Dear Arooj, In the last few months before the invasion of Iraq by American and British troops, I interviewed a number of men and women from the East and the West to obtain their opinions on the war against Iraq. In both groups I found people who were strongly in favor and also those who were vehemently against the war. The intriguing thing was that people’s reasons varied significantly although they believed in the same thing. PEOPLE IN FAVOR OF WAR People who were in favor of the war against Iraq were motivated by different perceptions and philosophies. They could be divided into three groups: A. Arrogant Westerners These were the Westerners who believed that America was the police officer of the world and the American Government had the right to go anywhere in the world and remove dictators. They did not think that to do that America needed the blessings of the United Nations. They believed that after the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York the American President had the mandate to take steps that would ensure the safety and security of American citizens inside and outside the country. They believed that war against Iraq was the first step in eradicating all the terrorist groups in the world, especially in the Middle East and the Muslim world. They believed that America should crush them before they could become strong enough to attack America again. B. Naïve Westerners This group supported the liberation of Iraq and the freeing of Iraqis from their dictator. They were convinced that the Iraqis were too vulnerable and weak to fight their own war against Saddam Hussain and depended on America and England to liberate them. They believed that American and British Forces would leave the country after the liberation. C. Angry Easterners This group of Easterners was in favour of war as they were angry with Saddam Hussain and all the other dictators, kings and military generals who were oppressing their people in the East. They believe that those dictators are so oppressive that local citizens would not be able to liberate themselves. PEOPLE AGAINST THE WAR People who were against the war also had differing points of view. A. Humanists This group believed in the human rights of all people of all countries in the world. They believed that America, England or any other country had no legal or moral right to change any government. If there is serious danger to the masses, an independent body like the United Nations has to intervene. They believed that Bush and the American Government undermined the integrity of the United Nations by declaring war without its blessing. They believe that democracy cannot be imposed from outside. B. Angry Protesters I met many who were part of the peace march and movement not because they were sympathetic to Iraqis, but because they were angry with Bush and the American Government. In some the anger had turned into resentment, bitterness, even hatred. Although they were talking about peace they were frothing with hate. It was an unsettling experience listening to them. AFTER THE WAR STARTED After American and British troops invaded Iraq and the war started, I asked people their interpretation of the war. I received four interpretations. A. War Against Terrorism There is a group of people that believe that the war against Iraq is a part of the war against terrorism. They feel it is linked with the September 11, 2001 tragedy. B. Religious War There are others who believe that it is the war of domination of religions. They believe that Osama Bin Laden had declared Jihad, the holy war against Americans and American President had declared a crusade; and now after demolishing Afghanistan, Bush is attacking Iraq and in the next couple of years will attack other Muslim countries. They believe his goal is Muslim genocide and that Muslims will be the victims of a 21st century holocaust. C. Political War There are those who do not associate this war with terrorism or religion. They believe it has all to do with political power. America’s goal is to rule the world and become the new imperialistic power, in the economic sense. They perceive a war of a new colonialism, fought with sophisticated military power. D. Economic War There is a large group that believes that the war is all about holy oil. They believe that America would not have attacked Iraq, had the Iraqis not had large reserves of oil. They note that there are many other oppressive regimes in the world but America does not interfere with their governments, as no oil is involved. They believe that America prefers dictators who are in favour of America, rather than democratically elected Presidents or Prime Ministers who oppose America and they offer the examples of the Shah of Iran and the Saudi Royal Family as examples. They feel that America had even welcomed Pervez Musharaf in Pakistan although he was not an elected President. PRESIDENT BUSH…A THREAT TO WORLD PEACE
When Nelson Mandela stated that President Bush and America were more of a threat to world peace than Saddam Hussain and Iraq, the world was warned. After his speech there were a number of intellectuals and political and peace activists who raised their voices in protest against the war. Some who tried to raise people’s consciousness through the media were: Desmond Tutu from South Africa, Jesse Jackson, Michael Moore and Noam Chomsky from America, Robert Fisk and Tariq Ali from England, Arundith Roy from India and Pervez Hoodbhoy from Pakistan. “What makes George Bush such a major threat to world peace?” is a significant question to ponder. It is becoming obvious to many that there are four characteristics in his personality and ideology that make him such a major threat. 1. Bush is a religious fundamentalist. In his first reaction against Osama Bin Laden he mentioned that he was starting a crusade. There was a strong international reaction as crusades have a long dark history as religious wars against Muslims. Even before attacking Iraq he included it in the list of those countries that he called the axis of evil. Bush’s speeches after September 11, 2001 had a number of similarities to the speeches of Osama Bin Laden. 2. Bush is a nationalist. He has tried to present war against Iraq as an issue of national security and safety. He is trying to convince his countrymen that Iraq and Saddam Hussain are a threat to Americans. There are many Americans who believe that Bush is putting Americans more at risk by his obsession with war. 3. Bush is a capitalist. He is preoccupied with economic security and his objective is control over the oil in the Middle East. He is already awarding contracts for the control of Iraqi oil to some friends and groups who are supporting his military invasion. 4. Bush is an imperialist. He is following the footsteps of previous imperialists and is perceived as the new colonial power. People in the third world are worried that Iraq might be only the first of a series of invasions. He has already threatened Iran and Syria. Many believe that Pakistan could be next on the list not only because Pakistan has a nuclear arsenal but also because supporters of the Taliban have been gaining power in parts of Pakistan. Politicians and common people all over the world are worried about the long-term intentions of Bush and an American foreign policy which rather than being just and fair, has been patently hypocritical. GLOBAL PEACE CONSCIOUSNESS Dear Arooj! You have asked me what has surprised me the most in the last few months. I have to say that I am impressed by the rise of global peace consciousness. I was amazed when I attended the Feb 15th 2003 Peace march in Toronto. There were thousands of people there marching in the bitter cold. They came from all walks of life, from all religions and cultures, joining the protests of millions of others in cities worldwide. The fascinating thing was that they were holding a peace march before and not during the war. They wanted to prevent, not stop war. Most people say that they had never seen in their entire lives such a strong expression of people’s convictions. It is also interesting that many naïve Westerners who were in favour of war before it started have been reconsidering their opposition as they see innocent lives lost every day. They are starting to see the real face of war. They are realizing that Iraqis are not welcoming American troops in their motherland. They are also becoming aware of the ulterior motives of President Bush and the American Government. The number of people protesting against the war inside America is increasing. Last week hundreds of civilians were arrested in New York and San Francisco. These are the people who are recognizing the ugly face of war and are realizing how many innocent men, women and children are being psychologically traumatized by war. Americans are also reviewing their role of sending their troops to foreign lands especially where they are not welcome. I feel that more and more people all over the world are able to see the harsh realities of war because of television. Some of those images are shown by Al-Jazeera television that CNN does not want to show. There are millions who are reading the reports of independent journalists like Robert Fisk on the Internet and are forming their own interpretation of the war. I feel people from all over the world are becoming aware how peace consciousness becomes transformed into violent consciousness by leaders of religious and political organizations and how different institutions have been giving their citizens the license to kill, justifying it on the basis of religion by calling it holy war, whether it is Jihad or Crusade or on the basis of nationalism and linking it with patriotism. It is becoming apparent that killing other human beings whether by attacks of terrorist groups, state sponsored army soldiers or guerilla warfare is part of the same violent consciousness. They differ only in their level of rationalizations for taking innocent lives of other human beings that we consider members of other group, our enemies. It is all a reflection of tribal mentality, dividing people between us and them. The wars between East and West, North and South, First and Third World, Arab and Non-Arab, Hindus and Muslims, Christians and Jews are all examples of the same tribal mentality. I feel that people are beginning to question the basis of that tribal thinking. I always believed that the expression of holy war was a contradiction of terms, an oxymoron. Peace loving people from all over the world are hoping that this war with Iraq will increase global peace consciousness and that citizens of all countries will express their opinion so that conflicts can be resolved peacefully and respectfully and nations can find political rather than military solutions. Military solutions throughout history created more problems than they solved, as there are no winners in a war. Peace-loving people are also hoping that all countries and their leaders will respect independent organizations like the United Nations so that international conflicts can be mediated peacefully. Some people feel that peace is the wishful dream of a few that is being turned into a nightmare by George Bush and the American Government because America has become the biggest and strongest power since the fall of the Russian Empire, while there are others who believe that world opinion and global peace consciousness can become an even bigger power than America and one day the American Government might be forced to listen to millions of innocent people who want to lead a peaceful life and bring up their children and grandchildren with hopes and dreams of a peaceful future. Dear Arooj, I am one of those who dream of a peaceful world. Let us hope for the best for humanity. Let us hope the War Against Iraq becomes the last chapter of our violent dark human history. Let us hope that human beings all over the world transcend their tribal thinking and realize that we are all part of a Human Family and our enemies are our distant cousins. Affectionately Sohail April 2nd, 2003 |