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| International |
| Arab world incredulous at Saddam's fall |
| 2003-04-09 |
| Some Arabs clustered at shop windows to watch the astounding pictures on television. Others turned off their sets in disgust at scenes from Baghdad of jubilant crowds celebrating the arrival of US troops and the apparent end of Saddam Hussein's regime. The overwhelming emotion for many was one of disbelief, tinged for some with disappointment after weeks of hearing Saddam's government pledge a "great victory" or fight to the death against "infidel invaders." What? No ululation? Tusk. Tusk. "We expected resistance, not what happened," said Ghadah Shebah, a business administration student at the American University in Cairo. "That wasn't the show we wanted to see. Can we change the channel?" Others though called it a spontaneous outburst of joy at the end of an oppressive regime but warned US troops not to misinterpret the relief as an invitation to stay. "Those people under oppression will not have any national feeling, so they will be happy to see someone removing a dictator and liberating them," said lawyer Ali Al-Sayed after an anti-war march in Khartoum, Sudan. "But the moment they feel free and liberated, they will not tolerate a foreign presence." "Nope. Everybody knows there's no word for 'gratitude' in Arabic." His sentiments resonated around a region where Iraq is far from the only place that lacks democracy. Abdel Khaleq Abdulla, a political analyst in the United Arab Emirates, said many Arabs, plagued by a sense of powerlessness, will feel depressed at first, despite Saddam's crimes. "For a while, there will be a sense of resignation, let down, that this is one more (Arab) defeat," he said. "But what was defeated primarily in Baghdad is Arab oppression, the one-party system which was unable to defend its country for more than three weeks, and its capital for more than 48 hours. What was defeated in this battle was not the Arabs but the regime of oppression." That's a better analysis. We don't care that they're Arabs. The Arabs and the wannabe Arabs made more of that than we did, for propaganda purposes. Funny how they didn't dwell on the oppression until Iraqis started dancing in the streets and the fat ladies began to sing... Three men having tea and smoking water pipes in a coffee shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were unsettled as they watched the television even though they said they were against Saddam and felt sorry for the long-suffering Iraqis. "But I can't say that I'm happy about what's going on because these are non-Muslim forces that have gone in and I hope they will not stay," said Mohammed ElSakkaf, a 58-year-old businessman. "No, no. Can't have a bunch of people who don't belong to the Master Religion setting things right. Nope." |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #3 If they have such great sympathy for the Iraqi people Why did they not send thier own army's to Liberate Iraq.Could it be that they really don't give a damn? |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-04-10 08:56:57 |
| #2 In a related story, Eli Lilly & Company projected improved second quarter sales, driven by a large spike in demand for the company's flagship antidepressant, Prozac, in the Middle East and parts of Europe. |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-04-09 13:19:08 |
| #1 In other fake news today, a touching human-interest story: In a secret interview with Information Minister Mohammed Said Sahaf conducted by a BBC reporter, the minister revealed the motivations behind what has become the most popular daily event ever. "I realize that some have tried comparing me to the truly incomparable Andy Kaufmann," he said. "But, really, Kaufmann was all about being 'in the moment', like a method actor. What I was trying to do was more in the spirit of Jon Lovitz' 'Compulsive Liar' character, you know, this guy who so needed to impress people that he couldn't help telling ever greater whoppers. 'You know why everyone in Japan looks alike? It's because they all look like me!' Man, that one kills me every time!" Also during the interview he suggested that his performances may also have been to catch the attention of Hollywood: "It seems like a such a good deal, the Hollywood thing. I mean think about it; here I have to use my stand-up routines, under penalty of death, mind you, to foster support for a totalitarian regime, but in Hollywood I can make huge sums of money, get into sex and drugs on a level that would make Qusay tremble, and I can do it making fun of the very socio-economic system that lifts me to fame and fortune. I mean, damn! Hook me up, Hollywood, know what I mean?" |
| Posted by: FormerLiberal 2003-04-09 12:56:01 |