Letter to the Editor aka my Fateful Return
July 16th 2008 00:57
Too long have I been gone! Immersed in the petty theiveries of my ideological constructs by my own inquiries! Anyways!
I have been gone a long time, working, writing music, reading about science, Israel, conquest, myth, Pan-Arabic imperialism and a million other things. I plan on making a real return soon with articles about these things and more - GM Foods and the Idiots that Fear Them is a potential title to look out for.
But for now, be satisfied with this letter to the editor (written under a pseudonym) of the Australian Rationalist Journal, in response to his bold assertion that terrorism has everything to do with Western actions in the Middle East and nothing to do with Islam.
I am writing in response to Kevin Childs’ article, Failing to learn from history (Australian Rationalist Journal, June 2008). There was much in this article with which I took issue but I shall deal here with the statement, made by Robert Fisk and endorsed by Childs, that “[t]here is no connection between Islam and “terror””. Though I agree with Childs’ assessment of the Iraq war as immoral, I find his assertion that terrorism is connected to Western actions but not to Islam surprising in a magazine priding itself on rationality. Western policies are indeed used to excuse terrorism by Jihadis, and aggressive policies naturally create resentment, but to assert that it is Western actions alone that lead to terrorism is demonstrably false.
I’m sure Mr. Childs will at least agree that we cannot blame the murder of thousands in New York in 2001 on the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, I imagine he can cast his mind back to the seventh century when Muhammad proclaimed “I was ordered to fight all men until they say ‘There is no god but Allah’”, or perhaps Mr. Childs might concede that the men who sawed off Nicholas Berg’s head chanting ‘Allahu akbar’ had some religious motivation. Or he could explain why terrorist leaders themselves discuss their projects in religious terms. In an interview in 2005 Ridda Sayyan (a suspected terrorist) said:
[F]or more than a thousand years Islam ruled the world…capitalism will fall soon, we offer the alternative: an Islamic program. But the West is not willing to try it…
Asked by his interviewer if he approved of Bin Laden’s statements that one should kill Jews and Westerners, Sayyan replied:
Osama Bin Laden didn’t say you have to kill this or that person – the Qur’an says this…the Qur’an says…that Muslims are supposed to fight those who go against God’s will.
According to Sayyan, the terrorist groups are not reacting to Western oppression but seeking to establish an Islamic empire and Islam justifies murder to this end, thus providing both the impetus and the rationale for terrorism. Efraim Karsh’s book, Islamic Imperialism, sets forth Islam’s imperial past and argues lucidly that modern terrorism reflects a continuation of Islam’s imperialist tradition. This argument certainly seems to match the facts better than Childs’ hypothesis.
I do not contend that all Muslims harbour such beliefs – I would not be so deluded as to think that I can crystallize the views of a diverse group of people. But I do believe, and the Jihadis seem to agree with me, that contemporary terrorism is driven by Islamic beliefs and imperial ambition. The West is not perfect, but to postulate that terrorism against us is our fault is a gratuitous example of blaming the victim.
I challenge Kevin Childs to justify the claim that there is no connection between Islam and terrorism. I am open-minded and I hope that he can sway my view or at least clarify his position for me, until then – Salaam.
Joseph Tafra, Carlton, VIC
15th of July 2008
I will keep you updated on this stand-off. Kevin Childs is the editor of the Australian Rationalist Journal, so I imagine he will be a formidable adversary. I am pleased about this and look forward to some verbal sparring, victory is not sure and I may have to retreat firmly into cultural relativism under Childs' enlightened blows. But we shall see.
TTFN,
A. Hine
I have been gone a long time, working, writing music, reading about science, Israel, conquest, myth, Pan-Arabic imperialism and a million other things. I plan on making a real return soon with articles about these things and more - GM Foods and the Idiots that Fear Them is a potential title to look out for.
But for now, be satisfied with this letter to the editor (written under a pseudonym) of the Australian Rationalist Journal, in response to his bold assertion that terrorism has everything to do with Western actions in the Middle East and nothing to do with Islam.
I am writing in response to Kevin Childs’ article, Failing to learn from history (Australian Rationalist Journal, June 2008). There was much in this article with which I took issue but I shall deal here with the statement, made by Robert Fisk and endorsed by Childs, that “[t]here is no connection between Islam and “terror””. Though I agree with Childs’ assessment of the Iraq war as immoral, I find his assertion that terrorism is connected to Western actions but not to Islam surprising in a magazine priding itself on rationality. Western policies are indeed used to excuse terrorism by Jihadis, and aggressive policies naturally create resentment, but to assert that it is Western actions alone that lead to terrorism is demonstrably false.
I’m sure Mr. Childs will at least agree that we cannot blame the murder of thousands in New York in 2001 on the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, I imagine he can cast his mind back to the seventh century when Muhammad proclaimed “I was ordered to fight all men until they say ‘There is no god but Allah’”, or perhaps Mr. Childs might concede that the men who sawed off Nicholas Berg’s head chanting ‘Allahu akbar’ had some religious motivation. Or he could explain why terrorist leaders themselves discuss their projects in religious terms. In an interview in 2005 Ridda Sayyan (a suspected terrorist) said:
[F]or more than a thousand years Islam ruled the world…capitalism will fall soon, we offer the alternative: an Islamic program. But the West is not willing to try it…
Asked by his interviewer if he approved of Bin Laden’s statements that one should kill Jews and Westerners, Sayyan replied:
Osama Bin Laden didn’t say you have to kill this or that person – the Qur’an says this…the Qur’an says…that Muslims are supposed to fight those who go against God’s will.
According to Sayyan, the terrorist groups are not reacting to Western oppression but seeking to establish an Islamic empire and Islam justifies murder to this end, thus providing both the impetus and the rationale for terrorism. Efraim Karsh’s book, Islamic Imperialism, sets forth Islam’s imperial past and argues lucidly that modern terrorism reflects a continuation of Islam’s imperialist tradition. This argument certainly seems to match the facts better than Childs’ hypothesis.
I do not contend that all Muslims harbour such beliefs – I would not be so deluded as to think that I can crystallize the views of a diverse group of people. But I do believe, and the Jihadis seem to agree with me, that contemporary terrorism is driven by Islamic beliefs and imperial ambition. The West is not perfect, but to postulate that terrorism against us is our fault is a gratuitous example of blaming the victim.
I challenge Kevin Childs to justify the claim that there is no connection between Islam and terrorism. I am open-minded and I hope that he can sway my view or at least clarify his position for me, until then – Salaam.
Joseph Tafra, Carlton, VIC
15th of July 2008
I will keep you updated on this stand-off. Kevin Childs is the editor of the Australian Rationalist Journal, so I imagine he will be a formidable adversary. I am pleased about this and look forward to some verbal sparring, victory is not sure and I may have to retreat firmly into cultural relativism under Childs' enlightened blows. But we shall see.
TTFN,
A. Hine
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