YEMEN OBSERVER

I don't usually put things other people have written on this site, but I found this from Mohammed Al-Asadi, the editor of the Yemen Observer under the title "defining a terrorist" full article available here:

From my experience and follow-up on the war against terror in my country and the rest of the region, I have been able to come up with a definition of the terrorist as it has been put into practice:

A terrorist is a long-bearded Muslim who frequently visits mosques.

A terrorist is a person who hates the United States or plans to oppose its policies.

A terrorist is a person who morally or materially supports the Palestinian resistance.

A terrorist is a child who throws a stone at an Israeli tank.

A terrorist is a freedom fighter who tries to free his land from foreign occupiers.

A terrorist is an abused prisoner and a raped mother or sister.

A terrorist is anyone who makes charitable donations to the orphaned, hungry, poor or outcast, if the recipients are Muslim.

A terrorist is a person who names his baby Osama.

A terrorist is an immigrant who sends money to his family back home.

A terrorist is a detainee who refuses to inform for the FBI.

A terrorist is any Arab or Islamic state that allows charitable organizations to exist on its soil.

A terrorist is anyone who has been to Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia and is of Yemeni origin.

The list goes on, and as it does so, the situation gets worse.
The people making decisions in governments around the world have failed to define terrorism; each has come with a version that serves its own interests....
Journalists have been recruited from throughout the region to report to the international news machine on developments in the fight against terrorism. Media agencies themselves are the ones who benefit most from reporting on terrorism. It is obvious how terrorism has become an essential source of livelihood; thus it is obvious how this cycle will feed itself and continue. That it will not is unimaginable.

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I would just like to say that my media organisation socialistwanker.com has not so far in any way benefited finantially from the war on terror. Abu Hamza's lawyers have not got back to Patrick (our producer) Mr.Abdullah has not got back to me.If I do in anyway benefit from this war on terror by making a documentary about anyone involved in Finsbury Park Mosque I promise to reinvest this money in either an earthship or a bio-diesel space cruiser kitted out for further documentary work.