Read and comment on this excerpt from a story from the Seattle Post Intelligencer that in Jordan, there is little open anti-Americanism but many Jordanians share an anger common in the Arab world over U.S. foreign policy - particularly U.S. support for Israel.
Since Sept. 11, American embassies have sent notices to thousands of expatriate Americans worldwide, warning them to keep a low profile. But some expatriates say that will solve nothing. Kirsten Scheid, an American living in Lebanon and married to a Lebanese, urged Americans to proclaim themselves: "Say you're American and that there are many kinds of Americans, remind people of that ... Remind people that they have to talk to each other always."
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New Attacks on Americans Spark Fears
By TIM SULLIVAN ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
KUWAIT CITY -- In Kuwait, two American soldiers are shot on a quiet stretch of desert highway. In Lebanon, an American nurse is murdered at a clinic. In Jordan, a U.S. diplomat is gunned down in his front yard.
As U.S. soldiers prepare for possible war with Iraq, and as violence continues in American-allied Israel and the Palestinian territories, a series of attacks on Americans in the Middle East has sparked fears that even friendly nations like Kuwait are no longer enclaves of safety.
"The thing that is scary, that's different this time, is that it seems more organized," said Felix Reinberg, an American engineer who has spent 11 years working in Kuwait. He spoke days after the U.S. soldiers were injured in the highway shooting Thursday. "They've never really targeted Americans or Westerners in Kuwait."
The Kuwaiti government, eager to keep good relations with Washington, has portrayed the shooting as the act of a single, mentally ill man, not a reflection of broad anti-American feelings. But local press reports say the suspect, Khaled al-Shimmiri, told investigators he hated Americans and Jews.
Many here fear the attack - Kuwait's second in which American soldiers were shot - will not be the last.
Situation Different in Jordan
The official U.S. response has been different in Jordan, another American ally, where diplomat Laurence Foley was killed in October as he walked to his car. Authorities believe the attack was politically motivated, but have made no arrests.
Last week, the U.S. State Department authorized the departure of nonessential personnel from the U.S. Embassy and, on Saturday, the Peace Corps announced it was suspending operations in the Arab kingdom.
As in Kuwait, there is little open anti-Americanism in Jordan. But many Jordanians share an anger common in the Arab world over U.S. foreign policy - particularly U.S. support for Israel.
"I like the Americans, they are nice people and I respect them," said Eva Iffat, 24, an accountant. "But the American administration is the one which has created sentiments of hatred and anger by the Arab people against it."
The most recent incident came in Lebanon on Thursday, when Bonnie Penner, a nurse at a Christian missionary clinic was shot by a gunman who knocked at the clinic door. Lebanese security officials say their investigation is focusing on the possibility that Penner's slaying was the result of "mounting anti-American sentiments in the Middle East."
A senior Palestinian guerrilla official, however, said the killing was due to "a hostile Muslim reaction" to purported attempts to convert Muslims in the area to Christianity. He spoke on condition of anonymity.
Since Sept. 11, American embassies have sent notices to thousands of expatriate Americans worldwide, warning them to keep a low profile.
But some expatriates say that will solve nothing.
Kirsten Scheid, an American living in Lebanon and married to a Lebanese, urged Americans to proclaim themselves: "Say you're American and that there are many kinds of Americans, remind people of that ... Remind people that they have to talk to each other always."
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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Safety and Security of Volunteers; COS - Jordan
