November 22, 2005

Beautiful Maidens

Hatched by Sachi

This past October 4th, as Ramadan began across the Middle East, Arabs were watching a the first of a thirty-episode television series titled "Al-Hour Al-Ayn," Arabic for "Beautiful Maidens" -- a reference to the 72 sloe-eyed virgins that supposedly await martyrs in Paradise. But what is significant about this series is its message:

DAMASCUS, Syria - A new television series being broadcast around the Middle East tells the story of Arabs living in residential compounds in Saudi Arabia and the militant Islamists who want to blow them up so they can collect their rewards in heaven - 72 beautiful virgins.

The show's message -- terrorism is giving Islam a bad name, and Muslims are suffering because of the actions of a few. [Emphasis added]

Considering the fact that the Syrian government is one of the primary terrorism-sponsoring states, this program, produced out of a studio in Damascus, is quite remarkable. But the way al-Qaeda terrorists have been operating, it was also inevitable.

The letter believed to have been writtin by Ayman Zawahiri to Musab Zaqarwi warned Zarqawi that his senseless slaughter of Moslems was alienating the militant-Islamist movement from Moslem society. This alienation appears to be spreading from country to country, a pandemic of sudden road-to-Damascus revelations in Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Libya, Qatar, Yemen, and many others.

Recently, Moslem societies have started openly rejecting the jihadis. The attack on the Radisson SAS Hotel (killing many members of a wedding party), the Grand Hyatt Hotel, and the Days Inn, all in Amman, Jordan, created a firestorm of rage against Zarqawi and his terrorist organization, al-Qaeda In Iraq -- and against terrorism in general. Zarqawi's own al-Khalayleh tribe in Jordan went so far as to sever all ties with him and denounce terrorism.

"If my son was a terrorist, I wouldn't hesitate to kill him," family member Mousa al-Khalayleh said during Friday's rally, claiming he spoke on behalf of the tribe. "This is the slogan raised by the tribe as of this moment."

Sunday's message was similar to one sent last year by some members of al-Zarqawi's clan to [King] Abdullah [of Jordan]. That message, which contained fewer signatories, severed links with the terrorist for claiming a failed plot in April 2004 that targeted the Amman headquarters of Jordan's intelligence agency, the prime minister's office and the U.S. Embassy.

The reactions of the terrorists and their supporters to the Syrian-produced television show being broadcast on a Saudi satellite station are likewise predictable and tiresome. A Saudi entertainment Journalist, interviewed on CNN today (sorry no link), said that actors were "receiving death threats."

The critics are demanding the Saudi-owned and Dubai-based Middle East Broadcasting Corporation, a popular Arabic satellite television station that bought the show and broadcasts it across the region, cancel it.

Others lambasted its Syrian Muslim director and producer, Najdat Anzour, as an infidel for tarnishing the image of Islam. But still others have praised the groundbreaking series.

But after a daily dose of such death threats for years now, how threatening can such threats still be?

During Ramadan, devout Moslems fast during the day; but that means they stay home at night, gorge themselves on food, and watch TV. Many new television series debut during Ramadan, then repeat throughout the year. Millions of Arab families have already watched the series. The anti-terrorism program is being broadcast throughout the Moslem countries of the Middle East via satellite and is also being broadcast on local television in Syria and Lebanon.

I'm sure that as months pass, the memory of the Jordanian hotel bombings will fade (as the memory of 9/11 has faded for many here in America). Then many Arabs will lose some of their hatred of terrorists, especially if the jihadis refrain from attacking Moslem targets. But every time something like this happens, a few million more Moslems cross the Rubicon, finally and permanently rejecting the whole "holy war" model for the bombings and killings.

At some point, the Islamists will be on the run and without friends and safety, even in Riyadh, Damascus, and Baghdad; the civilized world will have won the global war on terrorism.

A few months ago, I (Sachi) watched a documentary about Saudi TV news. In it, a producer talking with his staff members said "terrorism is evil." A young staffer responded, "that is your opinion." The producer snapped back: "No! that is the truth!"

Truth indeed. Militant Islamism is not only the enemy of the entire free world; it has foolishly made itself an enemy to Moslems as well. The sooner the Moslem world figures this out and loudly rejects the jihad message, the better this world will be for everyone.

Hatched by Sachi on this day, November 22, 2005, at the time of 10:53 PM

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this hissing: http://biglizards.net/mt3.36/earendiltrack.cgi/253

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Beautiful Maidens:

» Oops! from Common Sense Political Thought
It was all a mistake: the great reward wasn’t 72 virgins, but a bunch of grapes! ... [Read More]

Tracked on November 23, 2005 5:32 AM

Comments

The following hissed in response by: Dishman

All things considered, Iraq was a much better battlefield than Afghanistan would have been... and now they've blown off that as well.

Time will tell.. but at this point he's looking even more wise than Reagan.

The above hissed in response by: Dishman [TypeKey Profile Page] at November 23, 2005 9:15 AM

The following hissed in response by: Bill Faith

I've linked from Holiday Quick Hits

The above hissed in response by: Bill Faith [TypeKey Profile Page] at November 23, 2005 10:38 PM

The following hissed in response by: hunter

But, but, but I thought the Bushitler policy was turning the whole of Islam against us, and was inspiring endless numbers of terrorist wannabes to head out with full support to strap on their entry ticket to paradise? I mean to listen to the MSM and the DNC 'leadership', the support for the Michael Moore's freedom fighters is growing, not shrinking. How can this report be?
Could it be that W's policy of seeking to respect Islam while fighting those who misuse Islam to impose death is working? Could it be that we are disrupting Al Qaeda, both in Afghanistan and Iraq, to the point where the raw violence and evil of their strrategy is clear to all?

The above hissed in response by: hunter [TypeKey Profile Page] at November 24, 2005 6:05 AM

The following hissed in response by: KarmiCommunist

72 sloe-eyed virgins

Apparently Zawahiri and Zaqarwi get special attention from America's Democrat Party and it's MSM, huh. What do the Arab, Muslim, or Islamic women get if they give themselves to this infamous "Allah"?!? 72 ********** potent males?!? Is "Allah" sooooooooooo one-way in his or her thinking?!? Seems so, huh.

Do you have a Daughter??? Then put her into a Burka, and consider that she is lucky, because she is younger than you...

[Edited to remove overly sexual content. -- the Mgt.]

The above hissed in response by: KarmiCommunist [TypeKey Profile Page] at November 24, 2005 6:35 PM

Post a comment

Thanks for hissing in, . Now you can slither in with a comment, o wise. (sign out)

(If you haven't hissed a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Hang loose; don't shed your skin!)


Remember me unto the end of days?


© 2005-2009 by Dafydd ab Hugh - All Rights Reserved