Here in the United States everywhere you look yellow ribbons and American flags decorate homes and business. The atmosphere is one of victory. Bumper stickers and signs proclaim pride in American military might.
We went to war we are told by our censored press because we had to “liberate” Kuwait from Iraqi occupation. We are not told however that we arc restoring an unelected tyrannical ruler; a high spender at the cost of the Kuwaitis themselves. We begin to wonder why if the U.S. is so intent on “liberating” countries that we have ignored so many other occupied countries and oppressed peoples.
Why has the U.S been assisting Israel in the occupation of Palestinian territories for almost a quarter of a century? Nearly two million Palestinians suffer under an oppressive occupation even though the United Nations Security Council has condemned this occupation year after year. Why does the U.S. insist on Iraqi compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions while ignoring those resolutions against Israel? The U.S. claims to have had reason to destroy Iraq in order to force Iraqi compliance with U.N. resolutions. Meanwhile the U.S. continually supports Israel’s defiance of the U.N. Security Council. Not only does the U.S. bolster Israeli defiance but supports it at a cost of 3.5 Billion dollars a year. We wonder how we can afford to support this lawlessness on the part of Israel while the homeless accumulate on the streets of America.
Mr. Bush has convinced most Americans that he is in the process of establishing “The New World Order” yet it seems to me that he is simply bringing back the old colonial world order.
Despite independent Human Rights groups who report Israel’s policies of house arrest deportations “administrative detention” and extrajudicial executions of Palestinians the U.S. remains silent. Where is the big commitment to Human rights?
Congressman Dan Burton has disclosed similar atrocities by the Indian Government against the Sikhs of Punjab and the Muslims of Kashmir. Congressman Burton has proposed cutting U.S. aid to India if India continues to bar human rights groups from investigating these atrocities. Yet the U.S. continues its support of these oppressive regimes. Obviously the U.S. foreign policies are manipulated by political and financial pressures and not based on honest promotion of human rights self-determination and democracy for all. In fact U.S. foreign policies are self-serving and hypocritical.
We Americans who are against the brutal policies of Mr. Bush are appalled at the carnage which took place in Iraq. Army General Schwarzkopf however was quoted as having urged further fighting to “reap great destruction upon them” he said. “We could have completely closed the door and made it in fact a battle of annihilation.”
Although the Iraqi troops were fleeing the U.S. attack they were destroyed along with thousands of innocent people. Surrender of the troops or retreat from Kuwait was not the issue for the U.S. It became clear that the U.S. Generals were reverting to the old world order wherein empires would destroy all the men and boys in conquered territories to prevent future revolts. U.S. Army General Schwarzkopf says that “ball park” figures of 100,000 Iraqi soldiers were killed; “I would estimate that we easily killed more than 100,000 Iraqi soldiers” Schwarzkopf told a group of about 35 lawmakers. It is probable that many more civilians were probable that many more killed in the bombings, perhaps up to two times the number of soldiers, by the estimates of some analysts. It is interesting to note in connection with the “pall park” figures that the entire coverage of the war took on a “Super Bow!” atmosphere as if it were a game. What a grim game it turned out to be.
A U.N survey of civilian damage caused by the allied bombing of Iraq calls the results “near apocalyptic.” In fact UN observers say that Iraq is now reduced to “a preindustrial stage.” The U.N. is warning that Iraq could face “epidemic and famine if massive life support needs are not rapidly met.
Iraq is now destroyed; what is next on the agenda of the U.S.? Other Third World powers after seeing the punishment meted out to Iraq are bound to be frightened. So is this the “New World Order”; an order built around the domination of the world by the U.S.? The U.S is demanding the destruction of all facilities in Iraq which could contribute to a future defense. Some Americans elated with our fabulous success have even suggested that now is a good time to knock out other future threats in the Islamic world such as Pakistan and Iran. We might wonder however why Israel manages to continue to produce nuclear bombs with the blessings and cash of the U.S. Perhaps this “New World Order” may only serve to create greater hostilities in the Third World and the U.S. will have to wipe out more countries that are considered a threat.
Another effect of the war has been the open hostility of the American people against Muslims (or anyone perceived to be a Muslim) in the U.S. Before the war it was considered socially unacceptable to show hatred and prejudice towards a racial or religious group now there is no such: stigma. The government leads the way with F.B.I agents harassing “Arabs” in the U.S. even Arab assets citizens were not spared. Some Americans are so culturally isolated that the vent their self-righteous anger on the Sikhs sensing that they must be turban clad Iraqis or “Arabs”. Sikhs — have been abused physically and verbally by the racist Americans. Muslims have had their mosques defaced and threats have been made against them by the “patriotic.” Americans. Americans have yet to reap the fruit of the hatred that these acts will bring against them.
Isn’t it amazing that Americans — are thanking God (who must be American) for our destruction of a nation. Does Bush thing that God (even if He is American) shares his disdain for human lives?
We as Sikhs and Americans are — firmly against this “New World Order”. We are not so foolish as to think that the ~ U.S. will look with sympathy upon the ~ Sikh struggle in Punjab or at the freedom struggle of our Muslim sisters and brothers i in Kashmir. The U.S. would not have been involved in “liberating” Kuwait if the Kua waili national product was cauliflower or wheat. Has the U.S. shown any interest in liberating the poor Tibetans who are being slaughtered in their own country and being replaced by Chinese? Is Mr. Bush concerned about the violations of human rights in South Africa where a minority of White r rule the downtrodden black race? The answer is No and you can be sure that the U.S. will never show any interest in saving the minority Indians from destruction al” the hands of the Indian Government anything the U.S. will be glad to help the Indian Government by the suppression censorship of all news from the area. All Americans hear in the news is that the Muslims and Sikhs are terrorists and that they must be stopped.
Let us show our commitment and demand the opposition of all foreign occupations and let us champion for human rights and self-determination for all. Let us fight for a U.S. policy which would be free of self-serving economic and political i interests. If we support such U.S. policies as selective attack of countries based on our security or economic interests we will soon meet our own destruction.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 26, 1991
