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FEEWINGS HURT

A Q&A with Al-Jazeera Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Sheikh:

Q: Do you mean to say that if Israel did not exist, there would suddenly be democracy in Egypt, that the schools in Morocco would be better, that the public clinics in Jordan would function better?

A: I think so.

Q: Can you please explain to me what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to do with these problems?

A: The Palestinian cause is central for Arab thinking.

Q: In the end, is it a matter of feelings of self-esteem?

A: Exactly. It’s because we always lose to Israel. It gnaws at the people in the Middle East that such a small country as Israel, with only about 7 million inhabitants, can defeat the Arab nation with its 350 million. That hurts our collective ego.

Those numbers should give pause to those who think Arab states to be the underdogs in this particular conflict.

Posted by Tim B. on 12/10/2006 at 10:52 AM
  1. It does illustrate just who has the cojones, too.

    Posted by Olrence on 2006 12 10 at 11:14 AM • permalink

  2. Amazing, isn’t it?  That not only does this hurt their ‘collective ego’ so freakin’ bad, but that they never seem to want to figure out WHY that little nation is so successful in staying alive.

    Posted by Firehand on 2006 12 10 at 11:16 AM • permalink

  3. In the end, is it a matter of feelings of self-esteem?

    That’s easy to fix.

    Send in Dr. Phil.

    Posted by rinardman on 2006 12 10 at 11:55 AM • permalink

  4. When 350 million uneducated dolts are devoted to the incoherent ramblings of a murderous 7th century bandit, I imagine their “self esteem” would be rather fragile.

    Posted by Spiny Norman on 2006 12 10 at 12:02 PM • permalink

  5. So it’s OK to wipe out small nations if your feelings are hurt? How sophisticated!

    Posted by Crispytoast on 2006 12 10 at 12:15 PM • permalink

  6. Those numbers should give pause to those who think Arab states to be the underdogs in this particular conflict.

    As if facts matter to the anti-Semites…..

    Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2006 12 10 at 12:49 PM • permalink

  7. What thin-skinned whining. 

    Our endless accommodation of tantruming children has left us with angry, demanding, short-tempered, violently-disposed adolescents.

    But are we really surprised at hearing something like this from people who stay quiet or excuse murderous rampages whenever their co-religionists feel insulted?

    Posted by cosmo on 2006 12 10 at 12:55 PM • permalink

  8. “can defeat the Arab nation”

    Not “Arab nations” - but “the” Arab nation.  Not the Arabs - but “the Arab nation.” 

    This use of “the” is neither accidental nor meaningless.

    Posted by John Fembup on 2006 12 10 at 12:57 PM • permalink

  9. Q: Do you mean to say that if Israel did not exist, there would suddenly be democracy in Egypt, that the schools in Morocco would be better, that the public clinics in Jordan would function better?

    A: I think so.

    Here’s an idea, then: For a change, just try to pretend really hard that Israel in fact doesn’t exist. (It should make a nice change from the usual pretense that Muslims are always victims, too.) Instant peace of mind for you guys, and then maybe you can try that democracy thing a whirl. And who knows, maybe eventually you won’t even need to pretend that Israel doesn’t exist in order to get along with the Jews.

    “Fake it till you make it”, as a friend of mine used to call it.

    Posted by PW on 2006 12 10 at 01:06 PM • permalink

  10. It gnaws at the people in the Middle East that such a small country as Israel, with only about 7 million inhabitants, can defeat the Arab nation with its 350 million.

    And it doesn’t even occur to this bozo why that should be so.  He’d rather indulge in easy, magical thinking:  if Israel disappeared, everything would suddenly be hunky-dory in the Arab world.  No more dictators, no more political murder, no more mindless submission to holy men in turbans instead of striving for an actual, useful education.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2006 12 10 at 01:23 PM • permalink

  11. “That hurts our collective ego.”

    Hold on a second while I dry my eyes.

    Posted by Dave Surls on 2006 12 10 at 01:25 PM • permalink

  12. What bullshit! If you don’t like “bullshit”, what horse piss(“self esteem”, my ass) no one wanted nor wants the ‘palestinians’. OK, I lied, jimmy carter does. Wonder if the rest of the State of Georgia does?

    Damn near everywhere ‘they’ have been, or are, ‘they’ have had the asses kicked, or kicked out, or are cleaning shit houses, or are encamped in nice places, where they clean their own shithouses (I think).

    This is somewhat similar to what the Europeans have with their islamic breeders.

    Posted by El Cid on 2006 12 10 at 01:28 PM • permalink

  13. Well, I’m convinced. I suppose the destruction of Israel would be OK as long as it’s empowering.

    No wonder Saint Jimmah is on their side.

    Posted by Dave S. on 2006 12 10 at 01:41 PM • permalink

  14. #9 PW

    Here’s an idea, then: For a change, just try to pretend really hard that Israel in fact doesn’t exist. (It should make a nice change from the usual pretense that Muslims are always victims, too.) Instant peace of mind for you guys…

    Excellent idea. Since the rest of their lives is governed by mumbo-jumbo, it ought to be a piece o’ cake.

    Posted by Spiny Norman on 2006 12 10 at 01:48 PM • permalink

  15. “Q: Do you mean to say that if Israel did not exist, there would suddenly be democracy in Egypt, that the schools in Morocco would be better, that the public clinics in Jordan would function better?”

    “A: I think so.”

    Right out of the Nazi playbook (everything is fucked up because of dem dirty Joooooos).

    Original thinkers, these Arabs.

    Posted by Dave Surls on 2006 12 10 at 02:01 PM • permalink

  16. A Q&A with Dave Surls

    Q.  Could you list the salient differences between the Nazis and Muslim Pan-Arabic nationalists?

    A.  Sure…

    1.)  The Nazis were better organized.

    2.)  They had a cooler looking flag.

    3.)  Most Nazis could read and write.

    4.)  Nazis bathed more often.

    5.)  The Nazis were actually capable of standing up, out in the open, and fighting against men.

    6.)  The Nazis didn’t whine as much.

    Posted by Dave Surls on 2006 12 10 at 02:11 PM • permalink

  17. Are you sure this isn’t a parody?  This thinking is not juvenile, not childlike, not even childish.  It is infantile.

    Posted by rbj1 on 2006 12 10 at 02:14 PM • permalink

  18. #5, Cripsytoast, Belgium annoys me.  Can we get rid of it?

    Honestly, this jerk is saying that Israelis are…um…lessee, 7 million goes into 350 million, no, wait, maybe it’s the other way around…

    that Israels are way million smarter than Arabs?

    What.  A.  Tool.

    Posted by ushie on 2006 12 10 at 02:17 PM • permalink

  19. What you all are ignoring is how advanced, free, and democratic the Arab Nation was prior to 1947.  Then the jooooos came along and ruined everything.

    Posted by Steve Skubinna on 2006 12 10 at 02:27 PM • permalink

  20. “is infantile.”

    Visitors to the Middle East have been making that observation for a long, long time.

    Posted by pst314 on 2006 12 10 at 02:33 PM • permalink

  21. “What you all are ignoring is how advanced, free, and democratic the Arab Nation was prior to 1947.”

    About as advanced as a slimemold colony, and maybe half as appealing.

    Posted by Dave Surls on 2006 12 10 at 02:44 PM • permalink

  22. You know what hurts my ego? That misogynistic, murderous idiots like this are being listened to respectfully instead of having their asses kicked from one end of the Levant to the other. There’s being a bigger person than your pipsqueak enemy, and then there is wearing a “kick me” sign. My only comfort is that eventually we’ll lose patience and drop a few bunker busters where they will do the most harm. Unfortunately I get the feeling that will be after several of our cities (with my luck including whichever one I happen to reside in) have been reduced to radioactive rubble by Iranian nukes.

    Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2006 12 10 at 02:44 PM • permalink

  23. #22, I’m afraid of that too, because the way things are looking, it’s the only thing that’s going to wake people up.

    Btw, where’s Grimmy?  He’s usually all over this.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2006 12 10 at 02:53 PM • permalink

  24. Arab nation… Arab nation?

    Name one!

    Let’s see… Sunni, Shiite, Ibadhite, Alawite, Druze Christians, jews. Jooos? Yes indeed: Georgian Jews, Persian Jews, Bukharan Jews, Syrian Jews, Mountain Jews, Yemenite Jews, Indian Jews, Berber Jews and Kurdish Jews.

    Wake me up when they become one nation.

    Posted by ElectronPower on 2006 12 10 at 03:05 PM • permalink

  25. “...a little people, a silly people - greedy, barbarous, and cruel.”

    Spot on, Lawrence.

    Posted by DocMike on 2006 12 10 at 03:12 PM • permalink

  26. The Arab “collective ego” is code for collective compensation for a collectively small and impotent Arab organ.  Humiliated Arabs beat up on women and hate the Jew, because they know that women and Jews know what failures Arab men are under their robes and beards.  The few Arabs with something to offer get beaten down as apostates.  The rest lash out and destroy what others build up, offering nothing but oppression and violence in the name of a thug tyrant here, thug terrorist there, or thug god everywhere. 

    Maybe instead of military intervention, we should treat the bruised and battered Arab collective ego with aid shipments of penile prosthetics and volumes of Franny and Zooey.

    Posted by Cat on 2006 12 10 at 03:36 PM • permalink

  27. “Franny and Zooey”???

    We’re trying to defeat them, not debrain them!

    Posted by ushie on 2006 12 10 at 03:39 PM • permalink

  28. “It gnaws at the people in the Middle East that such a small country as Israel, with only about 7 million inhabitants, can defeat the Arab nation with its 350 million.”

    Hey, if you made the 7,000,000 Jews fight with one hand tied behind their backs…then it would be even odds.

    Posted by Dave Surls on 2006 12 10 at 03:43 PM • permalink

  29. Ushie,

    De-egotize and de-brain.  Let them dance pretty Arabasques and create mosaics and have happy home lives.  And issue them passports to only within the Muslim world for the next century or two.  They’re not responsible enough for us to plus them up in Western tech and know-how.

    Posted by Cat on 2006 12 10 at 03:50 PM • permalink

  30. Arabesque. We don’t need an Arab-Basque alliance on top of everything.

    Posted by Cat on 2006 12 10 at 03:54 PM • permalink

  31. We should send the Sun Herald reporters to work for them.

    Posted by 1.618 on 2006 12 10 at 05:13 PM • permalink

  32. YOu can see why the Jews are not fond of Islam in the Middle East. I think Australian non hyphens can feel the same way here about them as well.

    Mind you, the South African Jews here in the Eastern Suburbs and St Ives are really horrible. Can’t win them all in all religions.

    Posted by 1.618 on 2006 12 10 at 05:15 PM • permalink

  33. Given his insight perhaps he could use his influence to help the Arab world change their stupid mindset.

    Posted by Hank Reardon on 2006 12 10 at 05:23 PM • permalink

  34. Cat, that there’s a lot of lobotomies, even considering the much tinier thinking part to be excised.  Do we have that many knitting needles?

    Posted by ushie on 2006 12 10 at 05:37 PM • permalink

  35. Instead of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, substitute World Series Cricket.  “How can Australia, with a population of 20 million, defeat the cricketing world with its 2 billion?  It hurts our collective ego!”

    Posted by anthony_r on 2006 12 10 at 06:46 PM • permalink

  36. What a bunch of needle dicks.  Isn’t everything in islam supposed to be in’sh allah? Maybe it’s their diety of choice’s will that they remain perpetual fuckups until they grow up.

    Posted by lotocoti on 2006 12 10 at 07:33 PM • permalink

  37. #27 Ushie

    We’re trying to defeat them, not debrain them!

    Too late, I fear.

    Posted by kae on 2006 12 10 at 07:52 PM • permalink

  38. I think we have to applaud his honesty. This is something we rarely hear anyone admit to.

    Posted by Nicholas on 2006 12 10 at 08:02 PM • permalink

  39. Here’s how it works.

    If Israel was defeated tomorrow, the whole Arab world, now motivated and excited, with massive self-esteem, would cry “Hurrah - if we can beat Israel, surely we can also beat America” at which point, oozing in pride, they would immediately begin work constructing schools, playgrounds, fun-parks….

    For a more, uh, realistic assessment of the Arab World, see this outstanding report.

    Posted by Dan Lewis on 2006 12 10 at 08:32 PM • permalink

  40. I concluded long ago that the Muslim-Arab thirst to destroy Israel and kill the Jews rested on the affront to their fragile amour-propre and excessively swollen vanity that a bunch of Jews should rule a sliver of land in the midst of the Arab World.  What has Israel ever done to hurt Iran, for example?  Nothing, it just exists, and that is too offensive so the affront must be wiped out by genocide.  As Ko-ko put it, glad to have my opinion backed by a competent authority.

    Posted by Michael Lonie on 2006 12 10 at 08:51 PM • permalink

  41. #32

    Mind you, the South African Jews here in the Eastern Suburbs and St Ives are really horrible.

    The Jewish South Africans are the nice ones!

    Posted by Dan Lewis on 2006 12 10 at 09:40 PM • permalink

  42. #38

    I think we have to applaud his honesty. This is something we rarely hear anyone admit to.

    That’s not true at all.

    The Arabs have always been surprisingly up-front and honest in their feelings towards Israel, America, The West and Non-Muslims.

    Unfortunately, you don’t get to hear this, as you are ‘protected’ from it by the media who refuse to report it.

    Duck over to Palestinian Media Watch or MEMRI Television and watch genuine footage of daily Arab television, translated. It should leave absolutely no doubt in your mind, and yet absolutely none of this gets reported here.

    Indeed, the only reason you heard about it at all, is because of a blog, which other bloggers, Charles Johnson and Tim Blair linked to. You won’t be reading it in The Herald any time soon, I assure you. They are too busy blaming Iraq and Israel for everything. Guess which narrative they follow…

    Posted by Dan Lewis on 2006 12 10 at 09:42 PM • permalink

  43. I know just how those poor Arabs feel after having the bloody All Blacks inflict defeat after defeat upon the Wallabies. It’s very emasculating and I will continue to want to kill New Zealander’s long after I have forgotten the actual match.

    Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2006 12 10 at 09:44 PM • permalink

  44. Just maybe he should ask how come his “god” does not and has not help them defeat the infidels…..maybe….Oh boy no way…could not be ........The Judeo-Christian world actually has the help of the big man?

    Posted by The Big Fish on 2006 12 10 at 09:49 PM • permalink

  45. #16

    7.) The Nazi’s would kiss their goats while making love.

    Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2006 12 10 at 09:50 PM • permalink

  46. Dan Lewis: You may well be right. But my original comment still stands - we don’t hear anyone admit to it. But perhaps that’s not because they aren’t saying it, rather it never reaches our ears.

    There is no doubt in my mind the psychology behind all these conflicts, but clearly not everyone shares my perspective, as was shown by the public reaction to Hizb’allah’s recent rocket attacks on Israel.

    Posted by Nicholas on 2006 12 10 at 09:53 PM • permalink

  47. #46 Nicholas, you are quite right. Especially the bit where you say I am right ;-)

    Posted by Dan Lewis on 2006 12 10 at 09:57 PM • permalink

  48. there would suddenly be democracy in Egypt, that the schools in Morocco would be better, that the public clinics in Jordan would function better

    not only that but the drought would break, global warmmongering would end,peter jackson would be directing the hobbit the beatles would get back together and my personal income would double.

    dont you know all problems in the world are the fault of the joooooos

    Posted by eeniemeenie on 2006 12 10 at 10:17 PM • permalink

  49. Note the Editor-in-Chief title and then you understand what even so -called ‘moderate Arab media’ means.

    I get it, now. All Australia needs to do if it lacks some ‘self esteem’ is to go and bash to death the New Zealand government.  Easy.

    And you Yanks aren’t feeling so good about yourselves lately, are you?
    CUBA, perhaps, is your quick cure??

    Posted by Barrie on 2006 12 10 at 10:25 PM • permalink

  50. #49 Barrie:

    And you Yanks aren’t feeling so good about yourselves lately, are you?
    CUBA, perhaps, is your quick cure??

    Well the Iraq Study Group suggest Israel as the quick cure.

    Posted by Melanie on 2006 12 10 at 10:47 PM • permalink

  51. #7 Cosmo

    Tantruming adolescents is exactly right.

    You ever seen SuperNanny?  She would know

    what to do

    Posted by pommygranate on 2006 12 11 at 01:32 AM • permalink

  52. Poor arabs.  It must be so hard to be racist when you’re so obviously inferior.

    Posted by 2dogs on 2006 12 11 at 05:00 AM • permalink

  53. #46 Nicholas, Since my earlier comment, I have noticed (via LGF) another stunning example of our media ‘protecting us’ by not telling the whole story.

    Read here and tell me your thoughts.

    Posted by Dan Lewis on 2006 12 11 at 09:19 AM • permalink

  54. Do any self-esteem victims ever stop and reflect that maybe their feelings deserve to be hurt?

    Posted by tim maguire on 2006 12 11 at 11:49 AM • permalink

  55. Do self esteem victims ever consider that one earns self esteem, by being an estimable person?

    Posted by Steve Skubinna on 2006 12 11 at 02:46 PM • permalink

  56. The Infidel Jews took our land and our reading primers, too!

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2006 12 11 at 09:28 PM • permalink

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