Katrina, A Warning
To The Mighty
By Junaid Aslam
Khan
15 September, 2003
Countercurrents.org
As
the citizens of the American states of Lousinia, Missisipi, Florida
and Alabama having been devasted by the destruction of nature caused
by the Hurricane Katrina searched the debris for their dead and the
injured. As they fought for their survival aginst the odds ,trying to
overcome hunger , thirst, rapidly spreading diseases , poor sanitation
, lack of medical care and above all the gangs of looters raping and
robbing in the streets. As they focused their hopeful gazes on the skies
waiting for the arrival of the promised aid and their desperate ears
craving to hear the sound of an approaching helicopter. As they helplessly
watched their near and dear ones die in their own arms, their eyes filled
with tears of pain and sorrow. As they sat under the open sky with nothing
to cover their bodies , their lips dried due to lack of water . As all
of this was happening , perhaps one of them might have thought "Are
they going through the same or perhaps worse in Iraq , Afghanistan and
Palestine". Perhaps some one amongst the 1.3 million who sat in
the dark at night without electricity might have wandered how it would
feel if it was the norm rather then the exception as the case is with
Iraq and Afghanistan.Perhaps some one amongst them after having lost
a loved one might have thought "Can i get worse then this ?".the
answer is yes it can
Ask the Iraqis and the Afghan. The Americans atleast have the satisfaction
of knowing that they have been hit by a natural calmity but the Iraqis
and Afghans die many deaths in a day everytime they see the very same
occupied forces patrolling their streets who brought them destruction
and devastation. Every day they see more of their loved ones being added
to the list of casualities not because they were hit by Katrina but
because they live in a part of the World which either has huge energy
resources or it serves as a gateway to these treasures. Every day a
Katrina hits them more severe then the previous one , a Katrina which
they know has come to stay and will be there tomorrow and the day after.The
loss of life due to Katrina is sad but sadder is the killing of innocent
civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The US has suffered a loss of $ 26 billion so far in this catastrophical
hurricane which has effected the lives of millions . The death toll
is estimated to be in thousands and may increase further considering
the fact that 7000 national guard troops which should have been at hand
for such a national crisis are in Iraq fighting to secure the oil wells
for Mr Bush and Co resulting in "unsatisfactory rescue and aid
efforts" as put by George W.Bush . The 26 billion dollars would
hurt the American economy badly which is already going through a turmoil
due to the enormous expenditures on the Iraq war. This loss would make
George W.Bush and Co more desperate to achieve the kind of results which
have eluded them so far in Iraq. Would it mean more violence , more
torture , more sufferings , more rapes , more cluster bombings for the
Iraqis. Perhaps yes. Once again perhaps Iraqis would pay the price for
something that they didn't have anything to do with , or will the American
public opinion which is already shifting against the war force Bush
to back track ,though it seems very unlikely as the recent past has
shown.
Another thing which must be looked at is the negligance of the American
Government towards it's civilians. The same US which has spent a total
of $190.8 billion in Iraq[1].The toll from the man-made Iraqi War is
of a mega-catastrophe level! A nation of 22 million souls, Iraq, and
its ancient cities, like Baghdad, Fallujah and Mosul, have been reduced
mostly to rubble by the U.S.'s invasion and occupation of that country.
Water, gasoline, food, medical supplies and electricity are always in
need there, while dangerous radioactive depleted uranium dust saturates
the country. As many as 100,000 Iraqi civilians may have been killed
so far in that conflict.[2].This once again brings under the microscope
the capitalist system where by material and economic benefit has been
prefered and the loss of human life and that too the "sacred American
lives" has been ignored.In contrast when one looks back at the
super powers of the yester years, say the Islamic Caliphate one would
note that the suffering of human beings and the value of human life
was the most fundamental criteria for setting priorities. One would
find examples whereby the machinery of the whole state was brought into
action in the face of a natural calmity such as a famine or drought.
What ever the outcome and impact of Katrina may be , one thing is for
sure.The rulers of the Muslim countries will not rethink or revisit
their foreign policies towards America. At a time when America so very
desperately needs oil resources will Saudi Arabia again increase it's
oil production to facilitate it's long standing "ally" as
it did in the past .Will the rest of the Arab states continue their
policy of servitude and obeyance . the answer most definitely is in
the affirmitive.
At such a critical juncture of history one would have expected more
from a sincere leadership , but sincerity is a virtue not found in abundance
these days, atleast amongst the leaders. Perhaps the time has come for
the real leaders to emerge from amongst the masses and take their rightful
places at the helm of the affairs of the Ummah.Perhaps it's about time
the tables are turned and the records are set straight. This is the
right time for those who really mean business to come forward and lead
the Ummah towards revival. The need of an Islamic state "the Khilafah"
was never felt more as it is today. A state which cares not only for
it's own citizens but the whole of humanity is the need of the hour.
[1]. http://www.costofwar.com
[2]. http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/29/iraq.deaths/
House # 443 , Street NO 41 , G-9/1Islamabad.
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Junaid Aslam Khan is an engineer by profession and currently working
in the technical field.