Can you spot the difference?Some American law enforcement authorities have decided to take some tips from xenophobic far-Right bloggers who have claimed the existence of ‘Sudden Jihad Syndrome’ (SJS).
Apparently SJS is an affliction whereby a person with some kind of Muslim faith and/or ancestry and/or heritage decides for some inexplicable reason to attack America in some way.
The Washington Times (a right wing newspaper owned by business interests linked to an ultraconservative Korean pastor who claima to have met Jesus on a Korean mountainside) cites a December 6 report from the Texas Public Safety Department’s Bureau of Information Analysis which states:
Oftentimes, these attackers are dismissed as suffering from mental health issues, but their own words and writings reveal an affiliation with Islamic supremacy or an affinity for Islamic extremism ... As a result, law enforcement should not be too quick to judge their attacks as having no nexus to terrorism.
The Washington Times report also cites an al-Qaeda theorist I’ve never heard of named Abul Mu’ab al-Suri who has apparently written a book entitled “Call to Global Islamic Resistance”. No indication is given as to when this book was written or whether it was written in the context of a particular conflict or even what language the book first appeared in. Now are we made aware as to what position Mr al-Suri apparently holds within the al-Qaeda hierarchy.
What we do know is that there have been two reported incidents of people from Muslim backgrounds who have apparently committed violent acts. Among them was a 15 year old boy who apparently owned an airplane which he crashed into a Tampa office building.
I’m not sure how a 15 year old could own a plane, let alone be able to fly it. I’m also not certain how an allegedly serious newspaper could write a serious report of such a patently absurd concept as Sudden Jihad Syndrome.
It only makes sense when one takes into account that so many cultural warriors from the far-Right are suffering from their own kind of syndrome for which I’d like to propose a name – Sudden Team America Syndrome.
Basically this syndrome involves presuming that all persons of Muslim and/or Middle Eastern background have a propensity toward violence and are always looking for opportunities to put a jihad on you, me and just about anyone too Westernised or Americanised for their liking.
Among those who suffer from this syndrome are prominent far-Right fruitloop writers like Daniel Pipes and Mark Steyn. During his last visit to Australia at the invitation of the Centre for Independent Studies, Steyn actually suggested that some young jihadists actually commit terrorist acts “in the name of Muhammad”.
Seriously, if you do anything in the name of Muhammad in the presence of a jihadist, he’ll probably kill you first for committing idolatry by equating the Prophet Muhammad with God. Unless, of course, he belonged to the Dawat-e-Islami crowd. You know. The dudes who wear the hari pagris (green turbans).But what would Steyn care of such obvious theological points. His goal isn’t to inform. His goal is to generate as much hatred as possible.
Steyn and his ilk are as simplistic in their understanding of genuine religious extremism as the clay puppets from that terrific flick Team America. For them, Muslims all speak the language of “jerka jerka jihad jihad”.
So why have Texan law enforcement authorities decided to take such nonsense seriously? I dunno. Maybe there’s something in Texan water. Maybe having a somewhat simple chap as governor for all these years has compromised their faculties. Or maybe someone showed them one of Dubya’s foreign policy speeches before the Iraq war and presumed it was al-Suri.
I just hope our own law enforcement authorities don’t start suffering from STAS. Though given some of the questions asked during the Haneef investigation, you’d have to wonder.
Words © 2008 Irfan Yusuf
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8 comments:
"Basically this syndrome involves presuming that all persons of Muslim and/or Middle Eastern background have a propensity toward violence ..."
Pardon me?
You, sir, are an idiot!
I will donate $100 to the chairty of your choice if you can show me one documented example where anyone in the news media -- conservative or otherwise, 'STAS' or otherwise -- has ever once stated that "all persons of Muslim and/or Middle Eastern background have a propensity toward violence."
Bet you can't!
Regards,
KEVIN NIENHUIS
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
kevin, you must be blind? haven't you read anywhere the notion that islam is a violent faith and that muslims have a propensity toward violence?
haven't you read Mark Steyn or ayaan hirsi ali, theodore dalrymple, paul sheehan, etc?
how about removing your head from the sand.
And how about supplying the quote?
You obviously can't so instead insult and make vague references to other writers.
It's been said, by Muslims themselves, that there are far too few Muslim intellectuals.
You seem to be just another example of this readily apparent paupacity.
That Islam is a violent faith is easily identified in the Koran, but that does not mean that all Muslims are violent.
You said that "this syndrome involves presuming that all persons of Muslim and/or Middle Eastern background have a propensity toward violence ..." which is clearly a lie, as no one has said such a thing.
You've been challenged by Mr Niehuis and instead of responding to his challenge you refer instead to vague claims, and the names of authors, without identifying the material you suggest is there.
It has been said, by Muslims, that there are very few Muslim intellectuals. You've just provided further evidence to this fact.
Hey Anonymous:
Very informative comment!
Now about that "one documented example" ...
It is impossible to evaluate Islam on the basis of a single individual, whether that person be Islam or the "seemingly nice guy" at the store on the corner.
What we need to consider is the fact that their leaders have declared war on all things good, including Israel, the US and the West in general. We need to consider their long history of aggresion. We need to consider their deceit, their oppression of women, their "holy" books of hate and their ties with Nazism.
In other words, Islam is the problem and anyone truly modern needs to abandon it or die in the coming rain of fire on this unholy death cult.
http://billrosspolitics.blogspot.com
Now why would anyone have anything to fear from the so called religion of peace. Might it be a huge pile of dead bodies! See the total since 9/11 at this web site.
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
Islam is the most violent and murderous religion on the planet. Perhaps that is why we are afraid? If Islam is so great and your god so merciful, then were is the mercy?
Another good site for info is
www.jihadwatch.org
BJS, after reading your post, I think you should drop the J.
Have you ever read the magazine Quadrant? Look up their website. Read Paul Stenhouse's articles, which have also been published in The Australian newspaper.
Go to the Online Opinion website and read what John Stone has also written for The Australian.
And are you seriously suggesting that people with some link to Islam (whether by faith or heritage or ancestry) have lower IQ's? Are you a fucking nazi or what?
You clearly don't regard pedophilia as serious. You should maybe meet some victims. I guarantee you'll change your mind. Or maybe you have met some victims. Maybe you're a rock spider.
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