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From: jefff@cadovax.UUCP (Jeffery H. Fields)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Understanding the Shiites
Message-ID: <675@cadovax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 24-Jun-85 10:47:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: cadovax.675
Posted: Mon Jun 24 10:47:32 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Jun-85 05:53:24 EDT
Organization: Contel Cado, Torrance, CA
Lines: 55


   It seems that the reaction of the average citizen of the USA to the
   abduction  of  American  citizens  aboard  TWA Flight 847 is one of
   self-righteous indignation.  I must say that  the  actions  of  the
   Shiite  terrorists cannot be condoned and that my heart goes out to
   the unfortunate Americans who  are  being  held  captive.   But  it
   angers  me  to  discover the most Americans could give a flying fig
   for trying to understand why our people were  taken  hostage.   Our
   track record in regards to the Middle East sadly lacks humanitarian
   regard and basic respect for the persons of the Islamic faith.

   I know a Lebanese family  (named  Kadri)  and  can  understand  the
   Shiite  reaction.   The  Lebanese  family  I know is Sunni so their
   experiences are somewhat different than those of the  Shiites,  but
   not  significantly  different.   They were lucky enough to have not
   directly experienced the wonton  Israeli  invasion  of  Lebanon  in
   1982.   I  remember  watching  the  news in their living room.  The
   images of American-made Israeli tanks rolling through Beirut had  a
   very  visible  effect  on the Kadri's.  Abdul almost smashed the TV
   set when an Israeli spokesman announced plans to rid Lebanon of the
   Palestinian  terrorists  by military occupation.  His sister Jamaal
   had a boyfriend who had been murdered by two  of  Bashir  Gemayel's
   hit men.  Bashir Gemayel, a Maronite Christian supported by the US,
   was murdered by Shiite  terrorists  days  after  being  elected  as
   president  of  Lebanon.   When I was more naive I asked the Kadri's
   how terrible it was that their president was  assasinated.   Jamaal
   said she was mad because "the bastard didn't suffer longer".

   The US gives $7,000,000 per day in economic aid  to  Israel.   More
   than  half  of  this  aid  is  used  to  purchase  US made arms and
   munitions.  The  US  is  morally  accountable  for  the  deaths  of
   thousands  of  Lebanese.   The  President has a moral obligation to
   demand that human rights be observed by the Israelis.  So far  what
   few  demands  have been made in this regard have been scoffed at by
   Israel.  Now Israel scoffs at the Shiite demands to free the Shiite
   prisoners  captured  in  Lebanon  and  imprisoned  in  Israel  as a
   violation of the Geneva convention.  The Shiites  have  no  one  to
   turn  to.  They took the most viable method possible: international
   terrorism.  This is an indeed sad state of affairs  when  a  people
   feels  so  desperate  to  obtain  help  that they have to resort to
   terrorism instead of diplomatic means.

   I pray that the people of the United States of America  will  learn
   from  the  hostage  situation.   I pray the US government heeds the
   plight of the Islamic peoples of the Middle East.  Most  of  all  I
   pray  for  a  day  when  all the Semitic tribes, which includes the
   citizens of all the nations of the Middle East, can live in  peace,
   harmony, and mutual regard for one another.

-- 

				Jeff Fields
				{ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!cadovax!jefff

Pax vobiscum.