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September 11th will be remembered in retrospect by many as the day international reality hit at the home of the acknowledged center of the new globalized world. The terrorist attack on the symbols of world finance, the most powerful military machine in the world, and just missing the seat of the most powerful government in the world was clearly aimed at America and brought to the self-espoused champion of the free world much grief and sorrow. Very few times in American history has the black side of the world deposited its collective stark misery right in the place where American's live. Collective America has historically fought in foreign battle fields to ensure it's security - the World War Two arena, Korea, Vietnam, Eastern Europe. The battle scarred veterans returned from the "other world" each time, each time to a initially enthusiastic welcome, but then largely forgotten. To Americans at large the reality of international malaise was confined to newspapers, radio, them TV and finally cable networks. Hollywood fed the chosen land with one sided stereotypical personalizations of the great Chinese and Muslim civilizations, where the world was interpreted in simplified terms - black and white, good and evil - and a long way away. Televised images in lands far away in terms of both distance and culture fade away quickly. Not so when the victims are your next door neighbour, a friend, family, - people who look and seem like you. Those are not images - they are real people just like you - and their memory will ever be erased from your consciousness. This time, "...I know where you live..." was the message, and the soul of America, - the new world of prosperity through capitalism and freedom founded and made by refugees from many cultures worldwide - was shocked to it's foundations... The terrorist attacks on Western symbols of capitalism, defence, government, and values cannot be explained away as the work of a small group of lunatic madmen. If we ignore for just one second the understandable and justified emotional reaction, terrorism is clearly the most effective weapon of the poor and dispossessed. They can not afford neither highly paid ambassadors, nor enormous military machines, but they can afford things like flight training, bombs and "local heroes/victims" with very little future willing to give their lives to a "just" cause, and brainwashed to see innocent victims as their own "collateral damage". Lets try, though its inevitably impossible, to take a world view. But that's not to stop us trying. The common consensus, at least as much as intelligence sources want us to know, is that the perpetrators of this villainous act are related, supported, directly commanded or at least inspired by Osama bin Laden. bin Laden is a Saudi millionaire, at one time financed by the US, who sees the US as a symbol of the secular capitalist state. He is given refuge by the Taliban leaders of Afghanistan who occupy around 90% of the country, the previous rulers still holding onto the other 10%, in return for financing of their administration and ongoing civil war. According to Associated Press, bin Laden formed the International Front for Fighting Jews an Crusades in 1988, which includes the Al-Queda (The Base), EgyptianJihad, (Egyptian Holy War), Pakistani Society of Ulemas, Ansar Movement, Bangladesh Jihad, and the Islamic Army for the Liberation of the Holy Sites. Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries worldwide. The Taliban impose a strict, fundamentalist Islam law on their citizens, including the subjugation of women, stoning, and destruction of all elements of non-Muslim culture and religion. Osama bin Laden has declared jihad (holy war) on the US, which he sees as the greatest enemy preventing the establishment of Islam states in Central Asia and worldwide. The Islam religion is the fastest growing religion in the world. Some of the victims of the New York Twin Towers suicide bombing were Islam. There are significant Islam communities worldwide, however the greatest numbers are in it's birthplace in Central Asia (the Middle East), and nearby regions such as Africa and South East Asia, where Muslim missionaries converted the indigenous populations of what are now many African countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Southern Thailand and Southern Philippines. However Islam civilization has lagged behind Western and Christian countries in economic development. Moderate Muslim leaders like Dr Mohomad Mahathir of Malaysia recognize this publicly. With the exception of oil rich states like Saudi Arabia and Brunei, and multi cultural states such as Malaysia, Islam states have generally low GDP, and many have high levels of poverty. Compared to populations of Western states which are nominally Christian, sometimes multi cultural and sometimes monocultural, but normally secular rather than religious (they give to Caesar what is Caesar's as a key element of the Greco/Roman democratic ideal), the Islam world is much poorer. Globalization has brought together the world closer in terms of communication, but has not so far reduced inequality - in fact many argue it has exacerbated poverty inequalities. And while the Muslim world and civilization has expanded, it's slice of the economic pie has not. This has fermented the growth of extremist Islamic groups like Osama bin Laden's, working like revolutionaries in the past - fighting battles on their own ground and with what they can afford, relying on the cunning and devotion of their followers. Their aim is to keep what they see as an interfering US out of their patch, citing examples such as support for Israel in their long and bitter conflict with Palestine. Some, including Osama bin Laden, want nothing less than world domination of Islam as the only true religion. The key point of course is that extreme fundamentalist Islam groups, and especially those who use terrorism and violence as their means are a tiny proportion of Muslims worldwide. The Koran, which has much more in common with the Bible and other religious texts than is generally believed, prohibits murder. Yet like extremist Christians, Jews, and Hindus, Muslim radicals do exist. It just so happens that the Muslim world at present is the most dispossessed and poor, and therefore attracts cults and sects made up of blind followers that "...have nothing left to lose..." ...And terrorism historically in all its forms, is cheaper than amassing traditional armies and technology. This is not an attack by the Muslim world - it is an attack by the poor against the rich.. indeed most so called "religious" wars are in fact economic wars. Add to this the "fear of the unknown". Those of us who read this forum probably visit Asia regularly and many of us live here. We know that Muslims in Asia are really "just like us". The Malay Muslim in Indonesia and Malaysia for example, with whom I have worked for many years are extraordinarily humble, fun loving, welcoming, serious in their religious obligations but could not be more tolerant of the habits and "sins" of others. Without exception our Muslim friends have been as shocked and dismayed by the terrorist actions in the US. Many say that the perpetrators of this crime are traitors to Islam. On the other hand, popular US culture with Hollywood as its main suspect, stereotypes Arabs and Muslims as the bad guys to the point of ad nauseum. Part of the problem is that unlike us lucky ones who can travel the world, many leaders of terrorist groups have never met a non-Muslim, except perhaps in battle fatigues. Similarly many Westerners rarely mix with Muslims either at home or when traveling - they more often see a Muslim or Arab in battle fatigues and hurling bombs in Hollywood movies. The politics of the language of war, the fight between good and evil, and reference to crusades, can do far more damage in the long run, Mr Bush, than Osama bin Laden ever will.
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© Asian Business Strategy & Street Intelligence Ezine 2001
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