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Southeast Asia
Terrorists winning the war, Malaysian PM warns
2004-06-01
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi says the United States and its coalition partners are losing the war against terrorism. Mr Abdullah has told the Asia Pacific Security Roundtable the world faces a terrorist crisis, while the response is moving from blunder to blunder. He says extremists and militants are driving the world to the brink of disaster. The Prime Minister says the global response since the September 11 attacks on the United States has alienated the Arab and Muslim world, breeding a new generation of terrorists.
Sorry, bub. Attacking New York and Washington and killing close to 3000 noncombatants alienated us. For the first time in years, some of us stood up and asked the Forbidden Question: "Why do we have to please them?" Since nothing we ever do will be enough, why should we do anything?
He says the US coalition is losing ground in a rudderless Afghanistan and in an Iraq where liberators are seen as the enemy. While not naming Australia, he said governments which had joined the US invasion were now losing popular support at home and would soon face a stiff challenge at coming elections. Mr Abdullah says in order to make the war on terrorism effective, the United States must resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, grant full sovereignty to the Iraqi people and embark on a new anti-terrorism strategy.
Actually, we've done more to help alleviate the Paleostinian conflict than any previous administration's done. Things had to get worse before they started getting better, and that involved getting rid of Yasser. He's not quite gone yet, but future generations are going to spit when they say his name. That includes future generations of Muslims. I think Yasser knows that, too.
Mr Abdullah also told the roundtable, organised by Malaysia's Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), that Islamic teachings have been corrupted to serve the militant cause. "Many Muslims refuse to acknowledge that there can be bad Muslims and that Islamic teachings have been corrupted by some groups to serve their militant cause," he told the 100 delegates. "Their uncompromising ideologies can drive the world to the brink of disaster. Like any other religion, Islam forbids the killing of innocent civilians. Yet some terrorist groups have preached that heaven awaits those who kill innocent civilians, so long as it is in the defence of their cause."
Perhaps you should stop referring to them as "holy warriors" then?
Mr Abdullah says the Muslim world must sever the spurious link that some religious institutions have falsely established between Islam, militancy and the killing of people. "Terrorism is the mortal enemy of Islam, not its consort," he said. Analysts at the meeting backed Mr Abdullah's remarks, saying Al Qaeda had hijacked Islam.
That's gone from being a cliche to becoming a ritual incantation. Saying "abracadabra" is just as effective and carries just as much meaning.
Posted by:Fred

#9  I agree with Yank!

Fred those are spot-on comments amounting to an effective fisking. Tis now merely the usual (debunked) apologist BS.
Posted by: .com   2004-06-01 5:48:29 PM  

#8  "Attacking New York and Washington and killing close to 3000 noncombatants alienated us. For the first time in years, some of us stood up and asked the Forbidden Question: "Why do we have to please them?" Since nothing we ever do will be enough, why should we do anything?"

I just have to say Fred, this paragraph is perfect.
Posted by: Yank   2004-06-01 5:43:36 PM  

#7  We dont need Malaysians to win the war in Iraq, we need IRAQIS. Dont sweat this.

Nobody gives a rat's ass if the Malaysians win the war in Iraq or not. The issue is terrorism, and their largely weak (and predictable) response to it is what is being pointed out. How does this Abdullah character even think that "resolving" the Israel-Palestinian conflict - assuming that his definition of resolution is the same as ours - is going to do something to alleviate terrorism? It just isn't going to happen. Until Islamofascism receives the big stomping that it deserves, there will always be some sort of slight that Islamists are going to use as a pretense to launch terrorist attacks on whomever they feel they have been slighted by. This Abdullah guy sure as hell isn't going to be part of the solution if all he is willing to do is criticize U.S. actions while offering nothing new in the way of ideas and little in the way of material assistance.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2004-06-01 5:17:27 PM  

#6  1. Malaysian terrorism say Terrorism is against Islam. LH - fine but what matters is DEEDS, not words. RBers - Malaysia and other states arent doing enough. LH - I agree, though its incorrect to say that they are doing nothing. Reading RB should let you know that they are taking action, though with varying degrees of efffectiveness. In some cases (like Egypt) the "street" if friendlier to terror than the state - in others (like Iran) its less friendly.
2. Malaysia doesnt like the war in Iraq. LH - so what else is new? We dont need Malaysians to win the war in Iraq, we need IRAQIS. Dont sweat this.
3. Is malaysia a state that supports terrorists? LH - not as far as I can see. Lets be a little thicker skinned, gentlemen.
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2004-06-01 3:22:27 PM  

#5  "Terrorism is the mortal enemy of Islam, not its consort," he said. Analysts at the meeting backed Mr Abdullah's remarks, saying Al Qaeda had hijacked Islam.

If "terrorism is the mortal enemy of Islam" why isn't more being done to combat its deleterious influence upon their religion?

If al Qaeda has hijacked Islam, isn't it about time to reverse that process? Silent acquiescence to violent subversion is too easily mistaken for collusion. Ask the people on United Airlines flight 93 about what to do when you're being hijacked.

Handwringing and whingeing are insufficient countermeasures to provide outsiders with the least reassurance that terrorism is being fought by those whose house of worship it has sequestered itself within.
Posted by: Zenster   2004-06-01 2:37:05 PM  

#4  Malaysia should be placed on the 'terrorist watch list' of nations supporting international jihad.
Posted by: Mark Espinola   2004-06-01 2:26:09 PM  

#3  This guy seems to think that the proper position for the Uncle Sam is to be on his knees. Let me reword this passage:

The occasional poster at Rantburg's Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, Zhang Fei, told the meeting that the US remains resilient and the Muslim world's use of proxy terrorist attacks will prompt a devastating American military attack.

"The Muslim response cannot be a terroristic one. This is fundamentally a Muslim error," he said.
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2004-06-01 2:06:02 PM  

#2  The director of Singapore's Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Barry Desker, told the meeting that Al Qaeda remains resilient and the use of force cannot eliminate terrorist threats.

"The response cannot be a military one. This is fundamentally a US error," he said.

Actually, use of force can completely eliminate terrorism. It depends on the level of force we're willing to muster.
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2004-06-01 2:00:35 PM  

#1   The director of Singapore's Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Barry Desker, told the meeting that Al Qaeda remains resilient and the use of force cannot eliminate terrorist threats.

"The response cannot be a military one. This is fundamentally a US error," he said.

For someone in a supposedly "strategic" think-tank, this person seems to be oblivious to the larger implications of going into Iraq.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2004-06-01 12:52:12 PM  

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