The Terrorists' Motivation: Islam

Capitalism Magazine ^ | July 24, 2005 | Edwin A. Locke

[B Knotts]

First, Islam, like all religions, rejects reason as a means of gaining knowledge and guiding action.

Just FYI, this is absolute B.S.

[FearNoMan]

Islam is not a religion, it's a CULT.

[AmericanArchConservative]

mark for later read/analysis.

[FearNoMan]

Analyze this while your at it... July 15,2005 "After London attack, cleric urges: 'Annihilate infidels' Less than a day after the terrorist bombings in London, the Palestinian Authority's official television channel broadcast a sermon calling for extermination of all non-Muslims. "Annihilate the Infidels and the Polytheists! Your [Allah's] enemies are the enemies of the religion!" said Suleiman Al-Satari in a July 8 broadcast translated by Israel-based Palestinian Media Watch, or PMW. "Allah," the cleric continued, "disperse their gathering and break up their unity, and turn on them, the evil adversities. Allah, count them and kill them to the last one, and don't leave even one."

[william clark]

First, Islam, like all religions, rejects reason as a means of gaining knowledge and guiding action...

Yeah, C.S. Lewis, Solzenitsyn and all those other irrational, wild-eyed fanatics... The guy starts with a slam at moral equivalence, then jumps into it with both feet.

[EagleUSA]

Islam is not a religion, it's a CULT.
-----
Yes, a DEATH CULT. The sooner these perverts are out of our country, the sooner the deaths will stop.

[agere_contra]

like all religions, rejects reason

Tell that to Aquinas. Seriously, take a good look at the left wing across the world, then tell me who is rejecting Reason.

[Cicero]

And the strong commitment to religion of many Americans, especially conservatives, makes them reluctant to indict a religion as the cause of a massive evil.

The author is delusional. The only people who are free from the multiculti trap of admiration for Islam are conservatives. His assumptions not only depart from common sense, they diverge from the facts.

[etcetera]

"The author is delusional."

Not true. The terrorists are the traditionalists of Islam. The peaceful Muslims are the radicals of Islam who seek change and understanding with western values.

[joylyn]

The goal is the creation of a totalitarian Islamist state stretching from Indonesia in the east to London in the west. Thus, this movement is not about "religion" in the usual sense of the word, though Islamic teachings are one of the pillars of its ideology, along with fascism (Baathism), socialism and plain old tyranny.
Probably the best thing to happen in Iraq so far is the terrorists' admission that their goal is to preclude democracy from coming to the region. In other words, it isn't about a jihad against Christians, the USA or whatever -- it is about power.

[An Old Marine]

what is the motivation of the terrorists?

I don't care what their motivation is. I just want us to take off the gloves and fight.

When is enough, enough?

When goddamnit do we take care of these barbarians?

[escapefromboston]

Capmag? isn't that the Randriod website? Should this guy be writing an attack on quantum physics because it's "irrational" ???

[PatrickHenry]

Darn Good Article Ping List

[fire and forget]

Good morning! (PDT here) Might I be admitted to this ping list as well? My first impulse on seeing this article was to inform you.

[ncountylee]

Locke will neever work on the MSM...for shame!

[antiRepublicrat]

Just as with the Crusades and most inter-sect warfare for Christianity, Islam is the excuse and the motivator for the ignorant masses, not the cause. We would not be seeing Muslim terrorism if we could make all the power-hungry fundamentalist leaders disappear and replace them with more modern, peaceful types.

Religion is a tool for the powerful, and it can be used for good and bad purposes.

[longshadow]

THe one thing that appears to be missing from this is that the near term motive for the terrorists is publicity for the ongoing Civil War for the heart and soul of the Islamic World. Christopher Hitchens has expounded on this view somewhat, perhaps others have, but it is not a widely held view.

None the less, I think there's merit to it: attacking the West is not an end unto itself, it is a means to an end. The fundie Moslems nutcases are vying for support, and to the extent they blow up things in London and New York, etc. they demonstrate their power, relevance, dedication, and efficacy to the rank and file Muslims. There near term goal is to overthrow all the secular governments in the Middle East and replace them with Taliban/Iranian style Islamic theocracies with Sharia-based legal systems.

The other points are well taken, but there's more to the story than their envy for the success of the Secular West over their system, which has been mired in stasis for a thousand years.

[PatrickHenry]

Might I be admitted to this ping list as well?

Alas, it's a one-time-onely ping list. No way to get on or off.

[Junior]

No it's not. Even Christianity cherishes "revealed" knowledge.