Terror and football

By Salama A Salama

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The host of the European football cup, Portugal, has asked NATO to fly AWAX planes over its land to deter potential terror attacks by "Arabs". For extra measure, Portugal announced the arrest of 15 people of various Arab nationalities who were allegedly planning a terror attack similar to that of Madrid.

Hardly a week passes by without individuals from "Arab nationalities" arrested somewhere. Immediately linked with Al-Qaeda, this chimera of many heads that lives everywhere, these individuals are usually said to be in possession of explosives and other lethal devices. The story is repeated in almost the same details in various European cities. Investigations lasting weeks or months follow every case, and yet the authorities -- despite their high training and respectable intelligence capabilities -- never manage to put together a coherent case against the defendants.

A few weeks ago, the Italians arrested a number of Egyptians on charges of belonging to a terror cell. Hardly a week passes by without an "Arab terrorist cell" uncovered in Milan or Naples, Paris or Hanover. The men were held for investigations for weeks before being released for lack of evidence. One can only guess at what other types of harassment Egyptians living in Italy have to endure. Even crimes related to domestic political conflicts (the bomb Berlusconi's foes detonated in his office a few days ago, the violence committed by fascists and neo-Nazis, by drug dealers and football hooligans) are routinely attributed to young Arab immigrants in Europe.

Since the September 2001 attacks, US and European investigation services have simply failed to produce one case that defines the shape of the great terror conspiracy that shocked the world and irrevocably changed its course. But thousands have been held suspect, hundreds are being detained in Guantanamo, and endless forms of intrusion, on bank accounts and phone lines, are now in place. US and European authorities routinely declare a state of maximum alert ahead of each international gathering or summit, creating a worldwide panic and justifying the arrest of hundreds of Arabs.

This is a case of intentional hysteria being used for political purposes. Its aim is to limit the scope of immigration and asylum- seeking that so worries the Europeans. Its aim is to instigate hatred against those branded with sabotage and terror. Its aim is to create a psychological barrier, encourage racial segregation, and make millions of Arabs living in Europe subject to suspicion. If anything, this makes any talk of dialogue between the West and Islam senseless. If anything, this conduct encourages the export of terror to Arab countries, as is happening in Saudi Arabia now.

And yet, European governments, institutions, and summits are flooding the Arab and Islamic world with rosy rhetoric about partnership for progress and prosperity. Anyone reading the documents issued at the G-8 summit will hardly believe that all this sweet talk is directed against people solely dedicated to producing terrorists and conspiring against everything that moves in Europe and America.

When absurdity is such that NATO planes are asked to protect football matches, when Arabs and Muslims are held collectively responsible for chaos and terror everywhere, one has to start questioning the underlying motives. A systematic campaign, I believe, is underway to prevent the integration of Arab communities into host countries, and also to excuse the West from addressing such thorny issues as the Arab-Israeli conflict, worldwide poverty, AIDS and colonial wars. Industrial countries seem to be exaggerating the threat of terror to avoid facing their own pressing responsibilities.