Al-Sahwa [Archives:2004/739/Press Review]

13 May 2004
Columnist Zaid al-Shami says in an article that the issue of torturing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison constitutes a mark on the forehead of the western civilization in general and has exposed the defect of the American false calls for respect of human rights and the call for freedom. It is meanwhile a slap dealt to the face of every Arab and Muslim and another evidence that the ruling regimes in our Arab and Islamic world have had their fervor and sense of responsibility frozen inside their veins, as no reaction have been issued by them against the brutality and size of the crime and have not even risen to the level of some western countries reactions.
After all that happened in this regard what has remained of the slogans of freedom, democracy and human rights which American claimed to be the pioneer and defender? All of us have seen the images of humiliation practiced by the occupation forces while happiness is drawn on their faces, entertaining the acts of torture and violation of prisoners' honour and humanity.
Back to ourselves as peoples and rulers to se what must be done to obliterate this shame before thinking of punishing the doers? Protest and demonstration of pain is something required but we have to raise the ceiling of that protest in terms of the people and the state. Why should not angry demonstrations are allowed to take to the streets, why our ambassadors are called back home even for a while from the coalition countries as an expression of resentment and denunciation? We have to summon ambassadors of the occupying states to inform them on the popular and official protest and resentment. Why is not the issue aroused at the UN Security Council and its general assembly? Why don't we embark on a campaign for supporting the people of Iraq materially and morally?
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