HOW TO WIN A COSMIC WAR

September 11th 2001 is a date with special significance for most people around the world, although perhaps not for the same reasons. For some it represents inexplicable cruelty towards innocent people whereas others see it as a glorious victory for the righteous few over a ruthless superpower. For most Westerners it also meant a new and shocking suspicion that Islam is far from the peace-loving religion it used to be seen as. But what really happened? That a small group of men hijacked a number of aircraft and flew them into the World Trade Centre, and other targets, is an undisputable fact. That they also performed these acts in the name of Islam, as self-proclaimed Jihadist fighters is also well accepted. But does this also mean that there is a direct link between Jihadist extremists and Islam? No, definitely not, says Reza Aslan. He goes on to argue this case very thoroughly in this book. Nobody in their right mind, Jihadists included, would argue that the people killed on September 11th had done anything wrong: they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The intention behind the attacks was to capture the world's attention for their cause. In this they definitely succeeded. Al-Qa'ida claims to be fighting a cosmic war aimed at achieving global transformation and leading to a new world order. As to exactly how this will be achieved, neither the perpetrators of 9/11 nor al-Qa'ida, as an organisation, have any specific plans. They don't think that having a plan is necessary. As long as they are willing to martyr themselves, God or Allah will do the rest. Unfortunately for us all, President Bush picked up this cosmic war aspect straight away and declared war on terror and started a crusade to rid the world of evil (strongly backed by many American fundamentalist Christians). The cosmic war was a fact. But, as Aslan points out, the only way to win a cosmic war is to refuse to fight in one. To try to combat an enemy that can only be identified by their level of 'evil' is something only a fool could see as a road forward. The real result, as we have experienced in different parts of the world since 9/11, has been to convert ordinary Muslims into Jihadist terrorists. This of course has, in turn, led, in a downward spiral, to an increasing hostility between Muslims and non-Muslims the world over. To escape this scenario, Aslan says, we need to increase our understanding of what is really happening and why. For example, why is religion a stronger force in the world today than it was a hundred years ago? During the last century there was a move from religion to nation states as points of reference for the individual identity. But, as Aslan points out, the huge movements of people around the world has lead to an erosion of national identity. People from one culture moving to another (as has been the case for many Muslims) need to find a new identity and place in their host society. If this process is undermined by prejudices and discrimination etc (as has been the case in many countries) it often creates an 'identity vacuum' for the immigrant. It is this weakness that has been exploited by organisations such as al-Qai'da that has offered an (albeit negative) new identity for young Muslim men around the world. Aslan's suggestion as to how to reverse this situation is to move away from the religious aspects, focus on addressing the underlying grievances which underlie the cosmic war scenario. As he explains in detail, neither Islam (nor other religions) are to be blamed for the violent acts that may be performed in their name. So rather than talking about 'clashing civilisations' we need to start looking for what we have in common as human beings. As science confirms, all human beings have a shared interest in living in peace with their neighbours. Our goal should therefore be to create the right balance of responsibility and freedom in all countries around the world. Real democracy is by far the preferred way forward in all countries. And perhaps, with a longer experience of working democracies, the western world may have to lead the way. But not in the way America has done in the past. To really create a positive way forward will involve acceptance and tolerance of different views as well as protecting our ways of doing things, Aslan argues. In short, it will demand that we bring out the best in us. We will need to move away from an 'us and them' attitude towards people from different cultures, towards one of mutual respect even when we don't share the same cultural background. In many ways this may be one of the greatest challenges the human species has had to face in a very long time. With a fast growing world population, we are simply forced to start working together. If we can't succeed in this the most likely scenario is that we will start far bigger wars over limited resources and cause far greater cruelty than any terrorists could achieve. It is a great help to have dedicated and knowledgeable scholars like Reza Aslan to help us in this process.