For the last two weeks
we were saturated with horrific pictures of Iraqi prisoners being
tortured, humiliated, and degraded by United States soldiers and some
contractors working for the United States Government. The outrage of the
World community is still reverberating to this day because of the
treatment of those Iraqi prisoners of war, who were supposed to be
protected by the 1949 Geneva Conventions. Last week, I wrote in this
Website condemning the treatment of Iraqi prisoners and accusing the
United States Government of committing war crimes. And early on, I had
expressed strongly my views that the war on Iraq is/was illegal and not
justified by international law or custom even though I welcomed the
destruction of Saddam Hussein�s regime and his capture. I have
condemned the death of Iraqi civilians in the disproportionate and indiscriminate
bombing by the United States forces. Thus, this Website in no way is
beholden to any side except to the side of Truth and the Righteous.
Now, even before that
scandal of the treatment of Iraqi prisoners has subsided, the World is
once again subjected to watch a picture of horror of the murder of Nick
Berg, a United States Citizen, kidnapped a month ago by some shadowy
group that claimed connection with Al Qaeda. The pictures and video
transmitted through television on May 11, 2004 spared us the gruesome
detail of the actual process of beheading carried out by the leader of
the group, claimed to be a notorious Jordanian, but did not diminish the
horror we all suffered having to watch the death of an innocent young
man.
The murder of Nick Berg
is particularly heinous because of the absolute innocence of the victim
who was in Iraq on his own seeking a job. Nick Berg was a simple young
man trying to make a living on his own not attached to the Halliburtons
of the world, and obviously shunned by the establishment contractors. I
am very disturbed by this senseless murder of an innocent man. It made
his death symbolic and real of the inhumanity of man to man. The murder
of a man who has done nothing harmful to any Iraqi or anybody else makes
his murder by individuals who claim to avenge the abuse of Iraqi
prisoners a mockery of justice. Nick Berg, except for the fact of being
an American, had absolutely nothing to do with the torture, humiliation,
or degradation of Iraqi prisoners. Such wanton act of violence against
an innocent human being neither promotes the cause of Iraqis or that of
peace.
From the video that was
broadcasted on television, what was most hurtful to watch for me was that
Nick Berg was slaughtered not realizing that he was going to be murdered.
To some extent that may be a relief of sort. Nevertheless, I am very upset
that individuals in cold-blood could murder an innocent human being and
have the audacity to claim that it was done to avenge the abuse of Iraqis
or Arabs. I am ashamed to be a human being by the action of those hooded
thugs who are no better than vicious beasts. No matter what they claim to
be, such individuals are not freedom fighters, they are not either
defenders of Arab honor or Islam. As members of Al Qaeda, they are
depraved cowards who had murdered also innocent Arabs all over the Arab
world. All decent human beings ought to condemn such acts of ruthless
murder of an innocent human being.
If the United States
Government had in fact refused to exchange Nick Berg for Iraqi prisoners
as alleged by the people who murdered Nick Berg, I will be very angry. Is
the Government holding principle above/over the life of an individual?
That will be a first for United States Government, since it has
compromised principles for political expediency everywhere else and at all
times. I ask you, and I expect an honest answer: if Nick Berg was the son
or relation of the President, the Secretary of Defense, or any of the
Senators would the United States Government have negotiated to exchange
Iraqi prisoners for his life?
The murder of Nick Berg
will haunt us all for a long time, for what was murdered was not only a
human being but also our innocence as well. Our deeply felt sorrow and
condolence to the family of Nick Berg. It was a horrible and senseless act
of individuals who are neither heroic nor courageous, but deranged
murderers who could not distinguish between their own perverted sense of
vengeance from what is good for Iraq or for the Arab world. I am also
appalled to hear individuals trying to make a political case out of this
terrible tragedy alleging that the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners is the
reason for the murder. I strongly object to such �cause and effect�
analysis because it undermines what we expect as basic decency in every
human being. I call upon all officials of decent governments including
that of the United States to hunt down those murderers to the end of the
World and bring them to justice.
Tecola W. Hagos
May 2004
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