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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: KLP who wrote (60506)	12/7/2002 10:59:39 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Respond to of 281500

And the Saudis keep wondering why their PR campaign isn't making any headway...to think that this clown is actually in charge of the Saudi investigation of 9/11! Saudi minister blames Jews for Sept. 11 attacks DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The Saudi police minister has claimed that Jews were behind the Sept. 11 attacks because they have benefited from subsequent criticism of Islam and Arabs, according to media reports. Interior Minister Prince Nayef made the remarks in the Arabic-language Kuwaiti daily Assyasah last month. The latest edition of Ain al-Yaqeen, a weekly Internet magazine devoted to Saudi issues, posted the Assyasah interview and its own English translation. "We know that the Jews have manipulated the Sept. 11 incidents and turned American public opinion against Arabs and Muslims," Prince Nayef was quoted as saying in the Arabic text, while Ain al Yaqeen's English version referred to "Zionists" instead of "Jews." "We still ask ourselves: Who has benefited from Sept. 11 attacks? I think they (the Jews) were the protagonists of such attacks," Nayef was quoted as saying. Nayef's spokesman, Saud al-Musaibeeh, did not respond to repeated requests for confirmation that the minister had been quoted accurately. The Internet magazine's English translation of the comments began to attract attention in the United States just as the Saudis launched a new public relations campaign to address accusations that the kingdom is soft on terrorism and inculcates extremist thought among its citizens. The statements also were widely circulated by The Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI, a Washington-based organization that translates articles from the Arabic media. MEMRI's president is Yigal Carmon, a former anti-terror adviser who served two Israeli prime ministers. "The Saudis are telling us that they are an ally in the war on terror while their top government officials are still blaming … the Jews and denying that 15 Saudis took part in the attacks on New York and the Pentagon," Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said in Washington this week. "The Bush administration continually defends Saudi Arabia as a friend of the United States and a committed partner in the war on terror," Engel said. "Does this Saudi minister sound like a partner in the war on terror?" Sen. Charles Schumer, also a New York Democrat, wrote this week in a letter to the Saudi ambassador to the United States that "the interior minister's comments only serve to confirm American suspicions about the Saudi government's commitment to the war on terror." Nayef's remarks echoed rumors that have been heard in the Arab world since the attacks -- but this time they are attributed to the man in charge of Saudi investigations into the attacks. The Saudi minister was quoted in the interview as saying that his kingdom is detaining some 100 terror suspects for interrogation. He added that the suspects "will either apologize for their mistakes and change their course or will be referred to trial." heraldtribune.com

To: KLP who wrote (60506)	12/8/2002 2:10:51 AM
From: JohnM	Respond to of 281500

If that is to remain a goal, then it would make absolutely no sense at all for the church, any church for that matter, to be a "voter education place"........ I agree with you, when, further down in this note, you say this may well be off topic. Certainly, the direction the two of us have carried this. It started with the observation that opposition to the Iraq invasion was growing more public. And your observation that this was political activity and, perhaps, should be taxed. My use of the phrase "voter education" was simply to point out that it's not unusual, in certain sections of the country and in certain churches, for political figures to give talks during political campaigns. I presume that happens under the heading of voter education and exists in some sort of vague sense that politicians of both parties can avail themselves of it. I know that takes in place in New York City and state. It also does in New Jersey. But, to repeat, I'm well out of my depth in terms of expertise here. Or even of relevant knowledge. Take care.

To: KLP who wrote (60506)	12/8/2002 4:43:08 AM
From: Bilow	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Hi KLP; The question of the separation of church and state is fundamental to our war with the Taliban, as well as our foreign relations with a good portion of the world. If we can't keep our own religious figures out of politics, how can we demand the same from other countries? As far as it goes, I see no reason why a church or mosque shouldn't be allowed to "educate" voters. Majority rule is a brutal thing, when examined closely, and I don't think that the churches / mosques are more brutal than the regions they spring up in. -- Carl