-- Dennis
-------------------------------- "The Third World War is No Joke" What do Arabs in Germany think of the military strikes against Afghanistan? A stroll through Berlin's Neukoelln district. Article by STEFAN KUZMANY and JENS GERDES
"Bin Laden? That's a long story." No, they'd rather not say anything. A group of young men stand in front of the Lebanese Khaschfe-Snack on Sonnenallee street in Neukoelln. A midafternoon snack bar in the warm autumn sun. What do you think about the war in Afghanistan?
"We'd rather not talk about that," says a thirty-something with an orange-colored Nike sweatshirt. "We want to live here in peace, we don't have anything to do with politics." The conversation might've been over, but he doesn't want the reporter to go just yet: "If one person makes a mistake, then one shouldn't make everyone responsible. That's like with Hitler. We don't want that, that's bad for the foreigners in Germany." If it was only a question of his opinion, then we could talk. But of course it was a question of everyone.
And then he wants to talk anyway, invites us to the back of the local snack bar, offers tea - and then becomes mistrustful again: "What do you have there in your pocket? Cigarettes? Can I see them?" He thought the cigarette box might have been a tape recorder. His name? His age? His occupation? He doesn't want to say. Only this much: he comes from Lebanon, has lived for fifteen years here, and has a child with the German woman he's living with.
"This isn't anything to do with Muslims and Christians. We can get along with each other." What does he think now about the war? "The USA only wants to expand their power. They only want the oil. I believe Bin Laden. He swore, that he didn't do it. He is a true Moslem. And a true Moslem doesn't lie."
Naturally what happened in New York was appalling. "No Muslim could do anything like that." On the one hand. On the other: does anyone care how many people died in Lebanon? Or about what's happening in Palestine?
"When a single Jew dies, then Germany is there right away. But noone cares about us." And then once more: "If there is proof [of Bin Laden's guilt], then I'll be the first one on the side of the Americans. But there isn't any proof." - "War is terrible. Only the innocents get killed," says the server behind the counter, while he slides another tray of ground meat in the oven. And his customer becomes philosophical: "I wonder about one thing: why is there always war, wherever there are Muslims? For me that's a question without an answer."
Nearby, in the Orient Cafi, El-Salam, sits the Palestinian "Mohammed Ali". He doesn't want to give his real name. The general situation has made him cautious, he gives us to understand with his pained expression, while he stares spellbound at a TV. A Palestinian station is broadcasting live a firefight with Israeli soldiers. Mohammed urgently draws on the water-pipe and comments, "Arabs not terrorist. Americans terrorist." He says this over and over and doesn't even have time to exhale the smoke. "American terrorist." And over and over he points to the TV: "Look!" He points out the American weapons of the Israelis and finishes briefly: "Not George Bush. George Sharon!" He vehemently disputes Bin Laden's guilt for the terror attacks on Manhattan: "Show me proof! Show me proof, and I'll be quiet!"
On the Ernst-Abbe high school on Sonnenallee street school has just ended. Young people stream out of the stone buildings, German, Turkish, Arab. Nada (19) smokes her after-school cigarette. Her father comes from Beirut, her mother from Yugoslavia. Behind her is a class window decorated with posters: "Berlin flys flags" can be seen next to the Statue of Liberty in front of a US star-spangled banner.
Nada herself isn't convinced one way or the other: when it comes to the bombing, "I'm against it just as much as everything else here," she commented, looking at her classmates. "And what the Taliban are doing totally sucks, too." One of the more senior students, she doesn't appear to be particularly partisan. "The promise of the Americans not to attack civilians is fine. But I don't know if demanding an eye for an eye is right."
Kadir is 14 years old, has a Palestinian background and has an unequivocal opinion on the war in Afghanistan: "That'll just create more hate. Violence only causes more violence." The consequence: "A war will break out. The Arabs will band together and fight against the Americans and Europeans. The Third World War is coming." Is he afraid? "Well," says Kadir and grins, "world war is no joke." But now he has to go - his buddy has a new cellphone, and he wants to see it for himself.