The Washington, D.C. bureau chief of the London Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat, Salama Na'mat, accused some Arab regimes of supporting terrorism in Iraq in order to thwart the emergence of democracy in the Arab world. The following are excerpts from his article: [1]
The Aim of Terrorism in Iraq is to Prolong the Occupation
"When the Saddamist terrorism in Iraq targets the elected, the security forces, the army, and the [Iraqi] National Guard, its aim is to prolong the [U.S.] occupation by thwarting the process of building national, political, security, and military institutions that can protect the country and ensure its stability. The terrorists and their supporters in the region and worldwide know that the Iraqi government cannot demand that the foreign forces leave before it can handle the security situation – and that is precisely what they are trying to thwart.
"Nevertheless, [some] Arab governments, as well as writers and commentators in the Arab media, still insist on describing the criminals, who murder Iraqis by the hundreds and even thousands, as 'resistance' to the occupation – even though they are the primary cause of the prolongation of the occupation beyond next year.
"They insist on blaming the killing of Iraqis on the Americans – as though the suicide bombers who blow themselves up in order to kill as many [Iraqi] National Guard and policemen as possible were American."
The Aim of the Arab Regimes is to Prevent the Spread of Democracy in the Region
"…It is no secret that the American military forces are deployed in 70 countries worldwide, including strong countries like Germany and Japan. The Arab countries and Gulf countries also host these forces, as part of military agreements with strategic implications, and, [like in Iraq,] this is in accordance with these countries' interests...
"What is the responsibility of the regimes and the official and semi-official media in the countries bordering Iraq in legitimizing the operations that murder Iraqis?... Isn't their goal to thwart [the emergence of] the newborn democracy in Iraq so that it won't spread in the region?
"The terrorists may succeed in postponing the birth of the new Iraq in its democratic and pluralistic form – which is exceptional in the region – but they will not succeed in restoring Iraq to the pre-[Saddam] era. The Iraqis have no option other than to progress along a single path – the path to full independence – that will bring an end to the foreign protectorate, whether American/international [i.e. coalition forces] or terrorist/regional [i.e. Al-Zarqawi]..."
The Enemies of Democracy Will Move on to Lebanon
"If the forces of destruction succeed in disrupting the democratic model, there will be numerous implications. One is that [their] success in one place will encourage similar successes in other places in which [democracy] is being built.
"It is reasonable to assume that the hired killers will move on from Iraq to Lebanon, after coming to Iraq from Afghanistan. If the enemies of democracy put their lives on the line to wipe out [democracy] in Afghanistan, and after that in Iraq, it makes no sense for them to allow it to flourish in Lebanon.
"The forces of darkness and their natural allies in the regimes [neighboring Iraq] are insisting on turning the dream of democracy into a living hell..."
Endnote:
[1] Al-Hayat (London), May 5, 2005.
