Gunned down to impress America

[G_j]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4919343-103681,00.html

Gunned down to impress America

Pakistanis mourn young migrants murdered in Macedonia's quest to join war on terror

Greg Bearup in Punjab
Saturday May 8, 2004

The Guardian

The gaudy mansions of those who've "made it" look out of place in a sea of poverty, surrounded by dull, red-brick huts, wallowing buffalo and the stench of open sewers. Fatima Bibi is a sweeper in one of these houses, working not for money, but for a bowl of rice or some flour.

Her employers in this small Punjabi village were once poor too, just like her. Now they live in relative luxury, with a satellite dish and a new fridge, because their son went "to New York to drive taxis".

But Fatima's son wasn't so lucky. When 20-year-old Ijaz set off for Europe early in 2002 he carried the hopes of his family. Ijaz was the second youngest of the widow's nine children. He ended up "collateral damage" in the war on terror, gunned down by police in the Balkan state of Macedonia, who claimed that he and six others killed were terrorists.

Last week Macedonian officials admitted that this was a lie, and that the shooting was a staged murder, part of a clumsy plot to try to impress the US.

..more..

[daleo]

1. A consequence of "you're with us or against us" mentality

It is a rather surprising consequence of the Bush doctrine at first, but upon reflection it is not so surprising.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. A lot of anti-Islamic sentiment out there

fueled by right-wing pundits like Coulter.

[Redleg]

3. I saw this a few days ago. It makes me sick to my stomach.

They kidnapped those people just so they could kill them. Nice friends we have around the world.

[G_j]

4. Bush's policies

have eroded human rights in every corner of the world.
There have been a slew of documented reports.

[KiloForAngelese]

5. I think Bush can be given credit for this

Is there anything he has not screwed up?