in 1992 when he was installed as the head of Hezbollah, the group was implicated in the suicide bombing of the Israeli embassy in Argentina, an act which killed 29 people. In 1994 another Hezbollah bombing of a Jewish community centre in Argentina claimed 85 lives. Nasrallah claims that Jews anywhere in the world are legitimate targets for Hezbollah.
In an interview with Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper Nasrallah happily noted: "If Jews all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide". That's a fairly clear statement of intent. The question is, having all this as public knowledge, along with the fact, proved time and again, that Nasrallah and his ilk think nothing amiss about using their own civilian supporters as human shields, deliberately causing situations where they are targetted and killed, why would decent people of any stripe support him and his activities.
Yet he is more than merely supported. He is adored as a saviour of Islam, a hero of 'the resistance', this murderous perverter of truth, religion and honour.
Is it then true that in the Arab world, in the world handed down for posterity by the Prophet Muhammad hatred is more potent than love? Is an undying, carefully nurtured hatred the driving force behind Islam? The world awaits proof denying this.
Yet what is it that the Arab street celebrates? Revenge. Killing. Hatred.
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, August 09, 2006
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