Darfur, an Arab and Muslim Shame!

posted 12/11/06

Sometime I wonder when the Arabs and Muslims will get a sense of honor and feel the shame and take responsibility for the actions of Arab states when it comes to international crimes committed toward citizens of Arab states.
The long time silence over the crimes committed by the central government in Khartoum and its twenty years war against the people of South Sudan resulting in the death of over 2 million people and now the silence toward a similar crimes committed by the central government in Sudan and its allies in Darfur. How can any Arab and Muslims ever be so silent about what is going on in Sudan?
The central government of Sudan over the years justified its war against the animist and Christian south that its war is against imperialist and colonial interventions in the south that undermines the unity of Sudan and at times justified its war as a way to implement Sharia law in a region of the country without any Muslim majority.
While it true that colonial powers did support the south in the war with the central government and its it true that missionaries played a an important role in keeping the war going hoping to recruit more and more animist to its Christian ranks. However all of this could never justify the war the Sudanese government waged against its own people in the south and imposing Sharia could never be justified under any and all circumstance with the killing of millions of people and the wasting of the very few precious resource the country have. The central government in Khartoum is responsible for the war in the south and is responsible for the crimes its forces and its allies wage against the people of Darfur. Frankly, I could never find any justification for such wars and could never find any excuses for the central government in Sudan.
Now that the conflict in the south seems to be on its way of getting solves, the problem in Darfur and the daily killings going on and the uprooting of indigenous people and the racial uprooting and ethnic cleansing going on in Sudan, require the immediate intervention of the Arab states and the Arab League with the central government of Khartoum to its is crimes against its own people in Darfur.
One also has to question the wisdom of the government in Khartoum and its justifications of its actions in Darfur when the people of Sudan need urgently investment in development. One has to wonder how much infrastructure could have been built in Sudan if the government put all of its sources in development and not in stupid wars that only kills people, destroy infrastructure and keep army generals well fed and fat. How many rails line could have been rebuilt? How many schools and clinics could have been built with the billions wasted on such useless and criminal actions against its own people?
But then the Arab league and Arab states are not know for being ahead of time, always behind time. There was a chance to avoid the invasion of Iraq and Mr. Amr Musa made sure the Arab League does not take any action that calls for Saddam to step aside, thus saving the more than 600,000 victims and saving Iraq from destruction and disintegration. The same is true when recently the Arab League decided to break the total boycott of the Palestinian people and allow Arab Banks to provide funding to the Palestinian Authority and the people. This action was done of course in anticipation of the US agreeing to a lifting of siege over the Palestinian government when Hamas step aside. One has to wonder what this Arab League is for and what service it provide. With all due respect to Mr. Amr Musa, the time ran out for the Arab League and its time for it to fold and close shop. It is an organization without any bones and without any courage and leadership and without any sense of shame.