You may remember Madeleine McCann, the four year old who went missing while on a family holiday in Portugal three years ago.

It’s painful for me to imagine what she may have gone through and may even be going through. And I didn’t even know her. What it must be doing to the parents and family of little Madeleine is unthinkable.

Perhaps in an attempt to revive the search for Madeleine three years later, the McCanns gave a recent interview expressing hope, quoting their twins.

Dad Gerry, 42, said: “It’s important they know we’re devoting a lot of time to Madeleine. They talk about rescuing her and getting swords to get the man who’s got her. They’re amazing.”

No need for an honest debate so far.

Not until I ask to give the same voice and encouragement to a Palestinian dad expressing his devotion and quoting his little boy’s fantasy to ‘get a sword’ and set off to rescue his sister or mother picked up by the Israelis.

That’s different the westerners will say. Well of course it is. The Palestinians never go on holiday.

Anyone else wondering whether his family will ever gét justice?

For those still hopeful of what US and western democracies have to offer, please spare some time and investigate what Islam has to say about the treatment of prisoners of war. If you get that far, please let me know what treatment you prefer of POWs – the Islamic one that dates back centuries or the current secular one made up as we go along.

Look forward to hearing from you.

In our world governments and politicians think twice before acknowledging any wrong-doing. I can’t help but be sceptical about any justice for the Palestinians resulting from these revelations, but once again, I desperately ask the democracy pundits who keep insisting that the rest of the world needs to follow their model to show me a practical and just way where they can use their democratic processes to bring the Israeli government to account.

‘An Israeli military college has printed soldiers’ accounts of the killing of civilians and vandalism during recent operations in Gaza.

One account tells of a sniper killing a mother and children at close range whom troops had told to leave their home. In another cited case, a commander ordered troops to kill an elderly woman walking on a road, even though she was easily identifiable and clearly not a threat.

The soldiers’ testimonies also reportedly told of an unusually high intervention by military and non-military rabbis, who circulated pamphlets describing the war in religious terminology.

“All the articles had one clear message,” one soldier said. “We are the people of Israel, we arrived in the country almost by miracle, now we need to fight to uproot the gentiles who interfere with re-conquering the Holy Land.”’ (taken from the BBC).

Will Barak Obama go against his financiers and members of his administration and demand an independent enquiry, or consider imposing sanctions on Israel until the truth be discovered?

Will the Labour Party Members in the UK go against the wishes of the Labour Friends of Israel and demand justice or investigation?

Will David Cameron, the opposition leader that keeps the democratic government in check, go against the wishes of the Conservative Friends of Israel and demand the Labour Party takes action against Israel?

Will the Obama administration or any other western government that supported Israel’s actions ‘in defending itself’ provide compensation and accept responsibility for ‘aiding and abetting or encouraging’ the Israeli actions?

Will American citizens who stood by their Zionist brethren now consider this to be Semitic fundamentalism and a belief of the sword?

Or will the western politicians accept the bias of self-interest as the foundation of their democratic values?

As much as some may hate me for saying this, as far as I’m concerned, rape is a crime that if proven warrants nothing short of the death penalty. I’ve already posted my thoughts on the punishment system of Islam on my post FAQs against Islam #3.

The question I can’t help but ask in this instance, directed towards those who are dead against the death penalty regardless of how heinous the crime is: is a life sentence for this Austrian father a sufficient punishment?

(I’d like to challenge the democracy lovers out there to show me a workable way they can take their governments to account for causing this individual so much suffering. Actually, I’ll make it easy for the democracites: show me a workable way that stories of the suffering in Iraq can be aired internationally and as frequently as the coverage the we witnessed on 9-11 or 7/7 and since.)

Below is an article in it’s original form. Please ignore errors in translation.

Nadia is one of the victims of the American mercenaries in Abu Ghraib prison. She was detained for unknown reasons. When she was released from the prison, didn’t throw herself into the arms of her family as most of the oppressed prisoners released have done dose, especially when he is being fueled by the fire of the oppression and a yearning for his family.

Simply, Nadia escaped immediately after she left prison, not because of the shame that will follow her because of some crime she has committed but because of what she and the other Iraqi captive women have been subject to; rape, and torture by the hands of the American mercenaries in Abu Gharib prison. The walls of the prison tell many tragic stories but what Nadia tells is the living truth and a living hell.

Nadia begins her story:

‘I was visiting one of my relatives, and suddenly the American forces attacked the home and started to inspect it. They found some light weapons. So, they arrested all people in the home including me. I tried to explain to the interpreter, who was accompanying the American patrol, that I am just a visitor. However, my trials failed. I cried, begged them, and I lost consciousness from fear when they took me to Abu Gharib prison.

Nadia continues ‘they put me alone in a dark and dirty prison cell. I expected that I will be released soon, especially when the investigation proved that I hadn’t committed a crime’

Nadia elaborated while tears poured down her cheek, a telling sign of just how much she has suffered.

‘The first day was so burdensome. The cell was malodorous, humid and dark, and this condition increased the fear inside me more and more. The laughs of the soldier outside the cell made me even more scared. I was afraid of what would happen to me. For the first time I felt that I was in a difficult gridlock and that I had entered an unknown world that I would not get out of.

In the middle of these different feelings, I heard a voice for an American soldier woman who was speaking in an Arabic language. She said to me: ‘I didn’t imagine that the weapons’ traders in Iraq are women.’ When I started to explain to her the circumstances of the situation, she beat me cruelly. I cried and shouted ‘By Allah! I am oppressed, By Allah! I am oppressed’

The soldier showered me with insults in a way that I have never thought possible or that I would ever be subjected to under any circumstances. Then, she started to deride me saying that she was monitoring me all the day via the satellite, and that they can track their enemies even inside their own bedrooms by American technology.

Then she laughed and said: ‘I was watching you when you were making love with your husband.’ I replied in a confused voice ‘But I am not married’.

She beat me for more than one an hour and she forced me to drink a glass of water, and I knew later that they put a drug in it. I regained my consciousness after two days to find myself naked. I knew immediately that I have lost something that all the laws in the earth will not be able to return it to me once again. I had been raped. A hysterical fit attacked me and I started to hit my head violently against the walls till more than five American soldiers head by that soldier women entered the cell and started to beat me, and they raped me alternately while they laughing and listening to a loud music.

Day by day the scenario of raping me was repeated. And every day they invent new ways that are crueler than the prior ways.’

She went on describing the horrible acts of the American criminals:

‘After about one month, a Negro soldier entered my cell and threw me two pieces of American military clothes. He said in weak Arabic language to wear them. After he put a black bag on my head, he led me to a public toilet where there are pipes for cold and hot water and he asked me to bathe. He then closed the door and left.

I was so exhausted and feeling pain, and despite the tremendous number of the bruises in my body, I poured out some water on my body. Before I finish my bath, the Negro soldier came in. I frightened, and I hit him in the face with the water bowl. His reaction was so tough. He raped me cruelly and spit on my face, then he left and returned with two soldiers who returned me to the cell.

The treatment continued that way, to the extent that sometimes I was raped ten times in a day, the matter which affected my health negatively.’

Nadia continued in revealing the American horrible actions made against the Iraqi women, saying:

‘After more than 4 months, a woman soldier woman came, and I concluded from her conversation with other soldiers that her name is Mary. She said to me ‘now you have a golden opportunity, since an officer who has a high position will visit us today, if you deal with him positively, you would be released, especially because we are sure you are innocent.’

I replied, ‘If you are sure of I am innocent, why you don’t release me?’

She screamed in nervousness, ‘The only way that guarantees your releasing is to be positive with them.’

She took me to the public toilets, and she supervised my bath while she was holding a thick stick, hitting me by it if I didn’t perform her orders. Then, she gave me makeup, and warned me not to cry and ruin my makeup. Then she took me to an empty small room where there was nothing but a cover on the floor, and after one an hour she came accompanied with four soldiers who was holding cameras. She took off her clothes and she harassed me as if she was a man. The soldiers were laughing and listening to a noisy music, and taking photographs to me in all poses, and they were emphasizing on my face. The woman asked me to smile otherwise she is going to kill me, and she took a gun from one of her colleagues and fired four bullets near my head, and swore that the fifth bullet will be fired in my head.

After that, the four soldiers raped me alternately the matter which made me lose my consciousness. When I regained the consciousness I found myself in the cell and the traces of their teeth, nails and cigarettes are in everywhere in my body.’

Nadia stopped narrating her tragedy to wipe her tears, then she continued: ‘After one day Mary came and told me that I was cooperative, and I will be released but after I watch the film that they have shot. I was in pain when I saw the film, and she (Mary) said: ‘you have been created for the sole purpose for us to enjoy’. At the moment I became very anger and I attacked her although I was afraid of her reaction, and I would kill her except for the interfering of the soldiers. When the soldiers released me she showered me with hitting, then they left me.

After this incident, nobody harassed me for more then one month; I spent that period in the praying and invocation to Allah, the All-Mighty who has all power, to help me.

Mary came with some soldiers who gave me the clothes that I was wearing when they arrested me and took me to an American car. Then they threw me on the highway road after giving me 10,000 Iraqi Dinars.

I went to a home that was near the place where I have been thrown out and since I know the reaction of my family, I preferred to visit one of my relatives to let them know what happened after my absence. I knew that my brother had held a consolation board for me for more than 4 months, and they considered me as a dead person.

I understand the knife of shame is waiting for me. So, I went to Baghdad where I found a good family who lodged me, and I worked with this family as a maid and governess for their children.

Nadia wonders in pain, regret and bitterness:

‘Who will quench my thirst? Who will return my virginity? What is the offense of my family and kin? I have inside me a baby, and I don’t know who his father is.’

And she ends her story here.

If the US can abstain from voting on a resolution to end the massacre of the Gazans on the premise that the proposal is simply unworkable then other nations should also be able to refrain from voting on any resolution that tries to pressure Iran on complying to western demands on the basis that it’s simply unworkable.

My dear sisters and brothers I wanted to take this opportunity to send you a message from the sisters in Gaza. Please hear our situation and tell everyone that you know and dont know.

Our situation is dire but our eman is strong alhamdulillah, even though we have no water to speak of, and when we do it is polluted and we have no money to buy mineral water. When we find the money those that sell it say that it is too dangerous for them to travel out to get new supplies. We have no gas, and have not had for the last four months. We cook the little food we have on real fires that we have learned to prepare.

Our men have lost all of their jobs. They spend their days at home now. My husband can spend a day just going from place to place just for the basic need of water. He usually returns empty handed. There are no schools, no banks, hardly any hospitals open. You are constantly aware that you risk your life when you go out and when you are indoors. They give us a curfew between 1-4pm. We can go out, they say, in safety to get your supplies, but that is a lie. They have ofetn used that opportnity to add more shuhada to their list.

We eat one day rice and one day bread. Meat and milk are a luxury. They are using chemical warfare in the areas which are on the borders.

All this and we are being told that people demonstrate all over the world. Masha Allah. the fact that you go to embassies and leave your homes makes us feel truely that we are not alone in our struggle.

But you go home at night and lock your door. We cannot do that. I have to leave my home on the second floor every night and stay with my sister on the ground floor. Should there be an attack, it’s quicker to leave from the ground floor.

Yes we are tired. When we hear rockets and bombs and see planes that fly too close to our building, I scream with my young son and my husband feels helpless.

In all this there is no one but Allah (swt) that can save us. But the ummah is asking where are the armies, where is the victory. Dont forget us because you are all that we have now. Your kind sadeqat is not reaching us, and when they open borders it only reaches a few. Keep up the work of Allah and pray that th victory will come soon insha Allah.

Ws.

Your sister umm Taqi.

I’ve already posted a few articles on the lie promoted by western media that Iran wanted to wipe Israel off the map – a lie that most politicians have exploited even though no such statment was ever made. But to those who are still naively convinced that Iran is Israel’s greatest enemy:

Why is it then that the Iranian government hasn’t used its military to launch attacks on Tel Aviv? Why are there no empty threats? If there ever was a time for the Iranians to attack Israel it would be now – the public opinion is there to support it as the world leaders have done nothing to prevent the massacre. World protests show the anger amongst the people – if Iran every had any intention to attack Israel it could easily do so right now.

Israeli BS is unbelievable. What’s even more unbelievable is the number of westerners out there that seem to buy it.

Will someone please ask the Israelis why they should be armed by the US but Hamas isn’t allowed to arm itself when it is Israel that broke the ceasefire and it is Israel that put Gaza under seige and it is Israel that is the occupying power that has oppressed the people of Gaza for so long.

The Americans are standing shoulder to shoulder with the Israelis, defending its actions. I am starting to despise the Americans that support Israel. They have got to be amongst the most naive (at best) and amongst the most wicked and evil of people second only to the Israeli zionists.

Since the BBC is partly funded by the British Foreign Office it has to promote British interests abroad. As a result, there isn’t a great deal of discussion around the Palestine issue or the Israeli occupation. Israel’s lastest round of aggression in Gaza has only received bitty, sporadic reporting of mere information – the number killed in Gaza and what Israel is threatening on doing.

I’ve just been watching the BBC world service for news on Gaza in English. I did catch some very brief information; read out like the journalist had a gun pointed to his head behind the camera forcing him to emotionlessly mention the figures dead and quickly move on. Finally, the BBC continues the world news round to focus on the monarch butterflies in Mexico under risk of being displaced.

Millions of Palestinian refugees have been displaced for decades since the creation of the illegal state of Israel and the BBC has never discussed the illegality of this, or even mentioned returning the land to the Palestinians. Their news coverage always lacks any debate on the origin of this conflict and it truly is a disgrace to journalism. Instead of discussing this mass displacement of humans, it’s more concerned about where the monarch butterflies will end up.

]]> http://honestdebate.wordpress.com/2008/12/28/scores-continue-to-die-in-gaza-but-the-bbc-is-more-concerned-about-butterflies-displaced-in-mexico/feed/ 0 honestdebate