The liberal Arab news website Elaph.com published, on February 21, 2010, an article by Kurdish liberal writer Mahdi Majid 'Abdallah stating that Israel was far better for the Arabs than Al-Qaeda. He explained that this is because unlike the terror organizations, Israel is a democratic state, not an aggressive one, and is characterized by freedom of worship and speech and a culture of peace and enlightenment.
Following are excerpts from the article:
"Many Ignoramuses among the Arabs... [Think] Their Support for [Bin Laden] is Part of Their True and Perfect Belief in Islam"
"Yesterday, several MPs from an Arab country gave their stances vis-à-vis the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh. As pious Muslim Arabs, they expressed their resentment and hatred of the Jews, whom they called pigs, and depicted their legitimate democratic state, Israel, in strident and inappropriate terms. They also referred to Osama bin Laden, calling him a hero and a redeemer who had done much for Islam and the Muslims.
"Unfortunately, there are many ignoramuses among the Arabs who support the views of these MPs, and who disseminate pro-bin Laden propaganda, thinking that their support for him is part of their true and perfect belief in Islam and its principles.
"We must ask: Who is better and more beneficial for the Muslims – Osama bin Laden, or the state of Israel?
"Al-Qaeda was established in the late 1980s, and if we look at its deeds since then, we find that it has brought the Muslims no benefit whatsoever – only destruction, ruin, and the recruitment of young people for suicide operations... Unfortunately, Osama bin Laden and the gang of those who speak on behalf of Al-Qaeda are deluding the [suicide bombers, telling them] that what they are doing will add to their happiness and wellbeing. You see, killing people, destroying their homes, and blowing up their marketplaces and parks, and turning them into heaps of rubble, are [depicted by Al-Qaeda as] the path to a happy and superior life.
"Al-Qaeda's inculcation and dissemination of the ideology of violence worldwide, particularly in the Islamic countries, has given the tyrannical Arab regimes a pretext by which they justify their repression of their peoples, carried out by means of their security and intelligence apparatuses; whoever does not submit to [the rulers'] policy and crosses their red lines has diverse and unusual accusations leveled against him – accusations completely unconnected to reality – or [is accused] of being a member of terrorist organizations...
"The brutal curses and invective to which Islam and its followers have been exposed since 2001 are caused by Al-Qaeda and by its misleading use of Koran verses, hadiths of the Prophet, and commentary..."
"Israel is a Democratic State That Does Not Use Force Except to Protect Itself from Terrorists"
"In contrast, Israel is a democratic state that does not use force except to protect itself from terrorists... We never hear that an Israeli has blown himself up, set up a terror organization, or used Torah texts to harm someone.
"In Israel, there are more mosques than there are in some Arab and Muslim countries. There is freedom of worship and expression – so much so that Arabs and Muslims living in Tel Aviv curse the Israeli president openly and publicly, without anyone hurting them or settling accounts with them. This doesn't happen in the Islamic countries. And it goes without saying that there is a culture of love of peace and enlightenment, spread by Israeli universities, colleges, and centers throughout the world.
"Most unfortunately, many Arabs and Muslims ignore these facts, due to the hatred and resentment that take over their thinking – because of the mistaken anti-Israel concepts that bin Laden and his ilk have poured into their brains..."
