[Dean's World] Scott Kirwin: Resisting the Siren's Call

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Posted by Scott Kirwin:
Resisting the Siren's Call
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1172773706.shtml


   The week here has been dominated by Deanâs so-called âLine in the
   Sand.â While much â perhaps too much â has been written about this
   issue, it has occurred at the same time I have been talking to Aziz
   via email.

   I started the conversation when he mentioned he didnât support Kurdish
   nationalism. I have been a strong supporter of Kurdish rights since my
   early college days when, as a member of Amnesty International, I wrote
   letters to Saddam Hussein and the Turkish Government on behalf of
   jailed Kurdish political prisoners.

   I was surprised by Azizâs stance, one of many that he holds that we
   simply cannot agree on. In that regard he is a lot like Michael
   Demmons, another Deaniac whom I just canât seem to find common ground
   with. Azizâs comment about the Kurds lead me to contact him indirectly
   through Dean just to satisfy my curiosity and learn what made this guy
   âtickâ.

   During this process, I learned that a lot has been going on around
   Deanâs World. I'd say that I had underestimated the level of vitriol
   flowing through his website. I don't read everything there, and tend
   to take the weekend off from the computer - meaning I miss a lot of
   posts.

   Much of this vitriol had to do with some really nasty stuff about
   Islam and Deanâs supposed âdhimmitudeâ in âprotectingâ them. Iâve
   never met Dean personally, and Iâve spoken to him once â but from what
   Iâve learned about him Iâd have to say that the people who claim that
   are complete nutters and need to up their medications. Seriously,
   throwing a billion people into the same ideological cave as Bin Laden
   and Dean Esmay into Noam Chomsky's Bentley is dumb. Stupid.
   Short-sighted and dare I say, even wrong.

   Prior to 9-11, I never really thought about the collective "Islam" or
   "Muslims". Having lived in Africa for a year, many of those who helped
   me out or befriended me during my stay were Muslim. I couldn't tell
   you which sect they belonged to just as I would be hard pressed to
   tell you which Protestant sect the kids I played with while growing up
   belonged to.

   After 9-11 I felt somewhat betrayed. It was irrational: after all, Jan
   Mohammed - an elderly friend in Kigoma Tanzania whose home was adorned
   with huge posters of the Aga Khan (making him a member of the Shiâa
   Ismaili sect) - did not slam those airplanes into the World Trade
   Center. His wife, who served me fresh yogurt in their home, knew I was
   American and if anything, treated me better for being one. Which leads
   me to a dirty little secret, and one that Michael Totten could
   probably attest to: As an American youâre more likely to be treated
   BETTER for being an American. Yes I have run into trouble in places,
   but in my travels I have met many more âsaintsâ than âsinnersâ and
   have been treated better for being an American than say, a Canadian.

   But I digress as usual. After 9-11 the messages of the anti-Muslim
   Right became somewhat of a siren song, and at times it was hard to
   resist.

   But like any siren song, to absorb it leads only to disaster. I'm a
   strong supporter of Israel and the United States, but to wall-off an
   entire group of people as "the enemy" simply because a few are insane
   and evil doesn't make much sense.

   The GWOT is not a Global War on Islam; to believe that is to believe
   exactly what Osama Bin-Laden wants us to believe because by doing so,
   we pursue policies that undermine our own society and alienate the
   very people we need to assist us to help grind Bin Laden's bones into
   powder. Maybe this is why I'm not all that upset about what Dean has
   done.

   I suppose that is also why I continue to support the Iraq War. I want
   to see a democratic Iraq emerge from the Middle East in the same way
   that Japan arose from the morass of East Asia generations ago. A
   democratic, multi-ethnic Iraq would prove conclusively that America
   and Islam were not enemies, and that would put the lie to Osama's
   musings. So far the war hasn't gone as well as I would have liked, but
   then again, it is far from over and it may take decades for the seeds
   planted there to truly grow.

   Any how, what Dean has done is done. Enough has been written about it,
   so I'm going to stop and get back to work. However, note that while I
   may shake my head in disbelief at Azizâs belief that Jimmy Carter -aka
   St. Jimmy - is a great statesman, I donât feel the need to bash his â
   or anyone elseâs religious beliefs.