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when they saw the World Trade Center being smashed。 He said； 〃I think if we are honest
with ourselves； most of the Muslims all over the world felt that。 。 。 America got
hit in the face and that cannot be bad。 I don't want to make an intellectual answer
for that。 I'll give it very simply。 America was kicking our butts for fifty years。
And really badly。 Supporting the bullies in the region； whether it is Israel or our
own regimes； ＇America＇ is giving us not only a bleeding nose； but breaking a lot of
our necks。〃
Just as America's economic depression in the 1920s and 1930s made many normal；
intelligent； thinking Americans passive or active supporters of communism； so the
humiliating economic； military； and emotional depression of the Arab…Muslim world
has made too many normal； intelligent； and thinking Arabs and Muslims passive
supporters of bin Ladenism。
Former Kuwaiti minister of information Dr。 Sa'd Bin Tefla； a journalist； wrote an
essay in the London Arabic daily Al…Sharq Al…Awsat on the third anniversary of
September 11 titled 〃We Are All Bin Laden；〃 which went right to this point。 He asked
why it is that Muslim scholars and clerics eagerly supported fatwas condemning Salman
Rushdie to death for writing an allegedly blasphemous novel； The Satanic Verses； that
wove in themes about the Prophet Muhammad； but to this day no Muslim cleric has issued
a fatwa condemning Osama bin Laden for murdering three thousand innocent civilians。
After the fatwa was declared against Salman Rushdie； Muslims staged protests against
the book at British embassies all over the Islamic world and burned Salman Rushdie
dolls alongwith copies of his book。 Nine people were killedin ananti…Rushdie protest
in Pakistan。
〃Religious legal rulings were disseminated one after another banning Salman Rushdie's
book and calling for him to be killed；〃 Bin Tefla wrote。 〃Iran earmarked a reward
of 1 million for whoever would implement Imam Khomeini's fatwa and kill Salman
Rushdie。〃 And bin Laden？ Nothing…no condemnation。 〃Despite the fact that bin Laden
murdered thousands of innocents in the name of our religion and despite the damage
that he has caused to Muslims everywhere； and especially to innocent Muslims in the
West； whose life is much better than the life of Muslims in Islamic lands； to this
date not a single fatwa has been issued calling for the killing of bin Laden； on the
pretext that bin Laden still proclaims 'there is no God other than Allah；'〃 Tefla
wrote。 Worse； he added； Arab and Muslim satellite television channels have 〃competed
amongst themselves in broadcasting ＇bin Laden's＇ sermons and fatwas； instead of
preventing their dissemination as they did in the case of Rushdie's book 。 。 。 With
our equivocal stance on bin Laden； we from the very start left the world with the
impression that we are all bin Laden。〃
Germany was humiliated after World War I； but it had the modern economic foundations
to produce a state response to that humiliation …in the form of the Third Reich。
The Arab world； by contrast； could not produce a state response to its humiliation。
Instead； it has rattled the world stage in the last fifty years with two
larger…than…life figures； rather than states； noted political theorist Yaron Ezrahi：
One was the Saudi oil minister Ahmed Zaki Yamani； and the other was Osama bin Laden。
Each achieved global notoriety； each briefly held the world in his palm…one by using
oil as a weapon and the other by using the most unconventional suicide violence
imaginable。 Each gave a temporary 〃high〃 to the Arab…Muslim world； a feeling that
it was exercising power on the world stage。 But bin Laden and Yamani were only the
illusions of power； noted Ezrahi： The Saudi oil weapon is economic power without
productivity； and bin Laden's terrorism weapon is military force without a real army；
state； economy； and engine of innovation to support it。
What makes Yamanism and bin Ladenism so unfortunate as strategies for Arab influence
in the world is that they ignore the examples within Arab culture and
civilization…when it was at its height…of discipline； hard work； knowledge；
achievement； scientific inquiry； and pluralism。 As Nayan Chanda； the editor of
YaleGlobal Online； pointed out to me； it was the Arab…Muslim world that gave birth
to algebra and algorithms； terms both derived from Arabic words。 In other words； noted
Chanda； 〃The entire modern information revolution； which is built to a large degree
on algorithms； can trace its roots all the way back to Arab…Muslim civilization and
the great learning centers of Baghdad and Alexandria；〃 which first introduced these
concepts； then transferred them to Europe through Muslim Spain。 The Arab…Muslim
peoples have an incredibly rich cultural tradition and civilization； with long
periods of success and innovation to draw on for inspiration and example for their
young people。 They have all the resources necessary for modernization in their own
cultural terms； if they want to summon them。
Unfortunately； there is huge resistance to such modernization from the authoritarian
and religiously obscurantist forces within the Arab…Muslim world。 That is why this
part of the world will be liberated； and
406
feel truly empowered； only if it goes through its own war of ideas …and the moderates
there win。 We had a civil war in America some 150 years ago over ideas…the ideas of
tolerance； pluralism； human dignity； and equality。 The best thing outsiders can do
for the Arab…Muslim world today is try to collaborate with its progressive forces
in every way possible… from trying to solve the Arab…Israeli conflict； to stabilizing
Iraq； to signing free…trade agreements with as many Arab countries as possible…so
as to foster a similar war of ideas within their civilization。 There is no other way。
Otherwise this part of the world has the potential to be a huge un…flattening force。
We have to wish the good people there well。 But the battle will be one for them to
fight and to win。 No one can do it for them。
No one has expressed what is needed better than Abdel Rahman al…Rashed； the general
manager of the London…based al…Arabiya news channel。 One of the best…known and most
respected Arab journalists working today； he wrote the following； in Al…Sharq
Al…Awsat （September 6； 2004）； after a series of violent incidents involving Muslim
extremist groups from Chechnya to Saudi Arabia to Iraq： 〃Self…cure starts with
self…realization and confession。 We should then run after our terrorist sons； in the
full knowledge that they are the sour grapes of a deformed culture 。 。 。 The mosque
used to be a haven； and the voice of religion used to be that of peace and
reconciliation。 Religious sermons were warm behests for a moral order and an ethical
life。 Then came the neo…Muslims。 An innocent and benevolent religion； whose verses
prohibit the felling of trees in the absence of urgent necessity； that calls murder
the most heinous of crimes； that says explicitly that if you kill one person you have
killed humanity as a whole； has been turned into a global message of hate and a
universal war cry 。 。 。 We cannot clear our names unless we own up to the shameful
fact that terrorism has become an Islamic enterprise； an almost exclusive monopoly；
implemented by Muslim men and women。 We cannot redeem our extremist youth； who commit
all these heinous crimes； without confronting the Sheikhs who thought it ennobling
to reinvent themselves as revolutionary ideologues； sending other people's sons and
daughters to certain death； while sending their own children to European and American
schools and colleges。〃
407
Too Many Toyotas
The problems of the too sick； the too disempowered； and the too humiliated are all
in their own ways keeping the world from becoming entirely flat。 They may do so even
more in the future； if they are not properly addressed。 But another barrier to the
flattening of the world is emerging； one that is not a human constraint but a natural
resource constraint。 If millions of people from India； China； Latin America； and the
former Soviet Empire who were living largely outside the flat world all start to walk
onto the flat world playing field at once…and all come with their own dream of owning
a car； a house； a refrigerator； a microwave； and a toaster…we are going to experience
either a serious energy shortage or； worse； wars over energy that would have a
profoundly unflattening effect on the world。
As I mentioned earlier； I visited Beijing in the summer of2004 with my wife and teenage
daughter； Natalie。 Before we left； I said to Natalie； 〃You're really going to like
this city。 They have these big bicycle lanes on all the main roads。 Maybe when we
get there we can rent bikes and just ride around Beijing。 I did that last time I was
there； and it was a lot of fun。〃
Silly Tom。 I hadn't been to Beijing in three years； and just in that brief period
of time the explosive growth there had wiped out many of those charming bicycle lanes。
They had been either shrunken or eliminated to add another lane for automobiles and
buses。 The on