From: Damien Sullivan (phoenix@ugcs.caltech.edu)
Date: Tue Jul 09 2002 - 21:08:17 MDT
On Sun, Jul 07, 2002 at 11:36:15PM -0400, Spudboy100@aol.com wrote:
> The found that just over half of the people surveyed in Saudi Arabia, Iran,
> Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan and Morocco had a poor
> opinion of the United States and of the US president, George Bush.
Gee, I wonder what a poll of Western Europe would reveal? Especially opinions
about Bush. Or a poll of any of the states which voted 2-1 for Gore.
> The poll found that although 67% of people believed the September 11 attacks
> were morally unjustifiable, 61% did not believe western news reports that
> Arabs had been the hijackers.
Oooh, they mistrust media and government reports, how Evil! They're not
exactly used to trustworthy media free of government interference.
> respondents found the US "ruthless, aggressive, conceited, arrogant, easily
> provoked, biased. The people of Islamic countries have significant grievances
> with the west in general and with the United States in particular."
Well, yeah. Can you say "colonialism"? The former colonies remember what the
West has done. The US gets "support for Israel" and "starving Iraqi children"
on its plate. Of course, it also gets called upon to rein in Israel.
(The fun part was when we bombed Christian Serbs in the name of Muslim
Kosovars. That did throw some people, according to reports.)
> CNN reported that those polled found American values materialist and secular
> and believed American culture was a corrupting influence on their societies.
Them and Pat Buchanan.
> answer is very simple. They are afraid of the Taliban government because they
> are operating according to the Islamic Principles. USA wants the whole world
Not according to Iran they weren't. Shall we remember that the only countries
to recognize the Taliban were Pakistan, Saudia Arabia, and some little country
I can't remember (Yemen or Oman, I'd guess.) Whoever you're quoting is out of
step with most Muslims, or at least most Muslim governments, on the Taliban.
> The evidence is abundent, their motivations various, and their goal unified,
How about Iranian reformers trying to reach out to the US? Or Iranian
friendliness to American visitors? Or that NATO member, Turkey?
-xx- Damien X-)
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