Kingdom of Mutual Dependence
Sensible people are assiduous in pointing out that not all Muslims are ‘terrorists’. Not all Muslims in the 12th century were jihadis either; shortly after the First Crusade there was actually a battle involving one allied Christian-Muslim army against another allied Christian-Muslim army. But the pious were scandalised by any such co-existence, however tactical and temporary. In its clumsy way, the film ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ at least attempted to capture the eternal dynamic whereby the hawks on both sides require one another.
For both Nur ad-Din Mahmud and Salah ad-Din Yusuf, jihad was a political tool for self-assertion vis-à-vis other Muslims, and the same is true for bin Laden today. Similarly, the counter-jihad is a tool for reshaping Western societies – specifically, for removing political obstacles to a transfer of economic resources.
One Response to “Kingdom of Mutual Dependence”
Yes! This is why I believe 9/11 conspiracy theorists totally miss the point.
It’s irrelevant whether or not 9/11 happened as a result of Western conspiracy. (I don’t believe it did.) The point is that the powers-that-be seized the opportunity with gusto, passed the already-prepared Patriot Act for starters, and are having incredible success reshaping Western societies.
They couldn’t have done a better job if Osama bin Laden were on their payroll.
Leave a Reply