Post #12,057
10/6/01 8:42:55 AM
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The aid workers are being used as political pawns.
Was there anyone here that thought otherwise?
There are too many things that happened just prior to the mass murders on September 11th for the arrest of the aid workers to be coincidental.
The interesting point here is that the Taliban is not asking the Coalition not to attack them physically, but rather not to attack them with what they are calling "propoganda".
Apparently this is currently a battle for mindshare of Islamic people.
(sounds a bit like our ever-present "software wars", does it not?!)
The U.S. led caolition is making friends with the Islamic nations (and Afghans) that bin Laden wanted on his side. Without friends, the Taliban is fighting a losing battle. They can continue murdering innocent women and children but without mindshare from their own religious people worldwide they are merely worsening their image in the eyes of people that value security, liberty, peace and justice. If they continue to disgrace the Islamic religion (which stands for peace and compassion), they will eventually be attacked by their own Muslem people, posssibly without miltary intervention from America. This is what I think the coalition is hoping for. Give bin Laden just enough rope to hang himself. He is being exposed for the murderer/terrorist he is instead of the savior/idol/martyr he dreams of becoming.
[link|http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/10/06/gen.america.under.attack/index.html|
Taliban offers aid workers deal]
October 6, 2001 Posted: 7:34 a.m. EDT (1134 GMT)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Afghanistan's ruling Taliban government Saturday offered to release eight Western aid workers if the "United States stops its mass propaganda of military action against the people of Afghanistan," the group said in statement. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair met with his Indian counterpart to seek support for the U.S.-led coalition against terrorism.
The eight aid workers -- four Germans, two Americans and two Australians -- have been held by Afghanistan's Taliban rulers since early August. They are charged with trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. Their trial began Sunday in Kabul.
In a statement released to CNN from Kandahar, Afghanistan, Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmed Mutawakil said the Taliban are ready to be attacked, but want the United States to let the Afghan people know they are not the targets of an attack. (Full story)
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Post #12,061
10/6/01 11:12:11 AM
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Re: Yes they are pawns - dumbassed ones
These self-minded arrogant Christian idiots appear to have walked right into a trap of their own making. If in time it gets proven that they didn't go there with stacks of Afghan language bibles & CDs etc: I'll eat my hat as well as profoundly appologise.
Cheers
Doug Marker
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Post #12,072
10/6/01 1:35:38 PM
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My intuition tells me otherwise.
We'll have to wait and see who is right but I wouldn't be surprised if the aid workers are being framed in an attempt to gain a political advantage.
The timing of the arrests coincide too closely with the attacks for me to think this is merely lucky timing for the Taliban.
If the Taliban really wanted to expel them from the country, they could have done so by now. No, I think they want to execute these aid workers that went there to help the Afghan people. I think if they do kill these workers, the backlash by moderate Islamic people will be significant.
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Post #12,099
10/6/01 8:58:52 PM
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Re: Your biased faith tells you otherwise
It is easier to believe they were framed by evil Taliban fanatics than to accept that these people behaved to stupidly.
The Taliban in their own Sharia way, are very moral (far too damn moral for our western liking).
Remeber that the Taliban is the people (a percentage), the mullahs, and the leadership. We have taken exception to the zelous actions of the Taliban leadership (these being Bin Laden, who is a Taliban leader, and Mullah Omah).
But as I said - if these missionary idiots are not guilty of taking stacks of afghan language bibles & CDs to the country I will publicly eat my hat - (it is because of some knowledge of their system of law there plus what I read before the Sept 11th attack, than I am in little doubt as to what they were doing).
Cheers
Doug Marker
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Post #12,228
10/8/01 11:42:18 AM
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I'm afraid not (see Iron Curtain, God's Smuggler)
It is easier to believe they were framed by evil Taliban fanatics than to accept that these people behaved to stupidly. There aren't just Islam fanatics in the world; there aren't just Christian fanatics. There are some people who, mistaken as you may think, live a certain set of beliefs. God's Smuggler (by presumably the pseudoanonymous Brother Andrew) talks about he would travel behind the Iron Curtain smuggling Bibles at a time when the Communists were doing their damnedest to stomp out organized religion. From my memory of reading the book, with his interpretation of the commands of the bible, he sincerely believed it was his duty to bring the Word of God to those behind the Iron Curtain, even though it might mean his imprisonment or, depending what form it took, death. The only trouble is the only story from the book was how he was driving a Volkswagon, I believe, and had to take it in to a mechanic. Mechanic was surprised that it was in such good shape for its mileage, but then Andrew told him the odometer had gone around two or three times. Who knows how empty the sky is
In the place of a fallen tower.
Who knows how quiet it is in the home
Where a son has not returned.
-- Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966)
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Post #12,076
10/6/01 2:43:09 PM
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Martyr-complexes are not reserved for Muslims..
Of course, given the timing of their appearance <9/1 - this is hardly an obvious - but perhaps subliminal? motive to be assigned.
{sigh}
If these folk are of the souciance of the door-bell ringing ones, then perhaps their only crime-against survival shall prove to have been: typical pig-ignorance of the opposition.
(CDs of Christian dogma - would IMhO 'prove' suicidal tendencies, though)
Ashton Torquemada
Ecumenical Judge - on consignment
Your left ear.. buys you a hearing
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Post #12,100
10/6/01 9:05:53 PM
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Re: Jesuits were slaughtered by the Japs after many warnings
History is full of warnings for such people ...
When the Portugese were in Macau they were initially allowed to take priests to Japan (Jesuits), there they converted a very large number of Japanese to Catholicism (from 16 century on). By the 17th century the Japanese decided they had had enough of them & expelled the Jesuits from the country warning them that if they returned they would be arrested. After a few years the Jesuits went back. The Japanese took some of them and publicly executed them in the presence of the others then allowed the remainder to leave. A few years later they came again. This time they slaughtered the lot plus a sizeable portion of the Catholics in Japan.
After that time it was the Dutch who were allowed into Japan & even they could only come ashore after walking over (tramping on) a picture of Jesus and a crucifix.
The Taliban may actually prove kinder to this bunch of idiots.
Cheers
Doug Marker
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Post #12,113
10/6/01 11:27:19 PM
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sorry to disapoint ya laddie,
me mum is one of those missionaries who happens to pop up her head in Cuba do to my sisters prediliction for dark complected beach bums. After the divorce she still works to send allowable stuff to Cuba, and talks about "missionaries!" with more zeal than her that take cb radios into a country where possesion=death. I told her if she takes radio's in, I will not mount a resue mission at all. She insists on taking her own risks. Tend to side with dmarker on this and mention that if they went to prostisize, it is on their own heads with the marytr label known about in advance joyousley accepted. If they change their mind after arrest, thats a tad late, innit?
thanx,
bill
What is a user? You mean userid isnt the same as uid?, gid? whats that? I dont understand "ask the requestor to send a non formal email request for ftp access? whaddya mean dean?
Halp Iam drowning in Bovine Fecal Matter!!!!
Bill
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Post #12,122
10/7/01 3:55:56 AM
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Re: My own daughter would possibly go there
She is headstrong & leans heavily toward born again Christendom.
Her 4 kids have slowed her down enough that she wouldn't try Afghanistan.
Cheers
Doug
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