Well, in a way we are looked at as the Terrorists. Our military, government...so Americans in general. THere is a lot of sympathy for Al quada here in Saudi, though after the attack in Riyad, I am just not sure any more. They killed alot of people just to get like 10 americans, I think that is what I heard on the news. AND!!!! the Mayors sun was killed!!! Gotta be getten bad for the al quada....hopefully. APpears to have been a really though out plan, cars were in groups, and group after group they charged the compound and opened fire etc.... just horrible.
Alright, then, what IS the dominant view in Muslim countries? That America is good? Doubtful. That democracy and human rights are to be cherished? Ha, I don't think so. Obviously, the Muslim leaders are very extremist and full of hate, for now I am leaning to the conclusion that the people are as well (with exceptions in countries like Iraq and Iran, which hate their own governments.) Surely you don't doubt that Muslim leaders have very bad views.
Not to necessarily disagree with your position, but I'm pretty sure India isn't a Muslim country. I'm sure it was just a brain fart kind of thing, though.
Even though they've hated the Iraqi leadership they were angry about the sanctions which they say hurt the Iraqi people. You don't have to love the previous govt. of a country to be angry about foreign occupying power in the region. They have hated us and would have continued to try and attack us regardless of what we did in Iraq. However, that whole situation just made recruiting a whole lot easier for them.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw...4may14,1,6080252.story?coll=la-home-headlines Al Qaeda May Be Back, and Stronger Strikes in Saudi Arabia underscore how little is now known about the group and its members. By Josh Meyer, Times Staff Writer WASHINGTON -- Monday's bombings in Riyadh drove home with deadly force how little is known about how Al Qaeda has changed and the new dangers the terrorist network poses to the tens of thousands of Americans in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere overseas, officials of both nations said Tuesday. For years, U.S. and Saudi authorities have analyzed the threat Al Qaeda poses in the Persian Gulf kingdom perhaps more aggressively than anywhere else. But Monday's well-planned, well-orchestrated strikes heightened concerns in both countries that more attacks are imminent and that Al Qaeda has regrouped in a new and stronger fashion since the Sept. 11 attacks that makes its movements harder than ever to detect, authorities said. . . . One U.S. official said authorities are taking "extremely seriously" recent statements made in the media by two men claiming to be Al Qaeda spokesmen. One claimed Al Qaeda has completely reorganized, with older operatives replaced by new ones who are experts at concealing themselves and who are planning massive attacks against the U.S. and its interests. "The Americans only have predictions and old intelligence left," the London-based Al Majallah magazine quoted one man as saying. "It will take them a long time to understand the new form of Al Qaeda." The second man also warned of a new wave of attacks in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and other U.S. allies as well as "the heart of America" itself. "The list of assassins, the raid teams and the martyr operation squads are ready ... and the authorities cannot uncover them," the man said. How the f do they pull this off in a country that has secret police to rival Stalinist Russia?
The Muslim populations in Indonesia and India do not represent the dominant views of Muslims. They are much more moderate and less influential, unlike those in the Middle East. Keep in mind Macbeth, that I am not singling out all Muslims, but the extremists who are dominating certain countries.
I believe India has a mix of Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Christians and Sikhs with most conflict occurring between Hindus and Sikhs and Hindus and the Muslims, the vast majority of the population is Hindu > 80 % IIRC.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/14/1052885296186.html US warns of new terrorist onslaught By Marian Wilkinson in Washington and Tom Allard in Canberra May 15 2003 The United States fears a new wave of global terrorism following the suicide bombing massacres in Saudi Arabia - while Australia has received intelligence that fresh strikes are planned in Indonesia. . . . While Mr Downer claimed the conflict in Iraq was not linked to the attacks, Labor's foreign affairs spokesman, Kevin Rudd, said that the bombings - and the new warnings for Indonesia - had proven that "the war in Iraq has not reduced the terrorist threat to Australians". . . . The bombings have clearly shaken the Bush Administration which had been savouring a swift military victory in Iraq. The US Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, made virtually no comment on the attacks, which took place at 11.30pm on Monday, the night before the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, arrived in Riyadh to discuss the Middle East peace plan. Touring one of the devastated sites, Mr Powell described the attacks as "well planned" with all the hallmarks of al-Qaeda. US consular officials were working around the clock to identify the dead and injured as Mr Powell met the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud, and Crown Prince Abdullah for talks. The Saudi Government says the death toll of 34 includes one Australian, seven Americans, seven Saudis, two Jordanians, two Filipinos, one Swiss, and the nine bombers
Hey, we're blaming the Saudi government. Woohoo, send in the troops! http://www.boston.com/news/daily/14/saudi_security.htm US officials sought security improvements in Riyadh, ambassador says By Ken Guggenheim, Associated Press, 5/14/2003 WASHINGTON -- The United States sought futilely to get security tightened around western residential compounds in Riyadh before this week's terror attack, the American ambassador to Saudi Arabia said Wednesday. "As soon as we learned of this particular threat information, we contacted the Saudi government," Robert Jordan said. He said the U.S. government asked the Saudis for such security improvements "on several occasions." " ... We continue to work with the Saudis on this, but they did not, as of the time of this tragic event, provide the additional security we requested," Jordan said in an interview on CBS' "The Early Show." . . .
If the Al-Qaeda were strong, they wouldn't hide and run. terror is the greatest sign of their weakness.
I was surprised you left yourself open like that. I read that post yesterday and decided not to respond because I thought it was a trap. You know how you lawyers are.
' Indonesia and India hold like 30% of all the Muslims in the entire world. Maybe they're more moderate and less influential because they don't have any oil.
Something else I was going to say just to let everyone know I'm saying the terrorists are or have been fighting for good causes. The causes they claim they are fighting for might actually be just. But it's just a way to recruit members. Al Qaeda says it hates us because of our support for Israel, Iraqi sanctions, and our infidel troops on the soil of the prophet's homeland. If that was really why they were fighting they wouldn't be bombing and committing terrorist activities in the Philippines. Those guys aren't guilty of any of that stuff, yet they are targeted by Al-Qaeda fairly frequently. I'm actually in favor of cutting aid for Israel(until there is improvement), getting our troops out of Saudi Arabia, and the sanctions. Al Qaeda just likes to use those causes to gain support. It's obvious their only real agenda is terror.
You said the dominant view in Muslim countries is that it is their duty to kill all of us as infidels. Indonesia is the most Muslim country in the world, followed by India. I see a problem with your statement in fact, in principle, and in point.
We are splitting hairs when calling India a <i>Muslim</i> country. It has a Muslim population that is larger than any other country (besides Indonesia), but they don't have the numbers to make it a <i>Muslim</i> country on the order of: Iran Saudi Arabia Pakistan Bangladesh etc which all have substantial majority Muslim populations. Let us view the same concept in other ways. The population of those in Irael that practice Judaism is roughly 5.4 million. <a HREF="http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0nc60">Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel's Wars and Israel Independence Day</a> The Jewish population of the US was estimated to be over 6 million in 2001. <a HREF="http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/US-Israel/usjewpop1.html">Jewish Population of the United States (1654-2001)</a> I don't consider the US to be a <i>Jewish</i> country, but I think of Israel as one. There are various estimates for the Muslim population in the US with ranges from 1.5 million to over 4 million. The consensus forms around 2.8 million. The population of Kuwait is roughly 2.2 million with 85% practicing the Muslim religion. <a HREF="http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ku.html">Kuwait</a> I don't consider the US to be a Muslim country, but I think of Kuwait as one.
Doesn't the timing of this indictment seem weird? http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw...ole_lat,1,398070.story?coll=la-home-headlines NY Feds Charge Yemeni Pair in Bombing of USS Cole By Daryl Strickland, Times Staff Writer Two men were indicted today for their involvement, as members of the terror network Al Qaeda, in a deadly plot nearly three years ago to attack the U.S. warship Cole in Yemen. At U.S. District Court in New York, Fahd Al-Quso and Jamal Ahmed Mohammed Ali al-Badawi faced 50 counts of terrorism charges, including murder. If convicted, they could receive the death penalty . . . Why didn't we indict them when they were in custody and get them extradited then? It's like it's something to take our mind off the most recent Saudi attack.
<a HREF="http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=A45E5404-00BA-4BB7-A6685007EEC4B108">US Closes Consulate in Saudi Arabia</a> <i> The United States has closed its consulate in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, after a lone gunman was arrested at its front gate. The incident comes amid heightened fears of terrorist attacks in the kingdom following the suicide bombings in the Saudi capital Riyadh one week ago. Those attacks killed 34 people, including eight Americans. A U.S. embassy statement said the gunman was taken into custody Monday morning before the Dhahran consulate opened for business. It said no one was injured, and that the incident is under investigation. Saudi authorities are also reportedly investigating suspected illegal arms sales by members of the country's national guard to al-Qaida operatives in the kingdom. Citing U.S. and Saudi officials, The Washington Post says weapons seized in a May 6 raid on an al-Qaida safe house were traced to Saudi national guard stockpiles. The newspaper quotes the Saudi interior minister as saying that three of the suicide bombers involved in last week's attacks in Riyadh were part of a group of 19 people wanted in connection with the raid. The report quotes unnamed Saudi officials as saying a small number of National Guard officers have been involved in illicit gun sales for years. The officials said the suspect officers have sold weapons to anyone willing to pay inflated prices for the weapons. Saudi Foreign Policy Advisor Adel al-Jubeir says Riyadh is doing its best to cut off funding to terrorist organizations and to find and punish terrorists. But he admits the bombings in Riyadh show that these steps are not enough, and that Saudi Arabia must do more. He says he is almost certain the al-Qaida terrorist network was behind the attacks. </i> Things are likely to get worse in Saudi Arabia.
