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Many Palestinians Express Joy at Tragedy

(Jerusalem Post) Khaled Abu Toameh - God punished the space shuttle Columbia because its crew, which included an Israeli astronaut, was on an espionage mission against the Arab and Muslim nations, some Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip said. "They were sent to space to spy on the Arabs and Muslims," said Rudainah Salman, a 28-year-old schoolteacher from Ramallah. "I have no sympathy for the astronauts because they were doing something bad to us. Allah punished them because of their bad intentions." Salim Najjar, a mosque preacher from a village near Jerusalem, told a group of Muslim worshipers, "Israel and America are trying to control the world through their arrogance and with the help of military force. On Saturday they were reminded that God is there to protect the believers, the people of the Prophet Muhammad." At the Kalandiya refugee camp south of Ramallah, a group of young men sitting in a small restaurant said they felt "happy" when they heard the news of the space shuttle explosion. "God is great because this pilot has now been punished for the crime which he committed. I wish we will have more disasters like this in the U.S. and Israel. Who do the Americans and Israelis think they are?" said Jamil Shehadeh, a 22-year-old mechanic. Ayman Dweik, 19, said, "People here say that the shuttle was on an espionage mission to gather information on the Arab and Muslim countries." A Christian shopkeeper in the Old City of Jerusalem, however, said he was "stunned" to see many of his colleagues express their joy at the tragedy. "This isn't a political issue. So what if an Israeli astronaut was on board? This is a tragedy to all mankind. This is what I told my neighbors this morning. But many of them, especially those who are religious, believe that this is God's punishment for the U.S. and Israel. No one here has regrets over the tragedy, and that's sad." A Palestinian writer said, "You have to understand that anything that is painful for the Americans and the Israelis is seen by the Palestinians in particular, and the Arabs in general, as a blessing. That's how it is."
2003-02-03 00:00:00
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