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Special Dispatch - Syria
April 6, 2006
No.
1135
Arab-Danish Student Organizations Dialogue: "Do
Not Translate That Word for Word, Just Say...."
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Earlier this week, representatives of Arab and Danish student
organizations met for a dialogue following the violent reaction to the
publication of the cartoons by the Danish paper Jyllands-Posten. The following
are excerpts from the dialogue that was covered live by Al-Jazeera:
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"[Islam] is Not a Religion of Terrorism, as Portrayed by
Zionism or Imperialism... Muslims Do Not Interfere in the Religious Beliefs of
Others"
Arab Students Union Chairman Ahmad Al-Shater [speaking through
interpreter]: "The Islamic religion is not a religion of terrorism, as portrayed
by Zionism or imperialism."
[...]
"According to the Islamic
religion, even in times of war... Translate it bit by bit, it's better that
way... According to the Islamic religion, even in times of war, it is forbidden
to uproot a tree, it is forbidden to kill a woman, it is forbidden to kill a
child, it is forbidden to destroy wells... It is forbidden to fill wells with
earth... Water wells... It is forbidden to harm human life, it is forbidden to
destroy a church, it is forbidden to attack a religious belief... Muslims do not
interfere in the religious beliefs of others. Forgive me for using difficult
words. Help us out, Kinda.
"Those who try to pin the blame for terrorism
on the Muslims, headed by the leader of international terrorism, America, and by
Zionism and imperialism, are killing our children in Palestine and Iraq on a
daily basis, as you can see. They are destroying schools. They are destroying
churches and mosques. They violate our honor. They rape women and slit open the
stomachs of pregnant women."
[...]
"Arabs' Feelings and
Emotions Must Be Taken Into Consideration, Even More Than Their
Minds"
"The cartoons which appeared in the Danish newspaper were a
premeditated plan, by parties known to all, to divert global and Arab attention
away from the crimes and massacres committed in Iraq, in Palestine, in Abu
Ghureib prison, and in many occupied Arab territories. The plan was to divert
attention away from what is going on."
[...]
"What is peculiar and
surprising is that to this very moment, the Danish government does not want to
punish this paper, and has not apologized."
[...]
"This only
strengthens our feeling that the Danish government is behind
this."
[...]
"We ask our Danish friends who are with us to
pressure their government to issue an apology."
[...]
"The Arab
people - the Arab Muslims and Christians - are an emotional and compassionate
people..."
[...]
"...even though they are so strong in battle. The
Arabs' feelings and emotions must be taken into consideration, even more than
their minds."
[...]
"[This Paper Cannot] Draw a Similar
Cartoon About a Zionist Rabbi, or Discuss the Imaginary Holocaust and Refute it,
or Even Draw Sharon, the Arch-Murderer"
"Can this Danish newspaper or any
other newspaper in the world draw a cartoon similar to the one about the Prophet
Muhammad... Shut the door, Abdallah... Can it draw a similar cartoon about a
Zionist rabbi..."
[...]
"...or discuss the imaginary Holocaust and
refute it, or even draw Sharon, the arch-murderer, who has killed thousands of
Arabs, in a cartoon similar to the one that appeared in the Danish
paper?"
[...]
"With all due respect, I am saying that it cannot do
so. There are many examples all over the world.
"George Garaudy and what
happened to him... No, no... Garaudy... Not George Garaudy. Roger, sorry. That
intellectual... What happened to British MP George Galloway... What happened to
the mayor of London recently, merely because he answered a Jewish reporter
somewhat harshly. He was suspended for two weeks, even though he is the mayor of
one of the world's largest cities."
[...]
"The world-renowned
English intellectual, who was recently tried in another country, and was
sentenced to three years in jail, although the whole world recognizes him as a
great and reliable intellectual, who does not say things that are baseless. He
relies on documents. I cannot recall his name, but he is a great English
intellectual, a university professor, who refuted the Holocaust. So, he was
sentenced in Geneva, in a country that is not his own, in violation of all
international laws."
[...]
Danish Delegation Head: "If you are
asking why the Danish government hasn't apologized, or why they haven't punished
the newspaper - that is a very precise but also a very important question to be
answered in this dialogue."
[...]
"And as a representative of the
Danish youth and not a representative of the government, I cannot explain to you
why the Danish government has not apologized. But I can tell you that the Danish
newspaper Jyllands-Posten, which is from Jutland, has apologized for the
drawings."
[...]
"And another important question, in your last
very concrete questions about... could a Danish newspaper have made drawings of
the Holocaust or denying the Holocaust."
[...]
"And the answer to
that question is yes. There's no law in Denmark preventing a Danish newspaper
from making drawings of the Holocaust."
[...]
"The Term
'Middle East' Does Not Appear in Our Dictionary... We Call it 'The Great Arab
Homeland'"
Arab Students Union Chairman Ahmad Al-Shater: "I would just
like to point to a certain term... which was used by my friend, the head of the
delegation, and which also appeared in the correspondence with Mr. Klaus - the
term 'Middle East.' I would like to emphasize to our friends - and I'm not
saying this for propaganda purposes, but because it is in keeping with the
constitution of the General Union of Arab Students..."
[...]
"The
term 'Middle East' does not appear in our dictionary. Absolutely not. We call it
'the Great Arab Homeland.' I won't even call the term "Middle East" an
international one... Its purpose is to include Israel in this region, but this
is another issue, not part of this dialogue."
Sudanese Student Union
Chairman Muhammad: "I'd like to tell you that harming the Prophet is not a new
thing. One thousand four hundred years ago, the Jews tried to kill him in
Al-Madina. In our religion, harming the Prophet is where we draw the line. We
are prepared to die to prevent this."
[...]
"The Sudanese
People are so Angry... They Will Kill Danish Soldiers [in U.N. Forces] Before
Killing the Others"
"As you know, Bush killed 110,000 people in Iraq,
while Saddam did not kill even one third of this figure. Saddam did not kill
even 30,000 people throughout his rule. I would like to welcome you on this
visit, because the image of Denmark and the Danish people has become very
negative in the Arab and Islamic world. In conclusion, I would like to say that
tomorrow America will pass a resolution in the U.N. Security Council calling for
international military intervention in Sudan. Among these forces, obviously,
there will be Danish forces. I would like to inform you that because the
Sudanese people are so angry over this affront, they will kill the Danish
soldiers before they kill the others."
Arab Students Union Chairman Ahmad
Al-Shater: "Don't translate that word for word. Just say that the Sudanese will
put up resistance against them."
Sudanese Student Union Chairman
Muhammad: "We will not become another Iraq, and I hope you do not respect
America."
*********************
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