-Caveat Lector- It's not a Zionist plot
The Ottawa Citizen Tuesday, October 02, 2001 http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/editorials/story.asp?id={5627304F-72EF-4509-B3FE-28FA0A7E0560} Dr. Gamal Solaiman, the imam of the Ottawa central mosque, was blunt in condemning the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. "It's a horrific thing," he said last week. "(It's) simply unacceptable to go and kill innocent people." Bravo, sir. Yet the imam has been distressingly obtuse about who carried out the attacks. Asked whether he thought a Muslim group was involved, he said, "No, I don't." Queried as to whether he believed there was evidence pointing to the Middle East, he added, "All that the Americans are producing so far does not convince me in the least." This is navet or denial. Yet the imam is not alone among influential Canadian Muslims. Ahmed Adam, the Ottawa-area director of the Canadian Islamic Congress, suggests that people consider who benefits from the attacks, and goes on to mention Israel. And the Saudi Ambassador to Canada, Mohammed Raja Al-Hussaini Al Sharif, says mistakes in news reports can be traced to the "Zionist lobby." He then cautions against a "rush to judgment" in determining who organized the terror. To the ambassador, we say: Go home, sir. To Canadian Muslim leaders, however, we plead for an honest look at the evidence: a) Although the list of terrrorists who died on the hijacked planes has been updated as more information surfaces, what has not changed is evidence that all were Muslims. b) A four-page letter found in the luggage of one suspect points directly to fanatics claiming to act in the name of Islam. "Remember the battle of the prophet ... against the infidels as he went on building the Islamic state," it says, asking its recipients to "pray to god ... and recite the Koran." c) The pattern of the attacks points to terrorist groups such as that of Osama bin Laden. Suicide bombings in recent decades have been mostly the work of Middle-East-based extremists. The World Trade Center attack in 1993 was traced to such militants, as were the bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa. d) There is no evidence at all of Israeli involvement or of shadowy U.S. government plots. One may as well accuse feminists or Martians for all the crediblity such assertions have. Does the evidence so far pin down precisely who was involved? No. But it points strongly toward a group or groups of fanatics, of Middle-East origin and claiming to represents Islam. In judging who was responsible for the attacks, rational people must act on the best evidence before them. If the evidence changes, our judgment must also change. But facts and wishes are not equal "evidence." Why are so many respected, educated people unable or unwilling to grasp the distinction? Primarily, we suspect, out of a misguided sense that Muslims will be seen as collectively guilty. This isn't so: to posit that a horrific crime was carried out by sick souls claiming to act in the name of Islam is neither a repudiation of the religion nor an indictment of its peaceful adherents. Yet many Canadian Muslims, apparently, believe they stand accused as a group. They do not, and they should reinforce this by decrying those who use their fine religion as an excuse for terror. Canada's Muslim leaders, meanwhile, should show real leadership by publicly insisting that stories about Zionist conspiracies and militia plots be treated as the intellectual vapour they are. That, not denial, will help everyone in the search for the truth behind the evil. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
