The link: http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/07/29/iraq.main/index.html
One of Hussain's favorite rhetorical games is to attack any comments I make about Arabs and/or Muslims for being 'overly general.' For example, it's tremendously critical to him that I recall that Iranians are Persians, not Arabs, anytime I say anything about the middle east. I can say “it's very hot in the middle east this time of year,” and he'll get exasperated, and in a tone that implies that this may be the very last time he'll tolerate my stupidity he'll remind me that Iranians don't even speak Arabic, they speak Farsi... So, that's the backstory you get as I now proceed to generalize the Arab and Muslim world into one big mass.
Golda Meir said: "There will be no peace in the Middle East until the Arabs love their children more than they hate the Jews."
In my opinion, this sentiment applies well to everything that the Arab world does. They seem to be a culture motivated more by hatred for outsiders than by love for one another. Case in point, the call by Iyad Allawi for Muslim soldiers to assist in peacekeeping in Iraq, and the fairly negative response his request has gotten. No Muslim states seem ready to send troops to help their Muslim brothers. There appears to be no shortage of non-Iraqi Arabs (for example Jordania born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi) who are happy to come to Iraq and behead “enemies of Islam,” but not so much willingness to protect the Iraqi people from incessant car bombings and other insurgent violence. With the execution of two Pakistani hostages, it appears that not even Muslims are safe from the insurgency's bizzare vision of defending their Islamic brothers.
Granted the insurgents are a small and very active minority in the Muslim world, but they're a reality nonetheless, and are making themselves very painfully and brutally visible to the whole world. The fact that no demonstration of compassion is being provided to offset the horror of those actions is not a good thing for the Arab world. Arabs seem to think very highly of their culture and global significance. They're offended by western interests 'invading' areas they consider to be theirs. But, when the opportunity comes to take a direct hand in assisting, shaping and protecting their region, they're not prepared to step up. This is the fundamental challenge of the Arab world, and it's one that they don't seem to be interested in addressing.
It's a mystery to me why the Arab world is so hesitant to assist Iraq, particularly after the request has been made for assistance. It's one thing to send troops to a neighboring state without permission, it's another to refuse a request for help. On so many levels this strikes me as an excellent opportunity for the Muslim world to show the wisdom of their tradition, rather than allowing the sophomorically vindictive and violent tactics of the insurgency to slander it. It's an opportunity to excel where the most powerful western military machine has struggled. It's an opportunity to show solidarity and support in the Arab world.
Since it's my blog, I'll be honest. I don't think the Arab world is worth its weight in shit. I think they're some of the most spiteful and morally decrepit people on the earth. The better the opportunity to show their worth, the less likely they are to pursue it. Cowardice and anger leave little room for optimism and benevolance, and the Arab world is nothing if not fearful, and enraged that the world knows it. It's indicative of the state of the Arab world, that their most charismatic and visionary leaders are dedicated to violence and destruction, i.e. Osama bin Laden. I hold out hope for another voice, one that parallels OBL's for its effect on the Muslim world, but one which calls for better and more profitable ideals than the Wahabbists pursue.