On 11/18/06, Louis Proyect <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2006/11/18/lion-of-the-desert/
<snip>
When we first meet Mukhtar Omar in the film, he is giving lessons in the Quran to young boys in a Senusi village. Throughout the film, the character's religious faith goes hand in hand with his determination to resist the occupation. His Islamic beliefs in the brotherhood of man also lead him to avoid treating Italian prisoners with the same kind of cruelty that his own fighters endured.
<snip>
Shortly after the fascists hung Omar Mukhtar, his followers issued a statement that could be a rallying cry for the Iraqi resistance today:
Were Omar Mukhtar alive today and leading resistance anywhere, it would be unlikely for him to receive much sympathy in the West. That he was a Muslim religious teacher alone would stand in the way. Truth be told, there are some in the Iraqi resistance with whom one cannot possibly sympathize, given their treatment of their POWs and hostages, which stands in stark contrast with the film's portrayal of Mukhtar's stance toward his prisoners (whether that's truth or idealization, I do not know): Omar Mukhtar: We do nor kill *prisoners*! Arab Warrior: *They* do it to *us*! Omar Mukhtar: *They* are not our teachers! -- Yoshie <http://montages.blogspot.com/> <http://mrzine.org> <http://monthlyreview.org/>
