Right to protest, common sense need not apply here

[gagged_Louise]

but also remember ALL those who study Islam, or the Koran are NOT all terrorists either

A vital point mkemse and nk, its all to easy to think muslims are all a bunch of bomb-flinging terror junkies, straggly illiterates or drugs/arms dealers just because they happen to come from vaguely the same part of the world as UBL, or happen to respect the same sacred writings that he claims to do -and speak a tongue that sounds funny to us. Of course most muslims who get to follow the news loathe what bin-Laden or the guerillas/private armies of Darfur are doing just as much as we do
Besides, without for one moment aiming to defend the jugheaded phenomenon of terrorism, there is a rightful anger in countries like Egypt, Lebanon, Indonesia or Iraq after having been cheated of the rich assets of your country for many many years, having seen the oil, coal, metals, wines, gas and fruit or anything else put safely in the hands of foreign corporations with the backing of foreign troops- or even by the soldiers of the local dictator (who finds it more easy for the time being to cooperate with outsiders who will pay his arms and palaces). Most of us here are from nations where you can take it for granted that the neighbour states don't meddle in your politics, wouldn't try to stage an armed revolt or plot to kill politicians, ministers and journalists, and where free speech, press, tv and print is something we all take for a given thing.
In many Arab countries none of that is the case (in particular, free press and strong media companies of your own country are rare) and you don't get a change just by writing a new law, it takes time, and a bit of security around yourself and your country, to grow into it. You can't expect free and mature newspapers and tv channels to flourish in a state where everyone is carrying a gun, inflation is at 300%, 1 out of 4 grown people don't have a job, bombs are going off at sixes and sevens and the borders are under fire every year. That just doesn't work, those conditions breed despair, cynicism, puffed-up nationalism leaning on old days gone by - or terrorism.

The anger at being seen as a bunch of hobos and branded as sympathizing with the dictator and his army just because you don't have an easy option to get rid of him is totally understandable I think, and this despair doesn't always look attractive in the media. In 1991, when the US forces had overtaken the main Iraqi army (not all of Saddam's armed forces though) and seemed to be on the verge of marching up to Baghdad. tens of thousands of people rose against Saddam hoping to get rid of him. There was no further offensive though .- for some reason, Bush and the Allied command chose not to push through, and those Iraqis and Kurds were mown down, butchered and lots of civilians tortured, raped and hanged.

Big surprise that they were not likely to listen to any words coming from the US side and encouraging them to revolt in the next 12 years - and big surprise that they are disgusted now at still not having much of a real stake in the future of their country, "How come they didn't have the guts to revolt and get rid of the Tyrant?" - yeah indeed, how come?