Iran, Syria and the PLO condemning terrorism is like germs complaining about disease.

Pakistan? I'll start believing what they have to say in opposition to terror when they put AQ Khan in the dock, when they stop aiding North Korea's nuke development, and especially when the ISI's agents provocateurs stop killing civilians in Kashmir.

Saudi Arabia can stop the incitement telling its schoolchildren and those in madrassas it funds all over the world that non-Muslims should be converted or killed, and it would be nice if they stopped killing Christian Eritreans and Filipinos who hold private services in their G-dforsaken piece of crap country. Then maybe I'll give a rat's derriere what some flunky has to say.

The world is not the foreign service, where clever Bedouins can outsmart mealy-mouthed, over-educated, capon-like bureaucratic functionaries on a regular basis. Actions speak louder than words. The behavior of the Muslim world is what counts and that behavior has been virtually universally abhorrent.

In other news: Mafia condemns extortion; Politicians condemn bribery; Lawyers condemn overbilling.

"Hamas said that there could be no justification for the London bombings. 'Targeting civilians in their transport means and lives is denounced and rejected,' Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy chief of the group's political bureau, told Reuters in Damascus."

Interesting. Probably the Reuters "reporter" just inadvertently left out the rest of the statement: "Except for Jews, but that goes without saying. And Americans, naturally. And all infidels, of course. And apostates. Women, too. And...aw, hell, who am I kidding here? Luckily you're just a dupe who will report whatever blather I spew without any question."

One of the pictures I remember most vividly from 9/11 is Yasser Arafat giving blook somewhere in the West Bank. I have never seen such a look of sheer terror on a human face. He obviously thought at any moment US troops would be after him.

That look should never have left the face of any terrorist ever since.

"blook" should be "blood", of course...

Iran, Hamas and Hizbullah certainly had their fingers crossed.

"The use of violence to achieve aims is condemned," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokes-man Hamid Reza Asefi said.

As his government aggressively pursues the ultimate means of violence, in the absence of any military threat, while many Iranian citizens lack jobs, education, and adequate health care.

A Hizbullah statement on the blasts denounced such attacks on civilians, citing humanitarian, moral and religious grounds.

Hamas said that there could be no justification for the London bombings.

"Targeting civilians in their transport means and lives is denounced and rejected," Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy chief of the group's political bureau, told Reuters in Damascus.

The hypocrisy is palpable.

Notice something here, Bart. Back on 9/12 or so, we heard a lot of "But-headed" statements--stuff along the lines of "Of course the loss of life is deplorable, but you brought this on yourself by supporting Israel/rejecting Kyoto/continuing the Iraq sanctions/drawing breath . . ."

Four years later, same subject matter, same crowd of middle eastern thugocrats . . . but no "but" clauses this time. I don't think they're sincere any more than you do, but they've at least learned that it's a bad idea to talk like that out loud and p.o. the Anglosphere powers.

That's progress, of a sort.

Mike,

There is a wonderful story in The Arabists, by Robert Kaplan, about a US FOreign Service Officer who said that his goal was to get Iraq, pre-GUlf War I, to have the same level of civil liberties as Syria had at that time. While that is undoubtedly progress, it is at the pace of an escargot already in the garlic sauce and puff pastry.

Blook OUGHT to be a word. Tentative definition: rhetoric instead of action.

On another blog, I suggested that the expressions of regret might not be sincere and was blasted by all the lefties.

However, they uniformly doubted Bush's sincerity when he talked of bringing democracy to the Middle East.

People hear what they want to hear.

I'll start believing in these crocodile tears when they start turning over the guys behind the bombs. They know who did it.

Talk is (extremely) cheap...

But where are the fatwahs? Where are the fatwahs?

Fingers crossed. Sphincters tightened.

What Harry said.

Harry:

Sincere? Oh my ears and whiskers. Harry, these are official government reactions. They are governmental policy statements, not mea culpasin the Confessional. Of course they are not sincere. What has that got to do with anything?

You guys have been complaining about how Islam encourages, if not compels, the slaughter of the infidel and establishment of the Caliphate and how they are all such mindless slaves to theocratic doctrine they can't think independently and just take literal, murderous orders from the Koran. Ecrasez L'infamme, etc. Now at a time when the U.S. and the Brits have invaded their home turf,and when there is a real and very difficult war going on for hearts and minds, almost every one of them (although note the absence of Egyptian reaction) condemns the Islamicists loudly. Presumably their populations are listening and we all know about that volatile Arab street.

So, is it not safe to make a short term, eyes-wide-open, preliminary hold-on-to-your-wallets presumption that either: a) they are reflecting a significant portion of public feeling; or b)they are all so secure in their positions they don't care a whit what anyone of their subjects think; or c) all one billion are sitting around their hookahs saying "Hey, did you catch old Sheikh Abdul? He's really playing those decadent Westerners like a violin. Now, remember, don't tell anyone--it's our little Islamic secret."

I dunno, I'm just a country boy, but I rather thing b) and c) are a little unlikely.

What do you want--4th of July Day parades and petitions for statehood? This is the Middle East for cryin' out loud.

I am ready to distinguish good Muslims from Sheridan's good Indians, when that becomes possible. Names, we want names. When they start giving up some terrorists, I'll start trusting them.

Peter,

If you really believe the protestations of all these terrorists and their enablers, then you really are dumb as a box of rocks. And I never would have thought so before.

I want them to cancel the fatwas, to stop financing the madrassas that teach people to kill Westerners, to stop killing Christians and other non-Muslims in their own lands, to stop the financing of terror throughout the world. I really don't think that is a huge request.

As was said in the New York Times today, when Salman Rushdie wrote a book critical of Mohammed, the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a special super duper death warrant type Fatwah. With Osama Bin Laden and his desperados...nothing from anybody other than the Spanish Muslim Clerics (probably pressured by the new Spanish Govt who were afraid they might be pressured by the public to actually do something). As Genesis says above where are the Fatwah's

Bart:

...then you really are dumb as a box of rocks. And I never would have thought so before.

Yeah, well, me and President Bush share that little handicap. We don't like to talk about it much, but the good news is we've both signed up for evening extension courses starting in September. So, can you give us a little more time? Thanks, buddy.

Peter,

I don't believe everything Bush says either. Also, I am far less than 100% convinced that Bush is willing to disrupt his family's financial dealings with the Saudi 'royal' family in order to fight terror.

Hey, what am I, chopped liver? What about my family's financial dealings with the Saudis? How come he gets to be corrupt and I'm just stupid?