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Source: http://www.thejewishweek.com/top/editletcontent.php3?artid=3467
Don't Expect Arab Apologies
(New York Jewish Week) Nonie Darwish - To expect the Arab and Muslim leadership to apologize for the barbaric murder of Nick Berg is a reflection of the West's naive and wrong expectations of Arab culture. In the Arab world, to take responsibility and say "sorry" is taken as an unmanly sign of weakness. Those who admit guilt, even if it is accidental, are given no mercy and may end up taking all the blame and being brutally punished. Honesty is not rewarded. President Bush's apology for the humiliation and abuse of Iraqi prisoners was taken by the Arab media and the Arab "street" as an admission of guilt and a sign of weakness. It was not appreciated as taking responsibility to find out the truth behind the events that happened due to the actions of a few Americans. Americans should stop judging other cultures with the American value system, and especially stop expecting Arab/Muslim culture to respond rationally according to Western standards. The writer was born in Egypt and raised in Gaza.