Are you sure this is what they advocate violence over? Some of them
(VERY close friends of the US) do so as a penalty in their own
countries, but that's not what you're talking of. Bin Laden has been
very clear about this, so have many others. I don't believe they're
motivated by what Westerners do in the West. Primarily they wanted US
troops out of Saudi Arabia, and they objected to US support for Israel.
Our foreign policy feeds from the well of our culture. I have a
couple of Arabic friends (a Palestinian and a Lebanese) who complain
that decadence in our society, especially consumerism and the weird
depravity of "fundamentalist" Christianity, drives the exporting of
violence overseas and perpetuates misery among oppressed people.
Admittedly, this idea derives from a small sampling, and perhaps I
should be careful not to broadly characterize a region on the basis of
such limited contact. However, these are intelligent men whom I have
come to trust and I've formed the basis of my view in light of their
counsel. If I am in error in thinking this way, please enlighten me.
Again, it's foreign policy, not domestic cultural issues. This smacks
rather too strongly of the "They hate us for our freedoms" nonsense.
I concede the point, Keith. I should have thought of that more
carefully.
The finest hour I have ever witnessed in my life as an American
occurred shortly after the 11 September atrocities. I know that I've
written this before, but the sight of a Virginia State Trooper parked
outside a mosque to protect its worshippers underscores the value of
plurality in American society. The same courtesy would not likely be
extended to a Christian church in Algeria, Libya, Syria and many other
countries.
Are you quite sure about that Robert?
No.
What are you saying, that they're
all fundamentalists, that their governments and authorities are
fundamentalist?
No, that isn't what I was trying to communicate. Tolerance for the
diversity of religious practice in my country, at least at an official
level, is quite high. Is this true in Libya? Can the same be said in
Algeria? I've never been to these places and perhaps my cultural bias
is showing. If you have evidence to the contrary, even if it's
anecdotal, I would appreciate hearing of it.
And that finest hour in the US hasn't
had a very wonderful follow-up, has it? Ask Cat Stevens, for one of far
too many instances.
Again, no. We've really burned up our credibility with the rest of
the world, haven't we? What disturbs me about that is the grim fact
that so many of my fellow citizens don't really care.
That is God's problem, not yours, not mine, and certainly not
theirs! We will go as it has been written about us, without the
assistance of radical Islamists.
That might ring a little more true if you'd added: "... or Christian
fundamentalists."
I'm not writing clearly, else you would understand. We Americans
will be the cause of our eventual demise. Our fiery end will not be
instigated by radical Islamists; the responsibility will be lain
squarely at our own feet. Decadence is part of our problem, and the
iron fisted backlash of the NeoCons and their ilk are merely the
another face of the same die.
One of my sisters phoned me tonight in tears over this issue. She's
so disgusted by what's going on that she wants to move to Europe. No
one could successfully accuse her of being a Christian, she's
certainly NOT a fundamentalist of any kind, but she's as American as
anyone else born in my country. Many of us are absolutely sickened by
what we're experiencing over here.
robert luis rabello
"The Edge of Justice"
Adventure for Your Mind
http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=9782>
Ranger Supercharger Project Page
http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/
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