What Bush Doesn't Understand About Why Honduras is Pulling Its Troops From Iraq
By Sam Hamod
Al-Jazeerah, April 20, 2004
It’s true that George Bush had never traveled outside the U.S. before he became president. He thought he knew something about Mexico, but it took little time for his visits with Presidente Fox of Mexico and that was dispelled.
Now, Bush is losing troops from Spain and Honduras. “ Honduras,” everyone says—
“Why Honduras?”
Once again, it shows that few in America know much about Latin American culture, money and politics. Actually, there are very powerful Arabs in all walks of life and politics in Honduras, and there have been for decades; just as they are powerful in Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil and many other South American and Latin American countries.
Most of the time, these Arabs, most of whom are Lebanese or Palestinian, are of Christian origin—with a few Muslims scattered among them. But, on the whole, as in Mexico, whose richest man, Mr. Slim, is Lebanese, the Christians fit into the societies better because they were often Catholic, and this fit with the Catholicism of the Americas. They also often married women from the countries in which they settled, and their children were au natural in those countries. Because of their natural entrepreneurial nature, the Lebanese usually became wealthy, but because of their social nature and their sense of civic involvement, they became involved in politics—if not out front, then behind. Most of the time these men tended to be in the conservative parties, preferring to protect their wealth and the upper classes.
But somehow, with his brutal behavior in Iraq, a country that had many Christians who originated there, and because of its kinship with Lebanon, the Arabs in Honduras and in other countries in South America got fed up and decided to speak up against Bush. The same thing had happened earlier in Mexico, but I did not write about it because it had not become widespread.
Then, the next bad move Bush made was this past week when he gave Sharon the green light to kill at will in Palestine—to take land from the Christians as well as Muslims and to isolate the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Nativity. These moves angered the Christian Arabs of South America because they saw it as an insult to their religion and their heritage in the Arab world—all to be given carte blanche to an Israeli whom the saw as a Hitler figure. Many of the Jews and Arabs in South America are friends, and the Jews of that area have never been big supporters of Israel as have the American Jewish leaders. So, the Arabs decided to use their financial and political power in Honduras, and now the Honduran troops are being called home.
The Arabs of Honduras had been supportive of taking Saddam out, but they did not bargain for the American brutality in Fallujah or Baghdad—with American troops shooting up ambulances and keeping people from hospitals, But, the Bush pandering to Sharon was the last straw.
Bush will have a hard time getting support from Latin and South America from now on because of his policies; the Arabs, many of whom are the wealthiest citizens of those countries, have had enough of Bush and his policies, and they ‘ll stand against him and his ways.
Professor Sam Hamod is an expert on the Middle East, Islam and the Arabs in the world; he is the former Director of The Islamic Center of Washington, Dc; founder of 3rd World News: |
