Facing the consequences – and culprits

 

How many Iraqis died as a consequence of the US and British led invasion of their country which began in 2003?

According to a recent poll, most people in the UK severely underestimate the figure. 59% of the respondents estimated that fewer than 10,000 Iraqis died as a result of the war, while a substantial number (44%) believe that the figure was actually less than 5,000.

How crazy this is. For a nation to have unleashed a war while allowing its population no understanding of the consequences of that war.

Who is to blame for this ignorance: the British people, or the media, whose duty it is to inform them?

In fact, according to studies, the death toll from the war in the first three years alone was between 400,000 – 650,000 Iraqis, while some estimates put the figure as well in excess of a million. Up to 70% of these were civilians.

Here in the UK we’ve also had the tragic consequences of the War on Terror brought home to us, with the horrific murder of Lee Rigby on the streets of Woolwich. This one death, on one street, in one city, on one day has caused more media excitement than the million or more deaths which took place in the whole of Iraq during the ten years or so in which the violence continued.

The EDL and other racist groups were quick to start blaming “Islam” for the murder. Hate crimes against Muslims have been on the increase, with attacks upon mosques becoming commonplace, but this represents exactly the same mind-set as the deluded fanatics who killed Drummer Rigby, when they justified his murder on the grounds that the British Military were responsible for the death of Muslims in the Middle East.

Listen. Iraq was not responsible for the War on Terror, Lee Rigby was not responsible for the death of Muslims in the Middle East and Muslims as a group were not responsible for the death of Lee Rigby.

It’s about time this blame game ended and people started looking for the real culprits behind the ongoing insanity.

From The Whitstable Gazette.

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