orb@whuts.UUCP (SEVENER) (11/05/85)
Gary Kremen writes in narrowminded hate: > What unmitigated bullshit. The only reason we are allies with the arabs, > and Saudi Arabia in particular, is their oil. Since the world economy > is and will be for many years, be petroleum-based and the Arabs possess > it, we have good geo-political reasons for an alliance. Its not like we > have common ideals and beliefs (as in democracy, etc.). > > Saudi Arabia is not the traditional center of arabic and islamic > culture. The center of arabic and islamic culture has changed many times > in the past and will most likely change again. Usually, in a given time > period, the arab entity bitching the loudest is the center of arab and > islamic "culture". Lets briefly discuss this so-called culture. Which > part of arab and islamic culture to discuss? The part that cuts off the > ears and noses of petty criminals or the part that treats their women > as shit? > -- > Name: Gary Kremen > Address 1: kremen@aerospace.ARPA The hate and prejudice spewed forth upon Arabs by Gary Kremen is both dangerous and tragic. It is typical for such stereotyping to characterize all memmbers of the hated group as the same-they are *all* equally worthless and all members of the group are assigned the blame for the actions of a few. I personally know Moslems from the Mideast who do not support the oppression of women in many Arab countries, nor the imposition of archaic laws about severing limbs for criminal punishment, nor other repressive actions by Arab governments. It is narrowminded prejudice to imply that all Arans or all Moslems support either these actions or that interpretation of the Koran. Currently some members (note I say *some*) of the Moral Majority in our own country are supporting book-burning, state assassination of criminals (80% of whom just happen somehow to be black), the apartheid regime in South Africa, and censorship. In the past *some* Christians have supported the Inquisition, witch-burnings, slavery, war and colonialism: all in the supposed name of Christ and the Bible. Does this mean all Christians supported these things? Certainly not. Does this mean such meanhearted and hateful interpretations of the Bible are the only ones possible? Certainly not. Nor does it mean that all Christians are destructive of culture. What holds for white Christians holds just as strongly for Arab Moslems. In fact the Christian West regained ancient knowledge and writers after the Dark Ages from the Arabs who had translated and preserved Aristotle, Galen and countless other Greek and Roman thinkers, scholars and writers. Moreover it was the Arabs who first developed the mathematical concepts of zero and *al-gebra* . The Arabs also have written some of the world's most beautiful poetry, may have contributed the guitar to Western music and have been very constructive in many fields of culture. Let us be clear to criticize only those responsible for malicious acts such as terrorism and let us turn the light of criticism first upon ourselves before condemning others for actions they have neither fomented nor supported. One will note that almost every Arab government condemned the Achille Lauro hijacking. tim sevener whuxn!orb
tw8023@pyuxii.UUCP (T Wheeler) (11/06/85)
What's going on out there? This will be the second time today I agree with someone I usually disagree with. Sevener is absolutly right in his assesment of hatred. His article was well said. One point to the previous poster who said that Saudi Arabia had not always been the center of the Moslem religion. You had better go back to History 101 and read a little further. Mecca has never moved from its present spot. That spot currently resides within the territory governed by the Saudi family. Mecca was once governed by another family from that region, but they were ousted by the Saudis. (They became the rulers of the present day Jordan). The arabic cultural center has moved all over the middle east. The religious center has always been in Mecca. T. C. Wheeler