Some Arab elite are strangers at home
Ahmad Mustafa; 23/7/08
Some of the Arab elite reacted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s notice to indict the Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir for genocide in an amazing way. They wrote, talked and issued statements supporting the decision and warning of resorting to “patriotism” to protect some rulers. That is really a very noble stand, except that it is not truly genuine. Nobody - progressive, modernist or otherwise - can condone torture, ethnic cleansing or genocide. Whether you agree to the definition of what is going on in Darfur (mainly the input of a rebel leader moving between Israel and France), or trust the UN Security Council (manipulated by the US, the UK and likes) is another thing. Crimes should not be ignored or justified by comparing them to other crimes. Progressive Arab elite is not always consistent in its stance when it comes to basic human rights. First, they are exactly like opportunistic politicians who adopt the calls of minorities and vocal fringe groups for pragmatic reasons. Take a simple example: they condemn resistance groups if they belong to a different political spectrum, and call them freedom fighters and support them if they adopt the same line that they follow at that time. It is exactly like a fanatic Israeli colonist who is being called an innocent civilian harassed by “terrorists”, and Palestinian women and children, who are killed by American arms at the hands of Zionists, are branded as “militants” or their affiliates.
See: http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/region/10231088.html
Tags: Choosing, Human Rights