> Some people might take opposition to the Iraq war as support for Al
> Qaeda's aims, but that seems a bit barking to me. Al Qaeda does not
> want to see democratic self government in Iraq, but opposes the
> occupation only insofar as it is an exemplar of man-made law, which
> is an affront to God's law.
>
>
OK... I've been holding these back a bit, because
I couldn't find a picture that did them justice.
This is probably the best view: http://eai2k.brinkster.net/images/m06.jpg
Side angle: http://eai2k.brinkster.net/images/m08.jpg
http://www.islamicsupport.net/IslamicGallary/Makkah/Large/MakkahGateWay.jpg
These are pictures of the "Gateway to Makka" that the pilgrims see upon arrival at the end of their journey. It was built with money provided by SaudiAramco. They, and the Saudi Government are quite proud of it with it's NEON LIT KORAN pointed at the sky, and major freeway running beneath it.
A friend of mine saw a print picture that renders a view of the inside near the walkways and he commented:
"No one's put in a McD's franchise yet? I'll have to get on it!"
His tongue was firmly in cheek when he said that, and everyone laughs. But when the internalized hatred for that type of cultural intrusion on a religion that is hard pressed to even collect interest on loans comes to a head and explodes(choice of word intentional) like a zit on the face of western culture, everyone stops laughing.
Just like when someone kicks the bully in the schoolyard and everything goes silent.
What if AQ is just saying: Fuck YOUR definition of democracy, our culture & societies have worked just as well as yours, and you'll leave us alone now... and we might have to kill a few of you to impress you that we mean it, and a certain percentage of muslims in every country in the world believes that...
Including Iraqis.
Until the western world can 'fess up to the fact that "acculturation" doesn't "globalize" any better than "the export of democracy", there will be war..
War in the East... War in the West. War up North War down South
And rumors of war...
Leigh http://www.leighm.net
