Thomas L. Friedman writes, in a NYT editorial today:
One of the London bombers was married, with a young child and another on the way. I can understand, but never accept, suicide bombing in Iraq or Israel as part of a nationalist struggle. But when a British Muslim citizen, nurtured by that society, just indiscriminately blows up his neighbors and leaves behind a baby and pregnant wife, to me he has to be in the grip of a dangerous cult or preacher - dangerous to his faith community and to the world.
For the most part I found the editorial fairly good. However, I take issue with the above statement. The war against Israel has never been about Nationalism, it has been about hatred of Jthe other, including other Muslims who actually wish peace, rather than just mouth the words. Were it really about Nationalism the Palestinians (for example) would have waged war against the Egyptians (Gaza strip) and Jordanins (East Jerusalem. That is what must be understood.
Israel was the merely the start. The acceptance by the world that this was a battle of two nations has allowed this disease of the soul to become stronger. The solution is to stop pandering to the terrorist and to eliminate the disease.
That way everyone, Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, atheist, can go about their lives with peace.
Posted by Rachel Ann at July 15, 2005 06:56 AM | TrackBackYou said this one beautifully. Too often, Tom Friedman just doesn't get it.
Posted by: esther at July 16, 2005 08:31 PMClearly, the terrorist "people" - those who see it as a "holy duty" to attack the infidel, especially when the infidel is sipping his coffee on his merry way to work, are trapped in a never-ending mire of death. It's like a death factory, working three shifts a day.
Imagine a whole class of people to whom "The Struggle" takes on capital letters, and instead of finding REAL WORK, they have the dysfunction of continuous hatred to drive them forward through their daily routine. "I have morning prayers at 10, I've got to get to the real-estate office at 11:15, Hassan wants to see me about Suha's tuition at 1:30, afternoon prayers at 2:30, pick up Ali from daycare at 3:15, I have to blow up a commuter train at 4:55..."
It's an indelible part of these guys dysfunction.
How do you erase this mindset, that it's part of their lives?
Posted by: Libercontrarian at July 17, 2005 04:39 AM