Open Letter To Bush From An Arab Girl

[Mehtab Singh]

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle...ion_august4.xml

Open letter to Bush from an Arab girl

BY MIRA AL HUSSEIN

2 August 2006

President Bush,

It has become extremely difficult to give you the benefit of the doubt on Lebanon, for you have left no doubt in our minds. We are now certain — like many of us have always been — that your foreign policy is completely biased towards Israel, and you have made no effort to hide this fact. Just out of curiosity: are they also drafted in Tel Aviv?

It is your choice, Mr Bush, to support Israel, just like it is our — the entire Arab and Muslim world’s — choice to support Lebanon. You insist that Israel has the right to defend itself. Defending oneself, I believe, is a universal right, not exclusive to Israel.

"The first Qana massacre did not quench the Israeli thirst for blood," it is said, graphically describing yet another Israeli crime against the innocents of Lebanon. In Qana, 57 armless, defenseless civilians died in an Israeli air strike, 37 of them were children. Maybe these numbers don’t matter to you, Mr Bush; they are mere numbers of the nameless Lebanese dead. But they matter to more than 200 million Arabs in the Middle East.

I quote our late president, Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who in 1973 had said, "Arab oil is not dearer than Arab blood." But it seems that Iraqi oil is dearer than American blood. I am somewhat relieved to arrive at this conclusion. At least there’s no racism against a certain group of people. Everybody is a potential sacrifice to secure US interests, even if it means sacrificing a whole nation.

No, Mr Bush, we will not accept, nor will we allow the sacrifice of more Lebanese civilians. A ceasefire should have been enforced two weeks ago. Was there a need for 37 children to die before you decided it was time for a ceasefire? How many more, Mr Bush, should die before you decide to stop sending those bloody weapons to Israel? Perhaps we can afford a sacrifice that will rein in your generosity towards Israel permanently.

We have a dream for a new Middle East. Not the "New Middle East" that you’ve been brainstorming in your Oval Office. It is the new Middle East that Middle Easterners have been dreaming of; a Middle East with no violence, and no US-made weapons to fuel that violence. It is a dream only we, Middle Easterners, are allowed to dream and realise it.

In Arabic we have a saying that goes, "They murder the murdered and walk in his funeral." Allow me to interpret this for you, Mr Bush: Your precision-guided missiles shipment has arrived in Tel Aviv. These missiles will "precisely" fall onto Lebanese villages; kill hundreds; and displace thousands more. (Evidently, we’ve just witnessed the first "precise" target in Qana.)

Yet you have "compassionately" been able to send aid to Beirut, at the same time, with supplies for the thousands of people directly and fatally affected by your vocal, (im)moral and military support for Israel. Please include US flags in your aid shipment to Beirut; they must have burned all the US flags in stock.

Mr Bush, Lebanon can and will be rebuilt, but lost lives cannot be restored. Your credibility and your government’s credibility have long been lost — irretrievably lost like those lost innocent lives. People will not forget this though. They will not turn the other cheek; they will retaliate — just like you had chosen to retaliate after 9/11. Retaliation is a value you have successfully promoted by putting it into practice, always.

I was born too late to see how the British Empire had collapsed, but right on time to see how the American Empire is falling apart. Mr Bush, You will surely be remembered in history for hastening that process.

With no more respect to offer,

Mira Al Hussein

Mira Al Hussein is a UAE national writer based in Dubai who has had a brief stint with the KT. She can be reached at Mira.AlHussein@zu.ac.ae

[nanakbhatti]

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle...ion_august4.xml

Open letter to Bush from an Arab girl

BY MIRA AL HUSSEIN

2 August 2006

President Bush,

It has become extremely difficult to give you the benefit of the doubt on Lebanon, for you have left no doubt in our minds. We are now certain — like many of us have always been — that your foreign policy is completely biased towards Israel, and you have made no effort to hide this fact. Just out of curiosity: are they also drafted in Tel Aviv?

It is your choice, Mr Bush, to support Israel, just like it is our — the entire Arab and Muslim world’s — choice to support Lebanon. You insist that Israel has the right to defend itself. Defending oneself, I believe, is a universal right, not exclusive to Israel.

"The first Qana massacre did not quench the Israeli thirst for blood," it is said, graphically describing yet another Israeli crime against the innocents of Lebanon. In Qana, 57 armless, defenseless civilians died in an Israeli air strike, 37 of them were children. Maybe these numbers don’t matter to you, Mr Bush; they are mere numbers of the nameless Lebanese dead. But they matter to more than 200 million Arabs in the Middle East.

I quote our late president, Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who in 1973 had said, "Arab oil is not dearer than Arab blood." But it seems that Iraqi oil is dearer than American blood. I am somewhat relieved to arrive at this conclusion. At least there’s no racism against a certain group of people. Everybody is a potential sacrifice to secure US interests, even if it means sacrificing a whole nation.

No, Mr Bush, we will not accept, nor will we allow the sacrifice of more Lebanese civilians. A ceasefire should have been enforced two weeks ago. Was there a need for 37 children to die before you decided it was time for a ceasefire? How many more, Mr Bush, should die before you decide to stop sending those bloody weapons to Israel? Perhaps we can afford a sacrifice that will rein in your generosity towards Israel permanently.

We have a dream for a new Middle East. Not the "New Middle East" that you’ve been brainstorming in your Oval Office. It is the new Middle East that Middle Easterners have been dreaming of; a Middle East with no violence, and no US-made weapons to fuel that violence. It is a dream only we, Middle Easterners, are allowed to dream and realise it.

In Arabic we have a saying that goes, "They murder the murdered and walk in his funeral." Allow me to interpret this for you, Mr Bush: Your precision-guided missiles shipment has arrived in Tel Aviv. These missiles will "precisely" fall onto Lebanese villages; kill hundreds; and displace thousands more. (Evidently, we’ve just witnessed the first "precise" target in Qana.)

Yet you have "compassionately" been able to send aid to Beirut, at the same time, with supplies for the thousands of people directly and fatally affected by your vocal, (im)moral and military support for Israel. Please include US flags in your aid shipment to Beirut; they must have burned all the US flags in stock.

Mr Bush, Lebanon can and will be rebuilt, but lost lives cannot be restored. Your credibility and your government’s credibility have long been lost — irretrievably lost like those lost innocent lives. People will not forget this though. They will not turn the other cheek; they will retaliate — just like you had chosen to retaliate after 9/11. Retaliation is a value you have successfully promoted by putting it into practice, always.

I was born too late to see how the British Empire had collapsed, but right on time to see how the American Empire is falling apart. Mr Bush, You will surely be remembered in history for hastening that process.

With no more respect to offer,

Mira Al Hussein

Mira Al Hussein is a UAE national writer based in Dubai who has had a brief stint with the KT. She can be reached at Mira.AlHussein@zu.ac.ae

An open letter to President BUSH *EDITED*

[Bad Girl]

bravo :TH:

[proactive]

Typical Arab propaganda. It's Israel against Hazbollah and not Isreal against Lebanon. The Lebanese have alllowed a terrorist organisation to control a stretch of their territory and because they are too scared to do anything then israel is having to do the job the Lebanese govt should have done. Obviously the writer sees nothing wrong in rockets being fired into Israel but chides Bush because he supports Israel's right to defend itself. It's all very well complaining about civilian casualties but she should be telling Hazbollah to stop using civilians as cover for their attacks on Israel. Does her new middle east also include an Israel, I doubt it.

[Revolutionary]

Typical Arab propaganda. It's Israel against Hazbollah and not Isreal against Lebanon. The Lebanese have alllowed a terrorist organisation to control a stretch of their territory and because they are too scared to do anything then israel is having to do the job the Lebahides Bush because he supports Israel's right to defend itself. It's all very well complaining about civilian casualties but she should be telling Hazbollah to stop using civilians as cover for their attacks on Israel. Does hnese govt should have done. Obviously the writer sees nothing wrong in rockets being fired into Israel but cer new middle east also include an Israel, I doubt it.

Yup tiny lebanon with over 400 deaths of citizens v's Israel's 40 deaths.

Lebonese support Hezbollah since its a political party as well as a militant group.. Israel meant to have ceased fire ages ago.. then it goes downt he loo when it comes to Qana.

Self defence? Revenge?

[proactive]

>>Lebonese support Hezbollah since its a political party as well as a militant group.. Israel meant to have ceased fire ages ago.. then it goes downt he loo when it comes to Qana.<<

Lebanese Shi'ites support Hazbollah and so does Iran and Syria. If you're going to support a 'political party' that has 10,000 rockets and which picks a fight with a neighbouring country by kidnapping it's soldiers then these supporters shouldn't be complaining about getting bombed. I suppose they just want to be left in peace to kidnap and fire rockets into Israel. I don't recall Germans who supported the Nazis complaining about being bombed in world war 2. As a Guru Ji's Sapahi I would have thought you would know what a war is, it's not a picnic.

Yes it is self defence if you kill or maim those who are about to let off rockets to kill your citizens.

[nanakbhatti]

>>Lebonese support Hezbollah since its a political party as well as a militant group.. Israel meant to have ceased fire ages ago.. then it goes downt he loo when it comes to Qana.<<

Lebanese Shi'ites support Hazbollah and so does Iran and Syria. If you're going to support a 'political party' that has 10,000 rockets and which picks a fight with a neighbouring country by kidnapping it's soldiers then these supporters shouldn't be complaining about getting bombed. I suppose they just want to be left in peace to kidnap and fire rockets into Israel. I don't recall Germans who supported the Nazis complaining about being bombed in world war 2. As a Guru Ji's Sapahi I would have thought you would know what a war is, it's not a picnic.

Yes it is self defence if you kill or maim those who are about to let off rockets to kill your citizens.

It's ISRAEL's finest hour.

ISRAELIS should stop listening to the jackals of U.N. /Amnesty International,

and the ISRAELIS should go after serpent's nests in SYRIA, IRAN and clean them out once and for all.

MAY the ISRAELIS take inspiration from MOSHE DAYAN / GOLDA MEIR.

[Guest militant singh]

who cares long live isreal destory forces of evil iran syria saudi arabia all of them at once these guys didnt do no less with us sikhs they fink dey can go around thretening and blowing planes up and impose thier facist islam on us the civlised world wil not give in2 the threats made by cowards desprate 4 72 virgins in heaven and innocent killers evil doers may they rot in hell ISREAL 4EVA