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Aussiescribbler,
I agree with you that "War on Terror," is inappropriate. However, we are indeed in a war, which I believe to be World War IV. I object to the term "War on Terror," because it names a technique not an adversary. And you can't win a war if you can't even name your adversary. Calling it the War against Islamofacism may be accurate, but it has no resonance within much of the Islamic world, which little appreciates the evil that 20th century facism was. I prefer "War against the Global Islamofacist Hirabah," which couples Islamofacism with a term that does have resonance in Islam - hirabah - which connotes "illegal war," "brigandage" or even "terrorism." Specifically it refers to warfare that is not sanctioned by the religion of Islam - which includes the killing of women, children, and non-combatants. The doctrine of jihad was comparable to the Catholic notion of "Just War," at least until Usama and company corrupted it.
The Global Islamofacist Hirabah would love for you to convince the world to deal with them using the methods of law enforcement only. They have a 25-year track record of being able to deal very successfully with that. I'm afraid that the only way through this conflict is to make the GIH so insecure in their homelands, that they can't spend the resources to damage us in our homelands.
As to the sanity or criminality of the Hirabists, I refer you to Marc Sageman's book, "Understanding Terror Networks." Sageman is a psychiatrist who studied many Hirabists, and found them to be neither crazy nor criminal (in the sense that they scrupulously obeyed what they believed to be Islamic Law).
I also agree with your assessment that the Fundamentalism which motivates the Hirabists is a symptom of a desperate reaction against modernity, and that over time it will burn itself out. The problem is what happens during that time. They are actively seeking not just to frighten us, but to destroy us by any means they can obtain, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons. We must go beyond the limitations of law enforcement (which seeks to convict perpetrators after the fact of their crime) and learn to fight this war effectively, i.e. to inhibit the ability of the Hirabists to commit acts of terrorism.
I agree with you that "War on Terror," is inappropriate. However, we are indeed in a war, which I believe to be World War IV. I object to the term "War on Terror," because it names a technique not an adversary. And you can't win a war if you can't even name your adversary. Calling it the War against Islamofacism may be accurate, but it has no resonance within much of the Islamic world, which little appreciates the evil that 20th century facism was. I prefer "War against the Global Islamofacist Hirabah," which couples Islamofacism with a term that does have resonance in Islam - hirabah - which connotes "illegal war," "brigandage" or even "terrorism." Specifically it refers to warfare that is not sanctioned by the religion of Islam - which includes the killing of women, children, and non-combatants. The doctrine of jihad was comparable to the Catholic notion of "Just War," at least until Usama and company corrupted it.
The Global Islamofacist Hirabah would love for you to convince the world to deal with them using the methods of law enforcement only. They have a 25-year track record of being able to deal very successfully with that. I'm afraid that the only way through this conflict is to make the GIH so insecure in their homelands, that they can't spend the resources to damage us in our homelands.
As to the sanity or criminality of the Hirabists, I refer you to Marc Sageman's book, "Understanding Terror Networks." Sageman is a psychiatrist who studied many Hirabists, and found them to be neither crazy nor criminal (in the sense that they scrupulously obeyed what they believed to be Islamic Law).
I also agree with your assessment that the Fundamentalism which motivates the Hirabists is a symptom of a desperate reaction against modernity, and that over time it will burn itself out. The problem is what happens during that time. They are actively seeking not just to frighten us, but to destroy us by any means they can obtain, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons. We must go beyond the limitations of law enforcement (which seeks to convict perpetrators after the fact of their crime) and learn to fight this war effectively, i.e. to inhibit the ability of the Hirabists to commit acts of terrorism.
Because there is more to Religion than pleasing your Imaginary Friend.
This post was edited on 2006-11-26, 18:15 by