Hamas leader turns his focus on Bush, the 'enemy of Islam'

[hedgetrimmer]

A young girl raises her hand in front of a portrait of Ahmed Yassin at a memorial service.
Picture: Abid Katib/ Getty Images

~SNIP~

BEN LYNFIELD IN JERUSALEM


THE senior Hamas leader in Gaza yesterday branded George Bush "the enemy of Islam" in an attack that marked a significant departure from the group’s traditional focus on Israel.

Abdul Aziz Rantissi, speaking a week after Israel assassinated Hamas’s spiritual leader, Ahmed Yassin, and three days after the US vetoed a Security Council censure of Israel over the killing, told a crowd of about 5,000 people at Gaza’s Islamic University that the US had once again proven it is an enemy of Islam.

"We realise that Bush is the enemy of God, the enemy of Islam and Muslims," he said. "America declared war on God and God declared war on America, Bush and Sharon.

"The war of God goes on against them and I can see victory arising from the land of Palestine by the hand of Hamas."

The remarks came during Mr Rantissi’s first public appearance since the three-day mourning period for Sheikh Yassin ended.

... more ...

link: http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=359422004

[drhilarius]

1. I can actually see

Bush using this as a slogan. "Vote GW, an enemy of Islam".That out to play into sheeple's misconceptions nicely.

[belle]

2. They can *have* him as far as I'm concerned.

Leave us the hell out of it.

[SemperEadem]

21. no kidding!!!

I don't have a problem with Islam, so please don't lump me into that category of 'intolerant christian American infidels who deserve death'.

Sheeple will rally around Bush on this--the rest of us will remember that Bush undermined this war on terrorism by turning from alQaida/Saudi Arabia as the focus of terrorism and instead to Iraq because they have oil.

[Poiuyt]

3. This is bad

The American people will rally around bush if he is attacked by a foreign nation. Especially a potential enemy.

[Aidoneus]

4. Hamas wouldn't attack us here, except with their tongues

Even the most radical of them (Rantisi, Mishaal) speak firmly on that question--they operate only within the borders of Palestine and will only ever do so. This point was emphasized quite plainly recently after a bit of confusion.

[Muddleoftheroad]

6. Yeah, because baby killing terrorists are reliable

[Aidoneus]

8. can you submit..

something that would suggest to a record of proof against their claims on such specific matters?

I hesitated to reply to this at first.. could've gone two ways--"prove it wrong", or some pseudo-witty remark about how you take another set of "baby killing terrorists" at their word every day.. but instead of either I opted for both.

[Aidoneus]

23. I'll take that as a 'no'?

[mobuto]

10. They may be baby killing terrorists

but I don't think they're all that stupid. Attacking the United States would be utter suicide for Hamas. They would cease to exist.

[demdave]

11. Oh, they are the "smart" type of baby killing terrorists.

The 14 yr old mentally challenged boy they recruited recently didn't look that smart. I guess you are right, the person that convinced him to blow himself up and helped strap the bomb on him was a lot smarter.


Many criminals defenses are "I wouldn't be stupid enough to....."...and yet they are.

[mobuto]

13. I really don't like being put in the position of defending Hamas

its certainly not a position I naturally occupy.

Whether or not Hamas is that stupid, I think we can agree that attacking the United States would be an act of the most profound stupidity. World opinion would turn substantially against the Palestinians, but more importantly, the US would be almost compelled to vastly increase assistance to Israel. We would clamp down harshly on Arab funding for the Palestinians, we'd give the Israelis all the intelligence, money and weaponry they could possibly need and more, we'd stop objecting to any security measures the Israelis decide are valid, etc. The IDF and Shin Bet would have absolute carte blanche.

Palestinians think they are suffering now? They have no idea.

[demdave]

15. I don't see you as defending Hamas, I simply don't think they are smart

about anything. You see the long trail of events and results. I do not think they do. They are criminals of opportunity. If they can find a retarded child or a distraught person and convince them to do their dirty work, they will. They are only interested in the body count. This has been backed by many of their own statements before and after the facts.

[Bandit]

22. Do you feel safer now Saddam has been captured?

:shrug: Is America now safer? Hammas is listened to in the Arab countries. Also I would venture a bet that more Arab babies have been killed by American forces than the other way around.

[Poiuyt]

20. I didn't mean attack us physically

I meant that if a foreign country says bad things about our leader (in this case it's bush) the American people will support bush.

It's like no one is allowed to beat up my little sister except me.

[0007]

7. Your not speaking for this American and the many I know!

The enemy is junior.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

18. NOT this American!!!! I would NEVER rally around bush* even if my blessed

saintly mother begged me too...please speak for yourself?

[sniffa]

5. no fair

bush was our enemy first.

[The Stranger]

9. Bush is a fundamentalist Christian who has declared his war on terror to

be a "Crusade." Not to bother anyone with history, but The Crusaders (along with the Inquisitors and many other "Christians" throughout history and to the present) declared themselves to be the "enemy of Islam."

Why all the hubub, bub?

[SOS]

16. New book ("The Bushes")

by Republican hagiographers Peter and Rochelle Schweizer
have an interesting quote re: Bush religious wars.
Here's the clip from the NYT book review (3/29/04):

The Schweizers quote one unnamed Bush relative as saying that George W. Bush sees the war on terrorism as a "religious war". "He doesn't have a p.c. view of this war. His view of this is that they are trying to kill the Christians. And we, the Christians, will strike back with more force and ferocity than they will ever know."

[goforit]

12. Just what Bush (Rove)has always wanted......his religious crusade.

Oh well!!!

[bushisanidiot]

14. President DUMBASS Has Dragged the U.S. into a friggin' Religious War

good gawd!

George W. Dumbshit is the worst president this country has ever seen!! He doesn't give a shit about the american people or protecting us as HE WAS SWORN TO DO!

He is a COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE!!

[rucky]

17. How old is that girl in the photo?

her expressions seem to be alot more mature than her age would suggest. I've bet she's already seen more than most of us grownups will experience in our lifetime.

[Aidoneus]

19. if I were to guess,

8 going on 40..