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Last night, April 25, 2010 there was a fascinating story by Lesley Stahl of 60 minutes on Islamic extremists and what makes them extremists. A former member of a Muslim extremist group in Britain told Stahl that the narrative used to lure people is that the US and the West invaded Afghanistan and Iraq to destroy Islam; and that this narrative works. In other words, these two wars provided all the fodder for feeding extremism and a fertile ground for such extremism.
I don't know about Bush because he has not evolved from a primate and stated once that God spoke to him to invade Iraq. However Cheney was the main architect of starting these wars and there is no doubt that the motive was oil and money - Cheney put a trance on Bush, using religion as his tool. We know quite well about the oil reserves in Iraq. In the case of Afghanistan it is strategically located for a natural gas pipline from the former neighbouring Soviet states, bringing that gas to the Persian Gulf, exporting to China, the US and other countries to make a lot of money.
We know that the Iraq invasion was justified by some imaginary WMDs. In the case of Afghanistan, the government at the time was willing to negotiate and put Osama Bin Laden on trial and maybe ultimately hand him over. But that was not Cheney's interest as it was about resources. As far as Taliban and women's rights is concerned, that is as big a bull as WMDs. Women are more oppressed today than they were before the invasion and there are a lot more cases of rape, molestation of little girls for sex and especially little boys. These are stories coming from Afghan women themselves including Malalai Joya. Karzai himself is a Taliban or not any different at all, so much for that baloney of Karzai "the reformer".
The problem is that both are badly botched wars and both countries have been destroyed and engulfed in civil wars. You cannot win the hearts and minds of local people in that kind of environment. Afghanistan is an un-winnable war and is a real quagmire and graveyard for empires. As long as these botched up wars continue and looting of local resources continues, these areas will be prime breeding grounds for extremism. The only way out is to end these wars through negotiations or the US will have no choice but to leave in a manner not much different than Vietnam.
Thanks for posting that segment LD. I didn't catch it last night.
ReplyDeleteI think what this fellow is telling us is that the Arab Street is drawn to but not wedded to Salafism and Wahabbisim. It's very true and probably lies at the core of the problem with Islamic extremism.
What struck me is what wasn't mentioned in Stahl's piece - the other factors that make moderate Arabs believe the West is anti-Muslim: the role Washington plays in the Israel/Palestine outrage and how it supports and arms characters like Mubarak, the House of Saud, Karzai and Maliki who then oppress their own people and thwart legitimate attempts at democratic reform.
It's very, very easy for frustrated moderate Muslims to see the West's policies as anti-Muslim, very easy. We have to solve Palestine and everybody knows the only answer to that problem. We have to withdraw our unconditional support of Muslim dictators and open a doorway for democratic reform.
We have to overcome our fears of the Arab Street. Yes, initially, they may elect parties like Hamas but that's in large part because Hamas has stood up to their oppressors. Three or four election cycles down the road and moderate parties will emerge to be viable contenders to govern. It's a process we have to be willing to embrace.
So long as we see Muslims as a bloodthirsty gang of sub-humans, we simply provide ammunition for the Muslim extremists. Maybe the Muslims do see us as anti-Muslim but our perception of them is easily just as warped.
Imagine if we could get it through our heads that there's a difference between moderate and extremist Muslims; that the extremists cannot operate without support from the moderates; and that we have the key to driving a powerful wedge between the moderates and the extremists that would produce infinitely better results than Predator drones and 2,000 lb. bombs.
Stahl's piece shows how powerful and fragile "The Narrative" is. We have to realize that we can put an end to it if we really want that.
MoS, I am glad that you were able to view the video and thank you for a detailed comment. I can add nothing as you said it all. Your observation that
ReplyDelete“What struck me is what wasn't mentioned in Stahl's piece - the other factors that make moderate Arabs believe the West is anti-Muslim: the role Washington plays in the Israel/Palestine outrage and how it supports and arms characters like Mubarak, the House of Saud, Karzai and Maliki who then oppress their own people and thwart legitimate attempts at democratic reform.”
is quite true.
It is hoped that our majestic leaders in Canada are made aware of it and Obama in US is made aware of it.