Muslim Therapy

It doesn't make any sense. Most Islamic terrorists come from middle to upper class families. A billionaire, Osama bin Laden is their leader. The children of well-to-do families flew hijacked airplanes into the World Trade Center and join Al-Qaeda. Perhaps they all need a "Wilderness Program." The Jews underwent their therapeutic healing process for 40 years in the Wilderness after leaving Egypt, while American Christians had their clinical treatment while founding and settling the Wilderness of America.

Today, much of the Muslim world is in constant turmoil, turning out sons and daughters with horrendous anti-Western values and ideas. The hatred for America, the most moral nation in history is unprecedented and the continuous blame of Jews and Israel for most Islamic shortcomings is indeed irrational.

The morally confused Left, Europe and Scandinavia continually use the poverty excuse and Middle East policy as root causes. Similar excuses were used to explain Nazism. Poverty -- what a joke. Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of modern evil is perhaps the richest nation per capita on earth. The oil wealth in Kuwait, Iran and other Islamic Middle Eastern countries refute this fraudulent Marxist economic theory.

No. It is their horrendous value system caused by a seriously flawed psychological belief, uncovered by Freud and Jung. The Islamic world is a society dominated by "shame." Pride is an overwhelming value, where an obsession on dishonor means tremendous weakness. This is the underlying reason why America and Israel are hated with such passion. The incredible successes of our religious societies coupled with overwhelming military power gives "envy" a new meaning.

Instead of saying we admire America and thanking them for liberating us from a Saddam; instead of praising America for developing their oil wealth; instead of welcoming a new democracy, Israel, into the Middle East whose technology and medical centers can truly improve their lives; instead of trying to emulate these two countries, the Islamic world has attempted to destroy them so that their own societies do not appear quite as flawed by comparison. Muslims need to find behavior moderation through learning coping strategies that deal directly with the fact that we have created much better societies. 58 countries and 1.2 billion people must come to that realization and attempt to improve themselves.

It is a "Guilt vs. Shame Theory." In lieu of using guilt in a positive way over their inadequacies, shame overwhelms them. Shame is a very dangerous emotion, causing someone to do almost anything to hide what they or a family member has done, or perhaps not been able to accomplish. It can bring on the realization that the individual is a horrible person.

"I, or my family member, did something atrocious and we are truly despicable human beings. Therefore, I do not mind killing myself or sending a family member to die in order to blow up innocents." No wonder many fathers in the Arab world actually murder their own daughters in "honor killings" because of a premarital sex act.

Guilt is a healthy Christian and Jewish emotion that says, "I made a mistake and I am upset over it." However, with guilt one simply feels that hard work will correct the problem. Shame means the individual can never get better, because that is how you and your society were made and it can never be corrected. Modern American therapists attempt to transform shame into guilt. Guilt means there is an ability to change by developing a positive attitude. Shame always makes the individual feel terribly inadequate.

No wonder that terrorist leaders are so angry and irrational. They get their negative coping skills from shame, because trying to hide from shameful feelings and thoughts leads to even more shame and irrational radicalism. Terrorism is the reaction to these emotions caused by bad values and horrendous religious interpretations. It has nothing to do with poverty. The terrorists are simply ashamed that we are better at virtually everything we do, so they turn to terrorism. They become proud of terrorism and then ashamed of their actions, so they initiate more terrorism, which continues the vicious cycle.

Unless these fundamentalist societies change to mirror Western democracies with a focus on this life and not 72 virgins in heaven, Islamic terrorism will continue. Unless they are shown the rewards of a life where ethical monotheism is the prime motivator and not a religious system that seeks to dominate the world, Islamic terrorism will continue. Unless they establish healthy patterns of communications and do away with a manipulative, lying press, Islamic terrorism will continue. Unless they focus self-control on character building and learning lessons from life's journey, Islamic terrorism will continue.

Bin Laden and his associates have become "teenagers in crisis" with classic cases of anger, resentment and oppositional, defiant behavior. They do not know boundaries nor take accountability for their evil deeds. They have made and continue to make all the wrong choices. They have never grown up or matured emotionally. Where have we parents heard all this before?

This is nothing new. Look at the evil DUMS they do the exact same thing. The rich and educated, go after the lower eschelon to do their dirty work. They promise if you follow me your life will be a paradise (worker=Dums,religious=Islamofascist). But in reality, it is all about gathering power to themselves and the thrill of manipulating thousands of people.

Excellent analysis. The sociological distinction between shame cultures and guilt cultures is sometimes overdone, but this article pretty well hits the nail on the head.

I suspect that part of the problem is that Muslims don't believe in free will. That is a gift from the Jewish and Christian God to His followers, but Allah doesn't believe in giving it. So it's foreign to Muslims to talk about feeling guilty, repenting, and doing better. You need free will (enabled by grace in the normative Christian view) to be able to undergo such a transformation.

The message of Isaiah, John the Baptist, and the Apostle Peter in his first sermon in Acts was "Repent and be saved." The message of Muhammed was, "Go out and conquer, enslave, and kill everyone who refuses to prostrate himself to Allah."

Wealthy muslims of privilege may form the leadership of terrorist cells, but they certainly aren't the ones who are strapping bomb belts to their wedding tackle and self-detonating in front of Iraqi police stations.

In an autocratic society where money buys pleasure, but not power, a person may look elsewhere to fulfil that ambition. A brat kid with nothing better to do with his money than build a mud-hut terrorist camp in Afghanistan may not be in charge of much...But he IS in charge of something.

And if Bin Laden has that much money, you'd think he could afford a protein shake or something. Or at least a sandwich. Every time I see his scrawny ass on TV, I feel like I should be donating "the price of a cup of coffee" to some feed-the-starving charity. (tongue-in-cheek)

"Perhaps they all need a "Wilderness Program." The Jews underwent their therapeutic healing process for 40 years in the Wilderness after leaving Egypt, while American Christians had their clinical treatment while founding and settling the Wilderness of America."

I'd give 'em a "Wilderness Program" ...

200 years from now, I want their children's children's children's children
to cower and cringe in fear whenever they hear the sounds of jet engines overhead
because their legends tell of fire from the sky.

I want them to hide in dark caves and holes in the earth,
shivering with terror whenever they hear the roar of diesel engines
because the tales of their ancestors talk about metal monsters
crawling over the earth, spitting death and destruction.

I want their mothers to be able to admonish them with
"If you don't behave, the Pale Destroyers will come for you",
and that will be enough to reduce them to quivering obesience.

I want the annihilation to be so complete that their mythology
will tell them of the day of judgment when the stern gods from across the sea
.. the powerful 'Mericans .. destroyed their forefathers' wickedness.

(Original created by BlueLancer ... 13 September 2001)
(Thanks to HiJinx for the accompanying pictures)

C,
The notion of Arab pride, and shame, is something I've been trying to get a grip on for awhile now. No man-in-the-street interview in the Arab world is complete without someone mentioning either shame or pride.

I corresponded once with VD Hanson about this issue, and he recommended "The Political Language of Islam"; "The Closed Circle"; and a title by Fouad Ajami I'm drawing a blank on as I type.

If you know of any studies addressing the intellectual source(s) of Arab pride I'd like to hear them. English only, please.

Thanks in advance

Guilt is a healthy Christian and Jewish emotion that says, "I made a mistake and I am upset over it." However, with guilt one simply feels that hard work will correct the problem.

Redemption and forgiveness are also Christian and Jewish philosophies. From everything I have read these are not Islamic concepts. You can’t simply ask Allah for forgiveness, you must actually so something.

I have read some analysis that suggests that the 9-11 hijackers, all from medical class families and all had spent a significant amount in western society. After having engaged in all manner of western decadence (and enjoying it) they were easily recruited by radicals. They lay a major guilt trip on them and, I guess as this article suggests they are overwhelmed with shame.

The radical then offers them a chance for redemption, the only one available under their understanding Islam. I think it’s a valid physiological analysis.

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