A major problem in the Bush era was that most conscious human beings could see that Dubya was a fool fighting an asshole, and it was highly probable that nothing good would come of it. When the focus shifted to Iraq, people had to wonder why George Bush was no longer seeking to kill or capture the Black Sheep of the Bin Laden family, close friends and business associates of the Bush family. There was a credibility issue, and though Bin Laden was and is a spoiled brat rich kid who didn't get enough love from his dad, the media and global leaders seem unable to call him what he is. This Nigerian banker's son is another wealthy weakling, but though he's small fry, the connection to the Yemeni Imam reveals a terrifying and powerul trend.
According to wikipedia.org:
Al-Awlaki's name came up in nearly a dozen terrorism cases recently in the US, UK, and Canada. In each case suspects (including suicide bombers in the 2005 London bombings, radical Islamic terrorists in the 2006 Toronto terrorism case, and radical Islamic terrorists in the 2007 Fort Dix attack plot) were devoted to al-Awlaki's message, which they listened to on laptops, audio clips, and CDs. Michael Finton (Talib Islam), who attempted on September 24, 2009, to bomb the Federal Building and the adjacent offices of Congressman Aaron Schock in Springfield, Illinois, with one ton of explosives, admired al-Awlaki and quoted him on his Myspace page. In addition to his website, al-Awlaki had a Facebook page with a substantial percentage of "fans" from the US, many of whom were high school students.
I haven't had the opportunity yet to study the politics, religion and ideology of al-Awlaki vis a vis Bin Laden, but this needs to be done in both academic and journalistic circles. As a Wahabi supporter and regional al-Qaeda leader, clearly this US-born traitor has been active in encouraging violent attacks against innocents, and whether he lives or dies, it is important that his ideas be refuted and students in elementary school, high school, vocational colleges and universities globally be taught about Tolstoy and Ghandi and MLK and Mandela, and within Islamic cultures, local heroes who brought progress to their peoples through benign leadership. Young people need to know that non-violent protests have proven to provide the most beneficial, long lasting change; Muslims in the USA and Canada must teach about the freedoms and responsibilities of the democratic citizen. Palestine yearns for a Mandela or Ghandi of their own, and the whole planet seeks a peaceful path to justice and sustainability.
It's time for a global summit of Sunni and Shia leaders, to discuss the immediate implementation of the youth education and enlightenment programs, and the longer term unifying of the faithful; THIS is the moment to take back Islam for the people and not allow a tiny minority to tar and feather the faith with false bravado and anti-women politricks.
President Obama and other global leaders must encourage the expression of truth and support the rights of women everywhere, even when it is politically difficult and more expedient to turn a blind eye. A big move towards peace between Israel and Palestine will give the Middle East and the world some hope, and if a permanent arrangement creating and properly financing a Palestinian State can be signed, the global potential for negotiations and compromise will be on the upswing.
Peace and Prosperity are dividends of the pursuits of justice and sustainability, so let all men, women and children yearn and strive for human dignity, and walk into the town square hand-in-hand, unafraid of temporal powers, in full submission to the All Knowing, All Powerful, Absolute Being; Inshallah.
Doubtless, though, if we of the West can lift our boot from the middle east's collective necks, they will, to a great extent, stop flailing away at us.
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