Paul Watson Quotes
Sea Shepherd does not condone, nor do we practise, violence.
Watson, Paul. Earthforce! An Earth Warrior's Guide to Strategy. Chaco Press, 1993, p. 22.
Turnbow, a Black man in segregationist Mississippi, always carried guns for self-protection and advocated it for all Blacks.
This quotation is used by the moderate Egyptians and other moderate Arab leaders as well as Israelis and other experts in combating Islamic Fundamentalism to illustrate the thinking process of the Muslim fundamentalist terrorist leader. They are more than willing to sacrifice those they lead (though rarely themselves) if they think that something is to be gained. But if there is nothing to be gained, their “moral” responsibility requires not “wasting” their followers’ lives. Therefore, the way these experts believe they should deal with the radicals is to face them with overwhelming force (a variant of the Powell Doctrine) and never concede anything or let them gain anything from violence. A single concession makes the terrorism, sacrifice and violence worthwhile, but if there is no gain, the leader has wasted the lives of his followers and is less likely to initiate another attack.
This was King’s first appearance on the nation’s most prestigious news show.
Half a century later some in the Muslim world were justifying terrorism, violence and intimidation on the grounds of desperation of the unique circumstances Islam as in and the attack Islam was under. However, many scholars use this quotation to illustrate that extra legal means and violence has been a Muslim tactic. It actually goes back to the beginning of Islam. It was ironic that Ali Kahn, after supporting extra-legal and violent means of achieving political objectives was himself the victim when he was assassinated in 1951.
Paul Franklin Watson is a Canadian-American conservation and environmental activist, who founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an anti-poaching and direct action group focused on marine conservation activism. The tactics used by Sea Shepherd have attracted opposition, with the group accused of eco-terrorism by both the Japanese government and Greenpeace. Watson is a citizen of Canada and the United States.
