I never thought I would be sending this out here, my appoligies, but I think
a lot of you would do well to have this information now.
A number of our media pundits have presented us with a challenge that at
first glance sounds very worthy and plausible. That for decades American's
foreign policy has rained down death and destruction on innocent people
around the world. The bully (USA) had only sown the seeds of it's
destruction. On Sept. 11th the oppressed people hit back.
We've heard this repeated more often in liberal scholastic circles where a
hidden agenda motivates unusual opinions and disinformation, but that is a
whole other issue. The fact remains this thinking has taken hold in some
conservative circles as well as liberal and has us becoming confused.
It is confusing because it is a plausible argument, but it is wrong. If one
ever took the time to examine those allegations and look at every offending
policy aimed at the Moslem world they would find a rather short list. If
they summed up the targets that were attacks by the United States aimed
specifically at Muslim civilian populations the list would drop to zero.
Consider the latest action being our multinational United Nations
participation in the Kosovo region. Ironically this was to stop a war of
genocide against a Muslim population by Christians. Another irony could be
seen in our relationship with the Taliban in Afghanistan. They are a Muslim
fundamentalist regime and they are clearly antagonistic towards us, yet we
supported them in their fight with Soviet domination. We should be allies,
but we are hated! Why?
I could go on with a long list of support for Moslem causes that should
cancel our transgressions, but I'm limited for space and time. The bottom
line is, those claims of US bullying leading to the attack of Sept. 11th
falls woefully short of the truth. This comes no where close to justifying
that attack on innocent men, women and children.
Consider this, when the Koran (Qur'an) was written it commanded the faithful
to kill the infidels (meaning any non-Muslims). In a loose translation it
said that if they came upon such infidels and they should hunt them down and
kill them. Now also consider the very name Moslem or Muslim means to be
member of the Nation of Islam and to be one who surrenders to God's will. In
other words to do God's will as they interpreted God's will, that being
determine today according to the dictates of certain powerful fundamentalist
leaders in the Muslim world.
The most radical branch of Islam were historically the Shiites, which began
as a counter revolutionary force within the Nation of Islam, against the
aristocracy which we would now call the Sunni. Sunni and Shiite being
opposite ends of the Moslem world, the rich verses the poor. Even todday the
stuggle goes on and the Shiites are the bloody edge of the Muslim sword.
The Shiite were in truth generally separated from the middle and upper class
Moslems by their low economic and educational levels. This was yet another
ages old example of the "haves and the have nots". The rabble greatly
resented the wealthy for obvious and very human reasons, thus they were able
to be inflamed by leaders, perhaps with less obvious reasons. But, in a
rather short time the poor and more numerous elements were united by a shared
version of Islam in which they held they were the more righteous; an army of
opposition was born!
They believed their version of morality was gradually being destroyed by
those they characterized as greedy land owners and powerful rich, who had
become rulers in the Nation of Islam and they rose up to challenge their
enemy, ironically other Moslems absent any US foreign policy! The first
great battle to be fought was at the Plains of Kerbala where the Shiite Army
led by the son of Mohammed met the professional and much larger Yezid Army.
When Mohammed's son realized they were greatly mismatched and had no real
chance against the Army of Yezid, he and a few of his followers rode out to
battle them in a suicidal gesture while his own ragtag army watched in awe
and waiting for divine intervention. He was of course killed and to the
outrage and horror of his followers, his head was paraded around on a pike.
Before his death the Imam Hussain (aka Imam Husayn ibn 'Ali 'a ) gave a
rousing speech to his believers, urging martyrdom to rekindle the spirit of
what is the true spirit of Islam. Here are a few excerpts, "Death is better
than disgrace and disgrace is better than the fire of hell... I see death as
a blessing and life with tyrants as the most disgusting state one can be in."
Thus began martyrdom and jihad (holy war against the rich and powerful ) and
to this day it is still practiced by those radical elements who surrender to
what they call God's will, literally following a few of the more obscure
passages in the Koran. All this sacrifice being in exchange for a guaranteed
reward in heaven. Typically they are promised numerous young, beautiful
virgins who wait on them for eternity. (Are you begining to understand now
why we are a target?)
Many religious scholars might say the fundamentalist/extremist have
misinterpreted those sections of the Koran that tend to reaffirm their
radical positions. That this is a perversity of the original religion and
intent.
Did our State Dept. and our foreign policy cause this? No, we didn't even
exist as a nation when Kerbala happened. But eventually it did place us in
harms way with the very first confrontation with this radicalism. When
issues important the United States collided with a fanatical religious
movement the zealot reaction was predictably overreaction. As a wealthy and
powerful nation built upon Christian principles we were a tremendous affront
to everything the zealots held near and dear. Our current societal flaws
from our drug abuse to sexy and violent movies only affirms their zealots
perception of a demonic nation, unfit to exist.
Our foreign policy touched a scorpion nest that much is true, but it had much
less to do with Sept. 11th than our own lifestyle and religious background.
That is a hard thing for most of us to believe because it is so foreign to
our thinking and our sense of justice.
If the facts were presented fairly the responsibility and blame for the
attack of Sept. 11th would be on religious fanaticism without question.
Certainly not on the State Dept. polices. The Muslim zealots have declared
our nation "The Great Satan" and further declared holy war on it and it's
citizens. The war has been on for years too, it has only just now caught up
with us on the home front. This zealotry in the name of Islam is the enemy
of Islam, of the United States and of civilization.
Our scholars try to understand and make sense of the zealots side as fair
people always do. Unfortunately they are confusing the issues with our
contemporary values. This has led to criticism of the United States and a
finding that the route cause must be something we did wrong, how else could
any rational person explain it? We may well have done wrong things too, but
it pales by comparision to the fundamental driving force of today's
terrorism.
Too many of us fail to see the obvious because they think in more rational
terms, absent the mindset of religious fanaticism. A fanaticism that drives
people to do bizarre and evil things. The logic of Jonestown could just as
well be applied to the attack of Sept. 11th.
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