Abu Musab al-Zarqawi on Democracy

How was your year 2005? I hope better than Abu Musab al-Zarqawi of al Qaeda in Iraq. He threaten democracy and voters in Iraq with violence and death, and Iraqis voted three times in elections in 2005. Most recently 11,000,000 Iraqis [about a 70% turnout] voted to elect their legislature.

In January 2005 a video of Zarqawi was shown [see “Democracy a lie”] where he said:

· "We have declared a bitter war against democracy and all those who seek to enact it"
· "Democracy is also based on the right to choose your religion … against the rule of God."
· "For all these issues, we declared war against, and whoever helps promote this and all those candidates, as well as the voters, are also part of this, and are considered enemies of God,"

I vote in every election and am proud to go to the polling station, but I have no confidence that I would have the courage to vote if threatened with violence. Particularly, if after voting my finger was marked with indelible purple ink. What has happened in Iraq is profound.

Consistent with his comments made early in 2004, Zarqawi must be feeling low. [See CNN Transcript] In an intercepted letter Zarqawi wrote:

· "How can we fight their cousins and their sons, under what pretext, after the Americans pull back?"
· "Democracy is coming, and there will be no excuse thereafter for the attacks."

Where were you on Iraqi Election Day December 16, 2005? A momentous occasion that will be honored as a most important historic event.