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A Double StandardFriday 19 Dec 2008 It is interesting to note that European and African leaders are now calling for “regime change” in Zimbabwe. They are even talking about using force to oust Zimbabwe’s President Mugabe, who will no doubt claim that he is democratically elected. Finally, when cholera and disease are running rampant throughout Zimbabwe; and starting to threaten neighboring states, the leaders of these neighboring states and the world is coming to its senses. It will now be interesting to see how the United Nations deals with this issue. The point here is not to say that action should not be taken to remove President Mugabe from office; but to ask, what is the difference between removing Robert Mugabe from office and removing Saddam Hussein? Is death from cholera worse than death by gassing as happened to the Kurds; or what happened to the thousands of Iraqis who disagreed with Saddam Hussein? The Need for Clear Guidelines If the removal of Mugabe is sanctioned by the United Nations, will a clear double standard have been established? And if you say no; then what are the guidelines for “regime change”? We need to know so that we can all understand what is right and what is wrong in today’s world? For instance, what happens if Iran develops nuclear weapons and starts to threaten its neighbors; would that justify “regime change” in Iran, or should the world sit back and watch the nuclear annihilation of a people occur, without doing anything? This is all speculation and many will say that it is dangerous to speculate as to what will happen in such a dangerous world. However, there is another side to this argument that says that it is the very lack of clear guidelines from the world community that causes these problems. There is a very strong evidence to suggest that leaders like Robert Mugabe and Saddam Hussein do what they do, because they know that nothing will be done to stop them. Slaughter and Devastation in Africa It also needs to be understood when we pray for the devastated people of Zimbabwe that Zimbabwe is not an isolated issue in Africa, even if it is by far the worst of the many problems that Africa has. The poor people of the Congo and that part of Africa have had little peace for a long, long time. The poor people of Darfur are in the same situation and now we see religious violence flaring again in Nigeria, in the city of Jos (Jesus Our Savior). As Islam, fueled by oil money in the north, continues to push southward into Africa, Muslim-Christian confrontations can be expected to continue until all of Africa is ablaze and in ruins. Some will say that this will not happen. If you say this, you are either saying that the forces of Islam have no interest in expanding their influence in Africa; or you are saying that the world should not intervene in this situation. If you are saying the latter, then you are saying that the world should give the green light to the slaughter of millions of Christians in Africa, because that is what is going to happen, if the current situation is allowed to continue. Islam will not be satisfied until it controls all of Africa and it has shown no evidence in a peaceful co-existence with Christians. Turn the Other Cheek For centuries now, Christians have poured billions of dollars into Africa; they have delivered millions of hours of hands on aid to Africa; and countless Christians, all over the world have not stopped praying for Africa, but this has not stopped the bloodshed or improved the lot of the majority of Africans to any significant degree. Yes, there have been some successes but, when one looks at Africa today, one cannot help but think of the visitation of the Angel of the Lord to Sodom when he said, “Peradventure ten (good people) shall be found there, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.” (Genesis 17: 32) Where are the 10 good leaders in Africa today who will stand up for the people of Africa and lead that bountiful land out of its dreadful predicament? |
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