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Original Article at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_steven_l_051231_the_fight_over_the_i.htm---------------------------------------------------------------------
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December 31, 2005
The Fight over the Iraq vote and the strange hypocrisy of the
American Right regarding Iraq
The Islamic Republic of Iraq?
By Steven Leser
Traverse any blog or website geared to Republicans and the
Conservative Right here in the United States (such as Free Republic
or
http://www.freerepublic.com ), and a strange dichotomy becomes
evident with regard to Iraq. First, they talk about every practicing
Muslim and everyone of Arab descent as if they were a member of Al
Qaeda and an animal. A popular photo on Free Republic shows a Grim
Reaper with a skull and proclaims "Islam - It's the Evil of our
Time, let's NOT leave it for our children". See
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1487236/posts and
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1548226/posts and
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1548198/posts and
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1548214/posts and
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1508903/posts . Invariably,
any discussion of Islam on these websites involves description of
Muhammad as a pervert and a pedophile. In almost the same sentence,
these people have no problem saying that they support Bush going
into Iraq to promote Democracy for the people there. Yes, such
wonderful things they and their President want for Iraqis. Then, in
a later thread, which might describe insurgents blowing something up
in Iraq, they again continue their diatribe that all Muslims and
Arabs are animals and should be killed or 'nuked'. Queer folk these
conservatives. Oops, they are going to be upset I called them Queer
given their ridiculous hatred of gays. Ah well, what can one do? I
get the feeling that most Republicans secretly feel this way about
Muslims and Arabs. I know President Bush has publicly said that he
is not warring against Islam or Arabs, but against Saddam Hussein
and the Terrorists, but I have this feeling that he and Uncle Dick
say things altogether different in private. In any case, the
Republican electorate is virulently anti-Islam and that is a shame.
Most practitioners of Islam that I have had the pleasure to know are
wonderful, law abiding and hard working people.
The Iraq war is continuing to evolve into another phase that was
predicted by many; anarchy and civil war. The Shiites, who vastly
outnumber Iraq's other two ethnic groups, Sunnis and Kurds, are
naturally going to win any fair democratic elections in the country.
The Sunnis and Kurds are not going to like this for many reasons
among them that both groups are generally less observant of Islamic
laws and traditions than the Shiites and the Shiites seem to want to
steer Iraq toward fundamentalist Islam. George Bush may claim (now,
since no WMD were found) that he went to war to bring Democracy to
the people of Iraq, but the net effect of his actions will likely be
a Muslim Theocracy. Women in particular are going to suffer when the
country becomes "The Shiite Islamic Republic of Iraq". Democratic
elections aren't going to turn out to be a good thing here and the
Sunnis and Kurds know it. That is why they are protesting these
elections tooth and nail. All the protesting and new elections, if
they are able to attain them, will not help Sunnis and Kurds
overcome the massive Shiite majority in the country.
Where does this leave us? The Freepers (as they like to call
themselves) over at Free Republic deserve credit for some of the
wackiest and creepiest (nuke all the people in over several dozen
countries? Hello? Any humans on that site?) hypocrisy in history.
And President Bush, who was re-elected by an army of evangelical
Christians for being such a "good Christian man" is going to be most
remembered for establishing a radical Islamic Republic in Iraq. All
of which proves the old axiom, truth is stranger then fiction,
particularly when dealing with Republicans.
Authors Bio: Steven Leser is a freelance journalist specializing in
Politics, Science & Health, and Entertainment topics. He has held
positions within the Democratic Party including District Chair and
Public Relations Chair within county organizations. His coverage of
the Ohio Presidential Recount in 2004 was distinguished by actual
interviews with Carlo Loparo, spokesperson for the Ohio Secretary of
State, along with Supervisors of Elections of several Ohio counties.
Similar efforts on other topics to get first hand information from
sources separate Mr. Leser from many of his contemporaries.