At the heart of America's failure lies the administration's refusal to recognize that the contemporary roots of Islamic terror are to be found in American policies.
| ... rather than in the Koran. |
...senior American officials — and particularly the neoconservative 'friends' of Israel among them — angrily reject any such link. For them, hostility to the US is the product of backward Muslim societies, failed states and an inherently violent religion.
| Since Muslim societies are for the most part backward, failed states, and since the wahhabi brand of Islam is inherently violent and the Shiite brand as peddled by Iran is equally so, that seems a reasonable assumption... |
It has nothing to do, they argue, with America's wars or Israel's brutal occupation.
| When members of inherently violent religions seethe, they eventually try to take their frustrations out on members of civilized societies. So it does have something to do with those wars and brutal occupation — though in the writer's mind effect -> cause. I think the fallacy's called "post propter hoc." |
More effort should be made, they say, explaining American values to Muslim opinion! The committee investigating the Sept. 11 attacks recommended that the US government provide much larger resources to support broadcasts to Muslim audiences, rebuild scholarship and exchange programs, help fight high illiteracy in the Middle East, do more to encourage economic development and trade — in fact do every thing except change American policies!
| That's because they're making the assumption, which seems pretty much proven, that many Muslim states are backward, failed states, dominated by a brutally violent religion. On the other hand, there's no American animosity toward those Muslim states, such as Morocco and Tunisia, who're trying to break out of the mold, only toward those stubbornly clinging to it. |
Not only is this approach fundamentally wrong headed, but it provides the US with an alibi for not addressing the 'roots of terror' — that is to say the anger, desperation and rampant political grievance which cause men and women to want to hit back against their tormentors, even at the cost of their lives. For example, instead of stopping Israel's infamous wall and its expanding settlements — as it alone could do — the US is doing the exact opposite!"
| That was after expending time and resources being pureed in the peace processor. Eventually we tired of the game and moved on to more productive approaches. |
Every Muslim today is of the writer's opinion that calls for reassessment and change in US policies toward the Middle East. Efforts to prevent terrorism should address the root causes of conflicts that are enraging innocent civilians in the Muslim world.
| The Muslims planted the seeds of the root causes. Let them prune the resulting growth. Those aren't our countries, not even when we have to invade them. |
Patrick Seale is one of many writers with a conscience. Pat Buchanan, Robert Fisk, Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Jonathan Power, Linda Heard, and other Western writers have been advocates of peace and are brave enough to speak out in defense of the Muslim world.
| Now, there's a laundry list of Great Minds of the 20th Century. |
However a lot more needs to be done to stop the increasing prejudice against Muslims in the West that is threatening world peace.
| Trying cutting off fewer heads. |
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