If It's a Muslim Problem, It Needs a Muslim Solution

[dhuusa_deer]

By: Thomas L. Friedman

Yesterday's bombings in downtown London are profoundly disturbing. In part, that is because a bombing in our mother country and closest ally, England, is almost like a bombing in our own country. In part, it's because one assault may have involved a suicide bomber, bringing this terrible jihadist weapon into the heart of a major Western capital. That would be deeply troubling because open societies depend on trust - on trusting that the person sitting next to you on the bus or subway is not wearing dynamite.

The attacks are also deeply disturbing because when jihadist bombers take their madness into the heart of our open societies, our societies are never again quite as open. Indeed, we all just lost a little freedom yesterday.

But maybe the most important aspect of the London bombings is this: When jihadist-style bombings happen in Riyadh, that is a Muslim-Muslim problem. That is a police problem for Saudi Arabia. But when Al-Qaeda-like bombings come to the London Underground, that becomes a civilizational problem. Every Muslim living in a Western society suddenly becomes a suspect, becomes a potential walking bomb. And when that happens, it means Western countries are going to be tempted to crack down even harder on their own Muslim populations.

That, too, is deeply troubling. The more Western societies - particularly the big European societies, which have much larger Muslim populations than America - look on their own Muslims with suspicion, the more internal tensions this creates, and the more alienated their already alienated Muslim youth become. This is exactly what Osama bin Laden dreamed of with 9/11: to create a great gulf between the Muslim world and the globalizing West.

So this is a critical moment. We must do all we can to limit the civilizational fallout from this bombing. But this is not going to be easy. Why? Because unlike after 9/11, there is no obvious, easy target to retaliate against for bombings like those in London. There are no obvious terrorist headquarters and training camps in Afghanistan that we can hit with cruise missiles. The Al Qaeda threat has metastasized and become franchised. It is no longer vertical, something that we can punch in the face. It is now horizontal, flat and widely distributed, operating through the Internet and tiny cells.

Because there is no obvious target to retaliate against, and because there are not enough police to police every opening in an open society, either the Muslim world begins to really restrain, inhibit and denounce its own extremists - if it turns out that they are behind the London bombings - or the West is going to do it for them. And the West will do it in a rough, crude way - by simply shutting them out, denying them visas and making every Muslim in its midst guilty until proven innocent.

And because I think that would be a disaster, it is essential that the Muslim world wake up to the fact that it has a jihadist death cult in its midst. If it does not fight that death cult, that cancer, within its own body politic, it is going to infect Muslim-Western relations everywhere. Only the Muslim world can root out that death cult. It takes a village.

What do I mean? I mean that the greatest restraint on human behavior is never a policeman or a border guard. The greatest restraint on human behavior is what a culture and a religion deem shameful. It is what the village and its religious and political elders say is wrong or not allowed. Many people said Palestinian suicide bombing was the spontaneous reaction of frustrated Palestinian youth. But when Palestinians decided that it was in their interest to have a cease-fire with Israel, those bombings stopped cold. The village said enough was enough.

The Muslim village has been derelict in condemning the madness of jihadist attacks. When Salman Rushdie wrote a controversial novel involving the prophet Muhammad, he was sentenced to death by the leader of Iran. To this day - to this day - no major Muslim cleric or religious body has ever issued a fatwa condemning Osama bin Laden.

Some Muslim leaders have taken up this challenge. This past week in Jordan, King Abdullah II hosted an impressive conference in Amman for moderate Muslim thinkers and clerics who want to take back their faith from those who have tried to hijack it. But this has to go further and wider.

The double-decker buses of London and the subways of Paris, as well as the covered markets of Riyadh, Bali and Cairo, will never be secure as long as the Muslim village and elders do not take on, delegitimize, condemn and isolate the extremists in their midst.

[LionHeart-112]

U are posting crap by Thomas Friedman here? What's next, Daniel Pipes...take this shit elsewhere, jew-loving monkey atheist.

[Viking]

I just saw the name Thomas Friedman and didn't bother to read the crap he wrote.

[Subliminal_Mind]

"If It's a Muslim Problem, It Needs a Muslim Solution"


In that case mr Pseudo, keep your nose out of it!

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

Viking
Just because you don't agree with Friedman's point of view doesn't mean it isn't worth reading. Most of your positions are completely flawed, yet I read them.

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

Viking
Just because you don't agree with Friedman's point of view doesn't mean it isn't worth reading. Most of your positions are completely flawed, yet I read them.

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

Viking
Just because you don't agree with Friedman doesn't mean you should not read him. I don't agree with most of what you write, but I read it.

[Subliminal_Mind]

Why not put ur shit in one post?..Hmmm....Who gives U the right to be sooo stupid?

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

It was the f-king internet man. I only posted once.

[Sir-Luggoyo]

Waryaa Mad Dog,

Do you know there is something called freedom of choice? Viking can read what he likes, when he likes, where he likes and how he likes, stop bullying ppl to read Jewish crab.

How come this time no one shot your stinking arse? or are the Jiboutians all cowardly mathafukkers?

[Viking]

Mad Mac,
I'd rather read you crap ten times over than read what this SOB has to say again. I know this Friedman chap and all he stands for. Most see him as a mouthpiece for the US govt's foreign policy but I despise him more for his "globalisation" campain (read; taking from the poor and giving to the rich).

[intellex]

DD mr Designated Dsease

are u out christian cut and paste? is this new you Jew lover?

[dhuusa_deer]

[quote="Viking"]I just saw the name Thomas Friedman and didn't bother to read the crap he wrote.[/quote]

Viking, you personify typical modern muslim. You can't put aside your distaste for Thomas Friedman and read what he had to say. Who knows, you might have agreed with him. But if you did read it, you will find he echoed alot of what I and others have been saying after the london bombings.

The PC has shielded Islam and the majority of muslims from being held responsable for the acts of their co-religionist. Shortly after 9/11, most US and Western officials said Islam and muslims are not to be blamed for the actions of the 19 muslim terrorists. That is true, no arguement there. And they said that with the believe that most muslims opposed the acts of these fanatics. Then came the video of muslims in palastine rejoicing the massacre of 3000 civilians. TV shows, newspaper articles describing the general discontent for the West by muslims. Sure, few palastinians or muslims of any particular country don't represent the vast majority of muslims but it planted the seeds of doubt of whether Islam and muslims really have peaceful intentions towards the West.

Even after maddarases teaching hate for jews and the West were shown to Westerners, even after the revelation of how obligatory muslim charity donations were funding terrorists, even after it was shown that those who carried 9/11 lived in the West like all other muslims in the West(went to the same mosques, lived with other muslims...), even after it was shown that no major Imaams condemed 9/11, muslims weren't ultimately held responsible for the crimes of thier misfits. But as any politically aware person will know that won't last forever.

We are fast approaching a time when the West will say enough is enough, Islam and muslims are our enemies. All muslims--the good and the bad-- will be lumped together. This may not have rationality (how do you justify locking up 90 year old muslim grandma?) but it doesn't matter. In times when your life is threaten, your survival is at stake, reasoning and cool heads take back seat to basic animalistic instinct of survival. The instinct of creating the false 'us and them' world. Westerns will demand to have a life free of Islamic extremism blowing up buses and buildings. And when that time comes, the zealots and extremists in governing positions will gleefully take the oppurtunity and without second thought apply the 'end justifies the means' approach. They will have the tacit approval of Westerns to defeat Islam using by any means.

Do you care for your muslim relatives? Do you care for the well being of your fellow muslims in Kafiristan? Would you like to preserve the freedoms and benefits you get today in Kafirstan. If yes, then NOW is the time to act. Now is the time to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow good westerners who want to fight and defeat Islamic extremism. Islamic extremism is also your enemy.

Islamic extremis is defeatable. Not with wars and violence but with WILL POWER. The will power of muslims. The day muslims decide it is wrong to preach hate and call for violence in HOLY places like mosques, is the day Islamic extremism is defeated. Don't be indifferent to Imams who preach hate, call other humans pigs and monkeys. Make the culture of suicide bombings and martyrdom a vile and counter-productive to muslims. Show these extremists that they are not fighting for you or any muslims.

As Friedman rightly said, when these fanatics realise they are not the village hereos is when they will cease their violent activities. Islamic extremists are like some parasites. The live off the hosts internal environment. When kicked out of their host, they die. Muslims must kick out these fanatics out of their houses, communities, towns and cities. That is the only way to defeat Islamofacism.

[B-MAX]

The weakest atheist Fag is shitting on her pants!
Scared to Death.
Can't Wait the Next Hit to be Canada!

Die Motherfuccker Fag Die!

[Viking]

[quote]As Friedman rightly said, when these fanatics realise they are not the village hereos is when they will cease their violent activities. Islamic extremists are like some parasites. The live off the hosts internal environment. When kicked out of their host, they die. Muslims must kick out these fanatics out of their houses, communities, towns and cities. That is the only way to defeat Islamofacism.[/quote]

dhuusa-dheer,
Your language is not much different from the extremists themselves. They also think that what the western govts do in Muslims lands will eventually erupt in their faces. They also think that a time will come when "enough is enough" and they all will be "lumped together", no one will be innocent. This is a stage that some have already reached and that's why people are mourning in London.

I know what Thomas Friedman stands for and represents, unless he is a changed man, it would be the same crap I've read from his works. The people who do carry out such killings are not viewed as "heroes" (look at the reactions from Leeds today). Some may secretly admire them because they are seen as challenging the establishment (David-Goliath), people tend to back the underdog, this is a normal reaction.

It has surfaced today that the bombers were indeed British and not foreigners as many had suspected. They are NOT Al-Qaeda either as many had stipulated. They are guys who believe that what they are doing is right, although any rational person sees it to be wrong and brutal. This is much like what the Bush and Blair's administration believe when they invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, but any rational person saw it to be illegal, wrong, brutal and unnecessary.