The Soft Fingers Of The Western Civilisation
Why aljazeera
satellite TV embraces the extremists?
By:
Arif Alwan
The first
place I went to soon after arriving to London in 1990 was the Thames. I was
eager to see its dirty waters that caused such sadness to T. S. Eliot and made
him pessimistic about time, time that exhausts the human being and smashes the
value of precious things inside him.
After
few months in this ancient city, I began feeling an alienation, so I moaned to
my friends who had come to London earlier about the misfortunes that had led us
to this city in the footsteps of Eliot, Ezra Pound, Virginia Wolf, D. H.
Lawrence and others who established the characteristics of modern literature in
England and the whole world.
Of
course I make no claim to be counted among those giants, as we are separated by
more than half a century, but I want to follow some marks that their works made
at that time.
Like
thousands of Iraqis, whose passports Saddam’s regime had withdrawn after they
left
Two
death sentences against one person only accentuate both the bloodlust and the
banality of the Saddam regime.
What
amazed me most in
No
doubt that the
It
seems that the British, famous for their politeness, were blissfully unaware
that the terrorists had no affinity whatsoever with their place of birth, since
they are motivated to kill either by their own accumulated convictions, or are
deceived by others’ ideologies. In the case of
These
clerics have been accused of promoting terror and violence in their countries
of origin. However, in the
I was
among those who are offended seeing these ‘clerics’ in the media promoting
their dangerous ideas. But what can a person like myself, who writes in Arabic
from time to time, do in the face of an English media, watched and read by
millions of British, with the media all over the globe following suit?
Besides,
could the antagonism of a nationalised British citizen like myself attract the
attention of a government known for its aggressive attitude towards dissent
these past few years?
I do
not believe that civilisation could be destroyed by an extreme imported
ideology promoted by small groups, which has been rejected even in their own
societies of origin. However, I do believe, at the age of sixty-four now, that
the main elements on which western civilisation is founded could be seriously
harmed by feebleness, resulting from ill-judgement on the part of society, and
if one of these elements crumbles, the resulting moral imbalance and frustrations
at the individual level would be significant.
The
great principles of individual freedom and human rights have been well
established in the west as a result of experiences and ideological conflicts
spread over four centuries, I cannot see serious danger threatening them if
they were abused by the government or mistakenly by some NGOs while trying to
defend these principles.
In
the
In
the midst of the chaos and confusion resulting from the
The
Pakistanis came to the
Among
the Arab caravans of students and asylum seekers, there were a number of Iraqi
businessmen who settled in
Before
that, there was a mosque in Harehills (
Although
the population of Leeds is around three quarters of a million, among them
21.394 Muslims according to the 2001 census, in total there are more than 7
mosques in Leeds as far as I am concerned, four of them located within a half
mile radius in Leeds 6. They are almost half-empty no matter what the religious
occasion. Linked to these mosques and to complete their objectives, there are
four Arabic schools with a curriculum focussed on teaching Arabic language, but
through texts from the Quran and Hadith –prophet Mohamed’s eloquent and Islamic
history reinterpreted by the extremists.
Although
I am not concerned to name individuals or groups, I found that money from Pakistan,
Iraq and the Arabian Gulf have contributed in building these four mosques,
besides the continuous financial support from the local council, charities and
investments whose profits go overseas regularly. Part of this money goes to
unknown individuals in
I
also found that Leeds is used to accommodate large scale meetings on certain
political and religious occasions, which hundreds of Arabs and Muslims from
In
the late 1980s a conflict took place between the founders of these groups. Some
of them stood with Saddam, others against him. The conflict also took a
religious form, as some of them rejected all forms of terror while the other
supported it.
Moreover,
in accordance with the policy of multiculturalism, the universities and
colleges in
I met
lecturers in Middle Eastern studies departments who were infected by
fundamentalism. I also discovered that they put pressure on the female Muslim
students, via implicit ‘advice’, to wear the Islamic hijab, while an academic
and scientific atmosphere reigns in other departments.
After
Saddam’s regime collapsed in 2003, individuals from Leeds approached the Home
Office seeking permission for Saddam’s wife and his two daughters to live in
I do
not believe it is fair to accuse police and security agencies of not acting
properly towards what some Muslims in
As a
result of the expanding terror and destruction in
Digging
deep in the cultural role of the religions in forming people’s feelings, we
find that Islam clearly promotes killing enemies, destroying them and looting
their possessions, describing them as ‘Kafir’ which means ‘unbeliever’ (i.e.
not a Muslim).
It is
difficult, if not impossible for Westerners, especially the British, to
appreciate the influence of the word ‘Kafir’ on the extremist Muslim’s
consciousness. It is a word charged with hostility and a near hysterical desire
to destroy others or exult in their pain. The word ‘Kafir’, repeated in the
Quran hundreds of times and deeply rooted in the extremist Muslim’s
subconscious, gives rise to spite and hatred which has no justification in
reality.
Moreover,
‘Kafir’ is branded on the extremist Muslim’s consciousness and is unaffected by
any friendship or kindness he or she has been shown.
The
problem that secular and moderate Muslims encounter is that the concept of
Islam has remained unchanged since the texts of the Quran were gathered in one
book, and agreed to be the only reference for all Muslims regardless of sect.
Islam,
in its spiritual and physical thought, descends from the Torah and imitates it.
Because these texts were created at different stages, they contradict each
other, so you can find one text that encourages killing while another preaches
tolerance. Many Muslim researchers and writers have discussed this
inconsistency during the past fifteen hundred years, including the most recent
ones like Hamid Abu Zaid, Faraj Fooda (assassinated), Burhan Ghalioon, Mahmood
Saeed Al-Qaamni who, along with many others, is threatened with assassination.
However, the concepts of Islam have never been reformed or modernised, and this
is the main reason behind the obscurantism and dysfunction of Muslim societies.
The
only period when the Arab Muslims established a substantial modern state is
when the Abbasids (750-1209) prohibited the clerics from intervening in
politics and in everyday life.
It
does not seem to occur to nonentities like Bin Laden, Al-Zawahiry or even
Al-Zarqawi that they are contradicting Islam or harming it when they call for
the destruction of
The
Pakistanis’ new role is complementing the Arabs in promoting extremism among
children. The notable intelligentsia that came to into view after the senseless
and sectarian separation from India have also found it difficult to enlighten
villagers, nomads and those who live in the small towns due to the
counterweight of the clerics.
The
groups appearing on TV with their long beards and traditional robes in
I
think that Eliot, like his contemporary Arnold Toynbee, believes that war is
not an important factor in the death of civilizations. The illustrious
historian refers that to what he calls the ‘barbarians’. He means the villagers
who creep into the city and destroy its lifestyle and moral values, while the
genius poet refers to the ugly scenes of the scum that covers the surface of
the
It is
so sad to hear national and international Human Rights organisations opposing
the new procedures that aim to decelerate the wave of hatred and violence that
has overtaken the
The article translated by Fadwa Fadel