Extremists come from all sorts of places. In this case, devotees to the twisted logic of Sayyid Qutb. Some other misguided radicals bomb abortion clinics, others here in the US organize as "militias" and the extreme among them bombed the Oklahoma City building. I think it is a little insulting and simplistic to characterize the problem as (my paraphrase) "rich ignorant Arabs afraid of westernization".
In our day we must be vigilent to address and denounce the misguided ideologies propogated by intellectuals like Sayyid Qutb or William Pierce, who just as with Hitler's interpretations of Nietchze, Adolf Lanz von Liebenfels, or Guido von List can lead masses of disillusioned or disaffected people toward radicalism, and violence. Our past experience shows us the dangers of ignoring these "broken" ideas hoping they go away, rather than risk giving them credibility by acknowledging and defeating them. You are correct in that this is a war of ideas, and we must start by understanding that the Osama Bin Laden's of the world know what the "West" is offering and have rejected it.
What is at issue is an alternative world view in which most of the fundamental concepts of "Westernization" are derided as anti-islamic, coupled with recruiting and indoctrinating youth in the modern age to carry on the 12th century jihad against the Crusaders who are keeping the nuevo Jahili pagans in power. The extremists control the lingo and propaganda, and the press feeds from and into thier hands. Is it martyrdom operations, or indiscriminate mass murder of innocent non-combatants? Even the term "suicide bombing" diminishes the act to a sacrifice, rather than to focus on the reality of a twisted smoldering bus and the horror of mangled bodies of men, women and children.
The Islamic extremists message is cohesive, researched, and well formed. It justifies mass-murder as a political mechanism to forward their jihad, and gives it the blessing of the Prophet. That is the danger. I do not think that "-isms" just go away, and once in awhile they resurface and become organized, radical, and lethal once again.
In our day we must be vigilent to address and denounce the misguided ideologies propogated by intellectuals like Sayyid Qutb or William Pierce, who just as with Hitler's interpretations of Nietchze, Adolf Lanz von Liebenfels, or Guido von List can lead masses of disillusioned or disaffected people toward radicalism, and violence. Our past experience shows us the dangers of ignoring these "broken" ideas hoping they go away, rather than risk giving them credibility by acknowledging and defeating them. You are correct in that this is a war of ideas, and we must start by understanding that the Osama Bin Laden's of the world know what the "West" is offering and have rejected it.
What is at issue is an alternative world view in which most of the fundamental concepts of "Westernization" are derided as anti-islamic, coupled with recruiting and indoctrinating youth in the modern age to carry on the 12th century jihad against the Crusaders who are keeping the nuevo Jahili pagans in power. The extremists control the lingo and propaganda, and the press feeds from and into thier hands. Is it martyrdom operations, or indiscriminate mass murder of innocent non-combatants? Even the term "suicide bombing" diminishes the act to a sacrifice, rather than to focus on the reality of a twisted smoldering bus and the horror of mangled bodies of men, women and children.
The Islamic extremists message is cohesive, researched, and well formed. It justifies mass-murder as a political mechanism to forward their jihad, and gives it the blessing of the Prophet. That is the danger. I do not think that "-isms" just go away, and once in awhile they resurface and become organized, radical, and lethal once again.
”There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." - Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio.
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