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By Adam Robertson
The West
talks about Western values, about the
need to spread Western values in the
Arab and the Muslim world, which it
views as “uncivilized”.
But the West
must give up this tired rhetoric and
face up to the fact that the so-called
“Western values” now provoke
laughter among Arabs, Muslims, and
many parts of the world that
disagree with the imperialistic
policies pursued by the U.S. and UK
and the damaging effect of which
has been felt in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Earlier this
week, the only woman among the British
naval personnel arrested by Iran for
illegally entering Iranian waters
appeared on television admitting
entering Iranian territorial waters.
In one video
released by Iran's embassy in London,
sailor Faye Turney said she was being
held because of "oppressive"
British and U.S. behavior in Iraq.
And earlier
another sailor appeared on Iranian TV
apologizing to Iranians for
trespassing in their country's
territorial waters.
"We
entered Iranian waters without
permission and were arrested by
Iranian border guards and I would like
to apologize to the Iranian people for
this," IRNA news agency quoted the
sailor as saying.
"Since
we were arrested on Friday March 23,
2007 everything has been very good and
I am completely satisfied about the
conditions,"
The funny
thing is that the American President
called on Iranians to release the 15
British sailors and marines,
describing their capture as
"inexcusable.
Images taken
from videos released by Iran since
last week and showing some of the
detained British naval personnel who
were arrested after illegally entering
the Iranian waters circulated all over
the “civilised world” so that
everyone can see how the Iranians are
treating their captives.
The sailors
appeared in a good health, no signs of
stress or torture, and in some scenes
they were eating. And still the West,
in particular UK accuses Iran of being
uncivilized, describing the incident
as “appalling”.
Compare the
video of the sailors to Abu Ghraib’s
truly appalling images and humiliation
the occupation forces inflicted on the
Iraqis, which was depicted in the disturbing
photographs that circulated all over
the whole world and showed how great
and noble “Western Values” are.
The videos
demonstrated the noble values of the
Muslim world. Those who criticised the
fact that the only woman arrested
among the British sailors appeared
wearing the Islamic headscarf-
What’s so wrong and harmful in
wearing a piece of cloth on one’s
head? Compare that to images of hooded
men held at Abu Ghraib jail by the
U.S., which claims to be the world’s
foremost protector of human rights.
Those in the
West who claim that the Iranian move
was outrageous and appalling- compare
the British sailors who appeared on
the Iranian TV smiling, eating, and
being treated humanely- to images
depicting Iraqis forced by the
occupiers of their country to pose in
humiliating positions and simulate sex
acts.
And because
Iranians are keen on being just to
those sailors, even though they
entered the Iranian waters illegally,
they’re going to hold trials to make
sure that justice is served. Compare
that to the U.S. tribunals trying
Guantanamo inmates, where detainees
are denied the right to be presented
by their lawyers and reporters are
barred from attending the hearings.
The British
captives were allowed to talk on
television- compare that to the
solitary confinement of Guantanamo
prisoners, among many other
“civilised” methods the U.S. uses
against detainees it holds.
Before
Accusing the Arab and the Muslim world
of being uncivilized, the West should
first define what being civilised
means- it surely doesn’t mean
endangering the life of others,
humiliating them, demonizing them and
being unjust to them.
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