As I was watching President Bush’s
address to the nation on this past September 11th, I disagreed with many things he was saying. I felt that he did not fully understand the ideology guiding Islam, and in particular the mindset of the Islamic terrorists. The President talked in misguided statements -saying that the terrorists are “evil” and that they are “afraid of freedom”. Calling the terrorists “evil” is justifiable in that they are willing to kill innocent people to further their aims. And yet I wince to think of just how quickly that barb could be thrown back at the United States. Saying that they are “afraid of freedom” (i.e. of elderly people voting, and girls going to school) is possibly untrue, and at the very least it does not capture the real essence of the grievances they have towards America.
I came to believe, as I was watching
the speech, that the President was portraying the situation in the way that would garner the most American support for his objectives. It is well known that Americans are very protective of freedom, so perhaps he chose to push that point. But I think the heart of the matter lies elsewhere.
Jihadis’ anger towards America is largely
based on the sexual immorality of America’s
culture. Sayyid Qutb, considered one of
the fathers of Islamic fundamentalism,
was shocked by the sexual permissiveness
of the students at Colorado State College,
which he attended from 1948-1950. In
Islam, the guidelines regulating men and
women’s behavior is very strict, unmarried
men and women are not even allowed to sit
next to each other. This culture is one that most Americans may find difficult to imagine. I would say that it was not that American girls were in school that Qutb found so unforgivable, but that they were looking for sexual partners in addition
to studying. These days, most of the information people around the world have about America is from what they see from Hollywood. This portrays an over-sexualized, materialistic image
of our country. But for the billions of people that have never been to America, they generally assume that this is what America is like.
The President also talked about the importance of settling things in Iraq, and making it into a stable democracy. From an American viewpoint, this seems like the obvious thing to do. However, for the Iraqis, it is not so simple. Iraqis have no
history of democracy. In Islam, the law and state are inseparable under the Islamic law shari’a. There is no separation between religion and the rest of life, for God is meant to rule every aspect of one’s life. Furthermore, the goal of Islam,as believed by some Islamic fundamentalists,is to make the world one Islamic community.They prefer to use persuasion, but will useforce if necessary. For them, violence against
“unbelievers” is justifiable in the bigger scopeof creating one world of peace under Allah.
Therefore, I’m doubtful as to how maintaining a democracy in Iraq is going to stop the terrorists from attacking. Their call is from above; human laws are not going to dissuade them from their God-ordained mission. And then, what if the
Iraqis use their democracy to elect someone
who is decidedly anti-American? Will the U.S.government step in and say, “Well, actually,you can’t elect him because it doesn’t fit in with our agenda for your country.” ?
In addition, the President is focused on
heightening American security – more checks
at airports and U.S. borders, more men being sent into the army. But the truth is, if the basic, unquenchable animosity of the Islamic extremists is not dealt with, we are not going to be safe. Eventually somebody is going to slip through the cracks. And where in all this is there
concern for the rest of the world? Is America just trying to draw back and make sure that it’s okay,not really caring if the rest of the world is living
or dying? I tend to side with a famous religious leader who recently said, “Advanced countries …recognize only their own interests while ignoring the misery of tens of thousands who die of starvation
every day.”
I believe there would be more headway made on this issue if the President would seriously consider the statements being put forth by the Islamic fundamentalists. They have not been shy in voicing their grievances – but because of unwillingness to listen, or differences in culture that cause us to discount what they say – we have not heard them. It is time for America to take a hard look at its culture / lifestyle / entertainment industry, and not just from the viewpoint of “Is this what I want to do?”, or “Is this what will make the most money?”. Instead we must seriously consider how our influence is
affecting the rest of the world. We do affect the rest of the world – and they will find ways to affect us back – until we begin to listen to and be respectful
of each other. America must put more sensitivity into its relationship with the rest of humanity.
University of Bridgeport
Monday, July 14, 2025