Author: Muzaffar Hussain
Publication: The Organiser
Date: October 14, 2001
A few weeks after the terrorist
attack on America, the situation may appear quiet, but the burning lava
beneath the surface is sure to erupt. It will be no surprise if again on
the US streets there are violent scenes like Hindu-Muslim riots in India,
or like bloody conflict between Whites and Blacks in US. This has started.
What happened in Texas is indicative of this.
Angry Americans are attacking Muslim
centres and Muslim settlements. There is an attempt to destroy their properties.
Among school children, this anger is uppermost. Earlier, when two Muslim
children were celebrating in a school, American kids gave them a good thrashing.
The dead bodies that are being extricated from the rubble are putting pressure
on people's attitude. If the American government does nothing, there may
be civil war. That is why American leaders are repeatedly saying revenge
will be taken. Not only the terrorists that did the harm, but those that
have helped them in anyway will also not be spared. Army experts say that
America's wrath will be on these terrorists in the following ten days.
According to news; so far the perpetrators of these crimes have been Arabs
and Pakistanis. Evidences make it explicit that Osama Bin Laden has been
the mastermind, organiser and director of recent bloody happenings.
Bloody war has started and how it
will end and when it will end is difficult to say, as of now. If atomic
bombs am used (as war. in Hiroshima), it will not take time for Osama Bin
Laden and his followers to throw up their hands in surrender. But if Iraq
type of war is fought, it may get prolonged. Like crusades in the Middle
Ages, this war will, be fought between the church and the crescent. The
influence of wars during the 16th century lasted a few years, but this
time it is not possible to estimate how long it will 90 on. Muslims believe
that in this war they will find a Salauddin Ayubi to lead them. But the
Church believes there is no match for their technology and weaponry, and
the 21st century is theirs.
While the Muslims feel they may
not have modern and sophisticated arms as the Christians, they have money,
courage and number with whose support they can purchase warfare machinery
from developed nations. They are also fiddling with the idea of making
use of the armaments, thus purchased, on them as well! This fact stands
proved from the way Muslim terrorists have attacked the World Trade Center
towers. A Muslim while reacting said, their own technology is being hammered
on their heads using their soil, their planes and the targets were their
business and military establishments.
This is how America has been hurt
and humiliated. For the sake of national pride and self-respect, it stands
committed to act and act fast. Though the American thinking was always
centred around their monetary prowess, they are, for the first time realizing
the importance of national pride and nationalism in preference to dollars.
After stark defeat in Vietnam, America
drank the bitter potion and left it at that. This is because, it did not
want its economy to be adversely affected and also it feared Russia and
wanted to avoid any risk of war. Whenever conflict arose, it put back sword
in sheath before Fidel Castro and Khrushchev. On the question of plane
hijack, it kept on asking Libya for the culprits. It also bombed Libya.
But in the Kashmir valley when four of its tourists were murdered by the
terrorist outfit, Al-Faran, no action was taken, for, it feared that it
might help India. The world may start saying the terrorists you have produced
have started killing your own citizens.
When in 1977-78 it had to drive
away the Soviets, the Americans encouraged different groups with arms and
promoted a civil war. Osama bin Laden reached Afghanistan on one of these
days and he was groomed to be a hero. America was scheming to belittle
Russia in Chechnya through these terrorists. By sending terrorists to Sinkiang
it wanted to promote separatism, and by dispatching terrorists to Kashmir,
it wanted to keep India at bay.
Following the dismemberment of USSR,
the terrorists in Russia were of no use. Now the focus of the terrorists
shifted to India and China.
In the meantime when Imam Khomeini
in Iran made Islamic fundamentalism the state's symbol, the thinking and
philosophy of Muslim terrorists of the world changed. Now terrorism assumed
the role of a war for Islam.
The untimely demise of the Shah
of Iran was a deathblow to American intelligence. Iran called America the
bigger devil dubbed Israel the smaller devil, thus making Islamic medievalism
more articulate. The entire force of Islamic terrorism targeted America.
This resulted in giving a communal colour to the Palestine's nationalist
struggle.
Under the leadership of Yusuf Ramzee
of the Palestine's Hamas group, a bomb was exploded at the World Trade
Center. Following the investigations the 'US awarded life imprisonment
to Abdur Rahman, a conspirator in the case (the other accused of this incident
are undergoing trial). In order to get the release of these under-trials,
Bin Laden and leaders of Hamas continue with their attacks on US. In this
series, they conducted bomb attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
When America was busy hunting the culprits involved in the bombing of the
embassy buildings in Kenya and Tanzania, in which seven people died, this
unfortunate episode took place.
For the last 50 years America supported
fundamentalist terrorists in the world, wherever it suited it. But, where
it felt it could prove a curse, it started reacting to the same. Hence,
so far as the phenomenon of terrorism is concerned, America has been clearly
adopting a dual policy. Owing to its dual policy, till today it has not
declared Pakistan a "terrorist state". Owing to the same policy, it did
not support India in its fight against terrorism in Kashmir. Whenever India
asked for global action against terrorism, no one listened to it. When
Pervez Musharraf called terrorist activities as 'struggle for freedom',
America and the UN observed silence. Thus, this dubious practice of observing
double standards with regard to global terrorism has been responsible for
the stunning attack on America. Now, President Bush is using the same terminology
in calling terrorists the "devils".
Whenever a western nation fought
a war, it involved its allies in the war. From the' Second World War onwards
up to the attack on Iraq, this phenomenon has been witnessed. That is why
NATO and allies are siding with America. They are mostly European Christian
countries. Their interest is linked with oil-producing Muslim countries.
That is why the attitude of the church towards Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
remains a big question mark. Turkey and Pakistan are friends of this military
alliance. Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan have been its supporters. In
this scenario, will America this time break away from them? Indonesia and
Malaysia have never been concerned with the incidence of terrorism on America.
Will they be punished?
There will be unity among those
fighting against terrorism. However, discrimination is patently evident.
That is, there will be unity within the church, but there will be clashes
in the crescent circle. All Muslim nations have not been hit by terrorism.
But Muslim fundamentalists have issued a fatwa that those Muslim rulers
who do not have Shariat's Islamic rule should be upturned. Algeria, Morocco,
Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and Turkey have suffered at the hands of terrorists.
So there should be no surprise if these countries support the US.
As there will be war between Americans
and Muslims (in America), so will there be clashes in London on a large
scale. Tony Blair's attempt to drive out terrorism will remain incomplete,
so long as Pakistan is not punished. For, Afghan terrorism is a product
of Pakistan's handiwork. Pervez Musharraf has fostered terrorism in Kashmir.
That is why cross-border terrorism in Kashmir has to be totally eradicated
with full support from America. Terrorists have taken refuge in the Kashmir
valley in a big way. Immediate large scale cleansing operation is the need
of the hour.
It is necessary for India to mingle
with nations fighting terrorism without keeping itself aloof from the problem.
While Urdu and Arabic press are faulting America by saying that it is reaping
what it sowed, they must also understand that when terrorists are sowing
terrorism today they will have to reap a rich harvest of terrorism tomorrow.
They also sermonize by saying that
America has no right to interfere in the affairs of another country. Likewise,
we also contend that Islamic terrorism has no right to believe that the
green flag alone has the right to flutter or exist in the world and enforce
their agenda at the point of gun. It is difficult to predict what is likely
to be course of the present war on terrorism. However, the confrontation
between the church and crescent seems inevitable leading to a bloodbath.
Vatican's stance has radically changed-it stands committed to make the
21st century a century of Christianity!