Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Wet Dog
What face do we put on Islam, is it Arab, Malaysian, other? Who speaks for Islam?
|
Sir,
IMHO that is exactly the $64 question. Islam has a global leadership failure which makes Zero look competent. They have had strong leaders in the past, Saladin was revered for both his strength and chivalry by his Crusader enemies. More recently Ataturk built a secular state with Democracy in the 1920's, people are people most want to be led , a strong leader can change tradition. I believe Anwar Sadat eventually saw the light as well, and what might have been had he not been assassinated?
Folks have mentioned the Saudis, IMO they are the worst of the lot, Despots who accept our protection while funneling terror through the back door. They never worked for their wealth and it shows, they are lucky the West chose to pay them for their oil instead of just taking it. Do we think Stalin would have paid them for oil in 1945?
It may be ignorance, but I cannot currently point to a significant Muslim statesman with any global credibility, Karzai seems as shady as the day is long. Perhaps this is just the nature of Third World leadership, though there are certainly instances of credible non Muslim Third World statesmen, India's Manmohan Singh for example.
In this leadership vacuum, with the only prominent Muslims voices being the infamous actions of wolves like Saddam or UBL, the face of Islam is easily perceived in a dark light.
Folks have mentioned Muslims dancing in the streets after 9-11, frankly that makes my blood boil. However, consider the Palestinians we saw cheering on CNN, initially I just wanted to carpet bomb them, but these people are pawns, for all their wealth the Arab nations pay lip service to this cause, but do nothing significant to help the Palestinians. In their eyes, they have equal claim to the land, they aren't highly educated, they view the Israelis as aggressors with tanks, and are manipulated by the other Arab states. They believe America enables their enemies to harm them, hence the cheering at our loss. The options are simple, either exterminate them or foster the leadership and infrastructure within their communities to co-exist.
IMHO it will all boil down to Iraq, if a stable prosperous democracy can be established in the heart of the Middle East, the ramifications for the neighboring despots and their subjects will move towards regime change in American interests.
We have shed a great deal of American blood there, and need to see this through. The Islamists are terrified at the thought of a modern secular Iraq becoming the flagship and face of the Muslim world, it would confirm what the fundamentalists already know and fear, they have no future.