Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Radical Islam must not be tolerated by Moscow

http://windowoneurasia.blogspot.com/2009/09/window-on-eurasia-north-caucasus_23.html

The Above article, written by Paul Goble, is entitled “North Caucasus Descending into Unrestricted ‘Civil War’ Where No One is Safe, Moscow Paper Warns.” I’ll quote from the article and comment below:

“. . . The recent increase in attacks on religious leaders and ordinary citizens in the North Caucasus, the editors of “Nezavisimaya gazeta” say, highlights a dangerous new development in that region: the increasing role of radical extremists who do not feel themselves limited by any moral considerations.

“. . . Terrorism in the region . . . has moved into ‘a religious-political phase’ . . . This change . . . is reflected in the murder last Sunday of Ismail Bostanov, the deputy head of the Muslim Spiritual Directorate (MSD) of Karachayevo-Cherkessia and Stavropol kray, and in the decision of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov to pull down a mosque bearing the name of one of his earlier opponents Dzhabrail Yamadayev.”

“ . . . in recent times such attacks are taking place with stupefying regularity . . . [and] of the entrance into the ranks of the militants of ‘a large group of radically inclined young people who decide on their own [rather than relying on religious authorities] who is right and who is guilty.’

“What that means . . . is that what is now going on in the North Caucasus is ‘not only a religious conflict between supporters of radical Islam and those who support traditional views on the faith’ but also a reflection of the end of any ‘protected’ zones in the ‘hot republics’ of the region.

“In short . . . there are now ‘no limits’ in the North Caucasus regarding who may be attacked and no place where anyone there can feel safe.”

“. . . today . . . suicide bombers . . . are not concerned about the number of dead be they soldiers, civilians or Muslim leaders.

“This trend, the paper says, bears ‘obvious signs of a civil war, a war which has passed into a new phase’ and which is occurring in Chechnya . . . In that republic too, ‘the militants are becoming more active,’ and ‘the civil war is a political stage of the conflict.’

“What Moscow should do ‘in order that the North Caucasus will cease to be called a bubbling cauldron remains an open one,” because ‘at the federal level, there is only one order – immediately liquidate the militants. And that is not happening.’ Instead, their number is increasing, and their attacks are becoming more unlimited.
Indeed, the paper notes, there is widespread disagreement among the expert community. Some analysts say that what is taking place is a response to ‘the excessive application of force by law-enforcement agencies.’ Others say that in the North Caucasus, there is ‘a well-organized terrorist network with which the siloviki are not capable of coping.’

“And still a third group, the paper notes, ‘are talking about a religious war’ which has arise as the role of traditional Islam has declined and ‘the influence of radical Islam has grown.’ Each of these has something to say, the paper suggests, but even taken together, they do not provide a complete understanding or comprehensive guide to action.

“But what is most unclear of all . . is just what the Russian powers that be in Moscow think regarding what is going on. Up to now, the impression has been that in the North Caucasus, they are simply living ‘in hope that everything [there] will sort itself out on its own’ – a hope, the paper implies, that appears increasingly a vain one.”

COMMENT:

The problem being described by the editors of the Nezavisimaya gazeta is the same problem being faced in many parts of the world. Russia as well as the West is crippling itself by refusing to abandon that Liberal-Democratic ideal: Toleration. Fascism and Communism in the 20th Century were so intolerant that there has been a reaction in the Liberal-Democratic world – a reaction that implies that all things, every idea, every political position, every religious viewpoint must be tolerated. Radical Islam arose at just the right time for them. They have been given a free pass to engage in the most heinous of crimes and because all the rest of us are tolerant. We are so tolerant we refuse to do enough to stop them. We make excuses for them. Just as Moscow is hoping the problem will resolve itself, so are the governments in Europe hoping that time will soften the radicalism that they find so troubling.

Where are the Russian philosophers, the “intellectuals” to put this matter in perspective? Toleration of evil is not acceptable. Surely we would all agree to that simple statement. We do not need to define Evil exhaustively. We need merely to agree to assume that this particular phenomenon, Radical Islam, is Evil. Next we need to take steps that follow from that assumption. If it is evil then those who promote it must be stopped. Create laws outlawing Radical Islam. Define what it is and what it is not and then take all necessary steps to oppose it.

What grounds does Moscow have for believing the problem presented by Radical Islam will “sort itself out”? Isn’t that what we thought prior to World War II. Haven’t Russians and others criticized the US (justifiably so) for assuming the problem presented by Fascism would “sort itself out” without American involvement?

At what point do we decide that Radical Islam isn’t going to sort itself out and that action must be taken? We don’t seem to have such a “point.” We have drawn no line in the sand. We have no direction. Radical Islam is still running rampant wherever it wants to go. Sayyid Qutb urged that Mohammad’s Jihad must be continued, that a “true” Muslim must understand that Islam will be in a state of war (Jihad) until the infidels (that’s us, Moscow) are killed or converted to Islam.

If you want to be “tolerant,” be tolerant of traditional Islam, but under no circumstances be tolerant of Radical Islam.

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