The London Explosions and Our Keys

Iranian blogger, Masoud Behnoud, Roozonline:

When London was rocked by last week’s terrorist bomb attacks, Samuel Huntington, the exponent of the Clash of Civilizations view waved his “I told you so” wand. Ever since his launched his theses 8 years ago, Huntington has heard nothing but criticism of his thesis. On the contrary, the only people who have supported this possibility have been Bin Laden and some Iranian hardliners. So the explosions offered him an opportunity to speak out once again. But there is a point in his thesis that still remains to be dealt with.

As I discussed in an earlier writing, Kenneth Galbraith, the well known historian and by some accounts the contemporary Heredot, explains in his Introduction to History, written half a century ago, that technology will provide such wealth and welfare to West’s Christian civilization that it will not again be subjected to the sufferings of the first haft of the twentieth century. But he also put a condition on all of this, which is not minor.

All of these hopes are fulfillable unless someone awakens the sleeping Islamic lion, he said. READ MORE

So every time a rocking event shook the Middle East, and consequently the world – such as the Algerian Independence movement, events in Sudan, Abdul Nasser’s rise in Egypt, the birth of Al Fatah in Palestine, Ayatollah Khomeini’s accent to power in Iran and Saddam Hossein’s survival and growth – journalists and some observers heralded that the Lion has been awakened. But one must not be premature in making such pronouncements. Even Bin Ladin should not be seen in such light, even though the London explosions may temporarily catapult him to such a position. If one read yesterdays editorial in Tehran’s Keyhan newspaper, one would realize who else would is happy about these crimes.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair acknowledged in Parliament what he had feared and did not wish to materialize, even though the British intelligence agencies had warned the country’s rulers after September 11th: the snake was growing under their own belly.

The disclosure that the London bombers were Muslim British nationals – sympathizers of Bin Laden - was not new to the Brits. They see young bearded men holding a rosary who loudly display their Islamic origins. Sometimes they even see them wearing T-shirts with “I am a proud Muslim” across it. The Azan is clearly and regularly heard in their neighborhoods too. Just two days ago a young woman with the same origins told the London Times that while the British kids have their pop music, discotheques and Madonna, we have our arranged marriages, five prayers a day, visits to the mosque, and our constant connection to Allah. Last week the Sunday Times wrote that in the Sixties, Muslim students in Europe openly tried to integrate with their host nations, while these days they proudly display their Islamic origins.

This is the problem that Europe faces today and for which Blair asks for a solution. So Keyhan’s joy is comic as it is only a matter of time that a solution to the problem will be found. In a sense this is the price for the colonial structures in which even today the meanest jobs in Europe are reserved for the Pakistanis, the Algerians, the Sudanese and the Bangladeshis. The bombings are like a protest by the serfs.

By looking at these events, I have another thought that crosses my mind. If extremist supports can exist and create such havoc in Europe where there is a mere 10 percent Muslim population, does one think there are fewer such individuals in a country like Iran? Do those who have been interpreting the Iranian revolution of 1979, the hostage taking, the anti Americanism, the anti Israeli sentiments, and other similar extreme events as insignificant or minor happenings, recognize that they need to reconsider their evaluations in the light of the recent events in London? Can one really continue to say that these the ideas and deeds of a very small minority and have nothing to do with the hearts and souls of the masses in these communities?

In my opinion, in the 150-year between tradition and modernism in Iran, today’s situation in the world and the West deserves serious thought. By looking at the world events these days, we can see ourselves and the struggle. In my views European can exercise moderation in their response to these events, as these will bear fruit in the long run. Only if we understand the lock can we find a key to its opening.