Evil ones

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The evil ones have been identified by President George W. Bush and the Bush administration as the hijackers and terrorists responsible for the attacks perpetrated on September 11, 2001 against the United States. (Also see the article evil-doers and other links listed below.)

In his November 11, 2001, Veterans Day Prayer Breakfast in New York, President George W. Bush said

  • "The great purpose of our great land is to rid this world of evil and terror.
  • "The evil ones have roused a mighty nation, a mighty land. And for however long it takes, I am determined that we will prevail.
  • "Prevail we must because we fight for one thing, and that is the freedom of our people and the freedom of people everywhere."

Speaking at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on November 21, 2001, President Bush said

  • "Afghanistan is just the beginning on the war against terror . . . Across the world, and across the years, we will fight these evil ones, and we will win."

Speaking to the Farmers Journal Corporation Convention in Washington, D.C., on November 28, 2001, President Bush said

  • "We're meeting our goals in Afghanistan. ... As I mentioned, we're feeding the hungry and providing medicine and clothes to those poor, suffering, innocent citizens of Afghanistan. And we're after al Qaeda. The evil ones think they can hide. They think they can run. But they're learning that this is a patient nation, a nation that is determined to smoke them out and to bring them to justice. And that's exactly what we're going to do. (Applause.)
  • "I also recognize that we've got a war here on the home front, and it's important for the American people to know that their government is doing everything we possibly can to disrupt and deny the enemy; that we take every threat seriously; that we run down every lead; that we're on full alert. The thing I'm most proud of is that the American people will not be intimidated by the evil ones; that they understand that the intent of the al Qaeda murderers was to freeze our nation in place, but they don't understand America like I do. America is resolved. We are united. And we will not relent until we make sure that those who believe they can harm our government and our friends are brought to justice, whether it be in Afghanistan or any other place they hide. (Applause.)
  • "I said when this war first started that the farther away we get from September the 11th, the more likely it is people will forget that there are evil ones in the world who want to destroy our country, what we stand for."

"These days, evil is a term most often used by Bush to describe those people and organizations that were involved in the planning and execution of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in the United States. There's no evidence that Iraq or North Korea were involved in those attacks, and as Interim Afghan President Karzai pointed out just a couple of weeks ago, the Iranian government has supported efforts to weaken the Taliban and (al Qaeda) for years! Iran has been praised for its efforts against Al Quaida, so how can Bush claim that it's part of the same evil conspiracy against Western nations?

"Bush's idea that these nations are 'evil' has been very difficult for Americans to understand. Does he mean to say that all Iranians, Iraqis and North Koreans are evil, or just some of them? If just some of these people are evil, then how will U.S forces be able to tell them apart from their non-evil neighbors? Has the Bush administration developed a new technology which will enable them to distinguish evil people from non-evil people just by looking at them, or will the wars against these evil nations require lengthy interviews to determine the moral status of all their citizens?

"George W. Bush and his advisors have also failed to explain exactly what makes the Iranians, Iraqis and North Koreans 'evil' and not just troublesome or dangerous. Over and over again, Bush has described his dedication to the hunt for what he calls 'The Evil One' or 'A Cult of Evil'. Does the Bush administration mean to suggest that Iran, Iraq and North Korea are in league with Satan? Can Satan and his demons be destroyed by smart bombs?"[1]

"Rabbi'a-uuzubika min hamazaatish -shayaatiini
Wa 'a-uuzu bika Rabbi 'any-yahzuruun
My Rabb! I take refuge with You -- from the prompting of the Evil-ones;
And I take refuge with You, O Rabb! lest they come up to me." (23:97-98)

Supplication for protection against evil-ones from the Qur-an.

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