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Session Details
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| Guest Name |
Dr. Aslam Abdullah
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| Profession |
Editor of the Minaret Magazine
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| Subject |
Bin Laden's Recent Tape on Iraq: Does Iraq Have Linkage to al-Qaeda?
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| Date |
Saturday,Feb 15 ,2003
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Time |
Makkah
From...
19:00...To...
20:30
GMT
From... 16:00...To...17:30
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| Name |
Host
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| Profession |
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| Question |
Has the session started?
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| Answer |
Yes, it has started. You are now invited to submit your questions.
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| Name |
Kamal
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| Profession |
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| Question |
How do you see the message given to the Muslim Ummah and the Arab leaders in the recent tape of Bin Laden?
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| Answer |
Bin Laden is a self styled Muslim leader. He does not represent the Ummah or the Muslim community. He represents everything contrary to what Islam stands for. Islam does not teach terrorism. Islam does not teach indiscriminate killing. Islam does not promote violence. Islam demands from its adherents a style of work that is in conformity with the dignity of the divine message.
Bin Laden wants to thrive on the mood of anger in the Muslim world over political powerlessness. He probably feels that he would gain popularity by presenting him as a defiant voice. He would not appeal to those who believe in the finality of the divine message, and who believe that Prophet Muhammad was deputed as mercy to humanity. He would appeal to those who are jittery about their political powerlessness, who want the issue of Palestine to be resolved, who want the period of political suffocation of Muslims to come to an end quickly. He would carry them on the strength of their sentiments. He would be perceived by Arab leaders as a thorn in the eye. He would be seen as a rabble rouser.
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| Name |
Basim
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| Profession |
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| Question |
In your opinion, who made up the latest tape? Is it really done by Bin Laden, or US?
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| Answer |
No one knows the origin of this or any other tapes. Al-Jazeera says that it received those tapes and the CIA analysts say that they have verified Bin Laden's voice. But no one gives accurate and factual information about these tapes. The world wants to know the reality of these and many other tapes.
The world wants to understand the origin of these tapes, the validity of his statements and the legitimacy of his ideas. Moreover, the world wants to know his whereabouts.
The US has spent billions of dollars on its war on terrorism. Yet it has so far not been able to find out the whereabouts of Ben Laden. Why? That is a big question.
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| Name |
Zaman
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| Profession |
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| Question |
Powel has declared that he had a copy of the latest tape of Bin Laden on Iraq, a matter that raises a lot of questions: Does US fabricate the tape? Or they have agents in al-jazeera satellite?
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| Answer |
What is most surprising about these Bin Laden tapes is that they are delivered in open day light without any intelligence knowing about them. The CIA and other intelligence agencies have all sort of sophisticated technology to intercept even the chats of suspected terrorists. However, that technology has failed to identify the source of Bin Laden tape.
No body seems to know the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden. No one has answered questions about his life or death. At times the CIA and its allies have published reports claiming that Bin Laden was dead. At times they claim that he is alive and still planning. If he is alive and still planning, then intelligence agencies must give more details.
It seems that Bin Laden serves a useful purpose for the CIA planners and Pentagon officials. They use his so called tapes to create panic and initiate legislative or policy issues. One does not really know if these tapes are real. Technology has advanced to such an extent that everything is possible.
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| Name |
Khadijah
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| Profession |
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| Question |
America is trying all possible means available to condemn Iraq, the latest of which is that Iraq has linkage to Bin Laden…. What a joke? How come they have linkage to Bin Laden while the latter has accused the Iraqi regime of being an apostate or disbeliever!!
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| Answer |
The US foreign policy is dictated by powerful financial, military and political interest groups. In order to promote a particular position, sometimes, these groups fabricate facts, concoct ideas and manufacture events. They are not concerned about legitimacy or truth. They are not concerned about the welfare and well beings of people in general.
If they were genuinely concerned about human rights, truth or accuracy, they would not have allowed the Palestinian people to suffer under the Israeli occupation for long.
If they were genuinely concerned about people and their rights, they would not have advocated billion of dollars aid to Israel each year. They do what they do to preserve their financial, military and political interests.
They know that the world is against terrorism. They also know that if Iraq's Saddam Hussein is linked with terrorism or terrorist groups, the world opinion could be persuaded for war. Hence, the administration officials have been saying it from the day they decided to highlight the Iraqi issue. However, they have failed to present any evidence to substantiate their claim.
The presence of a Bin Laden supporter or operative in Iraq does not implicate Iraq in terrorism. The world didn't implicate the US in crimes committed by Hiterl against people during World War II because of the presence of a few Nazi fugitives in America.
The Bush Administration has to provide clear evidence about such linkage if that exists with honesty and openness. However, one must understand that the Bush Administration has already made up its mind about war again Saddam Hussein. It will use every possibility to legitimize its decisions.
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| Name |
Lana
- United States
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| Profession |
Paralegal
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| Question |
I am 27 years old and a divorced women. recently i got engaged to a man who is a shiite muslim, my family is sunni, my family does not seem to have a problem, I do. Is it permissible in Islam for a Sunni woman to marry a shiite man? please I need an answer as soon as possible before I marry this man.
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| Answer |
Editor:
We apologize for not answering this question since it does not relate to the topic of this session. We request the questioner to re-submit her question to Ask the Scholar Service where it will be forwarded to specialist scholars and be answered at its due time.
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| Name |
K.R
- Bahrain
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| Profession |
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| Question |
Do you think that America will delay the war on Iraq for a bit to study the tape and try to find out whether Bin Laden is still alive or not? Do you think this tape is a disgrace for America as it could do away with Bin Laden till now?
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| Answer |
The tape of Bin Laden is only a tape whose contents are being used by special interest groups to serve their political agenda. The tape will not either expedite or delay the war. The war will be delayed and stopped only when the Bush Administration would begin to realize that it is losing public opinion in the U.S.A.
Special interest groups who have used successive US administration to secure their interests do not care about honesty, freedom or even the UN resolution.
For instance, why has the US not taken a strong stand about the non-compliance by the state of Israel of hundreds of resolutions on the issue of Palestine? Why has the US not urged India to follow the UN resolution on the issue of Kashmir? The US commands all political and financial powers to dictate its terms on India and Israel. Yet it has not done so, because it does not perceive those issues important and vital for its interests. However, if the Administration realizes that the public opinion is shifting against Israel and India, it might move into action and force them to do things they have resisted to do so far.
The only way a war can be prevented when the elected officials realize that they might lose the next election. Very few in Congress would stand for principles or justice.
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| Name |
Akram
- Egypt
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| Profession |
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| Question |
How can you call someone who spent his whole life in the cause of Islam to be terrorist? This man preferred to live an ascetic life while he has millions and millions!! Is he terrorist because he fights against America and the Jews? Look at what America is doing and then you will be able to see who the real terrorist is.
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| Answer |
A person is judged by his action and not by his claims or life style. What was done by Osama Bin Laden in Kenya, Yemen, New York and Washington was wrong from any Islamic perspective. His actions were devoid of Islamic spirit and Islamic principles.
Islam demands civility in discourse and actions. Islam is not an emotional outburst of believers. It is a divine faith that is revealed for all people and all times. American or Israeli actions against Muslims will not change the color or code of Islam.
One must stand up against injustices of the US and Israel, but in a peaceful manner. Terror must not be countered with terrorism. Darkness cannot be removed with darkness. Dirt cannot be wiped off with dirt.
Islamic principles are supreme. They must be applied in all circumstances. I personally have major disagreement with the foreign policy of the US towards the Palestinians or the Muslim people in general. I regard the state of Israel an apartheid state. Yet I will never advocate violence or terror to challenge the US policies or the Israeli racism, because I believe in the principles of Islam. I will continue to suffer and wait for generations for justice, but will never violate the sanctity of divine principles.
I am not entitled to take the life any individual unless I am in a battle field and the war is imposed on me. But I will follow all rules of engagements as has been stipulated in the Qur'an.
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| Name |
Rima
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| Profession |
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| Question |
Is it true that Bin Laden used to work for US & UK intelligence (during Regan & Thatcher area)?
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| Answer |
Yes, a large number of Muslim organizations in different parts of the world were recruited by the CIA and other intelligence agencies to support the Afghan jihad.
They organizations and individuals received billions of dollars, military training, and military supplies to fight the former Soverit Union.
Bin Laden, Shaikh Omar Bin Abdur Rahman, Mulla Umar, Gulbuddin Hikmat Yar and several Islamic groups in Pakistan and other places were in close contacts with several CIA operatives in the area during the Afghan Jihad.
Even the Taliban were at one time trained by several CIA operatives.
Who used whom? Who served whom? Who blackmailed whom? Why did they split? These are several mysterious questions that we would not be able to know in our life times.
Secrets are often revealed after the death of all the actors involved in them. Perhaps our future generations would learn about the real truth of Bin Laden or Mulla Umar or the CIA operatives etc.
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| Name |
Siddiqui
- Pakistan
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| Profession |
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| Question |
I think Bin Laden's story is just a tool in America's hand to condemn any country to be targeted by America. When America attacked Afaghanistan, there was the tool to condemn it in order to achieve its goals, and now it is the same tool used in the so-called war on terrorism. Do you think that Bin Laden's story will continue to be used in the coming attack America will launch against Muslim countries? A second point is that if America has declared several time during the war on Afghanistan that Bin Laden and the members of al-Qaeda have been killed in the attacks, then how come they use that faked story to condemn Iraq?
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| Answer |
Politics is an art of manipulation of facts. In politics nothing is right and nothing is wrong. Those who are powerful always use events, incidents and facts to serve their interests. If certain facts do not serve their interests, they discard them.
Terrorism is an old phenomenon. Those who suffered from terrorism include people of all faith. For instance, the Palestinians were terrorized and brutalized by many Zionist leaders including those who later become public officials of Israel. Yet we did not find any US administration condemning those people for their crimes, primarily because the American public was not directly impacted by their action. The terrorist attacks of September 11 were against America and its people. They were wrong. Consequently, Bin Laden emerged as enemy number one, even though a few years ago he was hailed as a supporter of the US during the Afghan Jihad.
Obviously, when an enemy is so clearly identified, every possible action will be taken to ensure that the enemy remains in public memory so that the lessons of terrorism are not forgotten.
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| Name |
mohammad
- Morocco
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| Profession |
ceo
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| Question |
Is Bin Laden alive and do you think of a probability of future attacks on us?
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| Answer |
This question can be answered only by intelligence agencies. No one from average Muslim or non-Muslim has seen Bin Laden or met him. Average Muslims were not aware of his existence before the September 11. Probably, some people in Saudi Arabia or other gulf states knew him. Yet the vast majority of Muslims did not know him.
As far as future attacks are concerned, only the intelligence agencies can say anything with determination. Bin Laden is now public enemy number one. It is quite possible that several other groups might use his name to serve their agenda.
Regardless, we the ordinary Muslims who are not part of the high politics that is played around our lives, must remain loyal to our faith and judge things according to Islam's principles of mercy, compassion, justice, truthfulness. We must not allow people to misuse our faith for their political purposes. Once we do that, we can stop people from misusing our faith for wrong purposes.
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| Name |
Concerned Muslim
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| Profession |
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| Question |
Dear respected scholar, I'm a little bit confused with the answer you gave concerning brandishing Osama bin Laden as terrorist. I'll just comment on the last paragraph of your answer: If you are saying that we shouldn't engage in violence unless in battlefield or when a war is launched against us. Don't you think now that we are in that very battlefield, or do we have to wait for the whole nation to be persecuted till we consider ourselves "the oppressed nation"? When you seem to be in disagreement with a person like bin Laden, do you think the policy adopted by our coward rulers is the best for the sake of Muslim Ummah? Please, kindly clarify this, Jazakumllah
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| Answer |
I don't agree with the assumption that war against Islam has been unleashed by strong political powers. There is a world wide war against terrorism. This is a common war. Bin Laden applied terrorist methods to achieve his goals. The apartheid regime of South Africa used terrorist methods to achieve its goals. The racist state of Israel used it terrorist apparatus to serve its interests. We are against Bin Laden's brand of terrorism the same as we are against Israeli terrorism.
We should have been vocal in condemning the terrorism of Israel. We should have pursued peaceful means to make that a number one issue. We don't fight terror with terror. We fight terror with peaceful struggle for justice.
We are oppressed because we have accepted oppression as a norm for us. Our Muslim organizations and groups never stood for true Islamic values in economy, politics and society in countries where they are active. They compromised always.
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| Name |
Abdullah
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| Profession |
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| Question |
What is your view on the countries mentioned by Osama bin Laden in his tape that they need to be liberated, especially Nigeria. What does a country like Nigeria have to do with ongoing drama?
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| Answer |
Osman's liberation is different than the liberation of Islam. Islam stands for human dignity, human rights, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, assembly and freedom of dissent. This is well evident from the Qur'an and Sunnah of the Prophet. From that perspective most Muslim countries need to be liberated.
Then there is another kind of liberation. That is the liberation from illiteracy, poverty, economic powerlessness, imperialism, feudalism, even capitalism, political subjugation. The Qur'an and Sunnah both demand from Muslims liberation from these kinds of oppressions.
Osama wants people to subjugate them to his brand of politics, a politics of suppression, totalitarianism and subjugation.
This is not liberation. This is enslavement.
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| Name |
Funshyboy
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| Profession |
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| Question |
Isn't it possible that the recent tape of bin Laden is some sort of American military manouver to catch the Iraq off-balance, especially when viewed in light of military experience that Ibn Laden seems to be imparting to the Iraqis? Then, the issue of martyr operation: do you think this can scare off the Americans?
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| Answer |
Regardless of the origin of tapes, the fact is that Bin Laden's reported statement has become a weapon in the hands of the Bush Administration to legitimize their war rhetorics. Saddam is a dictator and Osama is a terrorist. The combination of the two is a deadly combination. This is what the Bush Administration has been trying to prove. Some officials argue that they want to take preventive steps to stop future terrorist attacks.
Well, this is a weak argument, because according to this logic every Muslim can be attacked because every Muslim believes in Islam. And since Osama and Saddam also believe in Islam, therefore, every Muslim can become a terrorist.
Bin Laden has no legitimacy to use the noble idea of martyrdom for his action. Martyrdom is a noble concept. It is not done at the expense of innocent human life as is evident from the Qur'an and Sunnah. It is not an act of chivalry. It is not an act of jingoism. The presence of a Muslim in the world is not a source of fear. A Muslim by the definition is a pillar of peace and a source of mercy to the people of the world whether they are Americans or Europeans. Islam was not revealed to scare people away.
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| Name |
M R
- United States
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| Profession |
Consumer Analyst
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| Question |
As-salamu `Alaykum!
Why are we fighting this political war as an Islamic war?
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| Answer |
Wa`alykum as-salamu warahmatullah.
There are several issues that need to be understood. We need to identify people who want to turn the war on terrorism as a clash of civilizations. Bin Laden believes that the Western civilization is all kufr (disbelief) and hence it must be destroyed. Christian evangelists believe that Islam is all evil and hence it must be destroyed. Political Zionists believe that Islam is a fabricated religion; hence it must be wiped off.
These three groups have indulged themselves in verbal and actual terrorism against innocent people in the name of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. They have built their empires on hatred and animosity towards others. They have failed to understand the beauty of the fundamental message of their faiths. These people want to destroy each other in the name of their so called religious understanding.
If we conduct ourselves in an Islamic manner, every act of dissension can be resolved in a manner that would not require the bloodshed of innocent people. If we guide our action on the basis of true understanding of Islam, we can overcome many hurdles. However, many from our own ranks politicize Islam to such an extent that it loses its original meaning and message.
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| Name |
Jeilani
- Canada
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| Profession |
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| Question |
Will the on going world demonstrations against the war on Iraq have any affect? And what is the Islamic judgment concerning the inaffectness of Islamic leaders around the world when they collectively can stop this war if they want?
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| Answer |
I wish we had similar demonstrations in Makkah, Kuwait, Egypt and other places in the Muslim world. I wish our Muslims were active in fighting suppression of individual rights in countries where they have been suppressed.
The anti-war campaign is the only way to prevent the Bush Administration from going to war. Only when people stand up for their rights, the tyrants start shaking. They will prove effective. Islam demands Muslims to struggle for those rights that are inalienable and that have been given by the divine. They should struggle and be prepared to pay the price of their struggle.
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| Name |
Muslimah
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| Profession |
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| Question |
Does al-qaida really exist? my second question is what good has usama done to the muslims? first a whole country,afghanistan, was bombed in the so called search of his and now he's again making big claims and threatning usa against the possible war iraq. Does usama really exist at all?
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| Answer |
Regardless whether al-Qaeda or Osama are a reality of a fiction, the damage to Muslims has already been caused. Osama proved himself no less an enemy of Muslim than any other tyrant or racist in the region. He distorted Islam in his anger and hatred of the US. He exploited the powerlessness of Muslims to settle his scores with the CIA operatives and the United States. He misused the sentiments of Muslims to regain their dignity for his political agenda. He is an enemy of Muslims, no matter what he claims otherwise.
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| Name |
adel
- Canada
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| Profession |
businessman
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| Question |
I am more interested in learning if our Arab leaders, in the upcoming confrence, are ever going to stand together against the US/Israeli's aggression towards our people.
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| Answer |
The truth is that slavery is still rampant in the Muslim political circles. Many rulers have been enslaved by Washington, London, Paris or Frankfurt or even by multinational corporations who have imposed their life style upon such people. People become slave because they no longer have their self esteem and their individuality. Once enslaved, they are unable to speak but His master's voice. Once enslaved, they are unable to stand for justice or anything else.
These slaves are silent about every act of aggression. They don't know how to conduct their political struggles, because they are dumb, deaf and blind.
They themselves are aggressors to their people. How can we expect them to fight aggression of others?
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