Egyptians mugged by reality?
There have been a number of recent demonstrations in Egypt against terrorism. Blogger Big Pharaoh describes some of the goings-on here and here.
Big Pharaoh found the experience exhilarating and empowering:
Today was a great day for me. I feel very satisfied with myself. Today I felt that I really did something against the terrorists even if what I did was not so huge and lasted for 20 to 30 minutes...We stood on the pavement facing the passing cars and held those placards. I felt as if I looked like the guy who carries the "The End is Near" sign!!
Well, carrying and displaying the "No to Terrorism" sign made me feel soooo good. At last I did something. I felt as if I was poking my finger into the eyes of an ugly terrorist. People started looking and reading what was written. A number slowed down just to read what we were displaying. Others sounded their car horns...
I predict (and certainly hope) that more and more in the Moslem and Arab world will come to see that the terrorists are their sworn enemies who do not care one whit if they blow up thousands of their own people. It appears that, drunk on their own blood lust, the terrorists may have overplayed their hand.
As I wrote on this thread of Roger Simon's:
As time goes on, it becomes clearer and clearer that the terrorists are not as "strategic" and "smart" as some think they are. In fact, they appear to be motivated mainly by a deeply murderous nihilism. If they had just kept to killing Israelis and Americans, they might not have let the world know what they were about. But the more they commit acts such as these, the more unequivocally clear it becomes that--whatever excuses and motivations they may try to give for their actions--they are at war with all of humanity.
posted by neo-neocon @ 8:55 AM
11 comments
11 Comments:
Very, very well said, Neo.
We all need to stand up and in any voice and by any manner we can say that terrorism has no place in the modern world. It is NOT an alternative to a peaceful political process and must be condemned and defeated.
It's heartening to hear some Muslims now expressing that sentiment.
“It's heartening to hear some Muslims now expressing that sentiment.”
In many respects, “It’s the economy, Stupid!” Moderate Muslims are worried sick about the terrorists threat to their own pocketbooks. The Islamic nihilists want to destroy all viable human societies. Their ultimate goal is literally to make everyone live in poverty (although they may consciously deny it). The Muslim dominated governments can no longer afford to practice their long established tacit policy of live and let let live with the terrorists within their midst. Much of Egypt’s economy, for instance, is based on the tourist industry. How many vacations do you think have been canceled in the last week? What are numbers of Egyptians who are now unemployed? Karl Marx believed all human motivations revolve around economic issues. I disagree with him. Nonetheless, I do believe that money is a very important motivator.
Just last week after London's second exposure to terrorism, I commented to my husband that now is the time for all non-extremist muslims to speak up, participate in marches and MAKE their voices heard in protest against such jihadist acts. Juat as white Americans joined civil rights marches to protest against the unacceptable prejudices of fellow whites back in the 60's and 70's. Frankly, I think we set a good example back then for what Muslims need to do now.
I like Mr. Thompson's phrase "Islamic nihilists"... a very apt description. Moderate Muslims no longer have the luxury of turning a blind eye to their nihilistic brethern.
Hopefully enough of them will notice that the largest number of casualties are being sustained by their own people...and then they actually do something about it.
The short version of how we win this war is we empower Islam to turn against the Islamofascists amongst them.
True Muslims are going to have to condemn these Islamofascists for what they are - terrorists - or risk being condemned themselves. I am pleased to hear of such demonstrations in Egypt !!
The problem for "moderate muslims" is similar to the problem of moderates of any sort -- many of them are so simply because they're not particularly engaged in political issues in the first place, leaving the field to those who are. For muslims, this problem is worsened significantly by the fact that their extremists are also murderous, especially toward any "moderate" that stands against them. There may be some comfort in numbers, but precious little in being among those trying to mobilize the numbers. It's an object lesson in why and how terrorism works.
There are two kinds of gov't.
Democracy, by votes.
Or by death squads.
All of the "King's gov't" are gov't by death squad; most wars are about which death squad group will be the gov't.
Most death squad gov't isn't so different than Spain under Franco.
As Iraq becomes a democracy, all the dictatorships around them will have people who can see the diference between their own gov't, and a democratic Iraqi gov't.
The next 10 years will be very interesting.
Hey Neo-Neo,
As usual, great blog. Please excuse the length of this entry, but I really can't stand the so-called "Left's" flippant usage of the term Fascist of late.
Now, for AdNihilo;
I have no great love of the Republican Party, especially with their recent run of overbearing "morality" and Corporate held leashes. However I have even less love for the tax-mongering, control the public for their own good, Socialist, Democrats.
Your use of the word Fascist is misguided, glib, and ridiculous. The continual use of Fascist in reference to the current group of politicians in D.C. is just intellectually lazy. It is pathetic that their opposition need to stoop to this sad level of propagandist tactics to try to further their own political ends.
Fascism is an extreme form of Socialism that caters to the "Left" with economic controls of markets, statist policies, and promises to the "workers", and to the "Right" with Corporatist policies and Nationalism. For every economic and social parallel that can be drawn in relation to the Republicans there is an equally incriminating one for the Democrats. It would be just as easily justified if the GOP yelled accusations of "Fascists" during the next election and following years.
Read this; http://www.banned-books.com/truth-seeker/1994archive/121_3/ts213l.html
Then buy a copy of the Constitution and read it. Don't look it up on the web, real books are good. Get the pamphlet form for $3.00 and keep it with you. Look at it often and attempt to find the word Democracy in it. You won't. It is missing quite intentionally because America is NOT a Democracy, it is a Republic.
The glaring abscence of the word God should also be noted. Before someone says, "What about Creator?", that was written in the Declaration of Independence, not in the neglected and ignored document that is the framework for the United States.
Weird
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