Re: On Islamic radicalism and the left by Don Hamerquist
On Aug 16, 2006, at 11:13 PM, Michael Pugliese wrote:
Wednesday, August 09, 2006 On Islamic radicalism and the left Don Hamerquist sends the following comments on “Defending my enemy’s enemy”: (Lyons on Hezbollah and the Western Left, http://threewayfight.blogspot.com/2006/08/defending-my-enemys- enemy.html )
Where we read:
So let’s be clear: We have a pressing responsibility to defend the
Lebanese people, demand an immediate end to Israeli attacks, and
expose the deadly U.S. role in the conflict.
Who’s “we”? The blogosphere? Hezbollah’s done exactly this, haven’t
they?
But let’s be clear about something else too: The fact that Israel
and the United States want to destroy Hezbollah does not make it a
positive political force. To be sure, Hezbollah has staunchly
resisted Israeli aggression for years. It runs a sizeable network
of social services and has a solid base of popular support centered
in the largely poor Shi’i community but cutting across
denominational lines. Yet no matter how courageous its fighters may
be, no matter how many schools and hospitals it runs, Hezbollah is
essentially a right-wing political movement….
According to my interview with Rasha Salti
true. She says they’ve adapted themselves to Lebanon’s complex,
cosmopolitan political culture and are not aggressively theocratic.
She also says that as a secular democrat, she’s not their biggest
fan, but even she admires the way they kicked Israel’s ass. It’s not
like they’re about to take over the government & impose shariah.
Doug