AJ: "How can the Iraqi public, which is anti-American, and which believes the U.S. is the Great Satan, support people who talk the way you do?"
Al-Din: "... I do not consider the U.S. to be the Great Satan. I view it as the sponsor and founder of the project of democracy, and the defender of democracy in Iraq. You can be sure that if America were to withdraw today, there would be Shiite massacres of Shiites, Sunni massacres of Sunnis, and Kurdish massacres of Kurds. The strong would again devour the weak, until somebody would be back the next day - there's no doubt about it. We are still far from democracy."
AJ: "On what do you base your trust of the U.S. and its plans for the region?"
Al-Din: "Democracy is the religion of the dollar and serves its global interests ... the dollar cannot thrive in dictatorial countries, but only in democracies. For the sake of their global economy, [the Americans] establish democracy.
"We, the oppressed and slaughtered peoples, have seen nothing but stupid dictators or wise dictators. It's one of the two. Wise dictators pave roads and build houses, but they are still dictators. On the other hand, there are stupid dictators, like our friend who has gone. We are very far from democracy. It is inconceivable that we endured this humiliation and tyranny for 1,400 years, yet we are unable to create a democracy. Even after 1,400 years, our culture is still..."
AJ: "Democracy has resulted in what is now happening in Iraq."
Al-Din: "The result of democracy ... Do we even know what to do with the values of liberty? The moment Saddam's club was lifted from over our heads, each and every one of us wanted to assume Saddam's personality. We had one Saddam, and now we have six, seven, 10, or 15 Saddams. We now have local mini-Saddams.
"... in my opinion, democracy can be established in our region only through force. Democracy must be established by force, and only America can do it."
Ayad Jamal al-Din, by the way, is a Shiite cleric and pol committed to secularism and democracy, MEMRI informs us. I'm guessing that means everyone hates him.
5 comments:
I wish President Bush could meet with this cleric. Our President seems particularly motivated and moved by people of courage who walk the walk, as well as talk the talk. Perhaps Ayad Jamal al-Din could help President Bush better communicate to Americans the importance of a free Iraq.
W is not a good communicator or public speaker. Nothing is going to change that, its just who he is.
JFK's inaugural speech says it as well as anyone ever did. The principles he talked of are as fresh today as they were 45 years ago even if the details have changed a bit.
Decades ago I was a democrat. There are no JFK democrats left, so I'm not a democrat anymore. I'd even settle for a Humphrey democrat, but there ain't none of them left either.
I will mourn the passing of Ayad Jamal al-Din, he was a light while he lasted....
Every time I read something like this I have flashbacks of Sadat on the reviewing stand and I shudder.
I'm getting too dang fatalistic anymore, don't you think?
I wonder what's going to pull me back.
Media observers may consider spending their efforts and energies in pursuing the truth on questions that are pertinent:
Are the American any closer in getting the exact picture on the ground despite spending $8 billion a month in Iraq? Having paid a heavy price in precious American lives, when will the media watchdogs take on those who deceived the American public? Those who call for restricting plurality of opinion deny the option of diversity and deprive the US audience to ascertain the accuracy of facts for themselves. They should instead turn their guns on the cakewalk crowd who promised a casual march to victory in Iraq.
Is any body calling for a campaign to question the likes of Ken Adelmen who misled the American media by claiming “measured by any cost-benefit analysis, such an operation would constitute the greatest victory in America's war on terrorism.” Is the US any closer in getting the exact picture of the ground situation despite spending $ 2 billion a week? Former press attaché Robert J. Callahan recently told the American Journalism Review that out of 1000 personnel at US mission in Baghdad, hardly a dozen are fluent in Arabic: "Add to this the inability of most of us to read Arabic newspapers and understand television news programs.”
It is the absence of and NOT presence of alternate opinion that is injurious to American interest. More so, when owing to movement restrictions on US media in Iraq, security risks and language barriers for American expatriates and diplomats there is limited interaction to gather facts.
Those advocating for accuracy in media should clarify if they have put their full weight behind supporting and practically ensuring that the Americans get a pluralistic picture of ground realities. Until that happens, the American people will only mourn the regrettable loss of direction and confused priorities on the part of the US media watchdogs.
Are the American any closer in getting the exact picture on the ground
Don't pay much attention to what's going on in Ramadi do you?
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