(The translation is a little rough in places.)
This article was published previously in Indonesian at 20/9/2004
Terror begins in the head, and then through the hands befalls the earth. Some people imagine that the whole world is in opposition to them, and that therefore they must build a fortress to protect themselves against any attack. Theirs is a siege mentality. In such conditions, only the language of anger emerges. A friendly attitude towards ‘the other’ will be considered as weakness, and therefore must be avoided.
"Terror begins in the head...." We're off to a promising start.
Sa’duddin Ibrahim, Director of Ibnu Khaldun Centre for Development Studies, Cairo, wrote an interesting column in an Arabic newspaper published in London, Al Hayat. Titled “Al Islamiyyun al-‘Arab Dhidd al-‘Alam” (the Arab Islamist versus the World), it describes the disturbing symptom in which Arab Islamists use violence and disseminate terror, everywhere, from Chechen, Kashmir, Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, to Afghanistan.
"The Arab Islamist versus the world...." That's exactly what we're dealing with. While many of the foot soldiers among the terrorists are not Arabs, many of them are. Beyond that, the ideology, which is for the most part Wahhabi Islam, is definitely Arab. Islam itself originated in Arabia, although the Muslims would fairly say that it originated with Allah; without arguing that point either way, I still contend that it was first propagated on earth in Arabia. If, then, a Muslim would accept that human shortcomings have come into Islam, which this article seems to do, then I suggest that the first opportunity for those human shortcomings to enter Islam was when humans first became involved with it on the Arabian peninsula. Indeed, Khawarij Muslims first surfaced at the very beginning of the Islamic era.
Beyond that, a point that I make repeatedly both here and in the previous blog, is about the Arabization of the Islamic world. This hateful brand of Islam, Wahhabism, is today being propagated by Saudi Arabia. The state sponsor of hate, the Saudi Royal Family, pays for many of the new mosques being built in the world today. The preachers of hatred in those mosques are put there by the Saudi Arabs: they either come from Saudi Arabia, or are at least sent there, especially to Medina, for training.
So, "Islamist" is a term used for radicalized, hateful, highly politicized Islam, mainly Wahhabism, and so much of today's Islamism comes from Arabia -- and always has.
For example, in less than a week (since 30/8 up to 5/9, 2004), the Arab Islamists claimed responsibility for a great deal of violence: slaughtering 12 Nepalese, exploding two commercial airplanes in Russia in which 100 people died, and recently taking hostage students in a school in Beslan-Russia during which over 200 people subsequently died in a rescue attempt by Russian forces. 10 of the hostage-takers were Saudies.
Keep in mind that this preceding paragraph was not published on The Religion of Peace or some website like that, but rather was published on a Muslim website! There are Muslims out there who not only see what is going on, but who are willing to speak honestly about it!
The organization exporting terror, Tandzim al-Qa’idah or al-Qaidah, was established and led by a Saudian millionaire, Osama ben laden. The question is this: why has this happened? Why do Arab countries breed radical-extremists? Is it related to Islam, a religion born in Arabia?
It wasn't just Osama bin Laden -- the Saudi Royal Family has been very active in this, as well.
I think Muslim society must dare to make a radical critic, and admit there is an ‘ulcer’ in the social body. Anyone who studies the history of modern Islamic movements will know that the relation between Islam and the ideology of violence and terrorism is not so strange. The most important turning point in the history of modern Islamic movement was the appearance of a figure named Sayyid Qutb, ideologist of al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun of Egypt. He was the first Muslim ideologist to interpret jihad as an offensive teaching, not a defensive one (read: jihad difa’i), but something to be used to justify the use of violence against the enemies of Islam.
In the classical era, there was Khawarij which was radical and which considered their enemy as infidels. The modern Islamic group is the modern khawarij. Don’t be deceived by the people behind the Bali blast, and the Marriot and Australian Embassy bombings. Though they may be pious people in terms of performing rituals, as has been said by Sa’aduddin Ibrahim, they are more dangerous to Islam than beneficial. They, with their interpretation, have changed the image of Islam from the religion of peace, to the religion of terror, exactly like the Khawarij people did in ancient times.
[Ulil Abshar-Abdalla]
(Translated by Lanny Octavia, edited by Jonathan Zilberg)
Once again, much of the Islamic world understands that these terrorists are Khawarij.
Now, follow my logic here:
1) Those who support the Khawarij are state sponsors of terror.
2) Saudi Arabia supports the Khawarij.
That means that
3) Saudi Arabia is ...
America's friend in the War on Terror, if you believe President Bush.
(I don't anymore.)
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