I would be dishonest if I said I didn’t hate the American government. I do hate it, so really, so deeply and, yes, so rightly.
America is the tormentor of my people. It is to me, as a Palestinian, what Nazi Germany was to the Jews. America is the all-powerful devil that spreads oppression and death in my neighborhood. How can I not hate this “great Satan,” the evil empire? Does anyone expect people to love their tormentors?
America has been, and continues to be, the sponsor, enabler, protector, and justifier of my people’s misery for the last fifty years.
America is the author of 53 years of suffering, death, bereavement, occupation, oppression, homelessness, and victimization.
America is the usurper of my people’s right to human rights, democracy, civil liberties, development, and dignified life.
America is the abettor and financier of Israeli occupation, apartheid, repression, terror, and territorial aggrandizementéall at my people’s expense.
America is the protector, maintainer, sustainer and guarantor of despotism, dictatorship, dynastic fiefdoms, and brutal autocracies, theocracies, oligarchies, and monarchies.
America is the evil power that denies my people their “freedoms and democracy.”
America is the tyrant, global dictatorship that robs hundreds of millions of Arabs and Muslims of their right to freely elect their governments and rulers because corporate America dreads the outcome of democracy in the Muslim world.
America treats me and my people as “children of a lesser God.”
In fact, in the final analysis, America offers me one of two choices: Either I submissively accept perpetual enslavement and oppressioné or become an Osama bin Laden. Honestly, there is not a third choice, if there is one let us see it.
I’m not exaggerating at all, as I know that the distance between being tormented by America’s oppressive hegemony and being converted or mesmerized into bin-Ladenism is shorter and smaller than many would think, including the so-called experts in Washington.
In fact, I dare say that the first inevitably leads to the second in a straightforward cause-effect relationship.
So, please America, don’t make me an Osama bin Laden. I don’t’ want to be one, I hate to kill innocent people, for, in our religion, killing an innocent human-being consigns the killer straight to hell. And I don’t want to go to hell. But I don’t want to stay in America’s hell, either.
In short, it is virtually impossible for me, as indeed is the case for most Palestinians, Arabs, or Muslims, not to hate America so much.
For me, in order not to hate America, I would have to be imbecile, bereft of dignity, or without senses and feelingsé completely numb.
Only infra-humans and quasi-beasts wouldn’t hate their evil tormentors and grave-diggers. And America is the Palestinian people’s ultimate tormentor and grave-digger, as well as the oppressor and killer of millions around the world.
In fact, finding an Arab in these days that doesn’t hate America would be like searching for a Jew who is infatuated with Hitler’s Germany. Are there Jews who adore the Nazis? Are there still Arabs and Muslims who identify with the indirect, but no less-real, perpetrator of the massacres of Qana, Sabra and Shatilla, and now Beit Rima. Maybe there still are some, but I’m sure they soon will disappear. I know that a wealthy Saudi Emir recently made some sycophantic remarks about being “an ally of America.” However, it is extremely unlikely that he did mean what he said. It would be scandalous if he did, indeed.
I know that “hate” is evil, at least a passive evil. And I, personally, really strive not to allow my deep hate for the American government and its murderous policies be transformed from the static form to the dynamic form.
However, others, who may even hate America more than I do, will not be able to exercise as much self-control, as much suppression of their grievances, and as much “wisdom.” But Static hate is ultimately a frozen rage, awaiting the moment of explosion.
I know hate can be blind and deadly. But, I also know that oppression, as the Holy Qura’n clearly states, is worse than murder. Doesn’t Islam’s holy Book declare that “wal-fitnatu Ashaddu minal-qatl?”
Hence, I try, even strive, to make my hate for America, as rational as possible, as constructive as possible, even as human as possible. This is not because America deserves to be treated humanely.
The exterminators of 1.5 million Iraqi children, for the purpose of punishing one man, would never deserve to be treated well, or respected. They are despicable mass murders of the Hitler’s ilk.
I try to control my hate, because my goal is to live in love and peace, not to hate and be hated by others. My goal is to be free, free from Israel’s US-sponsored and US-funded oppression and occupation. I want to be free from apartheid, what is wrong or objectionable about wanting to be free from apartheid? I want to be free from suffering which transcends reality. I want to be free from a life of roadblocks, checkpoints, detention camps, closed-military zones, “targeted killing,” land-confiscation, home-demolition, and, yes, daily massacres.
I also want to be free from hate, even hate for America. But I know too well that I can’t be free from the effect until I am free from the cause, and the cause is America’s greed, rapacity and hegemony.
All we want is to be left alone and allowed to live a normal life and exercise our God-given rights and freedomsé like other human beings. Is this asking for too much?
Please, America, don’t make me an Osama bin Laden.