Hisham Melhem, the Washington bureau chief of Al-Arabiya, makes a powerful case for the self-evident, that Arab civilization has broken down. He is, understandably, unable to find a single, overarching explanation for this. Here's a snapshot:
"Is it any surprise that, like the vermin that take over a ruined city, the heirs to this self-destroyed civilization should be the nihilistic thugs of the Islamic State? And that there is no one else who can clean up the vast mess we Arabs have made of our world but the Americans and Western countries?
"No one paradigm or one theory can explain what went wrong in the Arab world in the last century."
Powerful stuff and you can read the whole thing here (via Breitbart).
But, in deference to author, could it be that the answer to his question lies within Islam itself?
Just a thought.
God bless,
LSP
I could offer an explanation and it has to do with a clash of cultures. One from 600AD that wants to remain as it was then, and the other with a foot in the space age, music videos, drugs, sex and rock and roll. What we see is the destructive cyclone that is unleashed when an immovable object meets an irresistible force.
ReplyDeleteThat's the truth. Islam is clearly partly to blame. But it's far more complex than that.
Very good call, though I'd argue that Islam, in itself, is culture destroying.
ReplyDeleteThe lens then turns back to the West. Some would argue that Christianity has produced its own "barbarians within the gates".
Not my take, but still.
Used to live 'round the corner from Lawrence's house when I was a kid. Living memory...
ReplyDeleteKipling? Top result. Though Chesterton, who I like, hated him!
Defining Christianity requires that one define a system or a follower (in both words and deeds) of Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteIf we use the Popes (taken as a whole from first to last) as an example of holiness, one would have to argue as Calvin did that the entire garment is soiled to the point of no return.
Political Christianity is no cleaner than Political Islam.
"Political" does have a bad name, in my book, but with exceptions, like the Indian Mutiny.
ReplyDeleteAs in, "Our Politicals did a dam fine job puttin' it down."
The Indian Mutiny is a great example of Islam getting the best of a group of otherwise good soldiers.
ReplyDeleteFierce business.
ReplyDeleteIslam has never made a distinction between civil government and religious authority, and its founding text licensed violence in pursuit of spread the faith. Given that, part of what we're seeing now would not be out of sync with that faith. Even the taking of non Moslem women as war prizes is licensed by the Koran.
ReplyDeleteWhat would seem atypical is the use of violence against other Moslems, even of the same sect. That would not be licensed by the Koran, although it has been a feature of Islamic powers from time to time in their history.
Having said all of that, the basic question we have to ask ourselves is whether groups like ISIL are corruptions of Islam, or whether they represent Islam's basic core. A lot of what we're in for depends on getting that answer right, and so far the evidence probably doesn't support the answer we in the pluralistic west would like to receive.
I'd say you're right, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment.