Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site cadovax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!trwrba!cadovax!jefff 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.