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ALLAH, OIL &
SEPT. 11
By John J. Moelaert
On September 11 the US was not only dealt a devastating blow,
but its vulnerability was brutally exposed. Despite its awesome
military might the US was proven incapable of protecting its
citizens from enemy attack. September 11 proved that its massive
hi-tech weapons, including the planned missile defense system,
are no more useful against terrorists than a sledgehammer in
the hands of a person trying to get rid of fleas.
In the aftermath of the death and destruction inflicted on New
York and Washington, DC, countless Monday morning quarterbacks
have generated a wide variety of comments on and analyses of
these horrific events. Although the details of their perspectives
vary greatly, many of these commentators use the same three-point
formula: 1. Condemning--or at least deploring-- the massive carnage.
2. Listing the many iniquities of the US in the realm of foreign
affairs and 3. The "solution" to prevent similar attacks
in the future.
ONE: There is broad agreement that the mass killings of mostly
civilians cannot be justified no matter what ideology one subscribes
to. The victims of these aerial attacks must have experienced
sheer terror during those final moments: the passengers in the
planes, the employees seeing a big airliner heading directly
for them, the people suddenly trapped by countless tons of rubble.
While some six thousand people died in an unimaginably barbaric
way, the real toll is far higher, for tens of thousands of lives
of relatives and friends were destroyed as well. Husbands lost
wives, wives lost husbands, children lost parents, brothers lost
sisters, friends lost friends.
TWO: The many injustices the US has inflicted on the world
cannot be convincingly denied let alone be successfully defended.
Washington has propped up many ruthless dictators in the past,
including Somoza in Nicaragua, Marcos in the Philippines, Pinochet
in Chile, the Shah of Iran. The US--which portrays itself as
the world's leading democracy-- has also overthrown democratically
elected heads of state such as Arbenz in Guatemala and Allende
in Chile who refused to kowtow to US corporate interests. It
even financed its present adversaries, the Taliban, including
Osama bin Laden, to get the Soviets out of Afghanistan. SEE:
http://members.shaw.ca/eye-openers/talibantheusconnection.htm
These commentators suggest (or at least imply) that while
the terrorist attacks of September 11 were despicable, they had
their roots in US terror inflicted directly or by proxy in various
parts of the world. US terror has claimed the lives of some 200,000
civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 600,000 people (mostly children)
in Iraq and about two million people in Vietnam. Moreover, hundreds
of thousands more died in US-supported operations in Nicaragua,
El Salvador and Guatemala. In other words, these commentators
point out that on September 11 Americans got a taste of their
own medicine and the death and destruction inflicted previously
in distant parts of the world for the first time was brought
brutally to US soil. The comfort of armed conflict being fought
far from US shores suddenly ended that sunny September morning.
THREE: These commentators suggest that the best way to prevent
similar attacks against the US in the future is for the US to
help the Third World generously instead of exploiting it ruthlessly.
They point out that the International Monetary Fund --which is
dominated by the US-- is not used to help the poor of the Third
World, but is a powerful economic tool that drives people further
into poverty and misery, hence the massive anti-globalization
protests. So long as the US allows corporate interests to take
precedence over social justice, discontent will generate resistance
and violence.
The billions of dollars the US is now spending on its military
and new security measures are not going to provide the peace
and stability, let alone public safety, Americans want. For a
fraction of those astronomical military expenditures safe drinking
water could be provided for the one billion people not now having
this basic commodity. Similarly, feeding the hungry will create
a lot more stability and safety than exploiting the poor. There
will never be peace without social justice. This can be achieved
only with economic help instead of economic exploitation. Unfortunately,
the chance that the US will adopt such progressive policies is
about as likely as being hit by lightning twice--on a sunny day.
On the other hand killing Americans and destroying their property
will only harden their hegemonic politics.
People should also understand that the primary goal of Osama
bin Laden and company is not to fill the stomachs of the hungry
with food, but rather to fill their brains with religious fanaticism.
The fundamentalists (and the oil-rich nations in the Middle East
that have spawned them) could easily afford to elevate the poor
to decent standards of living if their leaders would share their
wealth with their citizens instead of lavishing it on themselves.
Bin Laden alone has millions of dollars which he could spend
a lot more effectively on social and economic justice than on
financing terrorist acts. This would set an inspiring example
that would far more likely persuade the US to follow suit than
subjecting American civilians to terrorist attacks.
The world of Islam
Strategically, the US is in a political straight jacket: if it
limits its response to the September attacks to diplomatic initiatives
and economic measures it will be seen as a paper tiger. On the
other hand, if it launches major military attacks it will alienate
millions more, especially Muslims. There are just over one billion
Muslims, their numbers are growing fast and their part of the
world is huge. Islam is spread over 40 countries, including Algeria,
Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan,
Indonesia and south of Russia (bordering Afghanistan) the republics
of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. There are some seven
million Muslims in the US alone. Muslim fundamentalists are not
only fighting against the US, they are also conducting guerilla
wars in places as far apart as Chechnya and the Philippines.
It is a serious mistake to see this conflict exclusively as a
geopolitical issue. From the Muslim perspective the conflict
with the US is primarily a religious one. Hence Americans would
be wise to acquaint themselves with the beliefs and various practices
of Muslims.
There are different factions in Islam such as the Sunnis, Shi'ites
and Sufis and although there is general agreement on the authenticity
of the Qur'an, there are various interpretations of the Muslim
holy book. Scholars point out that there are some 40 possible
readings of the Qur'an of which seven to fourteen are legitimate.
This is because for seven centuries the texts were written only
with consonants and without vowels. Hence the same words can
be vocalized differently which changes their meaning and thus
their interpretation.
Unlike all other major faiths, Islam is not only a religion,
but a way of life where politics and Islam are inextricably and
indivisibly interconnected. Hence an attack on one Muslim country
is seen as an attack on all of Islam. Consequently, the US and
its allies have launched major campaigns aimed at convincing
Muslims everywhere that Americans respect them and only seek
to bring Islamic fanatics to justice for the harm they have caused
to the US. The West can't afford to alienate the world of Islam
which happens to have most of the world's oil reserves. But trying
to isolate fanatic fundamentalists without offending the majority
of Muslims is a daunting --quite possibly an impossible-- task.
It must be understood that the fanatic fundamentalists could
not operate without the knowledge and support of a sizable number
of mainstream Muslims, including some governments such as Syria,
Iran and Libya .
Add to this the fact that these terrorists are so indoctrinated
that they believe their acts of violence have the seal of approval
of Allah who will reward them with eternal joy in paradise, and
one can hardly be surprised that many of them consider it an
honour to die for their cause and their religion.
Americans must understand that Muslim fundamentalists have very
different rules and values than they have. Islamic fundamentalist
beliefs flourish among the poor and ignorant of which there are
hundreds of millions. These fanatics eagerly accept the interpretations
and admonitions of their radical mullahs who interpret the Qur'an
in a manner that breeds prejudice, intolerance, hatred and self-righteousness.
SEE: http://members.shaw.ca/eye-openers/hatred.htm
While the Qur'an condemns cruelty, this doesn't stop a lot of
Muslims from practising it and not just fanatics. Islam imposes
--or at least condones-- many acts of cruelty, including public
beheadings, stoning women and sexual mutilation of young girls
(i.e. clitoridectomies) to protect their "purity."
Fundamentalist Islamic wrath knows no boundaries as Salmon Rushdie
found out after his book The Satanic Verses was published and
a fatwa was announced by Muslim leaders in Iran who offered a
large sum of money and lots of glory to the Muslim who would
kill the famous author.
Contradictions
Mainstream media work hand-in-glove with the US government
moulding public opinion in a way that will keep opposition to
military actions to a minimum. Normally this would include the
demonizing of the enemy, but in this case the Taliban and their
"guest" bin Laden have volunteered doing that themselves.
Nevertheless there are major contradictions between news reports
about Afghanistan before September 11 and after. For example,
prior to the attacks on the US the major media reported that
the Taliban had all but eradicated poppy crops since cultivating
this source of heroin is forbidden by Islam. But after September
11 it was reported that Afghanistan is the world's leading exporter
of heroin and that the Taliban finance a major part of their
operations with the revenue from the poppy harvest.
In conclusion it should be pointed out that not even the harshest
critics of the US have shown a preference to living under the
Taliban. Despite all the shortcomings of the US, its citizens
still have the right to criticize their government with impunity
while criticism of the Taliban in Afghanistan can easily result
in torture and execution. SEE: http://rawa.org
There is no country in the world where religious extremism
has exacted a toll of misery as high as in Afghanistan under
the Taliban.
The ultimate irony is that the US supported the Taliban to
get rid of the Russians and now seeks help from the Russians
to get rid of the Taliban. Obviously the US has a lot to learn
about how to prevent long-term negative consequences that so
often result from its shortsighted foreign policies. The most
important lesson the Taliban and other terrorists have to learn
is that major political changes can be achieved without violence.
No one proved that better than Mohandas Gandhi.
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