Eight years after the invasion of Iraq, which was prompted at least in part by Bush Administration claims that Saddam Hussein was somehow involved in the 9-11 terrorist attacks, how do Iraqis feel about al-Qaeda – and about America? For the Iraqi newspaper Sotal Iraq, columnist Rageb Al-Rakabi writes that Iraqis firmly reject the terror group and its plots to attack the United States.
For Sotal Iraq, Rageb Al-Rakabi writes in small part:
In my view, with the turn of the new century, extremist Muslims showed their true colors. They demonstrated their dark intentions toward the coexistence of peoples, religions and nations, and opposition even to the notion that divergent groups could live under justice and peaceful debate. Islamist leaders have also shown incompetence, as they lack the capacity to communicate without resort to suicide and murder.
This is what a vast majority of Iraqi people came to believe about the terrorists. Even those who at first had felt some sympathy with them began to put distance between themselves and such evil terrorist acts. This tendency emerged when the dust settled and the people saw their own recklessly murdered on the streets of Baghdad. The activities and falsehoods of the terrorists show them as nothing but weak and evil cowards.
And while I say this, I admit that these people didn’t just appear randomly. They are the result of a culture propagated by a group of malevolent and backward clergymen. Yes, this was a culture destined to prevail among the destitute. That is why one finds that those who support this culture try to lend it credibility by quoting the words of the Islamic teachings and the Prophet Mohammed. But we all know that no word of the Prophet or any by Allah were invitations for people to murder and spill blood.
In Iraq, such people are known as “disbelievers.” Yes! That is because they have disbelieved Allah and his messengers and because they commit acts that Allah forbids. Some may say that their operations are a reaction to what America is doing in the Islamic world. I would reply to such people – and not in America’s defense – that America doesn’t fight “Muslims.” On the contrary, America has helped build Muslim countries, has supported liberation movements in Islamic lands and has alerted us to the dangers of dictatorship. Yes – of course America benefits from doing so, but part of what it benefits from is the building of a new world that believes in democracy and coexistence – regardless of race or religion.
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