Wednesday 14 January 2015

Eight factors that shape how Muslims see the West –

Eight factors that shape how Muslims see the West –

Eight factors that shape how Muslims see the West



While Tony Abbott would have us think the West’s hands are
clean, a look at our actions in the Middle East reveal plenty of cause
for resentment, writes Scott Burchill.









Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation walks outside Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock

Among the avalanche of media commentary ascribing
contemporary terrorism to some deformation of Islam by an extremist
minority, one question is assiduously ignored: what, if anything, has
the Western world done to contribute to the preconditions for the
attacks we have recently seen in Ottawa, Sydney and now Paris?



For our political leaders the answer is easy: nothing.


Echoing John Howard after the 9/11 attacks, Prime Minister
Tony Abbott announced last September when committing military forces to
fight Islamic State in Iraq that: “… these terrorists and would-be
terrorists are not targeting us for what we have done or for what we
might do, they are targeting us for who we are; they are targeting
us for our freedom, our tolerance, for our compassion, for our decency.”



Abbott’s rationale repeats the presupposition at the basis
of Western government approaches: we are always the innocent victims of
terrorism, never its perpetrator. We have nothing to explain, change or
apologise for. By locating us on a moral summit from which we can look
down on those who do not reach our giddy standards, we are reassured and
can maintain our focus on violent fanatics and miscreants. Western
state terrorism, after all, is not just taboo, it’s a non-subject.



While responsibility for acts of politically motivated
violence rests squarely with those who commit them, it takes a willfully
ignorant and dangerously naive view of global politics to believe that
Islamists have no grievances worthy of our consideration — and
rectification. This does not mean that we can put an end to anti-Western
terrorism. That is far too ambitious given the revolt against the West
dates from the period of European colonialism. Or that the West is
always to blame for the terrorism it faces.



Our crimes and their grievances should be addressed to
undermine the appeal that violent jihad holds for young, alienated
Muslim men across the world. We may not be able to dissuade the deeply
indoctrinated, but we would be foolish not to target the
undecided — those who can be swayed either way.



Simultaneously, we can restore some of our own moral and
political credibility, which has been severely tarnished in recent
years. We are, after all, responsible for the predictable consequences
of both our actions and inactions — even in the allegedly amoral world
of international relations.



So, what are the most pressing issues? Here are eight that
challenge Abbott’s claims about our “tolerance”, “compassion” and
“decency”:



1. The torture of innocent Muslims by the CIA

Details about the torture of innocent Muslims by the CIA and their
detention without trial at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay have been
partially disclosed in the US Congress. However, none of the torturers
are to be prosecuted for their horrific crimes, only the whistleblower
who exposed them.



2. The illegal invasion of Iraq and the destruction of Iraqi society

This particular atrocity was perpetrated by the US, UK, Australia and
others in 2003, followed by a decade-long occupation of the country.
It created the preconditions for Islamic State. There is no official
acknowledgement of this (quite the opposite), nor the hundreds of
thousands of deaths and injuries caused by the war, or the war crimes
committed in Fallujah (November, 2004) and elsewhere during the
occupation. Such is the absolution afforded by righteous power.



3. The longest war in US history against Afghanistan (2001-15) achieved virtually nothing

… well, except for the immiseration of the population. Al-Qaeda has
successfully re-spawned and relocated, while the Taliban is still a
formidable political and military force in the country today and will
remain so into the future. By outlasting us, they won.



4. The ongoing murder of innocent civilians in Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan by US pilotless drones.

A lot of secrecy surrounds these attacks, so there is little, if
any, accountability for them, though plenty of popular anger that helps
to maintain support for groups such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula. Dirty wars do not make many friends, but they do produce more
determined enemies.



5. US and Australian governments enabling and cheerleading Israel’s attacks on Gaza’s population

In 2014 thousands of Palestinians were killed injured and made homeless,
yet no protests or marches by Western politicians ensued. Instead,
doubt was cast by the Australian government that the West Bank and
Jerusalem were even “occupied” territory. Palestinians who eschew
violence and pursue membership of the UN and the ICC to try and resolve
the conflict are now to be ”punished” by Israel and America for treading
the diplomatic path.



6. Western support for corrupt, fundamentalist tyrannies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain

Despite what the populations of these countries must endure
(beheadings, amputations, floggings, dictatorial rule, unfree media, few
rights for women, etc), these are our favoured fundamentalists (and
trading partners) and therefore beyond criticism, let alone invasion.
None of this should come as a surprise. In the Middle East and central
Asia, the West has a long history of supporting Islamic extremists at
the expense of secular nationalists.



7. The ongoing bombing campaign by the USAF, RAF and RAAF against IS in Iraq

This will only enrage those who see the military power of the West yet
again deployed against Muslims. As always, the bombings will produce
revenge attacks in the West that, inexplicably, will shock us every
time. The obvious lesson from Afghanistan and Iraq has not been learned:
there are no military solutions to the many challenges the West faces
around the world.



8. The charnel house that is Syria

With hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries over several years
now, Syria is not seen to exercise the self-proclaimed moral conscience
of the West. Like Palestinians, Syrians have little to offer the West
and therefore do not count. There is to be no humanitarian relief for
them, just more bombing campaigns that mysteriously keep killing
innocent civilians.



By no means a definitive list, these eight factors
significantly shape the view of many Muslims towards the Western world,
including millions who live within its various political communities. We
can never assuage the concerns of every fanatic in every country, but
addressing legitimate grievances for which we bear direct responsibility
is an unavoidable first step towards undermining the attraction
of politically motivated, religiously inspired violence.


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