The Arab/Muslim mindset
| quote: | Mar. 25, 2003
In Ramallah, Palestinians rejoice over Saddam's
'victories'
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
There were many smiling faces in Ramallah on Monday as
Palestinians celebrated the capture of American and
British soldiers by the Iraqi army. "This is a big day
for the Iraqi people and all the Arabs and Muslims,"
said a policeman at Yasser Arafat's battered
headquarters.
"Everyone here was happy to see pictures of American
soldiers in Iraqi custody. This is a big blow for
[George W.] Bush and [Tony] Blair. I don't believe
they will be able to continue with the war now that
many of their soldiers are being killed or taken
prisoner."
One of his colleagues in Force 17, Arafat's
presidential guard, said he was so happy when he heard
the news of the capture of the US soldiers that "I
felt like kissing all the people around me."
"Saddam has once again proven that he is a great
leader, a defender of Arab rights. His men are brave.
They have been able to teach the American and British
dogs an unforgettable lesson. The Iraqis are much
better at war because they have more experience. The
American and British soldiers are cowards and spoiled
kids," he said.
At Manara Square in the center of town, the mood was
one of euphoria. "They have just shot down two Apache
helicopters," an excited merchant shouted hysterically
as he ran out of his shop. "This is unbelievable. The
Americans are losing the war. Iraq is going to be
Bush's Vietnam."
The square, which has become the scene of daily
pro-Saddam demonstrations, is decorated with Iraqi
flags and posters of Saddam. Policemen in plainclothes
direct the traffic and are on the lookout for
undercover IDF soldiers, who frequently infiltrate the
city to arrest wanted activists. Most shops and cafes
have televisions, and people gather to watch live
reporting from the battlefield. The two most popular
stations are al-Jazeera and its new rival, the
Saudi-owned al-Arabiya. The streets were nearly
deserted as people gathered around TV sets to watch
Saddam's defiant speech in the morning.
A few minutes later, a group of some 50 girls dressed
in green-and-white school uniforms marched toward
Manara Square carrying placards denouncing the US
"aggression" on Iraq.
"Oh beloved Saddam, bomb, bomb Tel Aviv," they chanted
as passersby and shopkeepers greeted them with the
traditional Islamic battle cry of Allahu akbar (God is
great). As they marched through the streets, the
girls, some younger than 10, urged Saddam to eliminate
Israel: "Oh Saddam, we love you, why don't you
annihilate all the Jews?"
The girls also vented their anger at Bush and
pro-Western Arab leaders. "Bush, soon Saddam will bury
you," and "[King] Abdullah [of Jordan], your people
don't want you, we hope you will follow your father,"
they shouted as they waved Iraqi and Palestinian
flags.
Many people said that for the first time since the war
broke out, they are finally able to walk around with a
sense of pride. "Until yesterday [Sunday], the feeling
here was bad," said a journalist. "But when the
pictures of the American prisoners and bodies of
soldiers were shown on TV, there was a lot of
excitement. It's very moving to watch Arab soldiers
defeating American and British soldiers and killing
them. Saddam is now more popular than ever. The people
here adore him. The feeling here is that Saddam has
restored Arab confidence and dignity."
Zuhair Karajeh, 42, a laborer, was eating humous and
felafel in a small restaurant when the TV hanging from
the wall screened footage of Iraqi villagers and
militiamen brandishing their rifles in victory and joy
next to a US Apache helicopter.
"The Iraqis are very brave and we are proud of them,"
he said as he took a sip from a hot cup of tea with
spearmint. "An old man with a rifle was able to shoot
down one of the world's most advanced helicopters. Did
you see Bush's face when he was talking about his
prisoners last night? It was great to see this big
devil almost breaking into tears."
Like many Palestinians, Karajeh does not share the
view held in the West that Saddam Hussein is a
dictator. "I would like to see Saddam as the leader of
the Arab and Muslim world," he proudly declared as
other diners nodded their heads in agreement. "The
only dictator is Bush, who has waged a war against the
Arabs and Muslims."
Hassan Kamleh, 37, a hotel receptionist, said he
expects the war to end soon because of the US and
British casualties. "The Americans and the British
can't put up with the losses," he said. "They will
have to end the war ahead of time because they are
losing too many soldiers. Honestly, I didn't believe
that Saddam stood a chance, but when I saw the bodies
of the American soldiers, I understood that this is a
war which the Arabs could win."
The sense of triumph and pride was also reflected in
the Palestinian Authority media. "On the fourth day of
the war, Iraq has presented to the Arabs and all the
peoples of the world proof that it is possible to
defeat the US," said Hasan al-Kashef, a respected
columnist and senior PA official. "On this day, the
Arabs and the rest of the world have come to learn
that the US is not the almighty superpower that is
capable of doing anything, any time. Iraq has proved
that surrendering to the will of the US is the result
of impotence, miscalculation, and a lack of will."
Cartoons ridiculing American soldiers and depicting
them as cowards appeared in Monday's Palestinian
newspapers. Al-Quds, the largest daily, ran a cartoon
showing an American pilot hiding in the bushes next to
the wreckage of his plane. The panicking pilot radios
President Bush to tell him that he sees a thousand
Iraqis holding Kalashnikov rifles, but none of them
have brought him roses and gifts.
Another cartoon in the PA's official organ Al-Ayyam
depicted a frightened American soldier reluctantly
marching toward Baghdad carrying a coffin draped with
the Stars and Stripes. The message is that the
American soldiers will return from Baghdad only in
coffins.
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