Death by Media

100

The Newsweek article that set off a firestorm in the Muslim world is seen as both untrue and also unfortunate in the United States. There are those who are saying that the information was never corroborated, and so it should not have been published, while there are others who say that Quran flushing had been reported previously in prisoner complaints. The problem is that no one to date, has supplied either the report or the complaints where the charges or findings supposedly originated. This could imply that either no such information exists, or that if it did exist, it either no longer exists, or is simply unavailable. In a time of war, anything can happen to information that is deemed sensitive, and such information, considering the response it received in the Muslim world, would likely be deemed very sensitive.

Whether or not Quran flushing actually took place is another, and completely different challenge, than the challenge to understand why Newsweek ran the story, and why Newsweek is being so quickly and completely exonerated. Many Muslims are not convinced that a simple nose in the air, and twist of the wrist absolves Newsweek of any and all responsibility for the deaths that occurred as a result of its irresponsible and unprofessional journalism. War or no war, the US media is, or at least should be bound by certain professional rules, ethics, and principals. When it does not act up to that traditional standard of professional journalism, and when such a failure leads to deaths, someone is accountable.

Many media pundits, and even our own President, sought to relieve Newsweek of responsibility for the deaths that occurred as Muslims protested the supposed desecration of Quran in public demonstrations held throughout the Muslim world. Statements implying that the insurgents in Iraq are "barbaric" and that their actions are somehow illogical and impossible for civilized people to understand have nothing to do with the standard of professional journalism that was purposefully ignored by Newsweek, and that may have caused deaths. Neither does it say anything about the people of the Muslim world, who are not insurgents, and who demonstrated in protest of the alleged desecration of the Quran. Their rights to protest, and to condemn such actions were met with bullets, teargas and death, sprayed upon them by their own governments, acting in the interest of the United States. If the same or similar reports related to the Bible, or the Talmud, or the US Constitution had been published and Americans, Christians or Jews had protested, those protests would have been seen as Patriotism, and a religious right, and even perhaps a duty. Yet, for Muslims, our protests are chided in the media, called violence, illogical, and or barbaric, even though it is the protestors themselves who are being killed.

US Muslims should be aware that provoking violence, is a common practice that Zionist in Israel and their lackeys throughout the world have used successfully against Muslims, as a cause for illegal detentions, emergency laws, wars, assassinations, massacres and other unjust, illegal and deadly acts. During a time of war, such actions could be deemed not only reasonable, but also legal, and just. Newsweek understands that. Its editors also understand that the rewards to be reaped from such a report is not just that Muslims will protest and be killed, but that we might begin to hate the US, and seek to undermine the war effort, be deemed treasonous, and threatening, and our loyalty questioned. The war initiated as a backlash against islam and Muslims, following the 9/11 attacks against Islam and Muslims has not ended, and our enemies have no limit as to what they will do to achieve their desired result in respect to Muslims and Islam in America.

A good part of US diplomacy, prior to the Zionist takeover of the US State department, was dedicated to understanding the culture, laws, and rituals of other peoples and countries, and acting in ways that engendered peace, and cooperation. Today, there is no diplomacy towards the Muslim world, only arrogant condemnation, threatening and bullying tactics and attitudes, along with gamesmanship borrowed from Israel. It is the environment created after 9/11, and the absence of US diplomacy and respect for Muslims that makes it possible for Newsweek to be deemed innocent, and Muslim protestors guilty. If tried in a US court of law, Newsweek would likely be found guilty of contributing to the deaths of the Muslim protestors who have died as a result of their irresponsible journalism. Unfortunately, such a case will not be tried, since the families of those who have died have neither knowledge nor money that would afford them the privilege of American justice, for what is possibly a US media crime.