Ninth Anniversary of 9/11

A Matter of Conscience

For weeks the media have fomented hysteria about a Muslim Community Centre to be built near Ground Zero in New York City. Then came the threat to burn 200 Qur'ans on the 9th anniversary of 9/11 by a pastor in Gainesville, Florida whose followers number but thirty.

In Canada, first came the police violence against the G20 protests, which continues with accusations of conspiracy against many youth. This was followed by the arrests of Muslims under the guise that they are terrorists and soon after the arrest of Tamil asylum seekers under the hoax that they too could be harbouring terrorists.

Commentators and mass media from both countries have led us to conclude from all these events that dangerous extremists are in our midst but that champions of freedom, democracy and rights are to be found in whom we should entrust our fate. Who are these defenders of freedom? None other than U.S. President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, General David H. Petraeus who is the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Defence Minister Peter Mackay. Buried in all this commotion and not considered a problem is U.S. state terrorism and Canada's participation in U.S. imperialism's striving for world hegemony.

Many prominent individuals within the U.S. and from around the world, including leaders of the main U.S. religions, have denounced the extremist Florida pastor and pronounced themselves in favour of "American values." Obama said the planned burning of the Qur'an is "completely contrary to our values as Americans" and "a recruitment bonanza for al Qaeda." Hillary Clinton called it "a disrespectful, disgraceful act." General Petraeus said the move "could endanger troops and the overall effort in Afghanistan." Mackay dutifully agreed and Harper chimed in with the assurance that "my God and my Christ is a tolerant God, and that's what we want to see in this world."

This staged melodrama pressures people to support "lawful Muslims" versus "unlawful Muslims." We are told that if "Muslims" are "unlawful" they must be opposed yet treated as innocent until proven guilty, but no matter what, we must defend the national interests of the United States by upholding "American values." In this vein, we are reassured that Islam is not the enemy; extremists are the enemy. How do we identify the extremists? We are told they are the ones who do not support the values put forward by the state. They are the ones who are a danger to U.S. national interests and must be declared unlawful. This ugly scenario repeats the McCarthy era when anyone deemed "un-American" was declared a threat to national security and subject to civil death.

A typical "liberal" method is at play. It creates two extremes and then declares the state the champion of the Golden Mean. In this way through sleight of hand, U.S. state terrorism becomes the "Golden Mean." Wars against Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond are needed and justified to defend U.S. national interests, just as Israeli state terror is excused as self-defence in Palestine. So too, the practice of renditions, torture and the use of secret evidence are all justified under the doctrine of state secrets and national security.

Typically, a heinous rightwing extreme is floated, such as Pastor Terry Jones, to make the case that "hate crimes" and extremists must be denounced and prosecuted. It is all done to rally the official "left" and liberal opinion behind the passing of new laws to declare "un-American" opinion a hate crime. This includes criticism of Israel and Zionism, which are to be considered "anti-Semitic," and also what Tony Blair calls "revolutionary communism" that allegedly preaches class hatred.

A win-win situation for President Obama is it not. He could do nothing to stop Pastor Jones while massive demonstrations take place abroad against the burning of the Qur'an. Then he and all the other champions of the "war on terror" would continue to make statements against extremism and the danger this act has created for our troops. This would then be used to justify passing "anti-hate" legislation in the near future criminalising all those who hold un-American views. Or he could ban the Qur'an burning and present himself as a champion of tolerance for defending American values. Then in the near future, he could use the furor and action against Pastor Jones to justify legislation banning freedom of speech, association and beliefs.

Meanwhile, the international plot has thickened as it is reported that Pastor Jones has withdrawn his threat to burn the Qur'an in exchange for his demand that a Muslim Community Centre not be built near Ground Zero.

The U.S. administration, the government of Stephen Harper, the media of both countries, certain religious leaders and many others are trying to make a case that all those who do not espouse what are called "American" or "Canadian" values must be deemed unlawful or extremists and deprived of their civil rights. This is to declare lawful the condition of civil death. The citizenry is thereby deprived of its right to conscience for opposing U.S. wars of aggression, state terrorism and intolerance, while some rightwing extremists are promoted to celebrity status.

People should not line up in defence of "American" or "Canadian" values in the name of protecting national security, opposing extremists or any other reason. What is required is to reject the self-serving arguments that U.S. authority in its military or civilian garb has the indisputable right to settle all matters in the world based on its own self-serving interests. The cause of the peoples of the world for peace and justice is not favoured by taking sides pro or con any equation or melodrama the U.S. state self-servingly advances.

These dangerous developments must not be permitted to pass. On this anniversary of 9/11, the U.S. has some 11,600 private contractors and 50,000 troops in Iraq after its alleged disengagement. It commands 150,000 U.S. and other NATO forces in Afghanistan. It is routinely bombing Pakistan and threatening Iran and the DPRK. Outside the U.S., it has almost one thousand military bases in sixty-five countries in the world; it continues to practice torture and renditions to torture, and flouts civil rights in the name of national security. Canada is following suite. The massive disinformation campaign over extremism indicates that this anniversary of 9/11 catches the U.S. in such a deep all-round crisis, including a profound economic and credibility crisis in which the U.S. system is mired, that it has unleashed the greatest assault since the McCarthy era on the conscience of its own people and that of the peoples of the world.

It is indeed a matter of conscience, the conscience of humanity, which the U.S. state is criminalizing. It must not pass!

On this occasion, let us reiterate our opposition to all acts of individual and state terrorism; demand an end to the war in Afghanistan and that Canadian troops be brought home now, and that the U.S. immediately withdraw all its troops from foreign lands.

Humanity needs fundamental measures to end state terrorism and all violence, abuse and torture wreaked upon the innocent peoples of Palestine, Afghanistan and all others suffering from imperialist predatory war and oppression.

- TML Daily, Vol. 40 No. 149 / September 10, 2010

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