{"id":189,"date":"2012-03-31T01:56:11","date_gmt":"2012-03-31T01:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.raziazmi.com\/?p=189"},"modified":"2024-10-09T00:21:38","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T00:21:38","slug":"conspiracy-theory-industries-un-ltd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raziazmi.com\/?p=189","title":{"rendered":"Conspiracy Theory Industries Un-Ltd"},"content":{"rendered":"<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Conspiracy theories give free rein to one\u2019s imagination, indeed they allow the imagination to run wild.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They weave a web of mysteries where none exists, suspect conspirators in high places when there are only bumbling politicians, incompetent generals and idiotic officials within government, and lunatics, assassins and fanatics outside.<!--more--><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Conspiracy Theory Industries Un-Ltd<\/span><\/strong><strong><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Conspiracy theories are remarkable for their popularity.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A google search on the Internet with the words \u201cassassination of John Kennedy\u201d throws up 181,000 entries. The Kennedy Assassination Home Page says: \u201cIf you are like most Americans, you believe that a conspiracy killed Kennedy. And if you are like most Americans, you have heard a vast number of bogus factoids about the case. This web site is dedicated to debunking the mass of misinformation and disinformation surrounding the murder of JFK.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They range from the bizarre to the plausible. The only claim that remains to be made about JFK\u2019s death is that he shot himself.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Conspiracy theories give free rein to one\u2019s imagination, indeed they allow the imagination to run wild.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They weave a web of mysteries where none exists, suspect conspirators in high places when there are only bumbling politicians, incompetent generals and idiotic officials within government, and lunatics, assassins and fanatics outside. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Above all, when things go wrong, conspiracy theories allow one to deflect blame from one\u2019s own tribe, sect, ethnic or religious group, nation or country, and shift it to one\u2019s real or perceived enemies.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It neatly divides mankind into good guys and bad guys. Thereafter, having attained the twin objectives of exonerating oneself and accusing one\u2019s enemy, the mind can rest in peace.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ignorance is bliss and the feeling of injured innocence is ecstatic.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Conspiracy theories are easy to conceive, for they rely on imagination, and they are easy to disseminate, because by their very nature they fall on receptive ears.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Clever writers jump into the fray for money and fame, lending credence to the conspiratorial tales, raising doubts where there should be none. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">One cornerstone of conspiracy theories is the implicit faith in the knowledge, power and infallibility of the state and of state institutions, and of statesmen, generals, spies and diplomats.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Any failure on their part is conveniently attributed to conspiracies and dark hands.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">How could the CIA\/FBI not know about 9\/11?<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Or why could they not prevent it, or shoot the planes in the air before they hit their targets?<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Curiously, conspiracy theories provide simple answers to complex issues as well as complicated explanations to simple events. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">As an example of a conspiracy theory that provides a simple answer to a complex issue, one may cite both wars against <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Iraq<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> (1991, 2003). That answer is <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Iraq<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u2019s oil, for whose sake <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Washington<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, according to the conspiracists, engaged in a long tale of deception, lies and treachery culminating in two wars.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The truth, however, is a lot more convoluted and complicated, most of it to do with Saddam Hussain\u2019s persona and his external and internal policies. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Conspiracy theories regarding 9\/11 are an example of the opposite tendency, namely, providing a complex explanation for a relatively straightforward event. They would have us believe that 9\/11 was the result of a deep conspiracy involving a number of nebulous actors, American and\/or Israeli, ranging from Mossad to CIA and FBI, perhaps even the White House. Its ultimate goal was to provide <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Washington<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> with a pretext to launch a full-scale assault on Islam and Muslims, starting with a war on <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Afghanistan<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, gradually devouring <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Iraq<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Iran<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> and <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Syria<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, and gobbling up <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Palestine<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> as a side-dish. In fact, though, 9\/11 was merely the \u201cheroic\u201d achievement of a self-confessed band of Muslim fanatics determined to teach <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">America<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> a lesson.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman;\">One could write a complete history of the modern world based on conspiracy theories, but we will confine ourselves to a few recent events nearer home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Partition of 1947<\/strong><\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">: For Pakistanis, Kashmir, <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hyderabad<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> and Junagarh are proofs of an Anglo-US conspiracy to favour <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">India<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, but many Indians believe that partition was the result of a British conspiracy to permanently weaken <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">India<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Indo-Pak War of 1971<\/span><\/em><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">: The humiliating defeat of <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pakistan<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> in 1971 is attributed to a conspiracy involving some or all of the following: Mujibur Rahman, Indira Gandhi, CIA, <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Moscow<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Yahya Khan.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The incompetence of the Pakistani armed forces, the imbalance of power and the role of the Bangladeshi freedom fighters are totally overlooked.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Collapse of the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Soviet Union<\/span><\/em><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">: Definitely the result of an American conspiracy to destroy the world\u2019s only other superpower, using the Afghan Mujahideen as a proxy.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">According to the extreme version of this theory, Mikhail Gorbachev was an American agent.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The real cause, however, was the economic collapse that was long coming and the unreconciled and conflicting national aspirations of the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">USSR<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u2019s 15 constituent republics.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Afghanistan<\/span><\/em><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">:<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">According to the conspiracists, the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">US<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> created the Mujahideen to fight the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Soviet Union<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, then caused divisions to weaken them. It subsequently created the Taliban to gain access to Central Asia\u2019s gas and oil, then shifted support to the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Northern Alliance<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> to crush the Taliban for their Islamic fervour.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">However, anti-Taliban Afghans view them as nothing but a Pakistani outfit to colonise <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Afghanistan<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Iraq<\/span><\/em><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">: According to an extreme version of the conspiracy theory, Saddam Hussain must have been an American agent.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">How else would he go to war against the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">US<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> when defeat was a certainty?<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The plain truth is that Saddam engaged in brinkmanship without knowing where the brink is, thought the Americans were bluffing and, finally, that if it came to war, his army would give the yankees a bloody nose, and buy him enough time to bring about international intervention.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Iran-Iraq war<\/span><\/em><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">: This was the result of an American plan to make two rich Muslim countries bleed each other.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It does not explain why all the Arab countries supported <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Iraq<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> and why <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Iran<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> would be anti-American and an American stooge at the same time and sacrifice hundreds of thousands of its youth in a war that served US interests.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ethnic strife in <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pakistan<\/span><\/em><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">: Shia-Sunni strife is instigated by US, for only <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Washington<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> benefits from it.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">After all, Muslims can never kill Muslims.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If some misguided Muslims do indeed kill fellow Muslims, they must be doing <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">America<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u2019s bidding.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Finally, the piece de resistance from Conspiracy Theory Industries Un-Ltd claims that the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">US<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> has already captured Osama bin Laden, but is waiting to announce it in time to influence the outcome of the November elections.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But if it hasn\u2019t, then it goes to show that <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Washington<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> is not interested in his capture, for an elusive Osama provides the pretext for continued war against Islam.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">How could the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">US<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> not capture him if it really wanted?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For conspiracy theorists, it\u2019s okay to go in circles if it suits them.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">And the sky is the limit, which is why some conspiracists believe that Americans never landed on the moon.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">What the world saw on TV in 1969 was faked for the cameras!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Conspiracists are not bothered by evidence to the contrary, by logic, reason and common sense, or by big holes in their arguments, for they do not need to prove anything.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">So long as others are unable to convince them to the contrary, they feel free to peddle their pseudo-theories.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"center\"><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\">(Published in Daily Times, 29 July 2004)<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"center\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\">Conspiracy Theories Strike Again<\/span><\/span><\/strong><em><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Nothing is eternal or immortal, not even the universe.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Everything can be destroyed, including the famed Twin Towers.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Anyone can be tracked and killed, even Osama bin Laden.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Theories come and go, with the exception of conspiracy theories.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The latter have a life of their own, defying the normal rules and laws of survival and longevity.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">One thought that the killing of Osama will also kill a few conspiracy theories.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But it seems new conspiracy theories are being churned up while the old ones linger.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Not surprisingly, an editorial in The Nation (Lahore) declares that Osama\u2019s <\/span>hideout in Abbottabad did \u201cnot suit a person with a head money as high as $50 million\u201d. Other details provided by the Americans \u201cwould set tongues wagging, confirm the suspicion of mystery around the place and prompt serious investigation. Then the released picture of dead Osama does not show the age he must be in at this time!\u201d<span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 By the way, the so-called \u201creleased picture of the dead Obama\u201d is a fake.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\">Robert Fisk writes in The Independent (UK):<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> \u201cB<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">y midday yesterday, I had three phone calls from Arabs, all certain that it was Bin Laden&#8217;s double who was killed by the Americans \u2013 just as I know many Iraqis who still believe that Saddam&#8217;s sons were not killed in 2003, nor Saddam really hanged.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\">A substantial number of people will, however, believe the American account of Osama\u2019s demise, and also begin to question the many extant conspiracy theories regarding 9\/11, Al Qaeda and Osama.<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">As memory fades, it is apt to recapitulate some of those theories.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The most radical of them questioned whether Osama bin Laden even existed, suggesting that he was a bogyman invented by the US to serve its goal of destroying Muslim countries. <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Another supposed that he has long been in American custody, but has now been killed to help Obama win his re-election.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yet another wondered, in somewhat subdued tones, whether Osama was not actually an American agent who was providing them with the excuse to invade Afghanistan and Iraq.<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\">A peculiarly Pakistani version of the conspiracy theory believes that the whole thing about Osama and Al Qaeda is an American charade designed to incapacitate, seize or destroy Pakistan\u2019s nuclear assets.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Not a few believed that 9\/11 had nothing to do with Osama bin Laden or Al Qaeda.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Arguing on the basis that since 9\/11 benefited America and Israel while hurting Arabs and Muslims, many nurtured the belief that either America or Israel or some unknown \u201cdark hands\u201d had planned the whole thing.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Some even doubted that the 19 Arab Muslim hijackers named by the US were actually involved in the hijacking.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A Frenchman sold thousands of copies of his book claiming that the wreckage at the Pentagon pointed to a missile attack, not a plane hitting the building.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Others produced \u201cevidence\u201d showing that the twin towers were brought down through controlled demolition!<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In fairness to Muslims, it has to be said that many non-Muslims, including a substantial number of Christian Americans, subscribe to some of the above conspiracy theories.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In circumstances such as those surrounding the military operation to eliminate Osama, facts emerge in bits and pieces and tend to get bloated and distorted with a mixture of exaggeration, bluster and bravado.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Too many officials try to grab the limelight by talking too much with too little information, while those most directly involved are bound by professional secrecy to say nothing.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Let us look at some of the anomalies that resulted from the media circus.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To begin with, Abbottabad has been variously reported to be anywhere from 30 kilometres to a whopping 100 kilometres from Islamabad. The house in which Osama was living was situated 200 metres or 800 metres from the Pakistan Military Academy. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">How many people lived in the house, how many were killed and how many captured is a mystery.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">And what was their relationship to Osama?<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The \u201cmillion-dollar house\u201d he was found in wasn\u2019t that expensive after all, perhaps worth no more than a quarter of that amount.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">There were two, three or four US helicopters in the raid, with two dozen or 69 commandoes.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Did the helicopters fly from Bagram or Jalalabad in Afghanistan or from Tarbela Ghazi in Pakistan?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The attack was launched with Pakistani cooperation, but then it was launched in complete secrecy from the Pakistanis.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But, wait a minute, Pakistani forces began to scramble their planes before the operation was over!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The inmates of the house kept to themselves and were rarely seen.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But one neighbour claimed visiting the house many times and talking to two \u201cvery nice and normal people\u201d.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Another female neighbour who made a courtesy call on the house met an Arab woman who spoke only Arabic.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They moved around in armoured cars!<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">No, they travelled in a Suzuki and a red jeep.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The house had no internet or phone connection, but the raiding party seized many computers and hard discs.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If Osama was unarmed, how did he resist arrest?<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The \u201ccoward\u201d used a woman as a shield!<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">No, sorry folks, he didn\u2019t.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Obama and his team were watching the unfolding raid in \u201creal time\u201d and visually on screens.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">No, I take that back, it was a somewhat delayed transmission, not in real time, after all, and not visual either \u2013 but rather like updates from the CIA director sitting in the command centre!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sceptics (not to mention conspiracy theorists) wonder why the US has not produced pictures of the dead Osama, as if a photo or two would convince them.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While many people believe that Osama bin Laden was killed long ago by the Americans, his hard core admirers are convinced that their hero continues to elude American attempts to capture and kill him.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Some conspiracy theories owe their origin to human naivet\u00e9 and refusal to accept an unpalatable truth, others are the product of clever minds who wish to confuse and obfuscate with ulterior motives.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">American credibility is so low after the Iraq \u201cweapons of mass destruction\u201d fiasco that people tend to disbelieve everything that emanates from Washington.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Truth is that the freest country in the world can\u2019t keep secrets and it can\u2019t efficiently handle information either.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Lie it does, but Washington is not a compulsive lier like many other capitals, which is why it does not have and does not need a ministry of information.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 align=\"center\"><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\">(Published in Daily Times, 5 May 2011)<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Guess Who\u2019s to Blame<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Hitherto, every nation was blaming some other country for its own troubles. Whenever things went wrong, Afghans, for example, blamed Pakistanis, who in turn accused the Indians.\u00a0 Indians saw a Pakistani hand in their own troubles. So it went in circles.<\/p>\n<p>We were all getting it wrong, except the Mexicans, who alone have consistently laid the blame on the right door.\u00a0 But now, thanks to some Pakistani TV anchors, columnists and lawyers, we too have successfully identified the source of all the world\u2019s woes.<\/p>\n<p>No matter where you live, if things aren\u2019t going well for your country, blame the father of all troubles for all your troubles.\u00a0 Make no mistake: the United States of America is the source of all your nation\u2019s woes. Or, if it isn\u2019t, it soon will be.<\/p>\n<p>Arab spring? What spring? It\u2019s a terrible typhoon for the Muslim world instigated by, yes, you guessed it, the United States. First, they elected a president with a Muslim name, but who really hates Islam and Muslims. Then, they made him give nice speeches in Cairo, Istanbul and Jakarta to confuse Muslims and stir them against their own governments. Now we are seeing their action plan in motion.<\/p>\n<p>They are killing not two, but three birds with one stone. Firstly, they kill Gaddafi for being anti-American and anti-Israel, secondly, they grab Libya\u2019s oil wealth and, thirdly, they create the impression that they are friends of the Libyan and Arab people. Having sucked Iraq\u2019s vast oil fields dry, now they are going after Libya\u2019s oil.<\/p>\n<p>Assad too has to be removed for being the staunchest anti-Israel Muslim leader. Syria not only upholds Arab pride, but is the only Arab country friendly to Iran, which, Insha\u2019Allah, is close to becoming the second Islamic country with nuclear weapons after Pakistan.\u00a0Moammar Gaddafi and Bashar Assad are really being punished for standing up to America and Israel, not for being dictators or denying their own people their rights.<\/p>\n<p>Now, you will ask, why were the pro-American Hosni Mubarak and Ben Ali also overthrown? You see, it would not look good if America only went after the anti-American Gaddafi and Assad. The whole world would see the plot. Therefore, to confuse the Muslims of the world, they first organised protests against the pro-American dictators, like in Tunisia and Egypt. I also think that under Mubarak Egypt was becoming very strong economically.\u00a0 America and Israel cannot tolerate this.<\/p>\n<p>And have you noticed the contrast in the way Gaddafi has been treated compared with both Mubarak and Ben Ali? Gaddafi was first chased in his own country like a mad dog, then his convoy was attacked by NATO planes and American missiles, followed by his capture, humiliation and brutal murder. Even his dead body was desecrated.\u00a0 On the other hand, Ben Ali is living a luxurious life in Saudi Arabia while Hosni Mubarak is also relaxing in a military hospital in Cairo surrounded by good doctors and beautiful nurses.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Because Mubarak and Ben Ali were serving American and Israeli interests, but Gaddafi was trying to rouse the Arabs and Muslims and denouncing imperialism and Zionism.\u00a0 Shaheed (Martyr) Gaddafi has paid a high price for being a friend of the Ummah and an enemy of the infidels. They made a \u201chorrible example\u201d of him, just as Henry Kissinger had warned many years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Remember the recent incident where Egyptian protesters occupied the Israeli embassy in Cairo? If you ask me, I think this incident was engineered by Israeli Mossad to put pressure on the Egyptian authorities. America and Jews also encouraged their agents in Egypt, the Coptic Christians, to create problems for the Egyptian government through street demonstrations.\u00a0The confused Egyptian government was then forced to put pressure on Hamas in Gaza to release the captured Israeli soldier Ghilad Shalit in exchange for one thousand Palestinians.\u00a0 Only one thousand!<\/p>\n<p>Brother, please look at the map to see what\u2019s going on. America is aiming to capture all the holy places of Islam. Al Quds is already under Israeli occupation. Now, Mecca and Medina are being encircled from all directions.\u00a0Mission accomplished in Iraq, where they hanged a nice Muslim leader, who was shaping up into a new Salahuddin Ayubi, they are moving their troops from there to Afghanistan to use them to occupy Pakistan. North Waziristan and the Haqqani Group are only the excuse. Actually, they are after Kahuta and Dr A Q Khan.<\/p>\n<p>America always hated this Khan because he gave Pakistan the <em>bum<\/em>, but now it hates him even more because he writes such fine articles in newspapers telling young Pakistanis about the glorious history of Muslims. What A Q Khan is doing with the nuclear <em>bum<\/em> and his powerful pen, another great Khan, Imran Khan, is doing with his angry looks and sharp tongue.<\/p>\n<p>Dear readers, the blame game \u2013 blaming someone else for your troubles \u2013 is perhaps as old as trouble itself.\u00a0 It is certainly older than the games of hockey, football, rugby and cricket.\u00a0Transposed on the international scene, the blame game takes the form of the Foreign Conspiracy Theory. It is a recent innovation, for international relations itself is a comparatively new discipline.<\/p>\n<p>And perhaps because of its superficial association with conspiracy theories, international relations is a very popular subject in Pakistani colleges and universities, attracting more students than history, political science or sociology.<\/p>\n<p>One more thing:\u00a0 some idiotic Americans have asked me who they should blame for America\u2019s troubles, now that they too are having a hard time. These godless Americans are too dumb to know that they are facing the wrath of God. They will be taught a good lesson, Insha\u2019Allah, by the Chinese, who may not believe in God, but God is pleased with them because they are such good friends of Pakistanis and Muslims. In the meantime, could I get an American visa or, better still, a green card for my family? If that&#8217;s asking for too much, just for my young and very bright son.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;\"><em>(Published in the Tribune Express, 17 November 2011)<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Conspiracy theories give free rein to one\u2019s imagination, indeed they allow the imagination to run wild.\u00a0 They weave a web of mysteries where none exists, suspect conspirators in high places when there are only bumbling politicians, incompetent generals and idiotic &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.raziazmi.com\/?p=189\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raziazmi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raziazmi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raziazmi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raziazmi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raziazmi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=189"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.raziazmi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1443,"href":"https:\/\/www.raziazmi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189\/revisions\/1443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raziazmi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raziazmi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raziazmi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}