A rchive Date
[ 21-05-2003 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Arab-Muslims ]
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[http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/stanway.html
Muslim countries must fight terrorism
By PAUL STANWAY -- Edmonton Sun
May 21, 2003
It's clear that George W. Bush was a little premature a few weeks ago, amid the euphoria following the U.S. victory in Iraq, when he announced that al-Qaida was "on the run" and "not a problem anymore." If the war on terrorism wasn't exactly won, it was heading in that direction.
Well, the events of recent days speak for themselves. Forty-one dead in Casablanca, Morocco, another 34 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and a renewed wave of suicide bombings in Israel, killing 15 people.
The recriminations and finger-pointing have already begun, with Democrats in Washington and Bush's opponents in the media claiming the president had his priorities wrong in "putting the invasion of Iraq ahead of the war on terrorism."
I'm not sure how one cancels out the other, and I'm sure Bush's opponents don't either, but the spate of attacks since last October's bombing of a nightclub and bar in Bali, Indonesia, underline the truth in Bush's earlier comments that the war on terrorism would "be long and difficult," with no quick or certain outcome. He should return to that script and stick to it.
It also appears that the Islamic fundamentalist terror network has, temporarily at least, gone back to its roots. While many of the targets and victims of recent terrorism have been western or Jewish, all of the incidents above took place in Muslim countries or Israel and were carried out by local Saudis, Moroccans, Indonesians and Palestinians.
I'm not pointing this out to suggest western countries can be smug or casual about the possibility of attacks in North America or Europe, but western security agencies have arrested several dozen key suspects and rolled up a number of terror networks. Coupled with increased (if far from perfect) airport and border security, that has made things more difficult for the terrorists.
So, they have returned to more traditional "soft" targets in predominantly Muslim countries - and for very good reasons. Local support and half-hearted security measures make it easier for them to operate.
There is still much denial about this in the Muslim world and in the West. According to the Moroccan foreign minister, his government believes "there is a foreign hand" behind the Casablanca attacks, despite the fact every one of the terrorists was Moroccan. Jack Straw, the British foreign secretary, suggested the suicide bombings were likely the result of Morocco's support for the Middle East peace process. He also claimed: "It is not accidental that we have had these terrorist outrages directed at Morocco, one of the most modern and advanced of Arab societies."
Perhaps that's a factor. Saudi Arabia, the other recent Arab target, also supports a Middle East peace process - sort of. But Saudi Arabia is a repressive police state where arbitrary arrest and torture are commonplace and human rights is not. What do the Moroccan and Saudi monarchies have in common?
The answer, of course, is that anti-western Islamic fundamentalism finds a home in all Muslim countries - to a greater or lesser extent. Morocco thought liberalism, a degree of democracy and ignoring the problem were an antidote. Saudi Arabia thought appeasement of the fundamentalists and strict limitations on human rights was the answer. They both appear to have been wrong.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, has tried a bit of everything over the years, including western-bashing and complaints about the "colonial legacy." But the Indonesians have perhaps finally had enough with denying that this is, essentially, an internal problem. Since the Bali bombing, the leader of the major local fundamentalist group has been put on trial for treason and 18 other alleged leaders of the organization are in jail.
And evidence that the Bali bombers were supported by separatist rebels from Aceh province has now prompted the government to end a civil war that has been going on there for 26 years. More than 30,000 troops have massed in the resource-rich, staunchly Muslim region, and the federal government says it will stamp out the separatist movement "once and for all." Maybe it will work and maybe it won't, but the lesson from all of this is that the war on Islamic terrorism must be fought and won by the Muslim world, for the sake of its own peace and stability. The West can and will look after itself.
Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@edm.sunpub.com
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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