PrintThe true source of Islamic terrorism
When violent, fanatical Muslims observe current events, they see a religion in recession culturally, economically, technologically, and militarily, and this brings shame, a strong cultural value in the Arab world and beyond. This historical fact of decline creates cognitive dissonance, because history is not consistent with their belief in the narrowly—defined theological truth: that God endorses only Islam and its civilization. We all sense that the terrorists follow some form of logic with their atrocities, though we may not be able to put our finger on it.
Ultimately, though, the trigger is theological. Communists in China and the old Soviet Union surely experienced cognitive dissonance as they observed Western dominance, economically and technologically. The Chinese also place a strong value on saving face. But neither of the two regimes, nor a nefarious communist organization operating in the US, ever crashed jets into American buildings. Instead, they (and we) embarked on fifty years of the (mostly nonviolent) Cold War. Something is at work that we have not seen before.
The communists were missing the theological factor that the current Islamic terrorists have. Therefore, realizing this, perhaps we will take effective action and avoid passivity.
Like Christianity and Buddhism, Islam has thrived historically as a 'universalizing' religion in four major stages as it pertains to East—West relations. In the first stage, the days of Muhammad, the new Muslims expanded into the Arabian Peninsula, whether by proclamation, diplomacy or outright conquest. For example, in 624, they defeated a much—larger Meccan army in the Battle of Badr, which Muhammad oversaw.
This early expansion fixed the genetic code for the rest of Islam, which is important because it set up expectations that would eventually be disappointed. In contrast, the founders of Christianity and Buddhism endorsed the spread of their religion or philosophy, but only by proclamation, never by the sword. But Islam, it seems, applied the sword to their incipient theology of spreading the word or expanding politically.
Second, during the Umayyad Dynasty (661—750), the Muslims expanded into Egypt, Libya, Syria (with its capital in Damascus), and all the way east into Iraq, Persia, and Afghanistan. They also expanded into Spain and France, but were stopped at the Battle of Poitiers (732), so they retreated and flourished in Spain. The early genetic code was thus reinforced.
Third, during the Abbasid Dynasty (750—1258), the ascendant Muslims moved their capital to Baghdad, solidified control over their vast empire, and allowed other dynasties to grow in Islamic lands, which were careful to respect the Caliphate in Baghdad. The Abbasids witnessed the flowering of their culture into the Golden Age: superior medicine and science (Al—Kindi, Al—Razi and Al—Biruni), superb architecture and urban development (e.g. Granada), advanced philosophy and theology (Avicenna, Al—Ghazali, and Averroes), and great literature (A Thousand and One Nights and the mystic Rumi's poetry) and historiography (Ibn Khald
