On January 7th liberal Europe liberals had its own 9/11 moment. And since we have had our own version of G.W. Bush famous"With us or against us" rhetoric. And the world is becoming a darker place by the minute.
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How peaceful it will be when we have proven the other side wrong. Right?
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"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it"
"Do you agree that I offend you or do you hate my democratic society?"
"There was no recoil or blood on the shooting of the police man - it's a hoax - did you see the dust?."
"The only way Muslims will ever understand European ideals is if they have their own 30-year religious war like we did 400 years ago."
"Insulting is terrorism on the same line as killing is terrorism. They provoked it - what comes around goes around"
"We call white mean psychos and muslims terrorists. The rest of the world is against Islam, and this is just another proof of it"
"Only at the limits of what I can say, can I feel true freedom of speech. True freedom of speech means I must use it to insult to prove I can. If not, what is freedom?"
"If muslims are not protesting in their thousands on the street against this terrorism then it means they don't really understand the values of the societies they live in"
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Believe it or not, all of the above statement are real statements. I have paraphrased to make the point clear, but I have not made them up. And these are not stated by right wing radical racist friends of mine, of which - of course - I have lots. Nor by all my Al-Qaeda sleeper cell terrorist network brotherhood that I keep on speed dial.
In all seriousness. Some of the most intelligent, culturally sensitive, caring human beings, many of whom I would trust my life to without blinking have said or written this over the past 48 hours.
I wonder if I am living in some parallel universe, where human beings have chosen to see how far we can play this game until our world, as fragile as it already is, will simply implode. I wonder if we really think that once we are immersed in the greatest catastrophic socially constructed conflict, by arms, words, economic or other, we can just "press pause" and say "Hahahaha. I was just kidding! Yeah? You too! Yeah, of course I didn't mean that. We knew all along right? Who would ever behave so stupidly?"
I find it difficult to observe and see this world in front of me today. I thought last summer, that the "pretty little Cold War" that we thought it was a good idea to reconstruct between Russia and Western nations was the top of tension. How naive I was. How naive I have become.
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Let's play a strategy game for a second. Let's pretend we are fundamentalists (for the sake of this game, let's be Islamists, f. ex. Al-Qaeda because it fits the narrative of the day). Ok, let's look at our overall global objectives for this Monday Morning Strategy Meeting.
Primary strategic objective
1. A fundamentalist interpretation of our beliefs to be implemented in absolute terms across the world
Primary barriers to success
1. Muslims around the world striving for peace, harmony and practicing of Islam alongside other religions and beliefs.
2. Liberal societies that accept multiple religions and ways of life to love alongside and love each other
Opportunities for tactical advancement
1. Latent fear and misunderstanding amongst western countries due to segregation (language, culture, religion) of people of muslim faith in parts of Western countries and cities
2. Lack of opportunities for young muslims in western countries for education and to embrace both a western AND a muslim identity because it is not "possible" according to the western beliefs/culture which has become largely secular
3. Dictatorships with lack of education, language, economic opportunities, dividing neighbourhoods and people along sectarian lines within muslim and other religious groups in the Middle east and North Africa for political purposes.
4. Weak western societies that preach one set of values (freedom of speech, liberty of beliefs, equal opportunities, equality for the law, brotherhood of man) but has constructed a society completely different, with disillusioned youth on all sides.
Potential Allies
1. Extremist parties in Europe that see the world as a confrontation of civilizations, just as us.
Follow up: Does somebody have the emails of Molotov and Ribbentrop available so we can email them for how they did the Best Case Practice in 1939?
2. Unemployed and insulted youth who rebel against their parents decision to emigrate to Europe 30 years ago, as the proof of daily discrimination and lack of opportunity surely shows them that there is no "western future" for them
Minutes
- Anyone have any ideas how we can reach our objective for "a fundamentalist interpretation of our beliefs to be implemented in absolute terms across the world"
- Well, what if we tried to exploit the misunderstandings between groups and people? Make them feel like they are fighting each other?
- That sounds like a good idea, but why in the world would people who share these same "tolerant" values start fighting?
- Well, the key is not to make them disagree. But to make them think they disagree. And by the time they understand they don't it will be too late!
- That sounds like a good idea, but why in the world would people who share these same "tolerant" values start fighting?
- Well, the key is not to make them disagree. But to make them think they disagree. And by the time they understand they don't it will be too late!
- And what do you propose?
- Well, we really just need to light a spark. How can we provoke these so-called liberal Europeans so they will react against the muslim population?
- Hmmm. Perhaps we should attack something that they feel is their values.
- Yeah, but how can they feel it's from muslims in Europe? People living amongst them?
- Ah, that's the brilliance! We have all these young, unemployed, undereducated people - they anyway don't see a future. Let's give them one in martyrdom!
- That's brilliant. Nothings seeds fear like suspicion towards everyone!
- Yeah, but even if the liberals will feel attacked, the muslims will surely explain that it wasn't them, no?
- Not if they feel under attack too! We need to create an action that will create a reaction so fast that people quickly feel squeezed between their set of values. Where there is no compromise or dialogue and people HAVE to chose sides.
- But what action could possibly achieve all this at once?
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How peaceful it will be when we have proven the other side wrong. Right?
"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it"
2) One of the maxims I learned in studying global politics is that change comes from the domestic landscape, not from the foreign one. That is to say, Obama does what Obama does based on how it benefits him with his people. And Putin the same. And Cameron the same. And bin Laden the same. Failing to realize this, our leaders act with the fallacious perspective that our rhetoric, threats, or violence are effective tools to influence another society and its leaders.
ReplyDeleteUltimately there's very little European leaders and their societies can do to eliminate the violent Islamic groups in the Middle East, except not make it so much worse through our own escalation.
Islamic terrorist groups can only be eliminated when the people in their own societies decide to eliminate them. I believe this on principle, but there's also evidence of it in the Iraq War. The greatest single event that turned the tide in that war was when Sunni groups turned against Al Qaeda in Iraq.
So while our solution in liberal democratic societies has to be leadership that doesn't escalate fear and hatred, the only total solution I see is moderate Muslims in these regions standing up to the violent groups around them. I only have my conversations with Muslim young people and what journalists have written to hang on, but from that I sense their attitude is that these groups are "crazy" and "not anything like most Muslims." Because they perceive these terrorist groups as so fringe, they don't perceive their unique responsibility and capability to solve the problem. But from my point of view it's that apathy of the "silent majority" that allows these groups to grow stronger. So that's a question I have to my Muslim friends around the world: Do most Muslims feel they have some role to play in stopping violent Islamic groups? If so, what will it take for them act more forcefully?
3) Again understanding that change comes from within, how can we influence our societies so that they don't continue this escalation of fear and hatred? It's a genuine question. Politics is too slow, corrupt, and impotent. Blogging is too crowded and quiet. I don't believe it's enough to say "I will be a tolerant, listening person and thus influence society through role-modeling."
One idea I have is to "create the mainstream Muslim voice within liberal democracies." There needs to be a behavior in Europe and North America of: A Muslim terrorist group just did a terrible thing, what do "our Muslims" think about it? Essentially we need to bring Muslims in our society onto "our team." So they feel it's worth speaking up, and so that we listen to someone who doesn't have a political interest in making us angry. A Muslim Jon Stewart. A Muslim Anderson Cooper. The Economist, but mainly focused on the lives of Muslims in Western Europe. Muslim George Clooneys and Muslim Roberto Clementes (as annoying as celebrities with opinions can be, they do influence the culture).
Since I know you plan to tackle the challenges of European prejudice quite seriously, maybe this third point--giving the Muslims around us a voice and an audience--is helpful to you.