Dean's World: Hang Them

Thanks to Dean over at "Dean's World" for bringing this story to my attention.

This story raises a lot of interesting questions. And it is rather fortuitous that I read a short piece by John B. Judis in the most recent New Republic. (Unfortunately it is not online yet, but I'll provide a hyperlink when I can.)

We see Radical Islam as a uniquely Oriental construct (I am guilty of this) that emanates from "Arab-Muslim states that are failing at modernity . . . [and that] have become an engine for producing undeterrables." And we believe that if only we push the Palestinians into democracy, reform the Saudis and get those damn mullahs out of Iran will the whole region be at peace. Perhaps. After all, it is a seductive argument. It worked with the Russians (kind of) and look at Eastern Europe---isn't it a model of civility (sans Serbia, that is)? If we can tame the German menace and the Slav's mystic stirrings why can't we civilize the Muslims?

Enter Olivier Roy, “France’s leading expert on Islam and Central Asia.” He sees al-Qaeda “as much as a product of the Orient [and modern Islam as it is] a product of a bastardized left-wing anti-imperialism.” I am inclined to agree. The arguments here are not as seductive as the one outlined above, perhaps because they lead to a some uncomfortable introspection, but they are convincing.

For starters, Jihad is not one of the five pillars of Islam but somehow, Osama bin-Laden and others radical Islamists have managed to make it a “permanent and individual duty.” Secondly, the terrorists have borrowed heavily from Westerners who pioneered modern terror techniques, most notably the German Red Army Faction.

Throw in a little violent anti-globalization, utopian philosophy, a few real political grievances, plus modern communications and voila, you have al Qaeda: a group, much like the Communists that wants to remake the world into something utopian and pure. After all, terror is the continuation of politics by other means (sorry Carl).

So it seems that their ideology has deep Western roots as well as Islamic. This shouldn't really be all that surprising.

But an ideology is no good without foot-soldiers. Arabs have not fared well in Europe at all. Part of it is Europe’s lingering racism (and they say we have problems). Some of it is Europe’s intractable employment problems. Lump the two together and throw in a little Islamo-fascism and you can lure someone like Zacarias Moussaoui, born in the West and college educated yet unable to find work, into the warm embrace of religion. Religion, after all, has justified more crimes and inhumanities, over the centuries, than just about anything else.

It seems that Bush may be right in equating Radical Islam with totalitarianism. The only difference between it and Fascism and Communism is that it has a thin veneer of religion that adds to its legitimacy.

Which brings us to the Portland Six. Most of them are American-born. And they decided to follow al Qaeda and Osama after seeing what happened on September 11. They resemble Moussaoui much more than I am comfortable admitting: a marginalized, but highly educated group of our society that missed out entirely on the gains of the nineties. Might we have a bigger problem than we think? Punish them we should, if they are guilty. But perhaps we can learn from them as well. An ounce of pre-emption is worth a pound of cure (Ughh, what a cliche!)

Anyway, I wish I spoke and read French because Roy's books are not widely available in English. Any translators out there want to volunteer?