War, Religion, and Civilization
This is where the strategy for a war against terrorism becomes very complicated. Groups such as the Taleban and Al Qaeda may tell their supporters they want to bring a better way of ife to Afghanistan and other Islamic states, but these groups prosper because of the low education standards that prevail in their region. Although the children of the Islamic aristocracy and the oil barons are sent to the West to receive their degrees, most people receive only the most basic form of state-sponsored education.
Enter here the radical Islamic groups whose activities lead to terrorism. Young people (usually males) are taught a particular variation of the philosophy underlying Islam. Having never read the Koran themselves, they do not question the rightness of what they are told. They truly believe they know the Gospel according to Mohammed. In this way the cult of the adulterated Islam spreads through the society in the same way Protestant beliefs spread through Europe during the Renaissance or Islam spread through the Arabian Peninsula during the seventh and eighth centuries. There is one vital distinction: The philosophy of Islam that led caliphs to recruit soldiers to fight other caliphs perceived absolutely no glory in their warriors using suicide tactics to win battles. In fact there is nothing to indicate that the rise of Islam stemmed in any way from the use of the terror-guided tactics groups such as al Qaeda rely upon to attempt their ignominous victories. The followers of these terrorist groups probably do not realize their methods operate in direct contrast to the teachings of the religion they claim guides their activities.
Throughout human history there are many examples of a few followers of a distorted philosophy captivating the allegiance of millions of people. The torchlight parades in Nuremburg during the 1930s, the Soviet May Day parades, the "death to America" rallies in Teheran in 1979 to support the Ayatollah, and the Palestinian youth shouting and chanting slogans as they pelt Israeli troops with rocks and broken bottles are only a few examples. The US and its allies may be able to destroy some terrorist cells, but some other form of hysteria-guided populism will replace them. No matter what the circumstance, everyone wants to believe their views are the right and just perception. No one wants to endure the wreckage of defeat, but those who will succumb to that wreckage will have only themselves to blame
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