| War on Terror | |
| 21 Jun 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com |
| Al-Qaeda Alive | ||
Al-Qaeda emerged from a movement, not the imagination of one man. It represented a flowering, at a particular point in history, of a strain of Islamist thought that was enabled, among other things, by Saudi cash, and empowered by the United States' war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Though al-Qaeda itself has been destroyed by its decision to turn on its historic patrons, no real challenge exists to the ideological tide that it rode. This, in turn, is a consequence of the west's propping-up of authoritarian regimes in many of the regions where al-Qaeda affiliates have flourished. These regimes stamped out democratic political opposition and used competitive religious chauvinism to shore up legitimacy. ...
The bottom line: al-Qaeda might be on its knees, but there's no reason to believe the jihadist movement, of which it was even at its peak a small part, is anywhere near defeat. “History,” wrote Abdullah Azzam, Osama bin Laden's mentor, “does not write its lines except with blood. Glory does not build its lofty edifice except with skulls; honour and respect cannot be established except on a foundation of cripples and corpses.” Despite bin Laden's death, and the uncertain future of the jihadist project over which al-Zawahiri now presides, that foundation seems set to grow. -- Editorial in The Hindu, New Delhi
| ||
| Al-Qaeda Alive | |
Editorial in
Ten years after 9/11, al-Qaeda has been destroyed by the hideous violence it unleashed. Key leaders have been killed, the organisation's fighting capabilities degraded, its financial infrastructure demolished. In western Asia, democratic movements have succeeded in challenging despotic regimes, undermining al-Qaeda's claims that violence alone could catalyse change. Few experts believe Ayman al-Zawahiri, the organisation's new chief, has the charisma, the resources, or the legitimacy needed to raise al-Qaeda from the ruins. Yet the ideas that drove 9/11 exert more influence than ever before. From the Indian Ocean to the deserts surrounding Timbuktu, its message has been taken up by a new generation of jihadist leaders. Last week, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb battled Niger's military near the uranium mines of Arlit, where it has kidnapped several French and African nationals; in Indonesia, the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyya plotted to poison police personnel. Islamists linked to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, another regional affiliate, are resurgent in Yemen; large parts of Pakistan are inching ever closer to the abyss because of the depredations of jihadists; Somalia's descent into chaos is complete. Each of these regions has served as a launch pad for transnational mass-casualty plots; sooner or later, one will succeed.
How has this come about — and what does it portend? Al-Qaeda emerged from a movement, not the imagination of one man. It represented a flowering, at a particular point in history, of a strain of Islamist thought that was enabled, among other things, by Saudi cash, and empowered by the United States' war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Though al-Qaeda itself has been destroyed by its decision to turn on its historic patrons, no real challenge exists to the ideological tide that it rode. This, in turn, is a consequence of the west's propping-up of authoritarian regimes in many of the regions where al-Qaeda affiliates have flourished. These regimes stamped out democratic political opposition and used competitive religious chauvinism to shore up legitimacy. Each of al-Qaeda's new affiliates thus is underpinned by a complex welter of political conflicts and conflicts of class and identity that no military will ever resolve. The bottom line: al-Qaeda might be on its knees, but there's no reason to believe the jihadist movement, of which it was even at its peak a small part, is anywhere near defeat. “History,” wrote Abdullah Azzam, Osama bin Laden's mentor, “does not write its lines except with blood. Glory does not build its lofty edifice except with skulls; honour and respect cannot be established except on a foundation of cripples and corpses.” Despite bin Laden's death, and the uncertain future of the jihadist project over which al-Zawahiri now presides, that foundation seems set to grow.
Source: The Hindu, New Delhi
|
11:02 PM
Moderate Islamist here
0 comments:
Post a Comment