Jordanian Realities...as King Abdullah II Proclaims Himself 'The True Voice of Islam'
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Jordanian Realities...as King Abdullah II Proclaims Himself 'The True Voice of Islam'

His father acknowledged being on the CIA payroll for decades. His namesake great frandfather was brought to today's Kingdom for the first time by the British who provided him with Army and allowance to reward the Hashemites for having served the British Empire so well. His mother was in fact a British citizen and Christian. His education was by the Jesuits at Georgetown following in the footsteps of Bill Clinton. His military career was compliments of both the UK and US. His countries most important historical contribution has been unparalleled collusion with the Jewish State of Israel. He himself was brought to the throne in a daring CIA plot launched from his dying father's bedside in Rochester, Minnesota; his father's American wife whispering in his ear and arranging that her son be next in line to take the throne -- Washington is still laughing and toasting itself for this one! And he still has to be coached in Arabic, as his preferred language is actually English. And now, in the pages of the Empire's hometown newspaper The Washington Post today, his many Westernized ghost-writers, have told him he needs to proclaim himself 'The True Voice of Islam' hoping against hope that his Kingdom will remain under American protection after the upcoming great war in which it is really the Israelis who will decide whether Jordan becomes 'The Palestinian State' For much more historical background into the realities of 'The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan' see -- http://www.MiddleEast.Org/archives/jordan.htm -- and other articles available through the new MER 'search' page.

THE TRUE VOICE OF ISLAM

By King Abdullah II of Jordan

[The Washington Post - Saturday, December 7, 2002]: AMMAN -- This week marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims throughout the world take time to reflect upon the values of our faith: compassion, goodwill and respect for others. These are core ideals in Islam, the faith that my family, the Hashemites, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon Him, has served for 40 generations. Our religion calls us to live and work for justice and to promote tolerance. Daily, we share God's blessing: Salaam Aleikum -- "Peace be upon you."

This is the true voice of Islam, but it is not the voice that Americans always hear. Instead, they hear the hatred spewed by groups mistakenly called Islamic fundamentalists. In fact, there is nothing fundamentally Islamic about these extremists. They are religious totalitarians, in a long line of extremists of various faiths who seek power by intimidation, violence and thuggery.

Extremists violently reject the original moderation and openness of Islam -- qualities that made the Muslim world the historical home of diversity and learning. Nor does their violence constitute "jihad," or holy war. The Prophet Muhammad tells us that the "greater" holy war is not against others at all but against one's own failings -- the "war against the ego." Moreover, in a famous speech, the Prophet's follower and first successor, Abu Bakr, commanded Muslim soldiers: "Do not betray, do not deceive, do not bludgeon and maim, do not kill a child, nor a woman, nor an old man . . . do not burn, do not cut down a fruit tree. . . . If you come across communities who have consecrated themselves to the [Christian church], leave them."

These words are part of the most basic religious education that Arab and Muslim schoolchildren receive. I know, because I was one of them. So when today's terrorists target innocents, they provide direct evidence of their real agenda: power politics, not religion. In fact, long before so-called Islamic terrorists began attacking the West, they were targeting fellow Muslims. The goal was to silence opposition and obliterate the Islam of peace and dialogue. I carry the name of my great-grandfather, Abdullah I, who was assassinated by an extremist. In the same attack, my father, then age 15, was hit by a bullet. He survived, and as King Hussein became a great peacemaker. He always believed a real leader stands up against the forces of destruction.

Among the world's 1.2 billion Muslims, extremists are, of course, a tiny minority. For decades, many Muslims thought that because they had nothing to do with this criminal fringe, they could ignore it. Sept. 11, 2001, changed that kind of thinking. The idea that anyone would exploit our religion to sanction the killing of innocents outraged Muslims everywhere. To my knowledge, every Muslim country, every center of traditional Islamic scholarship and every major Islamic organization in the United States condemned the Sept. 11 attacks absolutely. They did so, not out of diplomatic nicety, not out of fear of the United States, but because our faith demands it.

Yet we must do even more to make sure the real voice of Islam is heard. Today Muslims must speak out boldly in defense of a dynamic, moderate Islam -- an Islam that upholds the sanctity of human life, reaches out to the oppressed, respects men and women alike, and insists on the fellowship of all humankind. This is the true Islam of the Prophet, and the Islam that terrorists seek to destroy.

But this is not a challenge for Muslims alone. All religions have suffered from the violence and extremism of a few. Even as we begin the 21st century -- an era of global exchange and exploding knowledge -- God's name is being exploited to promote rifts and justify conflict. Differences between faiths become differences between people, and all humanity suffers.

Together, we share a responsibility to prevent the abuse of religion by those who would divide us. We have a special duty to combat injustice, which is so often exploited by extremists. Nowhere is our help needed more than in the Holy Land, where Palestinians and Israelis alike are crying out for peace, stability and security. Together we must urge their leaders to hear the voices of reason and peace, end oppression and occupation, stop the violence and create a future of hope.

My father and great-grandfather believed that a peaceful, political solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict would be essential to defeating extremism and building a world of mutual acceptance and peace. Events show that they were right. What is needed now is clear to all sides: a fully independent Palestinian state and an Israel that is integrated, in peace and security, into its Arab neighborhood. This is why Jordan has strongly supported the Arab peace initiative that came out of Beirut last March, which commits all Arab states to a peace agreement with Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian state and includes collective security guarantees and an agreed solution to the refugee problem. Jordan is also working with the United States, Russia, Europe and the United Nations to craft a road map and timetable for a permanent, sustainable end to the conflict.

It is a terrible truth that for many people, the Holy Land has come to symbolize extremism and injustice, rather than peace on Earth. But we, Earth's citizens and leaders, have a chance to defy hatred and defeat terror. In doing so, we can help this region, so important to all our faiths, lead the way to a better future for all the world.

Salaam Aleikum.



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December 2002


Magazine



'The Push to War'
(December 29, 2002)


WAR LOOMS - Israel, the US, and Britain Prepare
(December 22, 2002)
The U.S. and Israel are moving in tandem now to take control of the entire Middle East region as never before in modern history. In effect it is a neo-crusade designed to force the entire region into submission and 'remake' it to further serve Western and Israeli desires. A look at the map of the region shows in fact that nearly every country -- with the exceptions of Lebanon, Syria, and Iran -- now has US forces and US bases. Not since the breakup of the Ottoman Empire at the time of World War I, 'Lawrence of Arabia', and the Paris 'Peace to end all Peace' Conference have there been such dramatic and far-reaching geo-political changes forced on the Arab people of the Middle East.

Academics Squeak Up
(December 20, 2002)
Academics are often late to the party; as they surely are in these historically important times and with this particularly half-baked half-hearted statement. And even when they get there too many "political correct" academics end up talking a lot while actually not doing very much -- especially when they get together collectively and especially in the contemporary US of A these days. Such is clearly the case here with this latest statement from an ensemble of American academics coming mildly and meekly together capitalizing on the opportunity to indicate that they are doing so in support of their "courageous" Israeli colleagues. 'Courage' is not a word that should however be applied to their own very inadequate statement.


(December 20, 2002)


Academics Squeak Up...
(December 20, 2002)
American Academics back 'courageous' Israeli academics, while lacking their own courage and hiding behind the 'I Gave At the Office' Excuse.

ARREST WAVE Preceeds Upcoming War and 'REGION CHANGE'
(December 19, 2002)


Israel Faces 'Catastrophe' Ahead
(December 18, 2002)
Potential catastrophe awaits Israel within a few years. This warning from none other than Shimon Peres himself.

'The Push for War' - Truly Must Reading to Understand Contemporary Washington
(December 16, 2002)
To put it simply, this is an immensely insightful and extraordinarly provocative article by an author who will be new to most but who should be quickly elevated to importance. Anatol Lieven's look at contemporary Washington is something only a once outsider now insider relatively free of entangling alliances could come up; and only something that could be published abroad from American shores, as it was last October in the London Review of Books.

Threatening With Nukes and Star Wars-Type Weapons
(December 16, 2002)
So far this month the American President has threatened to use nuclear weapons against Iraq. The Israelis have threatened to use their considerable nuclear arsenal against Islam itself, as well as Iran in addition to Iraq. And the Sunday Express in London has just front-paged a grand story that Osama and Al-Qaeda have 20 'Backpack Nukes' from the old Soviet Empire days. Whether this 'Suitcase Nukes' was a leaked story designed to create more fear and build more support for the US/Israeli war, or whether it may be true...there's really no way for most of us to know for sure at the moment. The placing and timing sure is suspicious, coming in fact right after the US and Israeli nuclear threats got some worldwide attention. And the fact that the story was featured only in this sensationalistic headline-grabbing London newspaper, and at the same time that the Iraqi exiles are meeting in London at the US-sponsored conference...all this adds to the confusion and uncertainty and suspicions. After all, both the American CIA and the Israeli Mossad have a long history of such kinds of deceptions...dare we call it a kind of 'journalistic terrorism' in fact? And at least the CIA, at least in years past, was prohibited from 'disinformation' leaks to American media outlets...hence the dateline London story takes on even more doubters.

It's all about 'Regional Change'...not simple 'Regime Change'
(December 14, 2002)
Indeed, the US/Israeli "New World Order" is nothing less than a historic neo-imperialistic power grab the world has not seen for quite some time. As this Canadian columnist writes: "Senior [U.S.] administration officials openly speak of invading Iran, Syria, Libya and Lebanon. Influential neo-conservative think-tanks in Washington have deployed a small army of "experts" on TV, urging the U.S. to remove governments deemed unfriendly to the U.S. and Israel. Washington's most powerful lobbies - for oil and Israel - are urging the U.S. to seize Mideast oil and crush any regional states that might one day challenge Israel's nuclear monopoly or regional dominance. The radical transformation of the Mideast being considered by the Bush administration is potentially the biggest political change since the notorious 1916 Sykes-Picot Treaty in which victorious Britain and France carved up the Ottoman-ruled region."

Israel/Palestine - How to End the War of 1948
(December 14, 2002)


Another Nobel Tragedy and Travesty
(December 10, 2002)
However well-meaning Jimmy Carter may have been then and now; judged by his actions, misrepresentations, and political cowardice, rather than by his apparently heartfelt rhetoric, Carter's involvement in matters Middle Eastern was tragic, at best. Indeed, to award such a 'peace prize' to Carter in the midst of the terrible circumstances faced by the Palestinians, the upcoming American/Israeli war for regional control, and the simmering 'Clash of Civilizations' is a historical travesty, at best.

Hollywood Celebs Tell Bush 'No War'
(December 9, 2002)
Anti-War Movement growing, Hollywood Celebs Send Washington a Peace Letter, new peaceful civil-disobedience movement launched.

Jordanian Realities...as King Abdullah II Proclaims Himself 'The True Voice of Islam'
(December 7, 2002)
In the pages of the Empire's hometown newspaper The Washington Post King Abdullah II proclaims himself 'The True Voice of Islam' hoping against hope that his Kingdom will remain under American protection after the upcoming great war in which it is really the Israelis who will decide whether Jordan becomes 'The Palestinian State' For much more historical background into the reality of 'The Hashemite Kingdon of Jordan' see -- http://www.MiddleEast.Org/archives/jordan.htm

The Tremendous and Escalating Cost of US and Israeli Policies
(December 6, 2002)
In the worst case, a war with Iraq could cost the United States almost as much as the government spent in the last budget year - nearly $2 trillion, according to new projections in a major report from the Committee on International Security Studies of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The New MER HOMEPAGE and WORLDPAGE - CHAT today with Mark Bruzonsky
(December 5, 2002)


The 'Big War' Ahead - Israelis Prepare for Killing and Expulsion
(December 4, 2002)
The BIG WAR with devastating historical results is now coming. It may focus on Iraq; but it will have possibly even more lasting repercussions in the once 'Holy Land' of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim Bibles. When it finally happens no one will be able to say this time that they didn't know, they weren't aware, how could it happen... And there will be so much blame to be distributed starting of course with the Israelis but extending quickly and fairly to the United States, American Jews, the United Nations, et. al.




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