When reading (via Kausfiles) Amir Taheri’s July 8 article on the “reasoning” behind the London attacks, I was struck how much the (surprising to me) tactical divide between Bin Laden and Zarqawi resembles the old split between Trotsky and Stalin. Bin Laden, who apparently wants to attack across all nations at once (London, Madrid) to achieve Islamic global domination, is taking the Trotsky role in backing “world revolution” while Zarqawi takes the more Stalinist “socialism in one country” approach – well, not one country exactly, but, according to Taheri, Zarqawi advocates concentrating on “vulnerable Muslim countries” first.
In any case, Taheri reminds us, both of these maniacs share the same ultimate goal. “So God started sending prophets to warn man and try to goad him on to the right path. A total of 128,000 prophets were sent, including Moses and Jesus. They all failed. Finally, God sent Muhammad as the last of His prophets and the bearer of His ultimate message, Islam. With the advent of Islam all previous religions were “abrogated” (mansukh), and their followers regarded as “infidel” (kuffar). The aim of all good Muslims, therefore, is to convert humanity to Islam, which regulates Man’s spiritual, economic, political and social moves to the last detail.”
I think we’ve got that now.
UPDATE: Victor Davis Hanson sees the real villainy in the Arab states that countenance this insanity: In short, we now know what to expect from the London bombings and the others to follow. There will be no effort to punish the states that subsidize al Qaeda. Critics will cling to the myth that the British got what they had coming. The primary obsession of many Westerners will be to extend sensitivity to Islam, not the victims of those who kill in its name. And all will be consoled that just a few dozen were harvested this time.
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