Islam (open discussion)

I, just like everybody else has been all caught up in the hype and anxiety regarding the post 11th Sept. problems in the last few years. So last year I read a good history book on islam from its roots up until the 1970s as well as a book on Ghenghis Khan invasions and one on the history of the Ottoman empire and also a history of the Jews in Europe. I found that knowing history gives me a great deal of distance from the nightly news broadcasts and the editorials in the magazines or actually from the personal opinions of friends and family. When you see the whole current problem in perspective of the historical changes you will not be too interested in hating or blaming anyone but will be able to make sensible decisions and to take the whole thing philosophically. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" idea.

Since the end of the bipolar cold war the world has changed and a new world picture is being sought by many. The socialist ideal of justice was sort of very religious and supported the poor 3rd worlders against the capitalist exploitation at least nominally(hundreds of years of western colonial exploitation- also of the Arabs). In the new post cold war age capitalism is the only game in town. An alternative world view has been put forth by Al Quaeda. I have even read he is being looked upon as the "Mahdi"- something like a late days messiah for Islam(if anyone remembers the Dune novels or movies) Someone had to take center stage. The Americans have been dominant now for some time and are now even more dominant. Mostly the rich saudis are the terrorists with their copy cats in allother islamic countries. The Saudis see their own government as corrupt and the westerners as allowing this due to all that oil money. Twin devils.

The cold war ended with the democratization of Eastern Europe and the turn to capitalism of all communist countries as well as the democratization of most former dictatorships in the world. It seems that the American government sees the endgame in the middle Eastern countries similarly. The last enemy of the west is seen in the totalitarianism that masquerades under the ideological guise of Shia and Wahabi religion(Iran and Saudi Arabia) but actually are simply power hungry clerics and Princes. It is obvious that the neo colonial corporate exploitation of the West in the 3rd world is being slowly resisted by rejection of new WTO talks by 3rd world countries. The Bush government and the EU are not interested in a level playing field but in the best terms they can get against the 3rd world. The Islam against the west current supposed battle is just a distraction for a few decades at most. It is really a matter of a level playing field for the whole world in material and demoocratic terms. Until similar standards of living and freedoms exist generally everywhere on earth there will be always good reasons to start up some sort of conflict.

"Wir sind das Volk"-"we are the people" yelled the east germans in the streets before tearing down the Berlin wall. i think the saudis and Iranians might like to do the same thing if they could, but similarly the disillusuionment with democracy that followed due to extreme poverty and chaos in Eastern Europe gives rise to concern. People have to get used to new ways. Freedom is hard to live with. Just look at the current chaos unfolding in Irak. How will that turn out?

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