One of Ours

Since 9/11/01, conspiracy theories against the U.S., the Jews, and the Zionists have been rampant in the Arab world. These notions are spread not only by marginal personalities and media outlets, but, more important, by prominent members of mainstream governments and media.

Some of last year's most far-fetched conspiracy theories in the Arab world include: U.S. soldiers cannibalized Iraqi civilians; the U.S. was responsible for the car bomb that killed Iraqi Shia leader Muhammad Bakir Al-Hakim; the Jews were behind the explosion of the space shuttle Columbia; the U.S. was behind the SARS virus; and the Iraq war was launched to coincide with the Jewish holiday Purim. The following highlight the top ten Arab conspiracy theories in recent months:

10...the Riyadh bombing...is a Jewish and American conspiracy against the mujahadeen and al Qaeda.

9...editorial in the...Yemen Times, the Istanbul bombings...could not have been committed by Muslims, as...no Muslim in his right mind could ever condone such crimes."

8...the U.S. captured Osama bin Laden in a tribal region of Pakistan...the U.S. will announce the capture shortly before the November presidential elections.

7..."There is still doubt that the September [11] attacks were the outcome of Arab and Islamic terror...

6...the Madrid bombings: "I claim with certainty that the ones who attributed all evil to the Arabs and the Muslims are the Zionists, those who are closest to carry out such an operation like the other operations [that they carried out]."

5...blamed the Madrid bombings on the Jews...criticized Arab intelligence services for being "incapable of discovering the hidden Zionist fingers planning many terror operations in order to entangle the Arabs and Muslims."

4...accused the Jews of perpetrating every terrorist attack throughout the world. Regarding the Madrid bombings..."It is obvious that the Jews are the ones who placed these things, in order to prove to the entire world that the Arabs and Muslims are behind the bombings."..."It is they who are behind the events of September 11."

3...as part of a "born-again Christian" scheme that included 9/11, the CIA controls Osama bin Laden.

2...the series of bombings that hit Damascus...were "a bid to force Iraq's neighbors to submit to their Iraq policy, the U.S. and the Zionist regimes orchestrated such terrorist attacks." He noted, "This is not the first time that the U.S. and Israel have employed al Qaeda elements to help them reinforce their terrorist objectives."

1...bombing in Yunbu, Saudi Arabia...Crown Prince Abdullah stated: "Zionism is behind terrorist actions in the kingdom. I can say that I am 95 percent sure of that."