Introduction
This book is published while, regrettably, all world communities are stained with blood, and the earth is burdened with destruction and corruption. Most people are in a state of fear and terror. They are kept on the watch by cow madness and terrified by human madness. Their lives and security are threatened by the explosion of gunpowder above their heads and under their feet. Terrorism has disturbed their lives, poisoned their food, contaminated their water, polluted their air, destroyed the edifices of their civilization, and impeded their progress and development. Nations are being slaughtered; their livelihood plundered on the pretext of liberating them; the treasuries of their wealth are robbed with the claim of bringing them happiness; the treasures of their heritage are stolen, their civilization is distorted, and their identity is obliterated under the excuse of restoring their dignity. Nations are accused of being terrorist and branded as criminal while they are fighting for their existence, land, and dignity. Meanwhile, the person who whips and slaughters them, seizes their lands, demolishes their houses, destroys their farms, uproots their olive trees, kills their cattle and even their chickens, smothers them and imprisons them behind walls and barbed wires—the man who commits all these crimes is described by some international parties as a man of peace, the man of difficult and painful concessions. He, as they understand things, should be appreciated for his good deeds and rewarded for his merciful and humanitarian actions. They nominate him to receive the laurel of the Nobel peace award.
This book is published while the hopes of people are slaughtered in cold blood in the early years of the twenty-first century, the century we have long waited for to bring us reform and guidance and longed for to serve us as a float and a life boat. It is the century which we hoped to start the transformation of humanity from the culture of war and destruction to that of peace and construction. We set our hopes on it to be a century of dialogue and mutual acquaintance between cultures, a century of coexistence and complementarity's of civilizations. Yet, by an act of treason, it has set mankind back and turned against it to get it, once again and with downright barbarism, in the labyrinths of wars, death, and destruction. It is drowning the whole world through the horror of disasters, massacres, and tragedies, and is bringing to world communities the technology of death and annihilation.
I offer this book to future generations, while people are worried and depressed, dejected and struggling. Their souls are full of sorrows, their hearts of pain. Their hopes for the rise of the dawn of a new world – where justice, security, and stability – are evaporated. Their minds no longer entertain the enchanting, beautiful picture of the world village they have been promised, a village they have always dreamed of, yearning to live in the shade of its security and justice. But here it turns to ruins and to gloomy images. Its edifices have fallen down under smart rockets, its features have been obliterated by efficient technological lava, its lights are turned off, its universities are destroyed, the greenery in its squares have dried up, its springs are dry, the murmur of its flowing waters is silenced, and flights of doves have migrated away from its skies. Surviving children have left their schools which have been demolished over their heads. Their pens and pencils are broken, their notebooks are torn, and their bright and neat clothes are stained by their ink. They have exchanged sad and tearful looks of farewell, for they are no longer going to meet. Their songs will be heard by no one. The village meadows will no longer be adorned with their merriments and playful leaps. Field butterflies will not rejoice at their teasing and naughtiness. Their parents will no longer take pleasure in seeing them embrace and dance with roses and flowers. The waters of fountains will not get their clothes and heads wet. Birds and swallows will not clap and chirp for them. All have left, life has stopped, tulips and roses have wilted, green meadows are dry, swallows are silent, and birds have departed after a treacherous, dark, oppressive wind has swept away everything.
This book is published while terrorism is strengthening its hold on most world communities. A foundation for the culture of terrorism is established in the media, and the academic, political, and economic spheres. That culture has invaded children curricula and schools and turned classrooms and school yards into battle fields, where skillful and intelligent terrorist plans are carried out. This is neither a figurative statement nor a work of fiction. Actual events took place in more than one children school in the world, and such an event is familiar in the West. People have seen this happen in Britain and Australia. In the United States, it was witnessed in more than one state. One such incident is the tragic massacre in Minnesota. The most skillful and dangerous show of school terrorism was offered at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. On April 26, 1999, two students stormed into the school, after killing the school guard, and headed for the classroom, where they terrorized their fellow students and killed thirteen of them, as well as five of their teachers, before the town’s police unit could control the situation. Their diaries revealed that their original plan was much larger and more ambitious. They planned to kill more than 500 people and then head for the airport to hijack a plane. They intended to crash the plane in Manhattan, New York. (Arab News, 150: April 27, 1999).
What is surprising is that the file of this case was closed quietly and with solid judiciary objectivity, for the incident was regarded as an accidental occurrence committed by children or adolescents. This was done after the authorities had made sure that the culprits were, praise be to God, neither Arabs nor Muslims. Otherwise, events would have taken another, very different turn. The whole American nation and European peoples, and even the whole world community, would have been worked up. The case would have been referred to the Security Council for a quick resolution that forms an international alliance, with the aim of waging a fierce world war to crush the threat posed by the terrorism of Muslim children or adolescents.
This horrendous, terrorist plan to invade the city of New York city and destroy the edifices of Manhattan would have occurred, had it been executed as planned, more than one year before the terrifying events of September 11, 2001, in New York. Who, then, taught the world the advanced, technological terrorist techniques, our children or theirs? Who came up with the idea of striking against major metropolises with airplanes, our adolescents or theirs? Our fools or theirs? That is, if the charge against our fools is a valid one.
Or is it that all of them emerge from the same niche? I really do not know.
Is it the niche of a frivolous, educational and cultural, environment in the world, which has become greatly influential, in a severely negative manner, on the behavior of human generations in general?
Or is it the niche of spiritual vacuum, affective emptiness, and religious mania and stupidity, which, unfortunately, have become world-wide phenomena?
Or is it the niche of the culture of Hollywood and of horror and crime movies which fill the lives of our children and young people and fosters in them a culture of violence, rebellion, and thirst for revenge, which is evident at home and in school, and in the spread of all forms of crime.
Or is it the niche of international anger, despair, and frustration felt by most people, children and young and old people, due to what they see as a phenomenon of domination, control, injustice, and aggression against human dignity and the sacredness of his life, and also due to another phenomenon they see and suffer from in most communities: the growing militarization of social and international relations at the expense of the culture of justice, security, and peace?
I really do not know from what niche this state of international horror, terror, and frivolity emerges. Perhaps from a combination of some or all of the above mentioned causes. It is a matter that requires further research and investigation.
What I do know and stress is that terrorism is an international phenomenon of abnormal behavior. It has no particular religion, homeland, or nationality. It is also certain that it is the wayward behavioral translation of a ferocious, errant culture, and the stupid, crazy echo of abnormal, malignant values. To be fair, it is our obligation to say that terrorism, regrettably, is an erroneous, stupid, and illegitimate behavior and action in response to legitimate anger. This make it our duty, the duty of this nation’s wise men, intellectuals, and officials to take a most serious and objective initiative to investigate the causes that gave birth to this epidemic, dangerous, cultural virus; to arrive at plans and solutions; and to mobilize the proper skills to eradicate this plague and rid societies of its causes and evil effects.
This book is published to offer a very brief account of the deteriorating world security situation. It is a book that carries concern, anxiety, and fear of the collapse of the world order, after some world parties have turned it into a cracking wall, tilting and ready to fall. By its collapse, these parties want to burn the last international tent in which people seek shade, and to destroy with it the only shelter for mankind, faulty and deficient as it is. Once this takes place, humanity will be left to the jaws of the world’s financial sharks and the rulers of magnetizing centers of the world’s economy, which are in control of the decisions, policies, and destinies of human progress, with no one to watch or ask questions.
Finally, this book is published with pages burdened with worries and covered with wounds. It is, however, full of confidence and hope. Its trust in God is great, it holds in high esteem the rational and wise among people, and it believes in the promise made by the Lord of Might and Majesty. It believes and asserts that falsehood, oppression, and tyranny may win one round, but truth and justice will win many rounds and onslaughts. The book comes with a conviction that the rational and wise men and reformers of the world unanimously believe that the current disorder in the world must end and vanish, that the wave of corruption on earth must stop, that the tree of injustice and aggression must be completely and irrevocably uprooted, and that the tree of justice must grow up and stand high, so that people may enjoy the shade of its security and tenderness. At the same time, however, they wonder how that is going to be achieved, what road leads to it, and who will make an opening in the wall of this suffocating siege. They ask who will light a candle for us in the tunnel of this bleak darkness, who will pour the first drop of water to extinguish these fires, and who will offer an effective prescription to put an end to the plague of being corrupted and corrupting the earth.
In my estimation, this book represents, with God’s assistance and support, a modest attempt to answer those who are crying for help throughout the world. It also aims to offer a sincere and kind advice, as well as a personal insight in regards to the questions raised above, in the hope that it will be subject to consideration and deliberation by people of knowledge, thought, and experience to adopt what is good in it, to forgive the author any mistakes or inaccuracies in his work, to offer him advice and assistance, and to pray to God to forgive, guide, and correct him. It is from God that we get help, and He, the Most Sublime, guides us to the straight path.
The Author
From His Book (partners ... not guardians)
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To the Nation’s leaders - To the Nation’s scholars and intellectuals - To leaders of the world |
All Rights Reserved For The Author Prof. Dr. Hamid Al-Rifaie