Britain's death toll

- 40 Britons are confirmed dead in the tsunami, and the British government says another 159 are unaccounted for. Like Paul Martin, Tony Blair is being criticized for not cutting short his holiday when news of the disaster came out.

- President Bush has asked Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush to lead disaster fundraising efforts. Most people would see this as a bipartisan effort to increase aid to a part of the world that needs it. To The Independent, of course, it's another opportunity to sneer at an American attempt to improve its image. (Check out that headline.)

- many, if not most, of the dead in southeast Asia are Muslims. The Great Satan, despite the sniping of mental midgets like Independent writers, has taken the lead in relief efforts. Oil-rich Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran, by contrast, have barely opened their wallets:

Take, for instance, Saudi Arabia ($10 million), Kuwait ($2 million), and Iran ($627,000). This, for their Muslim brothers and sisters? These are countries for whom wealth flows from the very earth which killed so many. The Saudi princes do not work or create. They shop and harvest. And yet here they stand again--they and the rest of the Middle East--sitting on their hands and expecting the rest of the world to take care of their Islamic brothers. How much is Islamic solidarity worth for Iran? About 16,000 barrels of oil.

That's fine, so far as it goes. It's their choice. But remember it the next time you hear a bin Laden tape blaming the West for the destruction of civilization. Remember it the next time you hear an Islamist imam castigating the Jews and infidels for defiling their lands. Remember it the next time you hear an al Jazeera story about how infidels are disrespecting Islam. Remember it the next time you hear how Islamic "solidarity" with other oppressed Muslims is what keeps this or that country from fully joining in on the war on terror.

Remember that, when it counted, it was Japan, America, Britain, Sweden, Canada, Denmark, Australia, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, and the rest of the West--not to mention the Far East--which opened its arms to help the millions of people--including millions of Muslims--who were struck by this terrible disaster.

Saudi Arabia's donation is equal to that of its tiny neighbour, Qatar, which has a population of less than 750,000.

Update: Kuwait, perhaps in response to criticism from its own citizens, has increased its pledge to $10M. The United Arab Emirates will donate $20M.

Posted by damian at January 4, 2005 07:23 AM