Why the World Loves Usamah and Not Bush
By Off The Wall Yamin Zakaria (10/01/05)
“A reaction might take place as a result of the US government's hitting Muslim civilians and executing more than 600,000 Muslim children in Iraq by preventing food and medicine from reaching them. So, the US is responsible for any reaction, because it extended its war against troops to civilians…We declared jihad against the US government, because the US government is unjust, criminal and tyrannical. It has committed acts that are extremely unjust, hideous and criminal whether directly or through its support of the Israeli occupation." (Usamah bin Laden - to CNN in March 1997)
Usamah bin Laden (UBL), clearly stated the reasons for declaring war on America and her allies, well before 9/11; they have been waging an undeclared war on the Islamic world for the last couple hundred years which has increased in intensity after the end of the cold war. Despite such clear statements from UBL, the western media continues to broadcast the message: we don’t know what Al-Qaeda wants. However, Bush seems to have the answers, and accordingly he makes the following statements explaining the motive for 9/11:
“America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world” (George Bush addressing the Nation on 9/11)
“You know the enemy when they hit us on 9/11, really didn't understand America. They thought we were soft. I guess they were watching too much TV.” (George Bush Jan. 22, 2002)
According to Bush, the US was attacked due to the envy of its foes for its internal political systems and institutions, but not for its foreign policies, nor its murder of hundreds of thousands of Muslims. Did UBL ever complain about how the US manages its internal affairs? As for Bush claiming that the US was perceived as “soft” despite being the lone superpower and despite having demonstrated its firepower in the 1991 Gulf war, shows that George Bush’s mindset is on par with that of two rival school children fighting in a playground. The fight broke out because one of them thought the other one was weak; hence it was an opportunity to prove their manhood.
Bush went on to make even more absurd claims like the 9/11 attackers were motivated by their envy of their wealth, were they materially motivated they would not deny themselves of all material opportunities by killing themselves. There is a huge gap in perception about the causes of this recent conflict between the two protagonists, and Bush has utilised the mass media to mould public opinion in his favour by demonising UBL as a mindless criminal, and by threatening all dissention or questioning of US policy by labelling it ‘unpatriotic’. Now it seems that it is Bush who has been watching too much TV, by portraying UBL as some kind of evil character from Scooby-Doo, someone to poke fingers at, but never listen to, for in the listening may be the undoing of his own arguments. Bush and his advisors have cultivated absolutist tactics – the enemy becomes absolute evil, seeks absolute destruction, absolute nihilism, thus raising the noise level to such a din, that no rational argument can be heard or debated.
Yet, despite the overwhelming one-sided propaganda, there is greater level of support for UBL, than for Bush amongst the Muslim and non-Muslim masses. This is particularly true in countries that have been victims of US aggression, for example countries in Central and Latin America, Far East, South East Asia, Africa and even in Europe. When a poll was conducted in Europe and US asking who was considered to be the greater threat to peace, Bush or UBL, clearly Bush was given the red card. By contrasting some of the key characteristics of the two central protagonists in this war of terror on ‘terror’ it may partially help us to understand why UBL commands greater popularity. Listed below are some of those characteristics:
1) According to the National Enquirer, President George
W. Bush, an alleged reformed alcoholic, is now drinking again. George Bush allegedly gave up the bottle in 1986. Perhaps being drunk is the reason why he makes statements like these: “I know how hard it is to put food on your family” and “I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them.” In contrast, UBL is always sober, as alcohol and drugs are forbidden for Muslims.
2) Often, George Bush cannot articulate his ideas; at times he has difficulty in composing basic sentences and here are some of the many examples: “If the terriers and bariffs are torn down, this economy will grow”, he also said “I understand small business growth. I was one.” Where as UBL has excellent command of Arabic, his expressions are lucid and at time poetic. Ironically UBL’s command of English is better than George Bush’s.
3) George Bush comes from a family with a track record of failed and crooked businesses men, Bush is certainly no exception. Bush is as crooked as his grandfather (Prescott Bush) who was supplying arms to the Nazis. In 1990, Bush sold a large number of shares in the Harken Energy Corporation, just before the company announced news that made the share price fall. The White House has now acknowledged that US President George W Bush failed to follow the law and disclose details of shares he sold when he was a company director. UBL in contrast is an honest successful business man, not a single record of any criminal business activity has been made against him.
4) Hurricane Katrina exposed George Bush and his cronies as a bunch of racists, clearly lacking enthusiasm to help the poor blacks in Louisiana and Mississippi. Perhaps such racism is in their genes as they are the descendents of former slave owners, one of the pillars upon which the American dream was built. UBL in comparison is a very generous man, known to have helped thousands from his own wealth, whatever their racial origin. This was elaborated by Jason Burke of the London Observer in his book about Al-Qaeda.
5) Bush is a religious fanatic who claims to have a hotline to God, apparently like some sort of Prophet, he is on a mission from God to attack, kill and maim thousands of innocents. Can the world interpret that the porn-torture in Abu-Ghraib; the recent scandal of US soldiers trading pictures of dead Iraqis (those pictures catering for sick animals in the US who get pleasure seeing entrails and genitalia of dead and mutilated Iraqis)and exchanging for porn, are part of that divine mission to shower the ‘love’ of Christ on the Iraqis! UBL in contrast is a genuinely pious and a humble man, who has never made fanatical claims of divine intervention or guidance, as Bush has, or like the foul-mouth-fraudulent TV evangelists in the US.
6) Like all chicken-hawks, Bush avoided the war drafts and committed none of his children to the recent Iraq war. This is in line with the vast majority of the senate and congress members. Michael Moore demonstrated this so vividly in his documentary film, Fahrenheit 9/11. George Bush displays his cowardly traits as he beats the drums of war, from a distant secured bunker, well behind his armada by selectively attacking the weaker Iraq and avoiding the resolute nuclear North Korea. Contrast this with UBL and his sons, who have always personally fought in the battlefields of Afghanistan, leading by example, from the days of Soviet occupation to the recent war of post 9/11. Their convictions have been tested on the battlefield with their lives; the same cannot be said for Bush.
7) George Bush has a track record for committing mass murder and war crimes. He is a war-mongerer that invades weak countries, using false pretexts, in order to steal their resources directly or indirectly through installing and supporting brutal dictators. The amount of killing he has done makes 9/11, look like a picnic in the park. This is natural for the likes of Bush due to their inherent racist nature, they do not believe that the lives of non-Americans especially non-Anglo-Saxons, are worth the same as American lives. UBL has made clear in his statements, is a freedom fighter, fighting a legitimate war for removing the oppressive and colonial occupational forces.
8) Like his business adventures, Bush resorted to the manipulation of votes to acquire his seat in Florida 2000. In contrast, the popularity of UBL can be seen from the huge demonstrations and the public opinions on the streets of the Islamic and even non-Islamic world. If an election, to lead the entire Muslims world (Ummah) was held, there is no doubt that Usamah Bin Laden would be the favourite to win the position of the Khalif. He is likely to have a much higher level of support, in comparison, to any of these so-called democratically elected governments. Even the so-called Muslim moderates have admiration for UBL, but in fear of public opinion they keep silent. As for those coolies living in the west, wagging their hypocritical tongues against UBL, are hoping to gain acceptance from their masters and hosts, just like Arab regimes who gave millions to the US in aid, and hoping to be liked. If the situation were to alter and their masters were to change, these hypocrites would be the most ardent supporters of Usamah Bin Laden; we all know it is easy to side with the more powerful party and that is their weakness.
UBL is proven from the above examples to be more intelligent, articulate, generous, honest, pious, and brave, not to mention sober, when compared to George Bush. Many indeed do see UBL as the new Che Guevara, a freedom fighter, someone who genuinely speaks for the masses. However, making such analysis is becoming an act of blasphemy within secular democracies; their freedom of speech is proving cumbersome for them, as they are forced to confront uncomfortable truths. So yes, now we have political censorship in the world of ‘free’ speech, freedom and liberty.
Maybe Charles Clarke will knock on my door, waving the flag of ‘free’ speech and democracy in one hand, while his other hand (covered with the blood of innocents in Iraq) points towards Belmarsh, Abu-Ghraib, and Camp-X-RAY! As one of the speakers on the anti-war rally held on 24/9/05 in London, put it succinctly, that Iraq is not a beacon of democracy but a beacon of hypocrisy, from Abu-Ghraib to Camp-X-Ray, to the trading of porn pictures with pictures of mutilated Iraqis! Even the animals have better integrity and standards than these hypocrites!
Yamin Zakaria (www.iiop.org)
London, UK
Copyright © 2004 by Yamin Zakaria (18th September 2005)
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