Not So "Pure Evil": Saudis Are Selective in Attacking Terror [UPDATED]

The Saudi Arab News has an editorial that, on the surface, gives us some hope that the "moderate" Muslims of the world will finally mobilize against terrorism. Titled "Pure Evil", it decries the terrorist attacks in Egypt:

"Yesterday's barbarity follows a pattern--a pattern of pure evil, so evil that most people find it difficult to believe that human beings could do such things. How can anyone justify the killing of innocents? No religion condones it.

Yet that is what the militants do. What is that justification to target Egyptian workers at a downtown cafe? Why did they merit death? Most of those killed yesterday were Egyptians. It is impossible to fathom the terrorists' warped thinking, but they clearly think that ordinary Egyptians, like ordinary Londoners, are disposable.

Theirs is not just a war against the Egyptian economy and government, it is a war against the entire Egyptian people, as it is against all the people of Britain, of Spain, of Lebanon, of Iraq, of Indonesia, of the US--of everywhere. The terrorist is at war with the entire world.

It is not enough to hunt down and destroy these men of evil. The thinking that drives them must also be destroyed. That puts a special responsibility on decent human beings everywhere."

Strong, terrific words--can we get some leftpols in Britain and America to use the term "pure evil" too, and not just referring to President Bush? The problem is, once again, the "Moderates" still pull their punches. Notice that terrorism against Russian school children, Indian (Hindu) shopkeepers, and Israeli wedding-goers is not on their list of evils in the "entire world." I wonder why...

--ave atque vale--paleologos

PS: See John Burgess of CrossRoadsArabia for different perspective.

UPDATE#1: In reply to comment by Burgess: The Arab News was listing RECENT Terrorism by people in the name of Islam in "the entire world." I find it revealing that they "forgot" about Muslim mass murders in Israel, Russia and Kashmir--not to mention Christians in Pakistan and Jews in Turkey and Argentina. We should applaud them for what they did say, but we have the right to question the basis for their selectivity. I also think we have a right to be suspicious that they have "found morality" on terrorism now because (a) the terrorists are threatening them, not just infidels, and (b) terrorism upsets economic markets where they have their billions invested. Still, this kind of editorial is one dim ray of sunlight and we have to appreciate its value.

Comments

[John Burgess]

There were a lot of things not mentioned in the Arab News article... Helegu's destruction of Baghdad, for instance. Nor were the gulags or the Nazi death camps. The editorial was not intended to be a complete list of historical atrocities.

[George]

Progress in such matters is almost always incremental. It's hard to imagine this article appearing even one year ago.

[wm. tyroler]

Ah, and for a still different perspective -- from Egyptian "experts" yet -- see here. And remember that Egypt is refarded as a moderate Arab country. Some progress.