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coming onto the job market every year。 But the good jobs are not being produced at
home； because the environment of openness required to attract international
investment and stimulate local innovation is all too rare in the Arab…Muslim world
today。 That virtuous cycle of universities spinning off people and ideas； and then
those people
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and ideas getting funded and creating new jobs； simply does not exist there。 Theodore
Dalrymple is a physician and psychiatrist who practices in England and writes a column
for the London Spectator。 He wrote an essay in City journal； the urban policy magazine
（Spring 2004）； about what he learned from his contacts with Muslim youth in British
prisons。 Dalrymple noted that most schools of Islam today treat the Qu'ran as a
divinely inspired text that is not open to any literary criticism or creative
reinterpretation。 It is a sacred book to be memorized； not adapted to the demands
and opportunities of modern life。 But without a culture that encourages； and creates
space for； such creative reinterpretation； critical thought and original thinking
tend to whither。 This may explain why so few world…class scientific papers cited by
other scholars come out of the Arab…Muslim universities。
If the West had made Shakespeare 〃the sole object of our study and the sole guide
of our lives；〃 said Dalrymple； 〃we would soon enough fall into backwardness and
stagnation。 And the problem is that so many Muslims want both stagnation and power：
they want a return to the perfection of the seventh century and to dominate the
twenty…first； as they believe is the birthright of their doctrine； the last testament
of God to man。 If they were content to exist in a seventh…century backwater； secure
in a quietist philosophy； there would be no problem for them or us； their problem；
and ours； is that they want the power that free inquiry confers； without either the
free inquiry or the philosophy and institutions that guarantee that free inquiry。
They are faced with a dilemma： either they abandon their cherished religion； or they
remain forever in the rear of human technical advance。 Neither alternative is very
appealing； and the tension between their desire for power and success in the modern
world on the one hand； and their desire not to abandon their religion on the other；
is resolvable for some only by exploding themselves as bombs。 People grow angry when
faced with an intractable dilemma； they lash out。〃
Indeed； talk to young Arabs and Muslims anywhere； and this cognitive dissonance and
the word 〃humiliation〃 always come up very quickly in conversation。 It was revealing
that when Mahathir Mohammed made his October 16； 2003； farewell speech as prime
minister of Malaysia at an Islamic summit he was hosting in his own country； he built
his remarks
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to his fellow Muslim leaders around the question of why their civilization had become
so humiliated…a term he used five times。 〃I will not enumerate the instances of our
humiliation；〃 said Mahathir。 〃Our only reaction is to become more and more angry。
Angry people cannot think properly。 There is a feeling of hopelessness among the
Muslim countries and their people。 They feel they can do nothing right。 。 。〃
This humiliation is the key。 It has always been my view that terrorism is not spawned
by the poverty of money。 It is spawned by the poverty of dignity。 Humiliation is the
most underestimated force in international relations and in human relations。 It is
when people or nations are humiliated that they really lash out and engage in extreme
violence。 When you take the economic and political backwardness of much of the
Arab…Muslim world today； add its past grandeur and self…image of religious
superiority； and combine it with the discrimination and alienation these Arab…Muslim
males face when they leave home and move to Europe； or when they grow up in Europe；
you have one powerful cocktail of rage。 As my friend the Egyptian playwright Ali Salem
said of the 9/11 hijackers； they 〃are walking the streets of life； searching for tall
buildings…for towers to bring down； because they are not able to be tall like them。〃
I fear that this sense of frustration that feeds recruits to bin Laden may get worse
before it gets better。 In the old days； leaders could count on walls and mountains
and valleys to obstruct their people's view and keep them ignorant and passive about
where they stood in comparison to others。 You could see only to the next village。
But as the world gets flatter； people can see for miles and miles。
In the flat world you get your humiliation dishedup toyou fiber…optically。 I stumbled
across a fascinating example of this involving bin Laden himself。 On January 4； 2004；
bin Laden issued one of his taped messages through al…Jazeera； the satellite
television network based in Qatar。 On March 7； the Web site of the Islamic Studies
and Research Center published the entire text。 One paragraph jumped out at me。 It
is in the middle of a section in which bin Laden is discussing the various evils of
Arab rulers； particularly the Saudi ruling family。
〃Thus； the situation of all Arab countries suffers from great deterioration in all
walks of life； in religious and worldly matters；〃 says bin Laden。
〃It is enough to know that the economy of all Arab countries is weaker than the economy
of one country that had once been part of our ＇Islamic＇ world when we used to truly
adhere to Islam。 That country is the lost Andalusia。 Spain is an infidel country；
but its economy is stronger than our economy because the ruler there is accountable。
In our countries； there is no accountability or punishment； but there is only
obedience to the rulers and prayers of long life for them。〃
The hair on my arms stood up when I read that。 Why？ Because what bin Laden was referring
to was the first Arab Human Development Report； which came out in July 2002； well
after he had been evicted from Afghanistan and was probably hiding out in a cave
somewhere。 The Arab authors of the report wanted to grab the attention of the Arab
world as to how far behind it had fallen。 So they looked for a country that had a
GDP slightly more than that of all twenty…two Arab states combined。 When they ran
down the tables； the country that fit that bill perfectly was Spain。 It could have
been Norway or Italy； but Spain happened to have a GDP just slightly larger than all
the Arab states together。 Somehow； bin Laden heard or read about this first Arab Human
Development Report from his cave。 For all I know； he may have read my own column about
it； which was thefirst to highlight the report and stressedthe comparison withSpain。
Or maybe he got it off the Internet。 The report was downloaded from the Internet some
1 million times。 So even though he was off in a cave somewhere； he could still get
this report； and its humiliating conclusion； shoved right in his face…negatively
comparing the Arab states to Spain； no less！ And when he heard that comparison；
wherever he was hiding； bin Laden took it as an insult； as a humiliation…the notion
that Christian Spain；