Thursday, December 27, 2007
Oh no!
I have to say that I despair for the Muslim world.
One thought I've had repeatedly, even before 9/11, was that the Muslim world needed a reformation, renaissance, and enlightenment similar to the one the western world went through during the period from about 1500 AD to 1800 AD. Say, from Wittenberg to Philadelphia. More recently this thought has sort of turned in on itself. Let me explain.
When I was growing up in Galway during the 1970s and 1980s, there was a fairly large contingent of Pakistani students studying at the local Regional Technical College, as well as at UCG. Guess what: These guys weren't in Ireland for more than a year before they had Australian girlfriends and were drinking Guinness with the rest of us.
In other words, these were pretty average guys. Where have they gone?
The turning point, in my opinion, is the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973. After that the Arab world - and especially Saudi Arabia - found itself awash in cash. The House of Saud, utterly corrupt, bought off its local proto-Islamofascists by setting up madrassas all over the world to preach wahhabism.
So, it may well be that Muslims may well have had their reformation, and the lunatics won.
If that's the case, well, I look forward to a lively century.
I have to say that I despair for the Muslim world.
One thought I've had repeatedly, even before 9/11, was that the Muslim world needed a reformation, renaissance, and enlightenment similar to the one the western world went through during the period from about 1500 AD to 1800 AD. Say, from Wittenberg to Philadelphia. More recently this thought has sort of turned in on itself. Let me explain.
When I was growing up in Galway during the 1970s and 1980s, there was a fairly large contingent of Pakistani students studying at the local Regional Technical College, as well as at UCG. Guess what: These guys weren't in Ireland for more than a year before they had Australian girlfriends and were drinking Guinness with the rest of us.
In other words, these were pretty average guys. Where have they gone?
The turning point, in my opinion, is the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973. After that the Arab world - and especially Saudi Arabia - found itself awash in cash. The House of Saud, utterly corrupt, bought off its local proto-Islamofascists by setting up madrassas all over the world to preach wahhabism.
So, it may well be that Muslims may well have had their reformation, and the lunatics won.
If that's the case, well, I look forward to a lively century.
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