The affinity between Islamism and Western radicalism is based on their shared totalising view of the world, and their shared rejection of the pluralism of liberal democracies. It is expressed most vividly in a shared hostility towards civil society, where ordinary people in Western societies live their lives and pursue their own interests, largely free of political and religious interference. Although one ideology is secular and the other religious, both forms of radicalism demonise this realm of freedom, presenting it as thoroughly politicised and corrupt, and therefore as a legitimate target for terrorism.
This explains why so many apparently non-violent intellectuals and academics readily accept the mass murder of innocent civilians in railway stations, office buildings, nightclubs, and other targets in civil society; and why, for example, the mass murder of people relaxing in a bar in Bali, or waiting for a train in London or Mumbai can be considered a blow against America and the West by Muslim jihadis and Western intellectuals alike. The latter mimic Islamist ideologues in viewing such victims as not innocent, but as guilty and complicit in the actions of the state apparatuses of their societies—culpable proxies of George W. Bush and John Howard—simply by virtue of the fact they are citizens of their societies and pay taxes, as Ayman al-Zawahiri stated explicitly in the Al Qaeda declaration on “Jihad, Martyrdom, and the Killing of Innocents”. Even at their most charitable, Western intellectuals regard such victims as acceptable collateral damage in their morbidly romanticised narrative about the “anti-imperialist struggle”.When we relativise evil and radicalise politics we engender hatred, murder and the annihilation of conscience.
Australia is struggling in this area, as the federal government seeks to develop a coherent counter-radicalisation policy that will meet national security requirements while also accommodating the demands made by the radical orthodox academics and intellectuals who seek to control policy formulation in this field.
Consequently, the federal Attorney-General gave a major address in June this year on terrorist activity without mentioning Islam or Muslims. While he conceded that four major terrorist plots have been detected in Australia since 2000 and that thirty-eight people were charged and twenty-three convicted on terrorism charges, he chose to emphasise that “significantly, 37 of the 38 people prosecuted are Australian citizens and 21 of the 38 were born in Australia”. The nation’s chief law officer makes no mention of the fact that all these people were radicalised Muslims, implying instead that they were a product of the Australian population as a whole, and that the problem lies within the social fabric of Australian society and not within an identifiable group of disaffected fanatics manipulated by foreign forces.Political correctness forbids us to even identify the perpetrators, sort of like a scenario where you get mugged by a violent woman and are banned, by radical feminists, from stating that fact to the police. Imagine trying to catch someone when you don't even know what sex it is!
A theatre of the Absurd which negates any ability to determine and therefore convict criminality thus undermining a fundamental of a civil society...the right to justice.
The 'culture wars' are becoming very real to the man-in-the-street, and unless we begin to engage with it, at whatever level we can, we are going to lose.
Believers are admonished by Paul to make every effort to live in peace. I believe that a significant part of that effort is to be aware of the Zeitgeist and to counteract its evil elements in any way that we can thus enabling ordinary folk, like ourselves, to live in peace and freedom:
Such timid political correctness is deplorable because Australia has only avoided a successful terrorist attack due to the incompetence of the local terrorist cells and not because of any flaw in the basic jihadi strategy. One of these cells aimed to use huge bombs to kill a thousand people, at railway stations, Crown Casino, or football matches, including the 2005 AFL Grand Final. While this attack was thwarted, it is likely that the necessary mix of competency, skills and fanaticism will eventually be achieved by a local jihadi cell, with tragic results. This likelihood increases exponentially if the processes of radicalisation that lead young Muslims into jihadism are not disrupted.Radicalisation must be addressed; we ought to be preparing our young people to take part in the political process, to engage in the debates on history, art, humanities, education etc, etc...we should be encouraging them to look at long term consequences.
An important point to be emphasised is, that although this particular blog and the quotes I have used feature Islamic jihad, I believe that the general attack on western values (and Israel) occurs concurrently with the stage of decay in Arnold Toynbee's analysis of the rise and fall of civilizations. His thesis was that each civilization follows a cycle of growth, maturity, and decay, and that the amount of progress and the rate of decline are determined by how well a civilization responds to human and environmental challenges.
We are failing on both counts.
He spoke about an indicator of this collapse being the schism that develops between the 'elite'(intellectuals) and the 'ordinary' (bourgeoisie) people in a culture.
He also held that only the application of Christian principles could prevent the collapse of Western civilization.
However, even as I write this I realise how difficult such a task is. I am aware of how much the rot of corruption and sinfulness has impacted our society. I confess how dramatically I have failed even with my own children and therefore my opinion is little more than armchair pontification, and for that I apologise...but what choice do we have but to pick ourselves up and work towards a better future for all, and trust that one day truth, and honour and kindness will rule?
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