It's the Jihad, Stupid!

by Peter Saint-Andre

2007-07-05

Fascinating ruminations from a former Jihadist:

When I was still a member of what is probably best termed the British Jihadi Network, a series of semi-autonomous British Muslim terrorist groups linked by a single ideology, I remember how we used to laugh in celebration whenever people on TV proclaimed that the sole cause for Islamic acts of terror like 9/11, the Madrid bombings and 7/7 was Western foreign policy.

By blaming the government for our actions, those who pushed the 'Blair's bombs' line did our propaganda work for us. More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.

As Rand Simberg says, it's the Jihad, stupid!

Unfortunately, too many libertarians fall into the same trap. However, for them it's merely a specific instance of more general error: that of believing that everything bad in the world must be caused by government.

UPDATE: Or is it really the irhab instead of the jihad?


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