The Culpability of Islam

The entirety of mainstream politics and media in America continues to refer to certain terrorists throughout the world as “Radical Islamists” or “Islamic Fundamentalists,” as if to intellectually divorce Islam from the terror perpetrated in its name.

It is not the responsibility of the United States and its military or intelligence community to apprehend fundamental Islamic terrorists; it is Islam’s responsibility. Indeed, while many Islamic organizations pay lip service to the civilized world with strongly-worded condemnation of terrorism, what is missing is action.

It is also interesting to note that societies and groups seem to stop hating America just as soon as they begin to have American-style behaviors themselves, and in particular, American wealth. Saudi Arabia comes to mind. A fact that poorer nations, and Islamic nations, conveniently ignore is that without western wealth and capitalism, they would have nothing. After all, where does the middle-eastern world get its wealth? Almost universally it is from petroleum, and America is petroleum’s biggest customer. Imagine how little power and influence nations like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, and others would have without our oil money. They would languish in squalor and obscurity.

Here is a quote from a piece I found on the web recently that was penned just after 9/11, and which begins by condemning the attacks, but rapidly degenerates into a bellicose anti-American diatribe: “As Muslims we must know that the American form of democracy can never be allowed in a truly Islamic society. In the American form of democracy any issue is allowed to be put to a vote of the people, and the majority decision prevails upon all. Can we as Muslims put an issue that has already been decided for us by Allah up for a vote and accept the will of the majority if they vote against the Will of Allah? Of course we cannot, so therefore we can never accept democracy as defined, practiced, and promoted by America.” (Read it in its entirety here.) But America didn’t fly jets into building to directly attack Islam! Imagine the reaction if “Christianic Fundamentalists” flew jets into the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, which is without question the Islamic world’s World Trade Center. The truth is that “radical Islam” invited us in that day.

Of course I can certainly appreciate animosity toward America and its policies. In many parts of the world, George W. Bush is regarded as a terrorist himself. (Let me assure you that “W.” isn’t bright enough to hatch a terrorist plot against the White House Rose Garden.) But as all rational humans know, two wrongs never make a right (”An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” –Gandhi). America is often seen as the bully on the block. The obvious solution for nations that don’t like America is to stop inviting America. Stop buying our Coke. Stop selling us your oil. Stop watching our movies. Stop letting us visit. What’s that? Without American dollars your economy would be in the dark ages? Too bad. If you hate us, get out of bed with us.

In conclusion, I would like to add that Islam is just a religion, and like all religions, is based on a view of the universe that is based on superstition and magic, and is therefore fundamentally, factually wrong.