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wherever he was hiding； bin Laden took it as an insult； as a humiliation…the notion
that Christian Spain； a country that was once controlled by Muslims； had a greater
GDP today than all the Arab states combined。 The authors of this report were themselves
Arabs and Muslims； they were not trying to humiliate anyone…but that was how bin Laden
interpreted it。 And I am certain he got this dose of humiliation over a modem at 56K。
They may even have broadband now in Tora Bora。
And having gotten his dose of humiliation this way； bin Laden and his emulators have
learned to give it right back in the same coin。 Want to understand why the
Islamo…Leninists behead Americans in Iraq and
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Saudi Arabia and then distribute pictures on the Internet with the bloody head of
the body resting on the headless corpse？ It is because there is no more humiliating
form of execution than chopping off someone's head。 It is a way of showing utter
contempt for that person and his or her physical being。 It is no accident that the
groups in Iraq who beheaded Americans dressed them first in the same orange jumpsuits
that al…Qaeda prisoners in Guantanamo Bay are forced to wear。 They had to learn about
those jumpsuits either over the Internet or satellite TV。 But it amazes me that in
the middle of the Iraq war they were able to have the exact same jumpsuits made in
Iraq to dress their prisoners in。 You humiliate me； I humiliate you。 And what do you
suppose terrorist leader Abu Musab al…Zarqawi said in his audiotape released on
September 11； 2004； the third anniversary of 9/11？ He said； 〃The holy warriors made
the international coalition taste humiliation 。 。 。 lessons from which they are still
burning。〃 The tape was titled 〃Where Is the Honor？〃
As I said； however； this frustration and humiliation is not confined to the Islamist
fringes。 The reason why the Islamo…Leninists have become the most energized and
pronounced opponents of globalization/ Americanization and the biggest threat to the
flattening of the world today is not simply their extraordinary violence； but also
because they enjoy some passive support around the Arab…Muslim world。
In part； this is because most governments in the Arab…Muslim world have refused to
take on these radicals in a war of ideas。 While Arab regimes have been very active
in jailing their Islamo…Leninists when they can find and arrest them； they have been
very passive in countering them with a modern； progressive interpretation of Islam。
This is because almost all of these Arab…Muslim leaders are illegitimate themselves。
Having come to power by force； they have no credibility as carriers of a moderate；
progressive Islam； and they always feel vulnerable to hard…line Muslim preachers；
who denounce them for not being good Muslims。 So instead of taking on the Muslim
radicals； the Arab regimes either throw them in jail or try to buy them off。 This
leaves a terrible spiritual and political void。
But the other reason for the passive support that the Islamo…Leninists enjoy…and the
fact that they are able to raise so much money through
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charities and mosques in the Arab…Muslim world…is that too many good decent people
there feel the same frustration and tinge of humiliation that many of their most
enraged youth do。 And there is a certain respect for the way these violent youth have
been ready to stand up to the world and to their own leaders and defend the honor
of their civilization。 When I visited Qatar a few months after 9/11； a friend of mine
there…a sweet； thoughtful； liberal person who works for the Qatari government…
confided to me something in a whisper that was deeply troubling to him： 〃My
eleven…year…old son thinks bin Laden is a good man。〃
Most middle…class Arabs and Muslims； I am convinced； were not celebrating the death
of three thousand innocent Americans on 9/11。 I know my Arab and Muslim friends were
not。 But many Arabs and Muslims were celebrating the idea of putting a fist in
America's face… and they were quietly applauding the men who did it。 They were happy
to see someone humiliating the people and the country that they felt was humiliating
them and supporting what they saw as injustice in their world…whether it is America's
backing of Arab kings and dictators who export oil to it or America's backing of Israel
whether it does the right things or the wrong things。
Most American blacks； I am sure； had little doubt that O。 J。 Simpson murdered his
ex…wife； but they applauded his acquittal as a stick in the eye of the Los Angeles
Police Department and a justice system that they saw as consistently humiliating and
unfair to them。 Humiliation does that to people。 Bin Laden is to the Arab masses what
O。J。 was to many American blacks…the stick they poke in the eye of an 〃unfair〃 America
and their own leaders。 I once interviewed Dyab Abou Jahjah； often called the Malcolm
X of Belgium's alienated Moroccan youth。 I asked him what he and his friends thought
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 despit