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[size=+1]Muslims, Arabs wary of U.S. tsunami aid[/size]
<SMALL>AP ^| 01/06/04 | NADIA ABOU El-MAGD</SMALL>
Muslims, Arabs wary of U.S. tsunami aid
NADIA ABOU El-MAGD
Associated Press
CAIRO, Egypt - Even when America is doing something for Muslims - in this case, helping mostly Muslim Indonesia and other tsunami-battered nations - it comes in for criticism in the Middle East, where resentment and suspicion color thinking about the United States.
On the streets of Tehran, technician Dariush Darabian accused Americans of "talking more than they actually do." Jordanian columnist Aida al-Najjar wrote in the daily Ad-Dustour that America's was exploiting "the suffering of people" to try to improve its image.
In the pages of leading pro-government Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, prominent columnist Salah Montasser scoffed that America's initial allocation of $15 million "is less than what America spends every minute in its war in Iraq."
The United States later raised its pledge to $350 million and sent Secretary of State Colin Powell to one of the worst-hit regions of Indonesia. Powell, speaking in Banda Aceh on Wednesday, said the outpouring of American aid and humanitarian help - citizens are adding tens of millions in donations to their government's contribution - could help Muslims see the United States in a better light.
U.S. generosity has been noted by some Muslims, even in unexpected quarters.
"I give them (Americans) credit for helping the tsunami victims," said Hassan al-Aali of Bahrain's National Committee for the Support of Iraqi People, who has organized several protests against the American occupation of Iraq.
"I believe their help is genuinely for humanitarian reasons," al-Aali said, adding that the U.S. has no vested interest in the disaster-struck areas because "there is no oil there."
But Bahraini political analyst Mohammed Almezel said the aid "can take hold in the minds of Muslims and Arabs only if it was part of a wider move by Washington to insert some balance in its policies that concern the region."
The United States is repeatedly accused of bias in favor of Israel in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and of plunging Iraq into chaos with the invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.
Influential satellite stations like Al-Jazeera have reported on the Dec. 26 south Asia disaster that killed at least 140,000 people and left millions in need and America's and the world's response, but the main focus of coverage remains on Iraq and other regional issues.
In a part of the world where conspiracy theories greet every development, the disaster was no different. Contributors to some Web sites known as clearinghouses for militant Muslim comment wrote that America knew the tsunami was coming but moved only to protect its military bases, a theory reminiscent of speculation U.S. officials staged the Sept. 11 attacks to demonize Muslims.
Others, including some clerics, have said that tsunami was God's revenge on Westerners who engaged in vice and prostitution while vacationing in southeast Asia.
The immensity of the disaster, though, also sparked introspection, with some commentators calling on Arab government and citizens to do more to help the tsunami victims.
Saudi Arabia stepped up its response to the disaster on Wednesday, tripling its official aid pledge to $30 million and planning a telethon so Saudi citizens can contribute.
Oil-rich Gulf states have been increasing their pledges for tsunami victims as the scope of the disaster becomes clearer, and amid accusations that they are doing too little, especially when one of the worst hit regions is mostly Muslim Indonesia. ---_
<SMALL>AP ^| 01/06/04 | NADIA ABOU El-MAGD</SMALL>
Muslims, Arabs wary of U.S. tsunami aid
NADIA ABOU El-MAGD
Associated Press
CAIRO, Egypt - Even when America is doing something for Muslims - in this case, helping mostly Muslim Indonesia and other tsunami-battered nations - it comes in for criticism in the Middle East, where resentment and suspicion color thinking about the United States.
On the streets of Tehran, technician Dariush Darabian accused Americans of "talking more than they actually do." Jordanian columnist Aida al-Najjar wrote in the daily Ad-Dustour that America's was exploiting "the suffering of people" to try to improve its image.
In the pages of leading pro-government Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, prominent columnist Salah Montasser scoffed that America's initial allocation of $15 million "is less than what America spends every minute in its war in Iraq."
The United States later raised its pledge to $350 million and sent Secretary of State Colin Powell to one of the worst-hit regions of Indonesia. Powell, speaking in Banda Aceh on Wednesday, said the outpouring of American aid and humanitarian help - citizens are adding tens of millions in donations to their government's contribution - could help Muslims see the United States in a better light.
U.S. generosity has been noted by some Muslims, even in unexpected quarters.
"I give them (Americans) credit for helping the tsunami victims," said Hassan al-Aali of Bahrain's National Committee for the Support of Iraqi People, who has organized several protests against the American occupation of Iraq.
"I believe their help is genuinely for humanitarian reasons," al-Aali said, adding that the U.S. has no vested interest in the disaster-struck areas because "there is no oil there."
But Bahraini political analyst Mohammed Almezel said the aid "can take hold in the minds of Muslims and Arabs only if it was part of a wider move by Washington to insert some balance in its policies that concern the region."
The United States is repeatedly accused of bias in favor of Israel in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and of plunging Iraq into chaos with the invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.
Influential satellite stations like Al-Jazeera have reported on the Dec. 26 south Asia disaster that killed at least 140,000 people and left millions in need and America's and the world's response, but the main focus of coverage remains on Iraq and other regional issues.
In a part of the world where conspiracy theories greet every development, the disaster was no different. Contributors to some Web sites known as clearinghouses for militant Muslim comment wrote that America knew the tsunami was coming but moved only to protect its military bases, a theory reminiscent of speculation U.S. officials staged the Sept. 11 attacks to demonize Muslims.
Others, including some clerics, have said that tsunami was God's revenge on Westerners who engaged in vice and prostitution while vacationing in southeast Asia.
The immensity of the disaster, though, also sparked introspection, with some commentators calling on Arab government and citizens to do more to help the tsunami victims.
Saudi Arabia stepped up its response to the disaster on Wednesday, tripling its official aid pledge to $30 million and planning a telethon so Saudi citizens can contribute.
Oil-rich Gulf states have been increasing their pledges for tsunami victims as the scope of the disaster becomes clearer, and amid accusations that they are doing too little, especially when one of the worst hit regions is mostly Muslim Indonesia. ---_
