So-Called "War on Terror"
There is no such thing as a "War on Terror." Terror is a method, not a cause. Calling our fight against al-Qaeda and its copycats a "War on Terror" is like declaring a "War on Fighting." It's a simpleminded tag for simpleminded people.
What we're really fighting is a war on religious fanaticism. The reason we don't call it that is because we have plenty of religious fanatics in our own country, some of whom are in high places. Declaring a "War on Religious Fanatics" would make some of our own religious fanatics uncomfortable. And then there is always the mealy-mouthed politically correct people who are afraid to discuss religion at all, thus ceding religious discussion to the nuts.
Don't get me wrong. Not all religion or religious people are fanatics. Most aren't. But it only takes a minority of fanatics to to start a war, right?
posted by Charles N. Geilich @ 9:39 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Charles:
You know I'm right with you on this one. The sad thing is that this linguistic truth doesn't matter, not to the public any way. A "War on Fighting" sounds like a good idea to many of them.
I think you're also right on about the religious fanatacism part too. However, it is also true that many of the fanatics are using religion as a tool...as a symbol...much like the president uses the term "War on Terror." They are playing their own propaganda games too.
The key, as we discussed on your show once, is that each society must develop moderate and alternative voices that will speak out against extremists...Muslims must be willing to speak against their own extremists.
And given the war, we haven't given them much to excite them about doing that!
Eric
Post a Comment
<< Home