Beyond The Headlines: The Truth Behind Terrorism Today and The Complex Relationship Between The West and Middle East

Democracy has not been allowed to become part of Muslim society as Muslims still adhere to a more antiquated concept of rule. Traditionally the ruling class has been passed down through the family blood line. There is a strong belief that the good of the whole, meaning society, supercedes the rights of the individual. Thus to have what Muslims consider an Islamic, moral society, strict control must be asserted over the people. This contradicts the Western concept of the rights of the individual and the priority of self-determination as a defining element of a just society.

Another main influence for Islamic fundamentalism came from within Egyptian borders. The Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded in 1928 by an Egyptian school teacher and activist, Hasan al-Banna, influenced many people such as Osama bin Laden, Yasser Arafat, Sheikh Yassin, who was the spiritual leader of Hamas and other prominent Muslims. The group is associated with overthrowing Western powers, which includes the State of Israel. They see Israel as an instrument of the West, founded and supplied by Western countries. The religious tolerance of the Brotherhood can be determined by its statement of religious belief that God is our objective and the Quran is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader, Jihad is our way and death for the sake of God is the highest of our aspirations.

The cause of Yasser Arafat’s death has been a mystery to many of his followers and his medical records state that his death was due to a stroke from a blood disorder. In a recent broadcast from Al Jazeera (4th July 2012) it states that Yasser Arafat may have been killed by the radioactive element, polonium. Arafat’s clothes and belongings had been turned into Al Jazeera by Suha Arafat and the belongings were in turn given over to the Institut de Radiophysique in Lausanne, Switzerland. Through careful analysis the institute discovered polonium on Arafat’s personal belongings which included his toothbrush and clothes including his head wear.

Beyond The Headlines: The Truth Behind Terrorism Today and The Complex Relationship Between The West and Middle East

By Philip Browne

Published by Philip Browne at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Philip Browne

The history of conflict between the West and the Middle East highlights the need to understand our different cultures.

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Table of contents

Introduction

Chapter1-The day that changed America and the world

Chapter2-The history of Israel. A source of conflict between the Middle East and the West

Chapter3-Arafat: The history of a Palestinian leader

Chapter4-The end of an era: Yasser Arafat dies

Chapter5-Hamas, their leaders and their role in the Palestinian conflict

Chapter6-The politics of the Middle East: Hezbollah makes their mark

Chapter7-Muslim Fundamentalism and its influence on Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Chapter8-Afghanistan: A nation of historical relevance

Chapter9-The Beginning of Islam: A brief history of Muhammad

Chapter10-Muslim Fundamentalists declare war on the West

Chapter11-Islamic Fundamentalism

Chapter12-Al Qaeda: The myth and the men

Chapter13-Osama bin Laden: The figurehead of modern Muslim fundamentalism

Chapter14-Indonesia: Is radical Islam on the rise

Chapter15-The U.S. dictates a new world order

Chapter16-The Arab spring 2011-Was very unpredictable

Introduction

Since the early 1980’s Islamic radical groups from around the world, not only in the Middle East have turned their attention to America. Before the fall of the Soviet Union the world was mostly divided into countries that were backed by America and those that were backed by the Soviets, each superpower gathering pawns in their struggle against one another. The Middle East saw America arm and finance Israel while the Soviet Union supplied arms to Arab powers.

Even the war between Iran and Iraq saw both the big powers choose a side. America poured money and arms into Iraq, which was headed by Saddam Hussein, and the Soviet Union, gave arms to the Iranians. The Iran Iraq War was only brought to a close when America sent war ships to the Gulf, which attacked and destroyed Iranian warships which left Iran little choice but to seek a peace settlement with Iraq. (Nova Science Publishers, 1998, The Superpowers Involvement in the Iran Iraq War, Adam Tarock).

Perhaps the whole scenario came about after the Second World War when the so-called third world came into being. Muslims may have seen the West and the United States as the new crusaders, the new threat along with their allies Israel. The Muslim world was left wanting as the West grew, until oil was discovered, which allowed several Middle Eastern countries to become very important to Western Interests.

The West laid claim to the rights of the oil that was coming from the Middle East and retained 65% of the revenue from the oil. (Trumbore, Bryan. The Arab Oil Embargo of 1973-1974 Buy and Hold, July 2000). Oil is the lifeblood of the industrialized nations which are mostly Western.

In 1960 most of the oil producing nations which included the Middle East set up the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to protect their interests. This allowed the oil producing countries to stand together for distribution and the setting of prices for oil. In 1973 Egypt and Syria on the holy day of Yom Kippur attacked Israel and this led to a great change in oil prices America along with Holland supported Israel, who eventually won the Yom Kippur War but at great cost to the west.

OPEC imposed an oil embargo and decided to raise the prices of oil from $3 to $11.65 per barrel. A severe recession hit the Western World and the West was severely crippled by the lack of oil. Western governments began to understand the importance of the Middle East and it’s all important supply of oil. (Energy Information Administration, World Oil Market and Oil Price Chronologies: 1970-2003, March 2004).

Christianity also played a major role in Western culture as democracy, liberalism and social values coupled with human rights perform a very important role in Western Governments and societies. Muslims felt that their faith and world was seen as inferior to the West. The West believed and perhaps still does, that what the West represented was more moral, genuine and informed.

Countries around the world that are not part of the West became united in poverty and similar circumstances. With the West there was and is animosity between several large and powerful countries which became intensified when the Soviet Union fell. Muslims saw the hatred by wealthy Western nations towards one and other and America’s involvement in these countries was to try and solve the problems those countries faced.

America became the leader of the West and ventured to stop what they termed as oppression between different Western groups notably in the country that was Yugoslavia, Croatia, Chechnya, and other Eastern European ethnic groups.

Muslims want the unification of the Muslim world and several Arab leaders have addressed this very topic. Col. Gadaffi of Libya wrote in his Green Book, printed in 1976, that Muslims would become united and their sheer number would be greater than Christians. The Islamic faith is constantly growing in numbers throughout the world from Asia, Russia, and Europe.

What the West sees and fears, with the growing number of Muslims in the world is terrorism conducted by a very small percentage of Muslims. The threat from the radical Muslim is seen as a threat to the peace and security of the World and this threat has been reduced to a fight between good and evil, God and the Devil. (Breeding Terror or an Uncivilised Clash of Civilisations, Nawal El Saadawi, 13th October 2001).

Again this boils down to the differences between the Western religions, Christian and Jewish, and the Muslim faith. Our inherited religious history and beliefs unite us within our own groups and pit us against one and other. We know bin Laden and the group known as al-Qaeda see the west as Godless and an enemy to Islam. President Bush did state that America was entering into a crusade against the terrorists and these terrorists might be perceived as Muslims as a whole. (The Rage of moderate Islam: Husain Haqqani, Amrika: Muslim Dunya ki BeyItminani (America and Unrest in the Muslim World) By Khurshid Ahmad, Islamabad: Institute of Policy Studies, 2002).

Within the Arab world there are many poor people who have little to live on. The Islamic radical movements, of which there are many, play to the poor as the bearers of true Islam and offer them hope and social justice which is a main theme addressed in the Koran.

The wealthy and middle class Muslims do not see the struggle as the poor do. Most of those with a higher standard of living want human rights and a better social structure for their fellow man. What they do see are imported ideologies that come from the West such as Democracy, Communism and Dictatorships. (Flashbacks: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Islam January 14th 2005) Is democracy compatible with Islam? Atlantic contributors from the early to the late twentieth century take up the question).

Within Islamic history the Muslims have branched out throughout Africa and parts of Europe. For several decades Muslims controlled almost half of Spain and their influence was spread throughout Europe. They also have the history of crusades, which happened when the West went into countries in the Middle East and tried to bring Christianity to the Muslim world. The Muslims were persecuted and fought to maintain their own lifestyle and religion when the West saw them as simple and uneducated people who followed a spiritual leader, Muhammad who fought and killed his fellow man.

What the West did not believe nor understand is that Muslims have a firm religious faith and conviction that Muhammad fought to preserve himself and the words and guidance Allah had delivered to him. The belief of Christians in Jesus Christ as the Son of God is perceived by the Muslims as false. They see Jesus and Muhammad both as prophets and offer respect to both men. And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should only be for Allah, but if they desist, then there should be no hostility except against the oppressors is a direct quote from the Koran (Sura 2:193 Translated by M.H. Shakir, Published by Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, Inc.1983).

For the Islamic radical who believes in the very words written in the Koran this quote tells him to fight against anyone who does not believe as he does. There are many quotes from the Koran, which specify violence toward non-believers of Allah. Muhammad did not act against the non-believers but fought against his enemies when he had the support of a number of followers who would fight alongside him.

Several writers have suggested that Muhammad was like a prophet to Hitler because he killed so many Jews and obviously agreed with the anti-Semitic sentiments presented in the Koran. (Arab Muslim Anti-Semitism, Andrew G. Bostom, FrontPage Magazine.Com, 25th November 2002). That God made those people [the Jews] as despicable as monkeys, pigs and idol worshippers (Koran 5:60). One could say that these were terrorist acts ordered by Muhammad and it is from this history that Islamic radicals feel that their aggression is justified. (The key difference between Muhammad’s and Hitler’s programs of domination. And the puerility of Muslim ritualization. By Ibn Sufi al kitab).

Followers of Islam feel that America is by far the largest barrier to Islam for while America stands as it is, Capitalist, Christian and with a Neo-conservative (Christian fundamentalist) government, the Islamic faith is stopped from spreading throughout the world. The Islamic radical has already struck against America and after the attack on September 11th 2001 they know that America can be hit and hit hard. For this reason America has to protect itself as a nation in order to resist the radical elements that claim to be followers of Islam.

There are many people including Americans that feel the way to secure America is to defend itself from terrorists within its borders and not to go and fight radical elements in foreign countries. The invasion of Iraq has only led to many more terrorists being recruited with the aim of driving America, the aggressor out of Muslim lands. The United States stands in the countries that house the three most holy Muslim places, Mecca, Medena in Saudi Arabia and the Temple Mount (Haram al–Sharif, Noble Sanctuary) in Jerusalem, Israel. This only validates in the mind of the radical Muslim that today there is indeed a new crusade against the Muslim people.

Chapter1

THE DAY THAT CHANGED AMERICA AND THE WORLD

On September 11th 2001 America was attacked by terrorists who hijacked four planes and flew two of the planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City. The other two planes were also used as weapons and one of those planes hit a part of the Pentagon (Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defence) situated in Arlington, Virginia and the other plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

The perpetrators of the attacks took control of the planes by entering the cockpit and holding the pilots and crew hostage. The hijackers informed the passengers that the planes had been taken over by them and that they, the passengers must remain calm and stay in their seats. This is known to the Federal authorities of America as recordings of the hijackings played and analyzed by the authorities were found after the planes crashed, killing all passengers and almost 3000 innocent people made up of firemen, police officers and people who were working in the buildings. It was the most severe terrorist attack ever to happen in the West and the world saw the live pictures as the attack took place.

America and the world were shocked at such a devastating attack and the fact that such an attack could happen on American soil. In 1993 the World Trade Center had been attacked by the group known as al-Qaeda, a terrorist group led by Osama bin-Laden based and supported by the Taliban, who were the ruling party of Afghanistan. The attack was successful in so far as the terrorists bombed and damaged the car park within one of the towers and also damaged several of the lower floors. The men behind the attack were tracked down and arrested by the federal authorities. The leader of the group who carried out the attack, Ramzi Yousef, was arrested and sentenced to a 240-year prison term. (John Diamond USA Today 17th September 2003).

Madeline Albright who was Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton stated during the Sept 11th inquiries in the United States that President Clinton and his administration would have taken direct action against bin Laden if they’d had accurate actionable intelligence regarding his whereabouts. (Madeline Albright Autobiography-Madam Secretary, a Memoir 2003).

After the embassy bombings in East Africa in 1998 the administration received information that bin Laden had been responsible for the attacks. President Clinton authorized the use of missiles to strike at al-Qaeda targets with the hope of disabling bin Laden and the group associated with him known as al-Qaeda. Within the previous administration Colin Powell stated the Bush administration had realized the threat early on and worked out a comprehensive strategy to eliminate al-Qaeda as well as any safe haven for terrorists, including liberating Iraq(BBC News 23rd March 2004).

While America had been warned about the possibility of attacks happening in America and American targets had been hit in other parts of the world, it wasn't until the morning of September 11th 2001 that the American public realized the seriousness of the situation. After the attack a frightened and shocked American government led by President George W. Bush, launched war against terrorism and terrorist groups and set about defending America from further attacks. He and his administration looked at all possible ways to protect America.

The American government had identified al-Qaeda as the perpetrators of the attack. It is believed by Western intelligence agencies that al-Qaeda are an Islamic radical group led by Osama bin Laden, a Saudi by birth, who issued decrees against America and its civilian population. He opposed American forces based in Saudi Arabia and declared Jihad against the United States. The terrorists