Dr. 'Adel Sadeq, chairman of the Arab Psychiatrists Association and head of the Department of Psychiatry at 'Ein Shams University in Cairo recently published an article titled "Class Isn't Over Yet, Stupid!" in the Egyptian newspaper Hadith Al-Madina[1], which took the form of an open letter to President Bush. Dr. Sadeq, a recipient of the 1990 Egyptian State Prize, is an enthusiastic supporter of Palestinian suicide attacks. In an interview with Iqraa, a Saudi-Egyptian satellite television channel, he glorified martyrdom (suicide) operations. The following are excerpts from Sadeq's article and his interview with Iqraa:
The 'Hadith Al-Madina' Article
"Although you [President George W. Bush] invest a lot of effort in proving yourself, you are not successful in doing so because you are stupid and understand nothing about what is happening in the world. 'Stupidity' and 'idiocy' are synonyms, and if you don't like the word 'stupid,' you are an evil person with an ugly soul."
"I equate your stupidity with mercilessness and inhumanity, and swear that I knew you were stupid long before it became known to the entire world, and before your cronies admitted it."
"Your stupidity is reflected in your facial features. Your face reminds me of the face of those who frequent a clinic for the mentally retarded. Your gaze is mindless and unfocused. Your eyes are misleading. Your facial expressions are incompatible with the matter [being discussed], and your tone of voice is completely disconnected from the content of your words - a salient characteristic of the mentally retarded."
"I do not want to exaggerate by saying that your case is similar to cases I see at the clinic for the mentally retarded. But the truth is, without exaggeration, that your IQ is limited. A very bright person's IQ ranges from 130 to 140; a bright person's IQ ranges from 120 to 130. A normal person's IQ ranges from 110 to 120, while the IQ of stupid people ranges from 90 to 110. According to my personal judgment, and based on my 35 years of experience as a psychiatrist, your IQ is 110, and I challenge anyone who thinks otherwise."
"Don't you understand, stupid, that Israel does not want peace? Don't you understand, stupid, that Sharon is a criminal murderer? Don't you understand, stupid, that the interests of your country are in great danger because of your complete bias in favor of Israel? Don't you understand, stupid, that the entire world is now standing against you and the policy of your administration? Don't you understand, stupid, that anyone who dies for the liberation of his homeland is a martyr? Don't you understand, stupid, that when a girl of 18 springs blows herself up, this means that her cause is right, and that her people will be victorious sooner or later?"
"I don't imagine, stupid, that you understood anything from my article, as your advisors hide things and thoughts of this kind from you so you will go on thinking you are smart. This means that class isn't over yet, you stupid idiot, you basest man in the world."
The Iqraa Interview
"…The psychological structure [of the perpetrator of a suicide attack] is that of an individual who loves life. This may seem strange to people who see the human soul as most sublime. They are incapable of understanding [the suicide attack] because their cultural structure has no concepts such as self-sacrifice and honor. These concepts do not exist in a number of cultures, and therefore they offer stupid interpretations, attesting to ignorance… But we know this well, because our culture is one of sacrifice, loyalty, and honor… Bush was mistaken when he said that the girl was killing the future when she chose to kill herself. On the contrary: She died so that others would live…"
"When the martyr dies a martyr's death, he attains the height of bliss… As a professional psychiatrist, I say that the height of bliss comes with the end of the countdown: ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. And then, you press the button to blow yourself up. When the martyr reaches 'one,' and then 'boom,' he explodes, and senses himself flying, because he knows for certain that he is not dead… It is a transition to another, more beautiful world, because he knows very well that within seconds he will see the light of the Creator. He will be at the closest possible point to Allah… None in the [Western] world sacrifices his life for his homeland. If his homeland is drowning, he is the first to jump ship. In our culture it is different…"
"[In the Western world], they have lost the ability to understand the situation… According to my professional assessment, they have lost their faculties. They do not understand what is happening. They see [the suicide bombers] as a strange breed of people… As far as they are concerned, life is sex, love, and money… So they tell you: 'It's someone committing suicide, a drug addict, someone in despair.' This is a mistake! Someone committing suicide hates life and considers it a burden. They want to impose the term 'suicide' on them, but they are not suicides [rather, 'those who sacrifice their souls']…"
"The message to Israel is that we will not cease… It is very important to convey this message… The child who threw a stone in 1993 today wraps himself in an explosive belt. Some Israeli politicians take this into account, and say to themselves, 'This war will never end'… As long as there is even a single Palestinian left, the war will not end… What is happening now indicates one thing: Israel will not exist forever. We as Arabs must know that this war will not end. The conflict will continue. This is not a conflict over land alone… This war will not end, and anyone who deludes himself that there will be peace must understand that Israel did not come to this region to love the Arabs or to normalize relations with them. Anyone who thinks that peace will come, either now or in the future, has limited historical vision. Either we will exist or we will not exist. Either the Israelis or the Palestinians - there is no third option…"
"There are no Israeli civilians. They are all plunderers. History teaches this… I am completely convinced that the psychological effect [of the attacks] on the Israeli plunderer is [the realization] that his existence is temporary… They have become completely convinced that their existence in this region is temporary… Remove the Apache [helicopter] from the equation, leave them one-on-one with the Palestinian people with the only weapon [for both sides] being dynamite. Then you will see all the Israelis leave, because among them there is not even one man willing to don a belt of dynamite…"
"On the strategic level, there must be a pan-Arab plan in order to reach our goal. The goal of all of us is to liberate Palestine from the Israeli aggressors. To use words that some people no longer like to use today: 'We will throw Israel into the sea.' This phrase, by the way, is the truth. Either they will throw us into the sea, or we will throw them into the sea. There is no middle ground. Coexistence is total nonsense…"
"The real means of dealing with Israel directly is those who blow themselves up. According to what I see in the battle arena, there is no [other means] except for the pure, noble Palestinian bodies. This is the only Arab weapon there is, and anyone who says otherwise is a conspirator. I regret having to use these terms, but Arab politicians and journalists who condemn this fedaai movement are trying to impose such ideas on us to appease the West… The Palestinian body is the only means [of warfare] in this battle."[2]
[1] Hadith Al-Madina (Egypt), April 23, 2002, as cited in Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), April 23, 2002.
[2] Iqraa TV (Saudi Arabia/Egypt), April 24, 2002.
