What They Are Saying

Barbarism in the Public Square: Al Jazeera Disgraces Itself and Others
Scholar Judea Pearl (the father of slain journalist Daniel Pearl) writes in The Wall Street Journal (www. opinionjournal.com) on Aug. 16 about why Al Jazeera owes the world an apology:

"With the exception of exhibition killings by jihadist recruiters, cruelty is no longer a catalyst of mass arousal. Even the Nazis tried to hide their deeds from the eyes of history. Be it for fear or shame, the trend is clear: The norms of civilized society are moving forward, and it is those norms, not their exceptions, that shape the minds of our youngsters and justify our hopes for a better world.

"All this was true until about three weeks ago, when the royal procession of Samir Kuntar brought barbarism back to the public square. Samir Kuntar is the killer who smashed the head of a 4-year-old girl with his rifle in 1979 after killing her father before her eyes. He was convicted, sentenced to 542 years in prison, and never expressed any remorse. He was released by Israel on July 26 in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who were kidnapped by Hezbollah in 2006.

"As anticipated, Hezbollah's mass celebration in Beirut, in the presence of its leader Hassan Nasrallah, evoked a chivalrous scene from a fairy tale gone awry. One by one, the Lebanese leadership stepped up to 'brother Kuntar' to shake the hand and kiss the cheeks of that arch-symbol of barbarity.

"The focus of my attention turned to Al Jazeera because, with its outreach of 50 million to 100 million viewers from Morocco to the Persian Gulf, this pan-Arab satellite channel is considered the conscience and future of the Arab world.

"A chill went down my spine when British-accented announcers, who introduced Al Jazeera's English channel correspondent Rula Amin, translated the wisdom of Kuntar's words from the original Arabic. Imagine a voice cast in a perfect Oxford accent articulating in unmistaken empathy: 'He has returned to a hero's welcome. After 29 years in [an] Israeli prison, Samir Kuntar spent his first day of freedom vowing to continue to fight against Israel. He says he hopes to see the enemy again very soon.'

"Then came Kuntar's birthday party, initiated by Al Jazeera's bureau in Beirut and aired on Al Jazeera TV July 19 (translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute). There was orchestral music, a huge birthday cake and infinite admiration by the Al Jazeera bureau chief announcing: 'Brother Samir, we would like to celebrate your birthday with you. You deserve even more than this. Happy birthday, brother Samir.'

"How amateurish was the Coliseum in Rome compared with modern-day satellite rituals of death and brutality. Imagine millions of living rooms watching their new role model, child-killer Kuntar, lowering a huge butcher knife onto his birthday cake to the sound of fireworks and male chorus: 'This is the sword of the Arabs, Samir.'

"Imagine millions of schoolchildren and educators receiving a lesson in moral philosophy from their new master: 'To be honest,' says Kuntar, 'our operation had both civilian and military targets. There are no civilian targets; it's 'civilian' in quotation marks. The Zionists themselves define the Israeli as a soldier who is on leave for 11 months every year.'

"In a letter to Israel's Press Office, the station admitted on Aug. 6 that 'elements of the program violated Al Jazeera's Code of Ethics,' according to the Israeli newspaper, Ha'aretz. I believe Al Jazeera owes a more definitive public apology, not only to Israel, but primarily to its viewers, for attempting to turn their children into the likes of Kuntar; to the journalism community, for robbing the profession of its nobleness; and, most urgently, to us, citizens of this planet, for attempting to relegitimize barbarity in the public square."

Iran, Hamas and Sudan: Together, They're Allies in Terror
Think-tank scholar Jonathan Schanzer writes in The Weekly Standard (www.weeklystandard.com) on Aug. 6 about the Iran-Hamas-Sudan triangle:

"The Head of Hamas' politburo in Damascus, Khalid Mash'al, recently telephoned Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and denounced the International Criminal Court's accusations against him, according to an article that appeared on the Palestinian Maan News Agency Web site. The 'armed wing' of Hamas also proclaimed Bashir's innocence on their Web site.

"Without addressing the allegations, Mash'al decried the submission of international organizations to U.S. pressure. He confirmed Hamas' solidarity with Sudan, its leadership and people 'in confronting this new conspiracy targeting Sudan through its head of state.'

"The Islamic Republic of Iran also defends Bashir. Last year, as international pressure mounted over the slaughter in Darfur, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described Sudan as a second home full of 'dear, pious and revolutionary brothers.'

"Iran and Hamas like to cast themselves as defenders of 'resistance.' Indeed, both claim to fight for justice and the downtrodden. How can they defend mass murder?

"The story begins in 1989, when an Islamist-inspired coup brought Brigadier Omar al-Bashir to power. Within months, Islamists tied to the National Islamic Front held key posts in the government, security services and other sectors. As journalist Judith Miller noted, Sudan became 'the only Sunni Arab state to have embraced absolutist, militant Islamic rule.' Weapons and oil supplies began to arrive from Iran. The two states, despite the Sunni-Shi'ite divide, became fast allies.

"Allegations soon surfaced regarding Sudanese support for terrorism. To the consternation of the West, Sudan provided shelter to the infamous terrorist Carlos the Jackal, and also allowed Osama bin Laden and his nascent al Qaeda organization to train and operate out of Sudan for the first half of the 1990s.

"In December 1991, Iran pledged $17 million in financial aid to Sudan, and arranged for an additional $300 million in Chinese weapons to be delivered there. Iran further pledged 1 million tons of oil each year.

"Next, it was reported that Iran sent up to 2,000 Iranian Revolutionary Guards to Sudan. Iran's Defense Minister, Ali Akbar Torkan also met with the commander of the Sudanese armed forces to discuss assistance and personnel exchange. By the end of 1992, Sudan's Popular Defense Forces were unveiled. Sudan modeled its army after Iran's Revolutionary Guards, who had trained them. Like their Iranian counterparts, the PDF marched with guns while reciting the Koran.

"The West grew increasingly nervous over reports of terrorist training in Sudan. It was estimated that there were at least 10 paramilitary training camps in Sudan providing training to Palestinian Hamas and other Iran-backed terrorist groups. In 1993, the U.S. Department of State named Sudan a state sponsor of terror for, among other things, harboring bin Laden, and training Hamas with Iranian backing.

"While the West held out hope that Sudan was about to turn a corner, Bashir reiterated his commitment to sharia [Islamic law]. As one academic observed, 'the Islamist agenda has been pursued farther in Sudan than in many of the better-known examples of contemporary Islamic republics.'

"Today, the U.S. State Department maintains that Sudan is a state sponsor of terrorism. Khartoum maintains close ties with Iran. But the chief reason for designation is support for Hamas."