Jihad al-Bina's Reconstruction Terrorism
Interview
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(page 2 of 6) Al-Qaeda ranks first on the American list of terrorist organizations and rightfully so. Assuming that JaB and al-Qaeda both operate, shall we say, within the “real estate” sector—the latter destroys and the former constructs—doesn’t it bother you that JaB is equated with al-Qaeda in the American lexicon? Our view is that American foreign policy is in shambles—a complete fiasco. It has reached ridiculous lows, and in Lebanon it accuses all those opposed to the U.S.-backed Siniora government of being terrorists. Even media outlets or individual journalists holding opposing views to American policy are accused of aiding “terrorism.” JaB has no relations with al-Qaeda. We oppose targeting innocent civilians and killing for the sake of killing. This goes against the grain of our philosophy and basic humanity. We know that the U.S. government created al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and armed and trained its members during the Cold War. We have intelligence reports indicating American involvement in directing al-Qaeda operatives, in some cases, when and where it served U.S. interests in Iraq. After al-Qaeda committed terrorist acts in New York in 2001, it was only natural for American society as a whole to mobilize in response. “Why do they hate us?” became the most popular question driving U.S. foreign policy concerns at the time. The majority of commentators did not deviate far from the same, well-rehearsed answer: because we are rich, democratic, free, pluralistic, etc. But no one posed the question directly to the “other”—to the concerned subject. So here it is: “Why do you hate us?” The developed global North has set itself on a direct collision course with the underdeveloped or developing global South. There is plenty of evidence about the use of economic policies to further cripple a mostly dysfunctional South. Legal tools such as the World Bank and the IMF are used to wreak havoc on entire national economies, to chain them with never-ending national debt and to steer the resources of underdeveloped countries to benefit the North. As an organization, JaB is not in the “hate” business. In practical terms, hostile policies pursued by the United States to benefit Israel, however, constitute “a clear and present danger” to our survival and make us suspicious of those behind such policies. However we do make a clear-cut distinction between U.S. foreign policy and the American people; we don’t hate the American people. I personally appreciate the good nature of the average American, for I experienced life in America first-hand when I lived in Minneapolis for three and a half years as a student. I enjoyed the friendships that I made, and I appreciated the environment that surrounded me on the college campus, in my neighborhood, etc. At that time people in the U.S. received me with an open mind and I have remained open to Americans since then. After leaving the U.S. I harbored no ill-will or hate whatsoever for Americans, and to this day I yearn for the opportunity to make a private visit to Minneapolis, a beautiful city that is dear to me. I know that the average American is not concerned with the U.S. role in the North-South conflict, not to mention the destruction that the U.S. government has brought to other countries (Iraq) and detrimental impact of U.S. foreign policy in different regions (Latin America and the Middle East). Similarly, there is very little grasp among average Americans of the influence large American corporations and the military-industrial complex have over such policies, or enough awareness of the influence American Zionists have within the structure of the political establishment and the American media. What you are saying demands a follow-up question—only in reverse. In your opinion, why do we hate you? Because we stand in the way of your government’s agenda to destroy our livelihood and our identity. The nature of neo-liberalism—same old capitalism in a far militant outfit—is to destroy local culture and to expropriate or at least control local resources, without regard for the needs security, and interests of the rightful owners of those resources. Fouad Siniora has been a major player, in one role or the other, in the Lebanese government since 1993, with full American support. What does it mean when an American president deems the survival of the Siniora government in Lebanon as an issue of American national security, knowing that Siniora facilitated Israel’s war on the Lebanese people in the summer of 2006? As a Lebanese citizen and a member of a civilian population that was targeted wholesale by the Israeli war machine, how should I understand this? Isn’t the U.S. asserting undue control of my destiny and interfering in my country’s internal affairs in order to further its own interests in the region? |
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