Saturday, January 17, 2009

Explaining away terror - Vir Sanghvi

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=6e16ba65-2bab-4dbe-80e1-c809b7e89ba3&&Headline=Explaining+away+terror

An excellent article. Some points to note -

1. Vir Sanghvi - "The distinguishing characteristic of 21st Century jihadi violence is that, unlike much of what has gone before, it has no clear political aim. When Osama bin Laden sent the planes into the twin towers, he did not think that America would collapse as a result. The British-born Pakistani, who carried out the London bombings did not think that Tony Blair would step down because of their actions. "

Sorry Sanghviji you are wrong here. He says that Jihad does not have any political objective. It certainly does. Jihad on the "infidels" is its own end. The objective IS the terror that is imposed. and to that end it has succeeded wherever it has occured. Proof and evidence below -

“The universalism of Islam, in its all-embracing creed, is imposed on the believers as a continuous process of warfare, psychological and political, if not strictly military. . . . The Jihad, accordingly, may be stated as a doctrine of a permanent state of war, not continuous fighting.” Majid Khadduri in War and Peace in the Law of Islam.
Further suggested reading - Quaranic Concept of War - S K Malik

2. Vir Sanghvi says - But two points are worth making. The first is that even in Muslim majority countries, education remains a problem. In last Sunday’s Times of India, M.J. Akbar provided some interesting statistics. There are only 500-odd universities in the Muslim world. India has nearly 8,500. Literacy in the developed world is 90 per cent as against 40 per cent in the Muslim world. High-tech goods and services constitute only 0.90 per cent of Pakistan’s exports. They add up to 68 per cent of Singapore’s exports.

Yes, but why is that? All factors remaining the same, what has Bharat forged ahead in many sectors while Pakistan remains behind?

I can go on nit picking a few more minutiea but that would be discrediting a good article. Soon the day will come when people will stop being politically correct and call Islam what it is - a blueprint for creation of a violent and backward society shorn of any personal freedoms and lacking any inclination for progress.

1 comment:

paddy said...

I completely agree with you on the point that jihad has a political objective today. But i am sorry to say that your last point that Isalam is a blueprint for violent society is wrong. In correct interpretation islam does not disallow anybody from eduacation.

Also though not a muslim jihad actually means a war within urself to fight the evil. Today it is interpreted this way. We cant do anytg about it other than fight it.