An interesting column in the Pakistan Daily Times:
Why do bombastic leaders like Saddam Hussein and Mahmoud Ahmadnejad not weigh their words more carefully before they open their mouths? Both have been their own countries’ worst enemies. And while Iran has not been attacked thus far, it is not for any lack of effort from its president.
One problem is that most Muslims have never met any Jews, and have formed an image from a host of anti-Semitic literature available around the Muslim world. The other source of their information is the televised images of Israeli forces attacking Palestinians day in and day out. In this one-sided demonisation, they ignore the Jewish narrative of millennia of persecution and suffering altogether. Thus, when Ahmadnejad dismissed the Holocaust as a myth, he not only ignored a vast body of historical evidence, he also offended millions of decent, civilised people around the world.
[…] Another problem with leaders like Saddam Hussein and Ahmadnejad is that in their own countries, they can get away with saying and doing anything they like. This emboldens them into thinking they can get away with the same odious behaviour everywhere else. Not being very educated or well travelled, they are unaware of how the world works, or what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
Interesting, and in a Pakistani paper. However, I don’t know what kind of circulation and esteem this paper carries, nor if it published the column in Punjabi. But it’s interesting nonetheless; RIF (read in full) rating.