Here is another view to add to your collection, written by a specialist in Middle East culture---people keep sending me these things ! ---Camilla > >>>> >UNDERSTANDING BIN LADEN >>>> > >>>> >William O. Beeman >>>> > >>>> >The United States risks a severe miscalculation in >>>> >dealing with the destruction of the World Trade Center >>>> >and the attack on the Pentagon on Tuesday. This event >>>> >is not an isolated instance of violence. This is not an >>>> >"act of war." It is one symptom of a cancer that >>>> >threatens to metastasize. The root cause is not >>>> >terrorist activity, as has been widely stated. It is >>>> >the relationship between the United States and the >>>> >Islamic world. Until this central cancerous problem is >>>> >treated, Americans will never be free from fear. >>>> > >>>> >Merely locating and hunting down a single "guilty >>>> >party" in this case will not stop future violence: such >>>> >an action will not destroy the organization of >>>> >terrorist cells already established throughout the >>>> >world. Of greater importance, it will do nothing to >>>> >alleviate the residual enmity against America that will >>>> >remain at large in the world, continuing to motivate >>>> >violence. The perpetrators of the original attack on >>>> >the World Trade Center in 1993 were caught and >>>> >convicted. This did not stop the attack on Tuesday. >>>> > >>>> >The chief suspect is the Saudi Arabian Osama bin Laden >>>> >or his surrogates. He has been mischaracterized as an >>>> >anti-American terrorist. He should rather be thought of >>>> >as someone who would do anything to protect Islam. Bin >>>> >Laden began his career fighting the Soviet occupation >>>> >of Afghanistan in 1979 when he was 22 years old. He has >>>> >not only resisted the Soviets but also the Serbians in >>>> >Yugoslavia. His anger was directed against the United >>>> >States primarily because of the U.S. presence in the >>>> >Gulf Regionmore particularly Saudi Arabia itselfthe >>>> >site of the most sacred Islamic religious sites. >>>> > >>>> >According to bin Laden, during the Gulf War America >>>> >co-opted the rulers of Saudi Arabia to establish a >>>> >military presence in order to kill Muslims in Iraq. In >>>> >a religious decree issued in 1998, he gave religious >>>> >legitimacy to attacks on Americans in order to stop the >>>> >United States from "occupying the lands of Islam in the >>>> >holiest of places." His decree also extends to >>>> >Jerusalem, where the second most sacred Muslim sitethe >>>> >al-Aqsa Mosque. The depth of his historical vision is >>>> >clear when, in his decree, he characterizes Americans >>>> >as "crusaders" harkening back to the Medieval Crusades >>>> >in which the Holy Lands, then occupied by Muslims, were >>>> >captured by European Christians. >>>> > >>>> >He will not cease his opposition until the United >>>> >States leaves the region. Paradoxically, his strategy >>>> >for convincing the United States to do so seems drawn >>>> >from the American foreign policy playbook. When the >>>> >United States disapproves of the behavior of another >>>> >nation, it "turns up the heat" on that nation through >>>> >embargoes, economic sanctions or withdrawal of >>>> >diplomatic representation. In the case of Iraq >>>> >following the Gulf war, America employed military >>>> >action, resulting in the loss of civilian life. The >>>> >State Department has theorized that if the people of a >>>> >rogue nation experience enough suffering, they will >>>> >overthrow their rulers, or compel them to adopt more >>>> >sensible behavior. The terrorist actions in New York >>>> >and Washington are a clear and ironic implementation of >>>> >this strategy against the United States. >>>> > >>>> >Bin Laden takes no credit for actions emanating from >>>> >his training camps in Afghanistan. He has no desire for >>>> >self-aggrandizement. A true ideologue, he believes that > >>> >his mission is sacred, and he wants only to see clear >>>> >results. For this reason, the structure of his >>>> >organization is essentially tribalcellular in modern >>>> >political terms. His followers are as fervent and >>>> >intense in their belief as he is. They carry out their >>>> >actions because they believe in the rightness of their >>>> >cause, not because of bin Laden's orders or approval. >>>> >Groups are trained in Afghanistan, and then establish >>>> >their own centers in places as far-flung as Canada, >>>> >Africa and Europe. Each cell is technologically >>>> >sophisticated, and may have a different set of >>>> >motivations for attacking the United States. >>>> > >>>> >Palestinians members of his group see Americans as >>>> >supporters of Israel in the current conflict between >>>> >the two nations. In the Palestinian view, Ariel >>>> >Sharon's ascendancy to leadership of Israel has >>>> >triggered a new era, with U.S. government officials >>>> >failing to pressure the Israeli government to end >>>> >violence against Palestinians. Palestinian cell members >>>> >will not cease their opposition until the United States >>>> >changes its relationship with the Israeli state. >>>> > >>>> >The Mujaheddin fighters in Lebanon also direct their >>>> >hostility against Israel and the United States. They >>>> >also operate against the Maronite Christian community >>>> >in their own country, who were supported by the French >>>> >from World War I until the end of World War II. They >>>> >will not cease their operations until the region is >>>> >firmly in Islamic hands. >>>> > >>>> >Above all, Americans need to remember that the rest of >>>> >the world has an absolute right to self-determination >>>> >that is as defensible as our own. A despicable act of >>>> >mayhem such as those committed in New York and >>>> >Washington is a measure of the revulsion that others >>>> >feel at our actions that seemingly limit those rights. >>>> >If we perpetuate a cycle of hate and revenge, this >>>> >conflict will escalate into a war that our >>>> >great-grandchildren will be fighting. >>>> > >>>> >________________ >>>> > >>>> >William O. Beeman teaches anthropology at Brown >>>> >University in Providence, Rhode Island. A specialist on >>>> >Middle East Culture, he has written extensively on >>>> >fundamentalism and terrorism. He has worked for the >>>> >past four years in Tajikistan, where he has been able >>>> >to monitor developments in Afghanistan. >>>> > >>>> >Copyright 2001 William O. Beeman. This article may be >>>> >distributed for any non-commercial purpose. >>> >> -- Camilla Flintermann, former CG for Peter 83/70/55 Oxford, Ohio <[log in to unmask]> on the web at http://www.geocities.com/camillahf/index.html "Ask me about the CARE list for Caregivers of Parkinsonians ! " And visit the CARE webring at http://www.pdcaregiver.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn