Darkdale
World Leader Pretend
Usama Bin Laden is Richard the Lionheart; he is a paranoid, idealistic, and impregnable warrior. His call to war against Americans and Jews is quasi-well-founded, hopeless, and obstinate, simply because it is grounded in both a religious zeal and a nationalist pride. In the interview with Usama Bin Laden by his followers, in 1998, he says,
"The call to wage war against America was made because America has spearheaded the crusade against the Islamic nation, sending tens of thousands of its troops to the land of the two Holy Mosques, over and above its meddling in its affairs and its politics and its support of the oppressive, corrupt, and tyrannical regime that is in control. These are the reasons behind the singling out of America as a target. [ ] Their presence has no meaning save one and that is to offer support to the Jews in Palestine who are in need of their Christian brothers to achieve full control over the Arab Peninsula, which they intend to make an important part of the so called Greater Israel."
In this we find both a quasi-well-founded understanding of the United States presence in the Arab world, idealistic religious zeal, and an astonishing case of paranoia. It is true that were it not for the presence of oil and the state of Israel, the United States would never have taken an interest in the Arab region (think of Darfur as an example of American inaction in the face of terrible tragedy). But it is not true that the United States and Israel are conspiring to create a Great Israel capable of controlling the entire region. It is true that the United States has lent support to a government of oil robber barons, who impoverish their own people while hording indefinable amounts of wealth. But the United States is not supporting them for that reason, and is only in the region because of its magnanimous defense of sovereign Kuwait. Was our magnanimous defense encouraged by our dependence on Kuwaits oil and our growing distrust of the oppressive Saddam regime? Absolutely. We owe no apologies for our motives. We could have done nothing.
Bin Laden goes on to praise the use of terrorism, The terrorism we practice is of the commendable kind, for it is directed at the tyrants and the aggressors and the enemies of Allah... What makes America the enemy of Allah? Is not the United States home to 5.8 million Muslims (according the World Almanac 2001)? Do not Christians, Jews, and Muslims live in peace according to the virtues of civility, freedom, and mutual respect? Bin Ladens paranoia has clearly affected his judgment. In fact, in reading the words of Bin Laden, it would appear that non-Muslims are the ones who are in need of fear. Praise be to God, who revealed the Book, controls the clouds, defeats factionalism, and says in His Book: But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war).
As a pagan, this is somewhat frightening. Though, no less frightening than the threats made against us in other Abrahamic scriptures. However, Bin Ladens ambitions, which are clearly antagonistic to modern Islamic sentiments, are disturbingly belligerent. We- with Gods help- call on every Muslim who believes in God and wishes to be rewarded to comply with Gods order to kill the Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it. Obliviously any chance of coexistence is impossible. Clearly we cannot share the virtues of civility, liberty, and mutual respect, while honoring the beautiful differences in our cultures, our heritages, and our religions.
Bin Laden has a reasonable complaint against the United States occupations in the region. Yet his fanatical religious zeal, which inevitably occurs in the presence of theocratic nationalism, has made him paranoid and impossible. But there is a lesson for the United States. If we continue to superciliously ignore Arab sentiment and distrust with regard to our intentions, if we fail to respect the realities in which the Arab peoples find themselves, and if we callously move forward with the impression that we can make them just like us, we will find ourselves fighting not one Bin Laden, but hundreds of thousands of them.
"The call to wage war against America was made because America has spearheaded the crusade against the Islamic nation, sending tens of thousands of its troops to the land of the two Holy Mosques, over and above its meddling in its affairs and its politics and its support of the oppressive, corrupt, and tyrannical regime that is in control. These are the reasons behind the singling out of America as a target. [ ] Their presence has no meaning save one and that is to offer support to the Jews in Palestine who are in need of their Christian brothers to achieve full control over the Arab Peninsula, which they intend to make an important part of the so called Greater Israel."
In this we find both a quasi-well-founded understanding of the United States presence in the Arab world, idealistic religious zeal, and an astonishing case of paranoia. It is true that were it not for the presence of oil and the state of Israel, the United States would never have taken an interest in the Arab region (think of Darfur as an example of American inaction in the face of terrible tragedy). But it is not true that the United States and Israel are conspiring to create a Great Israel capable of controlling the entire region. It is true that the United States has lent support to a government of oil robber barons, who impoverish their own people while hording indefinable amounts of wealth. But the United States is not supporting them for that reason, and is only in the region because of its magnanimous defense of sovereign Kuwait. Was our magnanimous defense encouraged by our dependence on Kuwaits oil and our growing distrust of the oppressive Saddam regime? Absolutely. We owe no apologies for our motives. We could have done nothing.
Bin Laden goes on to praise the use of terrorism, The terrorism we practice is of the commendable kind, for it is directed at the tyrants and the aggressors and the enemies of Allah... What makes America the enemy of Allah? Is not the United States home to 5.8 million Muslims (according the World Almanac 2001)? Do not Christians, Jews, and Muslims live in peace according to the virtues of civility, freedom, and mutual respect? Bin Ladens paranoia has clearly affected his judgment. In fact, in reading the words of Bin Laden, it would appear that non-Muslims are the ones who are in need of fear. Praise be to God, who revealed the Book, controls the clouds, defeats factionalism, and says in His Book: But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war).
As a pagan, this is somewhat frightening. Though, no less frightening than the threats made against us in other Abrahamic scriptures. However, Bin Ladens ambitions, which are clearly antagonistic to modern Islamic sentiments, are disturbingly belligerent. We- with Gods help- call on every Muslim who believes in God and wishes to be rewarded to comply with Gods order to kill the Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it. Obliviously any chance of coexistence is impossible. Clearly we cannot share the virtues of civility, liberty, and mutual respect, while honoring the beautiful differences in our cultures, our heritages, and our religions.
Bin Laden has a reasonable complaint against the United States occupations in the region. Yet his fanatical religious zeal, which inevitably occurs in the presence of theocratic nationalism, has made him paranoid and impossible. But there is a lesson for the United States. If we continue to superciliously ignore Arab sentiment and distrust with regard to our intentions, if we fail to respect the realities in which the Arab peoples find themselves, and if we callously move forward with the impression that we can make them just like us, we will find ourselves fighting not one Bin Laden, but hundreds of thousands of them.
