09 Aug 2006
Dubai: After four weeks of conflict in Lebanon, and following an extraordinary meeting in Beirut, Arab foreign ministers spoke out against the ongoing bloodshed and pledged to send a high-level delegation to the United Nations to act on Lebanon's behalf.
However, with Israel showing no signs of ending their onslaught on Lebanon and the death toll mounting, many people believe that these efforts may have come too late.
Saleh Sulaiman, 37, a businessman from Riyadh, said that not enough had been done to end the ongoing crisis in Lebanon.
"We should be using more economic means to force the big powers to end the war, but the main problem lies in the fact that there is a lack of unity. The Arab world needs to speak the same language."
Tariq Ahmad, 30, from India, said Arab and Muslim states were "not doing anything" and that Lebanon needed "more than just money."
"Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan are the backbone of the Islamic community. They need to step in militarily," he said, adding that a united Muslim front could "beat Israel."
A.M., 22, from Qatar agreed that Muslim countries needed to use their economic muscle to pressure the West, but said it was too soon for a military intervention.
"The world saw how we united against Denmark when the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) cartoons were published. We might have not caused much damage to them, but we did scare them, and can do much more now," he said.
Swiss teacher, Enzo Marti, 32, also agreed that after four weeks of war, the Arab world had not exerted enough collective pressure.
"The money and aid that the Arab and Islamic world is sending is important, but not for the long term," he said. "It is more important to act politically to end this crisis."
Zimbabwean Louise L., 31, said that Israel and Lebanon should be left to "deal with it themselves."
"States that intervene in other states' affairs do so for their own interests. Look at the dreadful humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe. Nobody cares because there's nothing for anyone to gain there."
"The Arab League intervention is not enough, and the real losers in this situation are the poor people in Lebanon."
Gulf News 2006. All rights reserved.
