Muslim Rage: ‘Clash of Civilizations’ as Imperialism Key Narrative

It is hard to contest that 9/11 was the opening salvo of the notion of “clash of civilizations”: a simple yet effective concept to justify a state of permanent war. Permanent wars against elusive enemies generate a constant state of fear which, in return, allows governments to curtail some of the most basic liberties. What is better than a concept such as an endless war on terror to justify any action against any country? If the narrative of “clash of civilizations” started 11 years ago in the immediate aftermath of 9/11/2001, more recent events in the Middle East show that we are still living in this nightmarish engineered reality. The notion of conflict of civilizations has much more in common with crusades or clashes between religions than clashes between actual cultures or people. It is concocted and fueled by the rulers of the global system to create conflicts between people who are intrinsically on the same side. It is the ultimate tool of repression invented by the global one percent to keep the 99 percent divided.

The irrational emotional components that come with the three main monotheist religions are great tools to manipulate people who strictly follow this type of belief system. If 9/11 was a perfect excuse to attack and invade Afghanistan and Iraq, more recent events in the Middle East provide the perfect rational for the Obama administration to deploy combat troops in Libya, Yemen and wherever else he will deem necessary in the coming days, to “protect US personnel and facilities.” The troops are unlikely to leave anytime soon. Once again, the notion that we are in a state of permanent war can justify any and all imperialist actions. The current Muslim rage is creating fear is the West, which will conveniently prepare public opinion in the United States and Western Europe with the notion that new invasions and wars — let us say against Iran — are needed.

In the past few days, anger directed towards the US, Israel and Western Europe has exploded all over the Middle East, starting with Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. It is now spreading as far as Bangladesh and Indonesia and also to Europe and any country with a substantial Muslim community, such as Australia. Demonstrations, sometimes violent, have spread like wild fire across the world in the fronts of embassies or consulates and also businesses symbolizing the US. The spark was an obscure and poorly made film, apparently directed by an Israeli citizen living in the US, that depicts the prophet Muhammad as a womanizer and child molester.

The rage engulfing the Arab world and far beyond all of Islam goes much deeper than a film. The wave of optimism that spread last year in the Middle East has been replaced by deep frustration and a sense of alienation. The Arab people are realizing that they have been robbed of what they perceived to be the unstoppable 2011 Arab revolution. Autocrats have been kicked out of power from Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen, but they have been either replaced by Islamist fundamentalists such as the Muslim Brotherhood or the Salafis : all financed and acting on behalf of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, or directly disposed off, like Qaddafi in Libya and probably very soon al-Assad in Syria, by the US and NATO. Overall, the US, Israel and Western Europe are meddling even more in the affairs of the Middle East than before the Arab Spring. The empire and its allies are actively promoting the Talibanization of the entire region with the enthusiastic support and complicity of the autocrats who rule Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Meanwhile the Arab people, either Sunni or Shiites, and further, all Muslims, have come to realize that, despite all the claims of the contrary, they are the pawns in a tragic geopolitical imbroglio where fostering conflicts, to justify invasions and resources grabbing, is always on the agenda. Syria is a perfect case study in this sort of exercise, as was Iraq in 2003. The current alliance of Israel and Saudi Arabia is quite telling in this regard. The Saudis want a Sunni dominance in the Middle East under their control, and they are as eager as Israel to attack Iran to diminish the role of Shiites within Islam. The Saudis, as well as the Islamist fundamentalists on their payroll, and the Israelis are only friends if friendship is defined by being the “enemy of my enemy.” In this case, it is of course the build up to attack Iran. The US and UK have been bringing yet more military assets into the Straight of Hormuz, and the tension in the region could give Israel a perfect excuse for a strike on Iran.

Editor’s Note: All photographs by Pan-African News Wire.