Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper in Saudi Arabia is arguably the Arab world's largest and most influential newspaper in that part of the world.
It's managing editor yesterday, in his daily column under a headline, "The Painful Truth: All the World Terrorists are Muslims!" had this to say about the aftermath of the hostage situation in Russia:
"Our terrorist sons are an end-product of our corrupted culture."
"Most perpetrators of suicide operations in buses, schools and residential buildings around the world for the past 10 years have been Muslims."
Muslims, he said, will be unable to cleanse their image unless "we admit the scandalous facts," rather than offer condemnations or justifications.
"The picture is humiliating, painful and harsh for all of us."
Other reaction in this story, including one "scholar" who said the Israeli's were behind the Beslan attacks to make Muslims look bad:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/09/05/...s.ap/index.html
Another Arab newspaper, Arab News in Cairo, said:
" . . . . the Chechens, with the choice of their targets, had put themselves in a position where no one would shed tears when the punishment came. They reached a new low when they chose toddlers as bargaining chips."
Cowperson
