The Politics of Perpetual Fear [Archives:2002/25/Focus]
COMMON SENSE
Hassan Al-Haifi
Since September 11, 2001, the world has been subjected to an ominous policy of creating perpetual fear among the world population. This has been through unusual, sometimes unpredictable and even incomprehensible developments. This includes the linking of all these seemingly bizarre phenomena to an illusive figure, in the character of an Osama Bin Laden and an Al-Qaeda Network, whose origins surely could never have come from the desert wastes of Najd alone, but had to include a sophisticated well-entrenched organized international backing with more in mind than the defense of Islam, to which these bizarre organizations claim fealty. This is especially so, when considering that the result of these types of activities tend to belie the truth about Islam and about the real intentions of these extremists, who are further from Islam than the open declared enemies of Islam!
Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban seem to be the product of a long-standing fanatical religious cult, which originated between Baghdad and Najd. There are substantive references that link the roots of such fanaticism to British Intelligence and possibly early Zionist orientations, in an effort to divide the Moslem World and distort the true image of Islam. The unusual elements of this cult is that it incorporated the use of all the modern elements of persuasion and sensationalism to project a horrible image of Islam, which are incomprehensible to most enlightened Moslems. Let alone non-Moslems. In addition, the followers of this cult, since their inception, have been sources of instability and violence in many parts of the Moslem World, especially over the last century. This kind of fanaticism is fueled by the substantive funding provided by petrodollars, that attract sizable numbers of the poor in many of the Islamic states of the world. Such dangerous cults are probably more of a threat to Islam than to the non-Moslem World, notwithstanding the tragic events of September 11, 2001.
Time and again, we are being subjected to the unusual association of such mysterious figures as Abdullah Al-Muhajir, who is obviously a mysterious figure, in his own right with a tainted criminal record, to an Islamic struggle, etc. Frankly speaking, Abdullah Muhajir and his likes do not convince us in anyway that they are true advocates of Islam. Nor are we convinced that the United States has made a great breakthrough in the capture of such a bizarre character. In fact, much of what we are seeing in the public media seems to be orchestrated to meet more practical down to earth goals. Such goals are fueled by the evil intentions of the military industrial complex that dominates the world and is working diligently to destroy all the environmental and ecological balance, with which the Al-Mighty has endowed this planet, which are necessary for the maintenance of life. And all for no other reason than to serve the interests of the corporate kings and magnates that are living in their luxurious exclusive worlds, while more than half of the populations of the world are facing life below the poverty line. It is far-fetched to believe that Islam can ever believe in the random destruction of life and property for the dissemination of the faith or even for the defense of the interests of Islam. Anyone who thinks otherwise is obviously poorly informed about Islam or associates such alienable acts to Islam, with a clear intention of distorting the beauty and magnificence of Islam in all its true manifestations.
Thus, it is imperative for enlightened Moslems to speak out loudly against such horrific renditions of Islam being projected these fly by night fanatics, who are creating havoc in the world. Moreover, much research is needed in order to show the true roots and connections of such bizarre renditions of jihad as suicide bombings, etc. Most of these activities are not governed by clear and practical objectives, and merely out to kill, maim and destroy for the sake of serving to associate such horrific acts as part and parcel to Islam.
A bright light in all this mayhem, is the rendition of Islam that Iran has been able to project over the last three decades or so. Closer at home, we might look towards Hizbullah, as a successful illustration of what Jihad is really all about. The rest of the media projections of Islam seem like child play.
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