No for killing innocent tourists [Archives:2007/1068/Opinion]
Ahmad Othman
I felt sad, disparate, and frustrated when I heard of Marib's car bomb blast, which killed seven Spanish tourists and two Yemenis. The victims were not killed or injured in a brutal manner without committing any sin, nor did they expect that this would be their fate in the country of belief and wisdom, which they were happily and safely visiting.
Most of the victims were aged men and women, who came to Yemen with the intent of overcoming despair of the time being and compensate for fatigue and weary of the old age. They came to take a nice and clean breath, visit Yemen's historic and ancient sites and return to their families and children safely with good impression about the Arab country. They had been planning to return home and tell their children, relatives, and beloved ones about the unique history of Yemen and the hospitality of Yemenis.
The victims might bear in their minds the idea of recommending their own government not to join Bush-led barbaric wars against Muslims and Arabs, as well as not be like other European countries that follow the American plans, which create strong hatred between them and Arabs. The Spanish government did something in favor of Arabs and Muslims as it pulled out its peacekeeping troops from Iraq, thanks to pressure its people exercised on it to stop contributing peacekeepers to Bush's dilemma in the Mesopotamia.
The innocent tourists visited our country as guests from the official entrance in order for Yemen's tourism agencies and vehicles owners to benefit from their visit. Their coming to Yemen was expected to help create many job opportunities for some of the unemployed. They haven't come to Yemen with fighter jets or destructive rockets, contrarily to the U.S. military bases positioned in our homeland to attack Arabs and Muslims. Why did those innocent Europeans become a random target for those who blindly claim to be brave whenever they are merely cowards and wrongdoers?
Those coward people allege that they launch such offensives in order to horrify Israel whereas the Zionist state benefits from such acts of vandalism by shaping a bad impression and image of Muslims.
This kind of vandalism against the innocent tourists, irrespective of their citizenships, ideologies or religious affiliations, is a strong and additional support for the new conservatives. It will also help raise Bush's popularity that went through various crises over his invasion of Iraq. This behavior harms the reputation of Arab governments, which never feel concerned about the killing of innocent civilians.
The Arab states seem to benefit from catastrophes and exploit their territories to demonstrate much totalitarianism, oppression and corruption, and restrict freedom of the press.
The Spanish people took to streets of main cities in a single demonstration, which overthrew the existing government and replaced it by a new one in favor of Iraq and against the US-led invasion of the Arab country. On the contrary, thousand blind terrorist operations of this kind failed to make any change in consecutive oppressive and totalitarian Arab regimes. It is the people who suffer the harmful consequences of wars on the Muslim and non-Muslim nations, particularly those who fled their homelands and sought asylum in western countries.
It is impossible, if not difficult, for anyone to find any religious, national, or human justification for such terrorist attacks. The issue raises several questions about the influential parties and those who stand behind or support such barbaric acts that are merely in favor of Bush, Blair, and their policies, which trigger animosity toward Arabs and Muslims.
Source: Al-Sahwa Weekly
——
[archive-e:1068-v:15-y:2007-d:2007-07-16-p:opinion]
