Sept. 11, 2001: The gates of New York city
Defending a culture
WILLIAM D. GOULD, VOLUNTEER STAFF
It‘s too common to state that Sept. 11, 2001 was a day that changed the world as we knew it. The barbaric acts of that day woke up a sleeping giant and mobilized civilization. Six years later, we find Western civilization divided and hesitant; with Canadian citizens in our midst with plans to kill our own countrymen, women and children, our soldiers fighting in a desert barren land, and a polarization of the world. Without question the events of that day have created a world in which the barbarians of radical and reactionary fundamental Islam will find contentment.
The West is weak. It faces a rejuvenated and fanatical enemy with the will to destroy, democracy, Christianity and all of the values Western civilization holds dear. According to Oliver Roy, “the Islamist movement thus conceives of itself explicitly as a sociopolitical movement, founded on an Islam defined as much in terms of political ideology as in terms of religion.” It is distinguishable from less reactionary strains of Islam due to its emphasis on political revolution, eminence of the Sharia, and the subjugation of women. Many will point to the cause of the fundamental Islamists’ rise as a combination of poor education and low socio-economic standards. In addition, a history of oppression may also be used to explain the rise in Islamofascism. To some extent this is true, yet the reality is that it’s not the poorest of the poor that is attracted to the fundamental Islamist bloody cause. Rather, in western countries, it’s the naturalized middle class who are attracted to the perversions of Islam into violence, led more often than not by young educated secularists. The recent attacks in England and treason in Canada illuminate this trend.
It would be foolish to suggest that under-development and oppression have nothing to do with the Islamofacists’ popular backing. Quite frankly these factors do have an effect, but there is a larger contingent of fundamental Islamist supporters that do not fit the stereotypical view held by many in the West. Take for instance Osama bin Laden, the political leader to the fundamental Islamist movement. Bin Laden inherited vast wealth and is a well-educated man. Bin Laden is hardly the stereotypical shepherd that many conceptualize when they imagine terrorists. For bin Laden and many of these fundamental Islamists, the war with the Western world is a fight that will go on indefinitely. Many do not expect to become victorious in their lifetime, or perhaps even in the next century. Many supporters of fundamental Islam are aware of this and embrace it.
In other words, to suggest that we shall see the end of this threat and the war it has spawned is naive; we will be lucky if our grandchildren do. Thus we must proceed with prudence. We must act decisively and we cannot waffle, for our actions will greatly affect the future. We must be committed to fighting the good fight, for upholding our values, for they are under attack and siege.
However, we must rejuvenate ourselves. There is hesitancy, particularly in Canada, to define ourselves and fight for our values. This can be seen in the political battle over Afghanistan. The Canadian people have the power to affect the fate of Afghanistan. It is our choice to abandon the Afghan people, and it will be our fault if they are slaughtered, and their women degraded to animals. Or Canada can serve with the courage it has shown in two world wars, often against insurmountable odds, and defend the rights of those who are downtrodden and forgotten, for their security and ours. We must eliminate any ground the fundamental Islamists gain, diplomatically, spiritually, morally and militarily. Afghanistan is a perfect opportunity for Canada to show that the values of equality, liberty and hope have a place in the Islamic world. Yet there are some who wish to abandon this noble mission because of the price we are paying in blood. What has been forgotten among the West, particularly among the youth, is that the values we hold dear have a cost and throughout history that cost has been the sacrifice of blood, not ink on paper.
Canada is a terrorist target regardless of our association with the United States or Europe. We are a society that values tolerance, freedom, equality and democracy; all things that Islamofascists despise. Thus we must carry our share to preserve these values and promote them throughout the world. The short-term however, will be bloody, tense and uncertain; we must continue to lead the way as we have in Afghanistan. .
It must be remembered and ever stressed the difference between Islam and its viral and distorted fundamental interpretation. Our greatest friend in the fight against extremist Islam is the moderate Muslim who can debate the many spiritual and moral claims by these fanatics. Thus, it is wrong to group all Muslims as terrorists or traitors. To do so is not only dangerous, but shows an utter lack of understanding of the complex situation that Islam finds itself in and devalues the values that members of Western civilizationhold close to our hearts. We must support those who are fighting to rescue Islam from the grips of the Islamofascists. Not only must we support them but we also must admire their courage. These men and women are our greatest friends and allies, throughout Canada, the West and the world.
The West is not where it is by isolation or surrender. There have been many dark times in our history, such as the threat of Xerxes, the onslaught of Attila, the fall of Constantinople, the rise of fascism and the presence of communism. Yet amidst all these struggles the West has survived and flourished. That is not to say that the West has been perfect, nor been innocent. Hardly. Yet what Western success has given rise to is the envy of the world and, justifiably so, it is worth defending. More than anything the barbaric attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001 woke up the West not to its enemy, but rather to what it values most and a realization that those values cannot be taken for granted as they often have a steep cost. Perhaps Osama bin Laden was hoping that the West would have forgotten what had happened on Sept. 11, 1683 at the Gates of Vienna. It should be his greatest fear that many of us remember.
William D. Gould is currently a second-year student at the University of Winnipeg
