Rob Kall interviews Yemeni journalist Mohamed Al Azaki, who reports that the Muslim world has reacted to Bush's claims to be promoting democracy, while really waging culture and economic war has led a generation of Muslims to reject Democracy. And he reports that Iraq has become a training ground, enabling it to be the prime EXPORTER of Al Qaeda terrorists to points all over the world.
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Mohamed Al Azaki is a journalist working in Yemen, the horn of Africa and a correspondent for OpEdNews. I interviewed him after publishing several of his articles which reported some disturbing developments in the Arab world.
rob kall: Tell me.. from your latest article, it appears that Muslims have a choice between loyalty to Islam or to Democracy-- that they cannot have both. Is this your observation, or also your opinion?
mohamed al Azaki: look, this is my observation, but the results and expectations in the article was my clear opinion based on tangible facts and information from many sources.
The article doesn't reflect my status, and doesn't mean that I'm extremist Muslim or that sympathizing with al-Qaeda, not at all.
I'm a moderate Muslim journalist, and I have many lovely foreign friends in the US, Canada, Britain, France, Spain and India, in addition also to many foreign friends working in western embassies and foreign companies here in Yemen.
I have also extremist Muslim friends claiming sympathy for al-Qaeda in many Arab countries. Well, I will not talk about those extremists because their positions - from the start of entering democracy into their world – were clear and strict towards refusing the democracy.
In fact, after adopting and living with the democracy system by moderate Muslim groups for approximately 15 years, the majority of moderate Muslims – yes I confirm this word "majority" – are now agreeing that Democracy was just an American trick aiming to destroy Islam principles and turn them into secularists due to the clear contradiction between Islam and democracy that backed by the US.
Of course, this is not happening in Yemen alone, but this is a voice of the Arab public, Arab streets in Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, particularly in Iraq and Palestine according to many programs, analysis and interviews made by the widespread Arab Al-Jazeera satellite television channel .
rob kall: It would be interesting to hear their perspectives and points of view. Regarding your current article-- it does appear, from the article that you may approve of jihad. You might want to add a comment that these are your observation. Or you may frighten some of your embassy friends.
mohamed al Azaki: As I have said, I'm just a Journalist and researcher on Islamic militants in which I must to write what I see and hear from the majority, not from the minority. And, of course, I'm not approving of Jihad, I rather try to convey their voices, ideas and intentions to the world; because the western and American media dislike paying attention towards them, on the contrary those media hear to the close friends and play the same role that Bush's administration plays, forgetting what the US government call it "enemies or terrorists."
rob kall: I want to be careful, because sometimes, in translation, the wrong message can be created unintentionally.
mohamed al Azaki: Mr. Kall, I think the good and neutral journalist is the journalist who sees and hears from both, friends and enemies...because the hearing just only from one side is a clear fraud and deception. I think you and others have the right to oppose someone's opinion, but it's not fair to force people to accept your opinion.
rob kall: Of course.
mohamed al Azaki: There is a difference between a man lives in the battlefield testing soldiers, and a man sits down in his office watching TV or reading magazine and then hailing the false victory of democracy or the fake triumph of Bush's war against terrorists.
When I say Jihad is coming, I say it according to the latest developments in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine that show the increasing of extremists and terrorists and the fast growing of their power, in addition to the strong sympathy and reaction in the other Arab and Muslim countries. Well, as Al-Jazeera's veteran journalist, Yousri Foudah, always likes – in his weekly TV programme - to comment on the sympathy and reactions of Muslim youths in different Arab states by calling them "Real fighters are coming".
rob kall: Real fighters?
mohamed al Azaki: I would like to say that I'm not writing this to frighten or threaten westerners or Americans... I like westerns and Americans as they are our friends ... they teach us, we learn from them many nice things in this world... but the US policy in Middle East especially in Palestine and Iraq has produced a "bitter" result and turned the moderate one into extremist.
rob kall: still, it IS somewhat frightening. I have opposed Bush's "democracy" crusade. It is a cover or veil for other motivations. You can not "inject" Democracy into a people. You cannot force it upon them. And what Bush has really done in Iraq is force the corporatization theories of the Neocons upon Iraq-- all the crazy, failed theories... This is not about democracy.
mohamed al Azaki: Sir, If you can understand the Arabic language, you will get it clear from Al-Jazeera TV, which millions of Muslims trust it. If so, then you will understand that the Arab public is now refusing democracy, and all analysts repeatedly say via Al-Jazeera TV that all Muslims now, - especially after the American-European-Israeli imposed the siege on Islamic movement Hamas' new government that renounced the violence and believed in democracy and won the Palestinian elections - , they all say that all Arab and Muslims are now infidels on that Bush's democracy.
mohamed al Azaki: If you Mr. Kall pay a visit to any Arab country, you will then correctly find that Muslims have to choice between loyalty to Islam or to Democracy-all Muslims now saying that Islam is contradicting democracy.
mohamed al Azaki: So, from these points I concluded that Jihad is coming and Bush with his administration will see it reality, sooner or later.
rob kall: True Democracy, or "Bush democracy?"
mohamed al Azaki: Both : True democracy and Bush's democracy are similar... Even the Christian religion – if you read the Bible - it contradicts with true democracy itself because of the "majority"; the main principle of democracy.
rob kall: Isn't it possible to have a democracy that also respects Islam? I expect this might be difficult with more extreme forms of Islam, just as here in the USA, extremist Christians would impose their ways on all.
mohamed al Azaki: Of course, I'm not against Democracy...I'm proud of being democrat in my country... but, in fact, according to Christian and Muslim clerks, the democracy system clearly contradicts Islam ... the democracy system also clearly contradicts the real Christian religion.
rob kall: Can an Islamic country have a peaceful relationship-- a healthy, positive relationship with a democracy?
mohamed al Azaki: Of Course, yes it can, but without interference by the United States.
mohamed al Azaki: But people in Islamic world are saying now that the democracy is just a "western religion"...Democracy is a western "religion " in which that has been confirmed by nearly all Muslim.
mohamed al Azaki: I think the world must to understand that Muslim youths before Iraq war were not the same youths after the Iraq war.
mohamed al Azaki: Anyway, you can see Afghanistan... who is going to control it?
rob kall: The opium sellers.
mohamed al Azaki: Ask American administration about the secret withdrawal from Afghanistan... about the growing power of terrorists there.
rob kall: They won't tell. You write about it.
mohamed al Azaki: The opium sellers...The opium sellers are just Bush's rulers there... and I think it is well-known fact in all Muslim world that the opium is prohibited and forbidden in Islam and those terrorists in Afghanistan are all Muslims want to be martyrs in order to win the God's paradise according to Muslim holy Koran.
mohamed al Azaki: we get information from a friend there in addition to Al-Jazeera TV, which just concluded a big program in which it revealed that just Afghani government by itself encourages the opium sellers
rob kall: You are saying that the opium sellers are Bush's people?
mohamed al Azaki: Well, I think also that it is well-known that British and American soldiers know who really addict drug and opium... you can ask any of those soldiers who came from Afghanistan or Iraq, and then you will know the truth... or you can read related-opium reports published in the Guardian, Independent, the Times, and the Telegraph nearly two or three days ago, and then you will also get the fact.
mohamed al Azaki: I think the American Media is a big problem towards covering the truth.
rob kall: I agree with you completely about the American media. I often write, criticizing them.
mohamed al Azaki: Look to the US media, most of them try to make Iraq as a typical democratic country in the region.... while the truth is that Iraq now is exporting very dangerous terrorists into other Middle East's countries. But we all know that the US media have become writing and criticizing the bad situations in Iraq...but still trying to convince world about the anther typical democratic country of Afghanistan.
mohamed al Azaki: According to Israeli and Al-Jazeera reports, Iraq has exported a Zarqawi-style terrorists to Gaza. These reports say that there are Iraqi-made al Qaeda's fighters in Palestine...they are from Iraq according to that reports.
mohamed al Azaki: I think those terrorists are going to attack Israel, while Hamas is busy with its democracy, people, salaries, siege and the US-backed Fath movement.
rob kall: So, the strategy of weakening the governing of Palestine, by starving Hamas, the legally elected government, brings Al Qaeda to Gaza?
mohamed al Azaki: I think after Hamas won the elections and formed its government, we didn't hear any attacks carried out by Hams against Israel... this situation, according to analysts in Al-Jazeera TV, has angers some Arab and Muslims and let al Qaeda's leaders talking more about Palestine in their messages that aired by Al-Jazeera TV.
rob kall: Were things between Israel and Palestine better under Clinton?
mohamed al Azaki: I think former president Clinton had a more moderate policy than Bush.
rob kall: so-- darfur is an Al Qaeda problem?
rob kall: What do you think?
mohamed al Azaki: Yes, why al Qaeda orders Muslim extremists to go to Darfur? According to the Independent's veteran correspondent Robert Fisk who met Osama bin Laden twice, Fisk wrote in many reports conveying a message from Osama to Westerns and Americans that al Qaeda doesn't target civilians but it attack military soldiers... and, of course, if the UN peacekeepers going to go to Darfur, all world then expect al-Qaeda exist there as it is in Iraq.
rob kall: except in Iraq?
mohamed al Azaki: In Iraq, we all know and the American administration first know that the Iranian hand "Shiite" or "Iranian death squads" are behind the killing of civilians there in Iraq...UN observers, foreign correspondents and all know this fact. Bush in many statements indicated to Iran which uses its Shiite squads to kill civilians.
mohamed al Azaki: And of course, al-Qaeda is a real enemy against Shiite and Iran.
rob kall: If Shiite, is there an Iran connection? I sometimes believe that Ahmadinejad and Bush are allies.
mohamed al Azaki: We also believe that.
rob kall: Iranians are killing 3000 Iraqis each month? Of course, this would be nothing new.
rob kall: Do you think Bush will attack Iran?
mohamed al Azaki: Well, I think, some Arab and Muslim analysts say that Syria would be attacked first, then Iran.
rob kall: So. the idea of Al Qaeda is to keep western forces out of Muslim countries?
mohamed al Azaki: Definitely Yes... and that reason I think was behind the burning inside Arabia Saudi and some other Arab states, because that al-Qaeda-linked youths or sympathizers want to keep western forces out of Muslim countries.
rob kall: And if Al Qaeda is successful, what would the Arab World look like? mohamed al Azaki: Taliban again.
it will be a big power getting Israel out of Palestine it will be a big power getting America and its allies out of Arab Oil stations in Arabian Peninsula... I think it will be the clear end of the Imperial Power of America.
rob kall: Wow.
mohamed al Azaki: Mr. Kall... to be sure... just read some articles writing by the UK Independent correspondent, Robert Fisk who met twice with the head of terrorism Sheikh Osama.
rob kall: I do try to read Fisk. He is excellent-- a journalistic inspiration-- but many of his articles are only available by subscription.
mohamed al Azaki: ok... go to his free web site www.robert-fisk.com
If you read Fisk's articles, you will find out then who is going to lose this war.
rob kall: Bush has done more to hurt the US than any US enemy.
mohamed al Azaki: I think you will also find that American Media is deceiving the American and Western people by saying that Muslims are the US enemy. While the fact is that American and Western people are real friends to Muslims. Of course, I'm not talking about the US policy in the Arab and Muslim world.
The US policy is a real enemy that hurting all Muslims, hitting all world. The US policy is clearly destroying American economy and people who voted and give tax to a devil administration led by arrogant Bush. (END).
Authors Bio:
Rob Kall is an award winning journalist, inventor, software architect, connector and visionary. His work and his writing have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, ABC, the HuffingtonPost, Success, Discover and other media.
He is the co-founder of the Arc of Justice Alliance a platform designed to help organizations and individuals working for justice and a better world to discover each other and share resources and strategies, with the hopes that this will build their power.
Check out his platform at RobKall.com
He is the author of The Bottom-up Revolution; Mastering the Emerging World of Connectivity
He's given talks and workshops to Fortune 500 execs and national medical and psychological organizations, and pioneered first-of-their-kind conferences in Positive Psychology, Brain Science and Story. He hosts some of the world's smartest, most interesting and powerful people on his Bottom Up Radio Show, and founded and publishes one of the top Google- ranked progressive news and opinion sites, OpEdNews.com
more detailed bio:
Rob Kall has spent his adult life as an awakener and empowerer-- first in the field of biofeedback, inventing products, developing software and a music recording label, MuPsych, within the company he founded in 1978-- Futurehealth, and founding, organizing and running 3 conferences: Winter Brain, on Neurofeedback and consciousness, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology (a pioneer in the field of Positive Psychology, first presenting workshops on it in 1985) and Storycon Summit Meeting on the Art Science and Application of Story-- each the first of their kind. Then, when he found the process of raising people's consciousness and empowering them to take more control of their lives one person at a time was too slow, he founded Opednews.com-- which has been the top search result on Google for the terms liberal news and progressive opinion for several years. Rob began his Bottom-up Radio show, broadcast on WNJC 1360 AM to Metro Philly, also available on iTunes, covering the transition of our culture, business and world from predominantly Top-down (hierarchical, centralized, authoritarian, patriarchal, big) to bottom-up (egalitarian, local, interdependent, grassroots, archetypal feminine and small.) Recent long-term projects include a book, Bottom-up-- The Connection Revolution, debillionairizing the planet and the Psychopathy Defense and Optimization Project.
For Rob's work in non-political realms mostly before 2000, see his C.V.. and here's an article on the Storycon Summit Meeting he founded and organized for eight years.
To watch Rob having a lively conversation with John Conyers, then Chair of the House Judiciary committee, click here. Watch Rob speaking on Bottom up economics at the Occupy G8 Economic Summit, here.