Muslim world, US and Israel

It is known for a fact that American & British leaders not only shift their allegiance to Israel the moment they are sworn into their respective offices,

but they also very cleverly make the ordinary American & Brits die for this Zionist State.

On the flip side, the amazing ineffectiveness of the leaders of the Islamic world in dealing with the Zionist State of Israel also raises a similar question as to who they are really loyal to: Israel or the Muslim ummah?

Israeli air strikes are killing a large number of people in Lebanon. Most of them are children and civilians. Beirut is the worst hit place and the situation there is turning into a humanitarian crisis.

The international community must respond to the crisis immediately.

Sanwar Khan, Uttara, Dhaka

In front of your TV set, watching eagerly BBC or CNN - the international news agencies of democratic countries, you may be wondering where are the voices of the thousands of children, men and women from Southern Lebanon. Sufferings of the people uprooted from their homes under the blitz of Israeli shells have vanished in the ether, unable to find their way in the media. Well, you may argue otherwise. Its not in the ether, the plight of humanity is buried under the sands of Texas.

BBC's journalists are busy covering the 'dispute' between Zidane and Materazzi; And CNN? Well readers, you know it. Where is the time to focus the cameras at the nozzles of Israeli tanks, shelling the human-like creatures living in the Gaza and southern Lebanon? They are just another endangered species on the earth, may be of interest to the National Geography.

Enough of analogy. The western media is trying to portray, with their limited and biased coverage, that it is just another front against terrorism. And in the name of fighting terror, everything is justifiable. Bombing hospitals, schools, houses, mosques, you name it. Two sacred lives of Israeli soldiers, descendants of the chosen people, worth more than thousands of worthless Arabs, most of whom are 'terrorists', have been lost.

The world has also seen the pathetic role played by the UN, which is supposed to be the watchdog of world peace. Mr. Kofi Annan may reply with a murmur that the UN has played its role, by proposing to deploy international forces in the region. Not surprisingly, the proposal was vehemently declined by Israel. It simply proves the banality of the UN proposal. Rest of the world has also supposedly done is duty by supporting the UN proposal. The Organisation of Islamic Conference (not to be confused with "Oh, I SEE"), was so shocked by the atrocities of Israel forces, that it lost its words to express any views. We have to wait until OIC recovers from the comma.

Israeli atrocities in southern Lebanon offer a striking similarity to Bangladesh's liberation war. When the Pakistani army showed its brutality by killing thousands of unarmed innocent men, women and children, neither the West nor the Muslim world came forward with a sympathetic voice. Bangladesh had to fight its own war, like the Palestinians are fighting now in Gaza, West Bank and refugee camps in Lebanon. Let the media realise it soon.

F. H. Rana, Saudi Arabia

I would like to congratulate Ayasha (July 21st) for her balanced e-mail. It is indeed very rare to hear such words from a Muslim or Bangladeshi (I am assuming you are one forgive me if I am wrong).

It is true that we are blinded by our religion to a large extent. We blame all our problems on America yet all of us want to live there. Once we get the opportunity to live there and gain all the advantages of the "American life" we still want to backbite about them and say, " Americans are foolish and Americans live a miserable life and that they have no morals etc."

Let's now go back to the original topic of Lebanon -Israel conflict. I am not a historian, as a matter of fact I know very little about history but I look at the near past, the present and at the future. Repeatedly during my last 6 years of keeping track of the news I have seen that every time there is a ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Palestinians have to mess it up. And yes every single time.

Now just imagine this scenario Hamas is as powerful as the Israelis and have backing of some strong nations and strong military strength and let's assume Israel to be a poor overpopulated country (like current Palestine) with mass unemployment and weak military --- what would have Hamas done?

An uncle asked me if there is a burning fire in two houses in one there is a Muslim and one there is a Jew which house will you go to I answered whichever house comes first as a Muslim I have read the Holy Quran and understood that God has told us to treat everyone equally and treat every person as a human irrespective of race religion and colour. If my brother is a murderer he remains a murderer similarly if Hezbollah followers are terrorists they remain terrorists and they should be looked down upon whether they are Muslim, Christian or Jewish.

Finally, I also know that most people will look into my email as "O that's another white washed American who calls himself Muslim" its time we started looking at the cup as half full and drinking off that instead of complaining that it's half empty then spilling it and then dying of thirst.

Shadman, University of Toronto