Yes, I do admit I was a coward

In the March 3rd edition of the Arabic Magazine “Al-majalla” I read with much enjoyment the last page, which is the domain page of the very well known, and much accomplished Sudanese writer and novelist Altayb Saleh.
Mr. Altayeb Saleh wrote about a certain Dr. Freeman Dyson who was during WW II a researcher in the physics department of the British Royal Air force planning the daily bombardment of German towns and cities.
The allies waged an aerial war unmatched for years to come with the exception of the attack on Iraq during the first gulf war and then during the War on Iraq waged by George Bush and Dick Cheney knowing the majority of casualties are civilians.
During the war, hundreds of thousands of civilians where burned to death, defined as collateral damage to the war against the Nazi war machine. Total cities and towns where completely wiped off the ground. Cities like Frankfurt, Hamburg and Dresden where totally destroyed. So much for war efficiency and Western morality.
Altayeb Saleh narrates the story of this Dr. Freeman Dyson who in 1984 decided to come out and say what he wanted to say during the war. Dr. Dyson was sick to his stomach from the daily and high numbers of victims killed by the allies during day and night bombing of Germany to the point where he just wanted to take his clothes off, go out to the streets and simply scream and vent his anger. However, he was too coward to do that and did his best to do his shares in keeping the number of causality to an acceptable low.
Being a coward reminds me of myself, when back in 1989 during a business visit to Tangier, Morocco I read with much dismay and anger an editorial written by one of the dean of Moroccan journalist, Abdul-Kareem Ghallab, a well-known Arab nationalist was the chief editor of Al Alam daily newspaper. On that day he came out with a scathing attack against French newspapers and politicians for raising questions about and protesting the massacre of 300 protestors by Algerian police the day before in Algiers. Mr. Ghallab was too angry at French newspapers and journalist, for “intervening in the internal affairs” of Algeria. Of course NO Arab paper and no Arab politicians and NO Arab intellectual spoke out against such massacres. It is seems it is a well-established tradition within the Arab World for all to remain silent when Arabs kill Arabs, and when government commit mass murder. Very brave tradition among Arab intellectuals and journalists.
I could not help but sit down in my hotel room at El-Minzah Hotel and write Mr. Ghallab a long letter, challenging him and other Arab journalists and intellectuals on the issue of when (killing and murdering citizen becomes a matter of “internal affairs” of a country.) Did the killing and murdering of 6 millions Jews is a matter of internal affairs for Nazi Germany? Is the killing and murder of thousands of Palestinians by the Israeli Army an internal affair of the State of Israel and no have a right to say something about? Is the murder of over 500,000 Rwandans is an internal affairs of Rwanda and no one has a right to protest? Is the killing and murder of tens of thousand of Iraqis by Saddam is an internal affair of Iraq? Or when the killing and cold-blooded murder of over 25,000 Syrians in City of Hamah becomes internal affairs of the state? I put to Mr. Ghallab, a very straight question. When does the killing by security forces does not become a matter of internal affairs? Of course I never got an answer back, since I signed the letter under the name “coward” and I was coward at the time, since I did not dare to reveal my real name, certainly not in 1989.
Two years ago and before his retirement, I did send Mr. Ghallab a copy of the same letter I sent him some years ago, and gave him my name and address. As expected I never did get a response. It is not in the style of Arab editors to write back.
Altayb Saleh story of Dr. Dyson just reminded me that at one time or another we are cowards and for one reason or another do not wish to come out and say what we should say. say or speak out on something we know is dead wrong.
However major changes took place in the Arab World since then, and especially in Morocco where newspapers and editors enjoy freedoms not available in most Arab countries, and things has changed where young editors and journalist never been on the payroll of government agencies either as employees or as informers. Times have changed for the most part where investigative journalism now fill the airways, where even Arab heads of states are not a taboo subjects. Yes, I was at one time a coward.