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Last update - 00:00 11/10/2008
Mideast Muslims: U.S. financial crisis is divine punishment
By The Associated Press
Tags: financial crisis, U.S. 

America's opponents in the Middle East are gloating at the financial meltdown in the United States, describing it as the divinely inspired collapse of an overstretched empire.

Hardline clerics across the region as well as representatives of U.S. opponents like Hamas and al-Qaida have described the plummeting stocks and frozen credit markets in the United States as a kind of retribution for American misdeeds.


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We are witnessing the collapse of the American Empire," Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister in the Gaza Strip, told worshippers during Friday prayers. "What's going on in America is a result of the violation of the rights of people in Palestine, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Muslims around the world."

Haniyeh's comments followed those made by other regional leaders who have long had an antagonistic relationship with the U.S. and appear to be enjoying the country's troubles.

However, the financial meltdown has not left the region unscathed, with stock markets across the Middle East dropping more than 10 percent in the past week.

In an interview on Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described America's problems as a matter of chickens coming home to roost after years of exporting inflation and deficits to the rest of the world.

"Now the world capacity is full and these problems have returned to the U.S.," he said, adding "and finally they are oppressors, and systems based on oppression and unrighteous positions will not endure."

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, a high level Iranian cleric, was blunter when he addressed worshippers on Oct. 3, describing the situation as God's punishment.

"We are happy that the U.S. economy is in anarchy and the anarchy is reaching Europe," said Jannati. "They are seeing the result of their own ugly doings and God is punishing them."

The Iranian government has said the financial crisis is not hurting Iran's economy. But the turmoil has helped drive the price of oil down more than 40 percent since record highs in July. The Iranian government relies on oil revenue for 80 percent of its budget.

Al-Qaida, America's arch-nemesis in the region, was one of the first to express satisfaction over the financial crisis in a half hour video message earlier in the month.
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  1.   Mideast Muslims hail financial crisis in U.S. as divine punishmen 17:07  |  Non-Muslim 11/10/08
  2.   Only a matter of time before such comments made 17:07  |  Conroy 11/10/08
  3.   There is no doubt that America has committed 17:24  |  KMS 11/10/08
  4.   And the Palestinian,Iranian etc, financial crisis? 17:26  |  David 11/10/08
  5.   Divinely Inspired Misery 17:43  |  Fish 11/10/08
  6.   The Middle East the "center of anti-Americanism and hatred." 17:43  |  Jean Van Daem 11/10/08
  7.   he who laughs last! when beggars depend on handouts 17:48  |  victor hardman 11/10/08
  8.   As an Arab, I think this is stupid... 17:50  |  Abe 11/10/08
  9.   " Palestinians gloating at the financial crisis in the U.S." 17:51  |  Rafi 11/10/08
  10.   What about the thousands who have lost...... 17:52  |  Stephen. 11/10/08
  11.   Conroy - why do you even bother 17:53  |  ChanahS 11/10/08
  12.   Conroy - Compared to Robertson 17:53  |  Mark of Lewiston 11/10/08
  13.   Poena naturalis 17:55  |  Fritz T. 11/10/08
  14.   america 18:01  |  azad 11/10/08
  15.   Who`s hurt?! 18:06  |  Afflalo, Ya`ish 11/10/08
  16.   Affects all the Arab States more so 18:14  |  Double Dutch 11/10/08
  17.   I have to laugh....considering the Gaza economy is based on 18:16  |  Lynn 11/10/08
  18.   i wonder 18:17  |  potobac 11/10/08
  19.   Mideast Muslims find delight in... 18:20  |  David Nigel Braham 11/10/08
  20.   Faces of islam 18:22  |  Johnny 11/10/08
  21.   Damn! 18:29  |  rigma 11/10/08
  22.   The saddest part... 18:31  |  bbl 11/10/08
  23.   Can`t really blame Hanyieh for this one...... 19:00  |  Swiss (Dino) 11/10/08
  24.   Divinely Inspired? I Think Not 19:11  |  Lou Medel 11/10/08
  25.   Wise Muslim leaders have spoken 19:28  |  Hans 11/10/08
  26.   Sounds like Revs. Robertson and Falwell 19:29  |  W 11/10/08
  27.   America`s So-Called Meltdown 20:21  |  Gary 11/10/08
  28.   More like WWIII 20:22  |  Cromagnon 11/10/08
  29.   W 26 - the difference is 20:27  |  ChanahS 11/10/08
  30.   when a Rabbi says this... 20:28  |  Rafael 11/10/08
  31.   #23 Swiss Dino 20:30  |  Urani Diot 11/10/08
  32.   Haniyeh, the economics expert 20:36  |  truly yours 11/10/08
  33.   tsunami as punishment? 20:37  |  SallyZ 11/10/08
  34.   No it`s not 20:41  |  H 11/10/08
  35.   This clown needs to meet John Hagee 20:41  |  Mark Lincoln 11/10/08
  36.   TO NO 5 FISH. 20:49  |  DANNY. 11/10/08
  37.   Situation in Gaza is divine punishment 20:50  |  SDHD 11/10/08
  38.   TO NO 9. 20:53  |  DANNY. 11/10/08
  39.   By the same logic 21:32  |  i 4 i 11/10/08
  40.   millions of muslims murdered by muslims 21:40  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 11/10/08
  41.   rejoice!!! the price of oil is falling 21:42  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 11/10/08
  42.   MISLEADING HEADLINE 21:43  |  newsreader 11/10/08
  43.   #3 KMS 21:46  |  Jim 11/10/08
  44.   "divine punishment" 21:48  |  divineboomerang 11/10/08
  45.   America has been giving away too much money for too long 21:48  |  Natallie Durson 11/10/08
  46.   atleast 21:59  |  sure 11/10/08
  47.   Last Place on Earth I would Want To Be 22:09  |  Ron 11/10/08
  48.   #22 bbl...the best part 22:15  |  Lynn 11/10/08
  49.   Your Ignorance is OUR Divine Punishment 22:28  |  Pieboy 11/10/08
  50.   OK: no more yearly 10 billion Euro-subsidies to Pals then 22:32  |  Alicia 11/10/08
  51.   Yuhuu Pr.Carter! Wasted your sympathy for the Pals??? 22:34  |  Alicia 11/10/08
  52.   Condi Rice: fought for the Fulbright student-visas for this? 22:36  |  Alicia 11/10/08
  53.   message to abe the arab 23:06  |  robert 11/10/08
  54.   And the collapse of Arab and World Markets as well? 23:06  |  B`Galil 11/10/08
  55.   #17 Lynn in America. Haven`t you heard... 23:13  |  Maureen Ann 11/10/08
  56.   Question is, are we prepared to stop our fancy lifestyles if ... 23:23  |  Harvey 11/10/08
  57.   To call Hamas medieval is to insult highly civilized middle ages 23:24  |  Freethinker 11/10/08
  58.   God doesn`t play the stockmarket 23:26  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 11/10/08
  59.   The Pot-bellied Hanayah is too stupid to know 23:32  |  Josephus 11/10/08
  60.   Natalie 23:41  |  Cromagnon 11/10/08
  61.   Hamas does their own people a disservice 23:48  |  Conroy 11/10/08
  62.   LET `EM GLOAT!!! 00:20  |  Ian 12/10/08
  63.   Divine providence and the great abyss 00:33  |  allang 12/10/08
  64.   Gods punishment... hmmm 00:35  |  Adrian de Klerk 12/10/08
  65.   WHAT will they say when big oil demand is over?It`s coming 00:35  |  PETER SM 12/10/08
  66.   The Money & the Mullahs 01:01  |  Michael J 12/10/08
  67.   Re Devine Punishment 01:01  |  Marty 12/10/08
  68.   Swis (Dino) 01:20  |  Brad 12/10/08
  69.   America`s Created Opponants 01:21  |  Gray 12/10/08
  70.   (Lou Mendel) The Root Cause of Crises: The Irony 01:27  |  Brad 12/10/08
  71.   #55 Maureen Ann.....I`ll bet the top 25 Saudi families 01:29  |  Lynn 12/10/08
  72.   Palestinians suffer from divine stupidity of their leadership 01:30  |  SDHD 12/10/08
  73.   Maureen Ann - No room to speak 01:57  |  Awake 12/10/08
  74.   #6, JEAN VAN DAEM, and the haters 02:13  |  VIPER 12/10/08
  75.   IT`S CALLED KARMA 02:15  |  VIPER 12/10/08
  76.   #25, HANS AND GREEDINESS 02:19  |  VIPER 12/10/08
  77.   #23 Swiss then you are a simpleton too 02:26  |  Joe Frazier 12/10/08
  78.   #23 Swiss then you are a simpleton too 02:26  |  Joe Frazier 12/10/08
  79.   #70 Brad 02:50  |  Lou Medel 12/10/08
  80.   A PERFECT STORM FROM GOD 02:51  |  indrajaya 12/10/08
  81.   #23 Swiss(Dino) 03:06  |  Nemesis 12/10/08
  82.   Want to know where $1.6 Trillion went...? 03:13  |  Gray 12/10/08
  83.   WHy do they line up to emigrate to the USA & the West? 03:18  |  PETER SM 12/10/08
  84.   Beware Of Viper 03:21  |  Jane 12/10/08
  85.   VIPER - 76-inanities never flatter anyone 03:30  |  ChanahS 12/10/08
  86.   Viper 03:30  |  Jane 12/10/08
  87.   The US policy is the only respon 03:31  |  Habib 12/10/08
  88.   Muslims Are Not America`s Enemies! 03:46  |  Gray 12/10/08
  89.   Muslims Are Not America`s Enemies! 03:46  |  Gray 12/10/08
  90.   peter sm 83 03:55  |  potobac 12/10/08
  91.   #2-Conroy-Yes everything is cyclical including finance 04:13  |  PK 12/10/08
  92.   Jehovah 04:17  |  Bonnie 12/10/08
  93.   Muslims gloat as US & allies work to solve crisis while Muslims & 04:19  |  PK 12/10/08
  94.   Or, Is It Closer To $3 Trillion 04:24  |  Gray 12/10/08
  95.   82 Want to know How much Gray is paid for his posts 04:32  |  I 12/10/08
  96.   Jane - yup 04:49  |  Mark Lincoln 12/10/08
  97.   Brezhnev too made daily negative statements - and lost 04:49  |  NoToStupidRules 12/10/08
  98.   Bonnie - really? 04:51  |  Mark Lincoln 12/10/08
  99.   GRAY.Ask Pres.Carter why he signed legislation allowing 04:53  |  PETER SM 12/10/08
  100.   PK, yes, but we had learned 04:57  |  Mark Lincoln 12/10/08
  101.   Muslims gloat as US & allies work to solve crisis while Muslims & 05:01  |  Mark Lincoln 12/10/08
  102.   A PERFECT STORM FROM GOD? 05:06  |  Mark Lincoln 12/10/08
  103.   God, made in the image of man 05:07  |  Mark Lincoln 12/10/08
  104.   Brad - Repeating FoxNews Legend 05:31  |  Mark of Lewiston 12/10/08
  105.   Bush: "US Must Lead Recovery" 05:39  |  Mark of Lewiston 12/10/08
  106.   PK; Nice work.... 05:52  |  Gray 12/10/08
  107.   US Financial Crisis Equals World Crisis 06:06  |  GW 12/10/08
  108.   #100-Mark Lincoln yes new generation of "grabbers" never.. 06:08  |  PK 12/10/08
  109.   Hey Potobac how many Jews chose Aliyah to Israel 06:10  |  Joe Frazier 12/10/08
  110.   #86, Jane 06:12  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/10/08
  111.   Potobac Jews who leave Israel don`t seek refugee status 06:20  |  Joe Frazier 12/10/08
  112.   Red Mark of Lewiston credit became a way of life 06:25  |  Joe Frazier 12/10/08
  113.   103 Mark Lincoln Generalization shows ignorance 06:33  |  Joe Frazier 12/10/08
  114.   Punishment for the greed!! 06:37  |  Niva dos Santos 12/10/08
  115.   GRAY the "Death to America"demonstrations are `` just hasbara"?? 06:37  |  PETER SM 12/10/08
  116.   Gasoline Still Falling 06:41  |  Yosemite 12/10/08
  117.   POTOBAC but the US is being punished by Allah,what`s the point? 06:42  |  PETER SM 12/10/08
  118.   # 102, MARK LINCOLN (A NICE CHALLENGE) 06:42  |  indrajaya 12/10/08
  119.   America will rebound 08:11  |  Marie 12/10/08
  120.   Indrajaya and faith 08:31  |  SDHD 12/10/08
  121.   Was the earthquake in Iran devine punishement too? 09:51  |  GalileeFiend 12/10/08
  122.   Dark Ages thinking 09:52  |  ScotGuy 12/10/08
  123.   To Jean Van Daem 09:54  |  Ovadia Yosef 12/10/08
  124.   Americans don`t understand source of Palesetian antagonism 09:58  |  GalileeFiend 12/10/08
  125.   Coming to you soon, Moslems 09:59  |  x-ray 12/10/08
  126.   #85, CHANAH S, let me explain 10:06  |  VIPER 12/10/08
  127.   Gray: "anti Islamic bigotry like this article" 10:20  |  Freethinker 12/10/08
  128.   #81 Nemesis about Swiss (Dino) 10:29  |  Freethinker 12/10/08
  129.   Aside from "divine" its a very accurate assumption of 10:34  |  Kris Lazar 12/10/08
  130.   # 31 Urani Diot / # 68 Brad/ # Joe Frazier 10:39  |  Swiss (Dino) 12/10/08
  131.   ARABS&their friends blame the Jews.So which one is it? 10:41  |  PETER SM 12/10/08
  132.   # 81 Nemesis and another "double-standarder"..... 10:41  |  Swiss (Dino) 12/10/08
  133.   Mideast Muslims Don`t Have a Spokeman 10:42  |  Ali 12/10/08
  134.   # 128 Freethinker, the "reasonable" Swiss would tell you...... 10:58  |  Swiss (Dino) 12/10/08
  135.   GALILLEEFIEND.The USA understands how Arafat supported Sadaam in 11:09  |  PETER SM 12/10/08
  136.   USA goes down, Israel follow - good news 11:25  |  bronstein 12/10/08
  137.   #71 Lynn. Are you laughing or hysterical? 11:52  |  Maureen Ann 12/10/08
  138.   Divine punishment 12:29  |  lady from USA 12/10/08
  139.   oil 12:31  |  zichron 12/10/08
  140.   KMS 12:35  |  lady from USA 12/10/08
  141.   Swiss (Dino) 12:48  |  lady from USA 12/10/08
  142.   Luckily American`s have new Messiah 12:50  |  Stefan Petrov 12/10/08
  143.   Hans 12:51  |  lady from USA 12/10/08
  144.   W 13:00  |  lady from USA 12/10/08
  145.   Rafael 13:04  |  lady from USA 12/10/08
  146.   Do NOt Blame Arab Comments 13:09  |  Abe 12/10/08
  147.   Pieboy 13:13  |  lady from USA 12/10/08
  148.   Mark Lincoln 13:34  |  lady from USA 12/10/08
  149.   GalileeFiend 13:48  |  lady from USA 12/10/08
  150.   Cris 13:56  |  Tekki 12/10/08
  151.   Mideast Muslims: U.S. financial crisis is divine punishment 14:02  |  Alfonso Barrs 12/10/08
  152.   Religion is not politics 14:39  |  Muslim 12/10/08
  153.   U.S FINACIAL CRISIS IS DIVINE PUNISHMENT(RE-TO BRONSTIEN) 14:42  |  HAFIZ 12/10/08
  154.   A divine punishment 15:21  |  Erdinch 12/10/08
  155.   To Alfonso Barrs 15:37  |  AmericanMuslim 12/10/08
  156.   #88 Gray - You were not the smart one in school right? 15:56  |  Johnny 12/10/08
  157.   #137 Maureen....what I am witnessing is your vainglorious attempt 16:32  |  Lynn 12/10/08
  158.   #80 indrajaya 16:35  |  Daniela 12/10/08
  159.   Galileefiend.....the US gives a great deal of cash 16:53  |  Lynn 12/10/08
  160.   # 141 lady from USA 17:06  |  Swiss (Dino) 12/10/08
  161.   Islamists are right: America`s support of the OCCUPATION did it! 17:21  |  Ivar 12/10/08
  162.   oil, food, economy and other things 17:34  |  leon 12/10/08
  163.   Blair states Gaza Banks near collapse.. 18:11  |  Lynn 12/10/08
  164.   INDY....God really didn`t do this 18:25  |  Lynn 12/10/08
  165.   please print this haaretz if you have courage 18:27  |  observer 12/10/08
  166.   Mark Your A Complete & Utter Fabricator 18:38  |  Brad 12/10/08
  167.   #55 Maureen....let`s not forget the comedic 18:40  |  Lynn 12/10/08
  168.   We the westernised Jews are a problem 19:16  |  ScotGuy 12/10/08
  169.   Mideast Muslims U.S. financial crisis is divine punishment 20:30  |  martin list, m.d. 12/10/08
  170.   Jane, Channah, Peter, etal 21:05  |  Ari ben Yisrael 12/10/08
  171.   Islamic takeover 22:39  |  Phil 12/10/08
  172.   #81, Nemesis 22:48  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/10/08
  173.   so by same logic 23:40  |  n`est pas? 12/10/08
  174.   the only stock market to go up in the whole wide world is 23:42  |  odles 12/10/08
  175.   SCAREY POSTS 23:45  |  TOBIA 12/10/08
  176.   #106-Gray PK isn`t a hater.My dentist is Muslim & she wears a.. 23:59  |  PK 12/10/08
  177.   #142-Stefan Petrov & will Prez BO say BOO when the brothers &.. 00:17  |  PK 13/10/08
  178.   VIPER 126 - who is the head of Lehman? 00:28  |  ChanahS 13/10/08
  179.   Cipora and Nemesis - funny, so have I thought that 00:29  |  ChanahS 13/10/08
  180.   #133-Ali good point. 00:37  |  PK 13/10/08
  181.   What is cause of crisis 02:00  |  Jackie 13/10/08
  182.   #84, JANE and her "thoughts" 02:33  |  VIPER 13/10/08
  183.   #170, ARI BEN YISRAEL, yes we do 02:39  |  VIPER 13/10/08
  184.   Don`t Blame This On Any Group 08:19  |  Yosemite 13/10/08
  185.   Lehman upper management 21:49  |  Leeza Cohen Coleman 13/10/08
  186.   PAY BACK TIME? 01:00  |  DARISUH 14/10/08
  187.   US financial crisis and Muslims. 18:23  |  Alistair 17/10/08
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