JIHADISM and how it could be isolated, contained and defeated
What could the West for its part actually do to address Muslim grievances – the package of hurt, humiliation and anger?
The short answer is – End the double-standard of American-led foreign policy.
In principle doing so would require above all an American administration to use the leverage it has to try to cause Israel to be serious about peace on terms that would provide an acceptable amount of justice for the Palestinians and security for all. (I emphasised “try” in the last sentence because it doesn’t necessarily follow that the Zionist state would say: “Okay. We’ll comply with international law and do what you want.” It’s not impossible that Israel would tell an American President and the whole Western world to go to hell).
I don’t mean to imply that use of American leverage to end to the Israel-Palestine conflict on terms the vast majority of Palestinians and most other Arabs and Muslims everywhere could live with is some kind of magic wand, but… A demonstration of real American even handedness on policy for Israel-Palestine would go a long way to restoring American credibility which, in turn, would make many if not all the problems arising from Muslim hurt, humiliation and anger more manageable.
The process of making these problems more manageable would also be greatly assisted by a major initiative from within the Muslim world. In my analysis it needs its leading and most respected scholars to come up with a universal interpretation of the meaning of the teachings and messages of the Quran for today’s world.
Muslims believe this central religious text of Islam was revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel over a period of approximately 23 years, from 609 AD to 632 AD when he died. Commonsense suggests to me that interpretation of teachings and messages that were relevant in the world as it was between 1,405 and 1,382 years ago needs updating.
In other words what I am suggesting is that Muslims need to be told with the greatest possible authority, “This is what the teachings and messages of the Quran mean in today’s world and this is what they do not mean.” I can see no other way denying religious-based justification to those who kill and maim and destroy in Islam’s name.
Now a reality check.
I have a good number of rational Muslim friends who tell me they agree that the interpretation of the teachings and messages of the Quran needs updating but, they also say, it will never happen. Why not? Because the best Muslim scholars are either too divided among themselves or too frightened to accept the challenge.
In my view, and because of the corruption of American politics, there’s also no prospect of any American administration adopting an even-handed policy for Israel-Palestine.
So what could be done to isolate, contain and eventually eradicate violent Islamic fundamentalism won’t be done.
And where does that leave us? On course for a clash of civilizations. Judeo-Christian v Islamic?
America’s mad Christian evangelicals who support the Zionist state because they see it as the instrument for bringing about Armageddon, will answer, “We hope so.”
Footnote
In addition to the American-led Western double standard as indicated above there’s the role America has played is assisting the creation of violent Islamic fundamentalism. An article by Tom Engelhardt with the headline How America made ISIS can be found here
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