Random Thoughts

Radical Islam and Unpalatably Inevitable Options

The Old Testament has a litany of cataloguing Jewish injustice and prejudice, which their religion overcame by reformation and adjustment of bigoted orthodoxy with time and modernity. Similarly Christianity with its sordid history of the Crusades and the Inquisition evolved a modicum of benevolent tolerance with time, thought and the Darwinian Revolution. Islam is the last remnant of a primitive orthodoxy, which has resisted evolution and persists in nostalgically glorifying its past successes with delusions of grandeur without modification with time, facts or truth. This reversion to the past that leads to a backward stagnation and the inability to cope with the modern era compounds its serious and fatal problem and compels modern nations and civilizations to take steps to combat its pernicious epidemic.

There are many if not a majority of Muslims, who reject this malevolent propaganda and are content to compete educationally by acquiring marketable skills in both advanced and Islamic nations. The well meaning effort of many good Muslims is frustrated and defeated by the racist majority of many European countries that tolerated or encouraged Muslim immigration in the era of labor shortage and are now faced with declining job opportunities in the modern era of competitive capitalism that pushes jobs to the cheapest wage country, while marginalizing the population least able to modernize its marketable skills, which constitutes the orthodoxy of the believers in Islam. Their visceral resistance to change combined with the widely prevalent racism ends up in leaving large masses of these darker immigrants without hope or advancement. The munificent social safety net of EU countries allows them to survive comfortably and proliferate faster than native populations, to become an increasing minority destined to overwhelm the majority. This increases the racism of local populations and ultimately leads to discriminatorily racist attitudes even in such formerly liberal countries like Denmark, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands.

Unfortunately, but conveniently for the white European countries, the brown Muslim population is visibly distinguishable to exercise prejudice and as a consequence further radicalizes and marginalizes the already alienated Muslims. The problem is significantly different but no less grave in a country like India, which is all brown. There, names and other overt identifiers together with an inherent historical prejudice and memories of conquest, aggravated by Pakistan's religiously biased policies result in lack of opportunity and prejudice against Muslims that reinforces their disenchantment and diverts them into careers of crime or terrorism, thus creating a vicious cycle of further discrimination and disenchantment.

The utopian solution is a Reformation in Islam, but that is beyond the ability of any developed or involved country because of the stranglehold of the Imams, who are the only tolerated or legitimate bastions of opposition to the corrupt, kleptocratic tyrants who rule much of the Muslim world. The problem is further complicated by the naturally self- serving policies of rich western nations whose energy needs and short-term interests promote their support of crooked and corrupt tyrants to the detriment of the populations of energy resource rich nations, which happen to be Islamic.

The change in behavior is already in progress in America, which bore the brunt of the terrorist attack against the World Trade Center. The veneer of civilization and humanitarianism are only superficial and skin deep in the West, which has a sordid history of racial atrocities. Unjustified though it may be by humanitarian standards, this discrimination still makes rational sense to protect a threatened and paranoid society. Sooner or later every society alters its ethics for protection from its nationally accepted threat without recourse or analysis, morality or humanitarian considerations. It is only a matter of time before racist leaning political parties win greater acceptance in the EU countries, legally justify Draconian controls on its burgeoning Muslim population, that it sees as a threatening fifth column. Once the powerful and leading countries of the world end up legislating these discriminatory practices, the other threatened, insecure ore worried countries will promptly follow as they did after America passed the Patriot Act and Britain followed with its own version as did Russia and even India with its POTA.

Unquestionably, many Islamic countries have legitimate gripes about America supporting exploiting tyrants and advancing the cause of Israeli occupation and terror. It is unlikely that America will alter its policies to be balanced or fair, and thus the whole world is jeopardized by Islamist terror spawned by the fanatics need for justice and the lack of fear of and willingness to embrace death.

This is not a moralistic analysis or solution to a genuine dilemma, but a pragmatic analysis of options and outcomes. The bulk of the world without ethical analysis or reasoning is likely to adopt any and every option to protect itself from Islamic terrorism and those countries which bear no moral or historical responsibility for Muslim oppression are likely to opt for the most Draconian, suppressive and unjust measures. Thus I see a severe oppression of Muslim populations with curtailment of their civil rights and a general distaste for Muslims with discriminatory prejudice towards all Muslims in countries where they are minorities. In addition there will be reduced trade, commerce and economic advancement of predominantly Muslim countries making them unable to fulfill the legitimate needs of their populations; thus setting up pockets of seething discontent excluded from much of the advancing world. Unfortunately for these energy resource rich nations, on which depends the success of the economies of developed nations, there is a serious possibility of neo-colonization and captive exploitation by the great powers with total disregard for law, sovereignty or decency, to maintain their standard of living and pacify the consumer society whose franchise elects their leaders.

Unless and until Islam modernizes and America takes a more balanced view, neither of which is likely, we will see a prolonged suppression of Islam with exploitation of the natural resources of Islamic countries and tyrannical oppression of their populations, directly or indirectly. This is not a good or decent choice, but international affairs are not decided or dictated by ethics, morality or principle, just convenience and necessity and the resultant mayhem and terrorism are something we will have to live with for a long time.  

24-Oct-2004

More by :  Gaurang Bhatt, MD

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