Jun 03 2008
Bin Laden And al-Qaeda Losing The Muslim Street
Things have become so bad for al-Qaeda’s support from the Muslim Street even Newsweek is reporting that, after 7 years of war with the West, the Muslim Street is turning against al-Qaeda:
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Back in the mid-1990s, Osama bin Laden had a problem, and it was Islam. He wanted to say the Qur’an gave his followers license to kill innocents—and themselves—in the cause of “jihad.” That was how he could justify his global campaign of terror. But that’s not what the Muslim holy book says, and that’s not the way it was interpreted by any of the great scholars and preachers of the faith.
So bin Laden set about spinning the revelations contained in the Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, known as the Hadith, which provide much of the context for actual religious practice in the Muslim world. The Saudi millionaire wrote a diatribe that he called a declaration of war and then afatwa, or religious edict, cherry-picking quotations from Islamic Scripture and calling on dubious scholars to back him up. The tracts were political propaganda, not theology, but for his purpose they worked very well. The apocalyptic notion of holy war he promoted—and the reality of it that he demonstrated on 9/11—became the dominant vision of Islam for those with little understanding of the faith, whether in the West or, indeed, the Muslim world. Even many religious scholars were intimidated.
Now that’s starting to change.
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Many states, even those like Pakistan or Saudi Arabia that have tolerated radicalism in the past, have come to see that their own stability depends on encouraging greater moderation. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has moved to curb the zealous excesses of some 10,000 imams on the government payroll. The government isn’t rethinking basic doctrines, one of the king’s advisers, who wasn’t authorized to speak on the record, told NEWSWEEK: “Let’s say there is a theological debate about how to present their ideas and advice to the public.” If a woman dresses a little immodestly by Saudi religious standards, it should be enough simply to say that without calling her a harlot, threatening her with punishment or worse. The idea is to tone down the fire and brimstone, which has inspired young Saudis to sign up for jihad in Iraq and elsewhere.
Across the Muslim world, people appear ready for this new message.Â
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Bin Laden’s prescription for change, meanwhile, has led to nothing but death and destruction. Radicals have turned their anger and their bombs against other Muslims whom they deem apostates or simply inconsequential. As a result, they’ve found themselves isolated. In Iraq, Al Qaeda’s forces are on the ropes and largely indistinguishable from gangsters. In Pakistan, polls show public support for suicide bombings has dropped from more than 30 percent five years ago, to less than 9 percent today. In an open letter last year, a Saudi scholar bin Laden had long revered, Sheik Salman al-Oudah, demanded, “Brother Osama, how much blood has been spilt? How many innocents among children, elderly, the weak, and women have been killed and made homeless in the name of Al Qaeda?”
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Was Iraq worth the blood and treasure we expended? Â Hell yes, if al-Qaeda has been turned from the future of Islam into the enemy of Islam, it was definitely worth it. Â Instead of a growing anger at the West from the Muslim communities of the Middle East we see a growing anger with Bin Laden and his thugs. Â Just as Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany once railed against America and democracy were transformed into beacons of freedom and democracy, so to we could be seeing a major fundamental shift in the heart of Islam as it awakens from the throws of violent extremism. Â At least this time it did not require sinking the entire world into another World War to open the eyes of those deluded by fascism (whether religious or racists).
of course the idea that al queda was ever the future of islam is ridiculous. so i guess that means your justification of the expenditure of blood and treasure is equally ridiculous.
Yeah right Norm, only liberal crazies would not worry about Bin Laden becoming the future of Islam across the globe after 9-11….
Darwin was right you know, those who cannot see danger and adapt die off.
One need not be an astute political observer to know that Bush and the ‘war on terror’ are going to be a repeat of Reagan and the Cold War. Democrats and the media (sorry for the redundancy) always knew what was going to happen which is why they played such a key role in the bipartisan effort. Hahahahahaha.
right aj…and the ira was the future of irish people across the globe. c’mon. your fear and paranoia are crippling your ability to reason. and the comparison to nazi germany is just laughable. by many counts there are more muslims than christians. and bin laden was ever poised to take that over? right. the problem is not seeing danger, it is over-reacting to clear and present danger. fear makes people do stupid things. stop being so afraid.
holy shit sherman…reagan attacked and occupied the soviet union? i must have slept thru that. i’m curious though; who is bush’s lech walesa? his gorbachev?
No one should have to apologize for feeling fear for our country as the NY towers were going down in flames. I can only speak for myself, but my fear turned to anger after a few days, and it was the anger that spawned the desire to do something to prevent further carnage. I will never forget the footage of that woman in the “Arab Street”, ululating in triumph at the sight of the massacre.
Al-Qaida seemed to me to be the future of Islam on that day, the Muslim street most certainly was in their camp.
Flash forward to today. From what AJ has posted it’s clear that the Muslim street has turned against not only al-Qaida, but due to the consequences that have accrued to the entire region, TERROR is being questioned as a viable weapon, even among those who once cheered the terrorists on.
Maybe the “War on Terror” was the “War on Terror” after all.
terror has always been, and will always be a viable weapon. hence the fallacy of a war on terror.
# normon 03 Jun 2008 at 12:48 pm
of course the idea that al queda was ever the future of islam is ridiculous.
Spoken like a true Ostrich-with-his-head-in-the-sand Anti-American/Pro-Jihadi Leftist Traitor Delusional Democratic Dhimmi Nutbag!
“Worm”, the reason I don’t even waste the e-Ink to actually “debate” ass-clowns like yourself, is that I have over 30 years experience, knowledge, background, skills, study, analysis of, etc. of Islam, Arabs, Muslims, the Middle East, etc.
I went to University in the Middle East, starting in 1977, I studied Arabic there for years, and later on, moved into Military, then the Government, and ultimately the “private sector”, with Islamic Fundalmentalism my speciality, DECADES before Anti-American/Pro-Jihadi Nutbags like you even read about Sunni, Shiites, etc.
The point being, is you are completely, and totally Ignorant on the issues regarding what you supposedly pontificate, and its sad, because your comments are not only reflective of your own total and complete ignorance of the subject (which IF you had a “clue”, you wouldn’t even say such an asinine thing…), but they are also indicative of the entire Anti-American/Pro-Jihadi Left in this country, which is hellbent on committing Societal Suicide, via your overwhelming ignorance, stupidity, naivete, and worst of all, your Political Arrogance.
By that, I mean your unwarrented and psychotic hatred of our President, and his actions since 9/11, which are 50% motivated by the Left’s inherent Arrogance towards anyone who is religious, a Patriot, and not a reflexive “hate-America” type; and 50% motivated by pure, unadulterated Political cowardice, greed, and expediency!
You and your Traitorous ilk are motivated primarily because a) you think you are all smarter than President Bush and Republicans in general, b) because your major goal is to actually destroy America and c) because you all are callous, cynical, hateful, Anti-Semitic, racist, self-aggrandizing, arrogant, self-serving little pricks!
And those are the nice things I can think of to say about you all!
And I don’t say this out of ignorance, I have half a dozen of you clowns in my own family, and one of them is my brother!
But you know what, I ALWAYS win all the discussions, because I have FACTS, and KNOWLEDGE and TRUTH on my side, whereas all you have is hate, veniality and sedition!
Regardless, that is why it is not worth a second of my time, to actually try and “debate” you or any other Lefist on the facts or your so-called “opinions”, its not worth the time; even though I’ve forgotten more about the Middle East, Islam, etc., than you and all 50 million of you Nutbags combined!
Bottomline, your idiotic statement is just that, idiotic, and considering who, and what you are, its no surprise!
In fact, its pitiful, sad, pathetic, and idiotic….
dale…a nice long rant with a bunch of personal attacks and absolutely no substance. not one fact to back up anything you say. zip. nada. nothing. like someone said yesterday…it’s just a tactic to distort…to take away from the the truth that you have nothing to say…no ideas…just vitriol. so much for discourse. (do you know what that word means?)
“holy shit sherman…reagan attacked and occupied the soviet union? i must have slept thru that. i’m curious though; who is bush’s lech walesa? his gorbachev?”
Holy shit norm, I never said that the two wars were exactly the same. Just that the media/Dems were wrong and are already beginning the transition to changing the narrative as can be seen in your comments. And what is exactly is all this fear and overreaction you are talking about except the projection of your own paranoia?
Ignore norm, he does not know what he is talking about. He is just a sad little hater who haunts AJ’s because he does not have any friends. Pitiful in a way.
Well said DaleinAtlanta. Kathie
Well said Dale. Needless to say it will fall on deaf ears as Mr Soros has it all figured out all ready but then again money has never been able to purchase common sense.
[…] The Strata-Sphere – Bin Laden And al-Qaeda Losing The Muslim Street […]
well said? i guess if you know not where-of you speak. (or have less than a high school education) the very idea that bin ladin was ever poised to be the future of islam ignores the facts in evidence. sure…bin ladin thought 9.11 would ignite the muslim world and create islamist states but it didn’t happen. (in spite of bush’s absolute over-reaction – which was exactly what bin ladin wanted him to do) the truth is that it was never close to happening. and like most crazy ideas whose time has come and gone it is not likely to happen. but i’m sure y’all will respond with some more piercingly analytical personal attacks, vitriol, and rubbish — and no substance.
norm: i been studying Islam for years too. I can confirm what the other guy said.
You’re an ignorant lilliputian.
AJ,
It certainly seems like a partial replay of the end game of the cold war. The libs (see Norm) will claim that there never was any there there, just as they said in the 1990s that it was clear that we vastly overstated the threat from the USSR (tell it to the Ukrainian peasants, Norm) and it was all Gorbachev and little if any Reagan. The rising challenge (China in the 1990s, Iran now) will be ignored in the flush of a triumph.
And the various lesser Jihads will continue – the ones we see in education, media and finance. These are truly grinding conflicts that take everything that we hurled at the Sovs in terms of lifestyle, propaganda, the arts, you name it, to encourage the loss of ardor on the jihadi side. But especially, it requires perseverance.
As an energy industry veteran, with more than 6 years in more than 14 Muslim countries over a career, I saw the change coming over normal moderate muslim people in country after country in the 1990s as the jihadis gained the upper hand and forced lifestyle and other changes on many countries. It is also clear that many “moderate” muslims, though not willing to take part in the jihad themselves, will support what others do, either actively, money and assistance, or will at least close an eye to alarming activities (see the UK jihad). I am not at all sure that the bin Ladenites would have collapsed on their own, especially if they got their hands on one or more oil states. We tend to forget who was funding AQ and why.
I agree with Donkatsu. I’ve been pretty consistant on this… Iraq is just the beginning not the end. We haven’t even had the main battles yet.
You don’t offer any substance of your own, norm. We have nothing to respond to. You said Bush “overreacted” which is nothing more than some old brain dead talking point and you are now caught in the humiliating position of trying to explain away how badly Bush has trounced bin Laden. All you have left is rage and the same old fearmongering.
Michael Yon has invited Presidential nominees and Senators to take a tour of Iraq with them to find the truth.
He also said:
” If progress continues at this rate, it is very possible that before 2008 is out, we can finally say “the war has ended.”
http://michaelyon-online.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1311:an-open-offer-to-us-senators&catid=34:dispatches&Itemid=55