-->Ausschnitt aus Russel's Tages-Kommentar vom 8.9.2003:

quote:
September 8, 2003 -- We're living in dangerous and really incredible times. Why do I say that? I say it because we are now forced to deal with two momentous, opposing forces.

The first of these is the seemingly never-ending battle between the Judeo-Christian culture and the Islamic culture. This is a struggle that has been going on for 1400 years or ever since the time of the Prophet Mohammed (570 to 632). I'm not going to go through the long history of this unending struggle which included the Crusades, Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire, modern Israel, 9/11 in New York and right up to the US attack on Iraq.

Why is this ancient battle heating up again? In my opinion, it's because Muslims increasingly view Western (Judeo-Christian) culture as a danger to their Islamic culture. Why a danger? Look if there's one thing the US exports to the world it's US culture and mores. Example -- Hollywood movies, which are seen the world over. Example -- MTV, which is now broadcast around the world. What is it that MTV is broadcasting? Sex, sex, and more sex. Furthermore, when I talk about US culture, I'm referring particularly to the rise and the empowerment of western women. The idea of"free" women, modern women, who are equal, both politically and above all sexually -- that concept is a serious threat to Islam. Muslims keeps women covered, hidden, cowered and they accord them with few if any legal rights. In Saudi Arabia women are not even allowed to drive a car. I'm not going into all the problems in this"clash of civilizations," but I do want to talk about what's changed.

And there is one major change. That change is that the Muslims (followers of Islam) are on the way to obtaining modern weapons of war. Thus, they are increasingly in position to battle the forces of the West. Suicide bombers and shoulder-held rockets capable of knocking down an airliner are danger enough to the West. They can be handled in due time. But what about nuclear weapons?

The thought that the followers of Islam will one day have nuclear weapons is what frightens the West above all. And that, correct or not, was the idea behind the US attacking and taking over Iraq. Iraq, we were told repeatedly, had weapons of mass destruction. If this was true, then the Muslim world had weapons which could render them almost equal in war-capabilties to the US. As far as the US was concerned, this would be a situation which could not be tolerated.

This may have been the rationale for the Bush administration's attack on Iraq -- or it may have been the excuse for the US attack on Iraq, I don't have the answer that one. But the fear of Muslim nations having WMD was the reason given to the American people for the attack on Iraq. That reason sufficed. There was no mass opposition to the takeover of Iraq from the American public. And there still isn't. The only protest now is about the cost of dealing with post-war Iraq and the piece-meal, systematic killing of American servicemen.

unquote:

Emerald.