LETTERS / There Are Believers and Nonbelievers at Ground Zero NASSAU AND SUFFOLK Edition

It is a big mistake to portray terrorists and their sympathizers as victims of U.S. foreign policy ["A Nurtured State," Sept. 25]. These people need to externalize the causes of the longstanding ills that plague their societies, to blame "outsiders" for everything. Let's fac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNewsday
Main Authors Albert, Gerald, Nickerson, Kathleen, Dantone, Gerry, Katz, Harry, Szuchmacher, Pinkus H, Ludu, Sam, Kahrs, Charles
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Long Island, N.Y Newsday LLC 05.10.2001
EditionCombined editions
Subjects
Jordan, Brian
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Summary:It is a big mistake to portray terrorists and their sympathizers as victims of U.S. foreign policy ["A Nurtured State," Sept. 25]. These people need to externalize the causes of the longstanding ills that plague their societies, to blame "outsiders" for everything. Let's face it: the Arabic world is notorious for its repression, injustice, poverty, intolerances and corruption. Blessed with one of the most valuable assets in the world, oil, the Arab nations have mismanaged and squandered their wealth. In the article "A Nurtured Hate" a Palestinian is quoted as saying Arabs don't understand why the U.S. should "support Israel when it occupies Palestinian lands and tries to take over holy places." Did the speaker, Ziad Abu Amr, a legislator and political analyst, forget why the lands were occupied in the first place? Israel didn't look to expand; eight separate Arab nations attacked the newly founded state in 1948 and then four times more. Israel defended itself and gained the territory in five wars it didn't start. For Arabs to charge Israel with trying to take over holy places is black humor. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Jordanians destroyed 58 Jerusalem synagogues and systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives and prevented Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.