Tom Friedman on the Terrorist Narrative
An unusually common sense piece from Tom Friedman in the NY Times. He takes up a question that many of us would consider common sensical but which most of his compatriots in the media have been willfully ignoring, the terrorist motivation of Nidal Hassan.
Here’s my take: Major Hasan may have been mentally unbalanced — I assume anyone who shoots up innocent people is. But the more you read about his support for Muslim suicide bombers, about how he showed up at a public-health seminar with a PowerPoint presentation titled “Why the War on Terror Is a War on Islam,” and about his contacts with Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni cleric famous for using the Web to support jihadist violence against America — the more it seems that Major Hasan was just another angry jihadist spurred to action by “The Narrative.”
What is scary is that even though he was born, raised and educated in America, The Narrative still got to him.
The Narrative is the cocktail of half-truths, propaganda and outright lies about America that have taken hold in the Arab-Muslim world since 9/11. Propagated by jihadist Web sites, mosque preachers, Arab intellectuals, satellite news stations and books — and tacitly endorsed by some Arab regimes — this narrative posits that America has declared war on Islam, as part of a grand “American-Crusader-Zionist conspiracy” to keep Muslims down.
Yes, after two decades in which U.S. foreign policy has been largely dedicated to rescuing Muslims or trying to help free them from tyranny — in Bosnia, Darfur, Kuwait, Somalia, Lebanon, Kurdistan, post-earthquake Pakistan, post-tsunami Indonesia, Iraq and Afghanistan — a narrative that says America is dedicated to keeping Muslims down is thriving.
Although most of the Muslims being killed today are being killed by jihadist suicide bombers in Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Indonesia, you’d never know it from listening to their world. The dominant narrative there is that 9/11 was a kind of fraud: America’s unprovoked onslaught on Islam is the real story, and the Muslims are the real victims — of U.S. perfidy.
That is about as good a look at the problem we face right now as I have ever read in the major media. It highlights the good we have done for millions of Muslims around the world and notes that in return we not only get no credit, but we get lies, misinformation and a focused hatred. He also identifies the problem, a “Narrative” that is fairly pervasive and highly inaccurate about the US and our actions and intentions.
There are far too many people worldwide who have no real idea about the massive amounts of humanitarian assistance and selfless good we have done and continue doing. The reviled George W. Bush did more to help AIDS in Africa than the rest of the world combined. We are always first on the scene to virtually every disaster and the money we distribute through USAID and other programs is huge.
On the flip side the “Narrative” teaches young Muslims that we are part of a non-existent conspiracy with the hated Jooos to oppress them. This reaches to all levels of these societies, not just the poor and ignorant. Remember that most of the 9/11 hijackers were well-educated and polls show this belief is extremely widespread. It is not based on the facts, but that doesn’t matter because perception is reality. We need to understand that if we want to battle this effectively, it is a public relations war even more than a shooting one.
Tags: ft. hood, hassan, islam, new york times, terrorism, tom friedman
How amazing an Op-Ed piece to be in the NYT of all places. Could this be the first sliver of dawn sunshine in an otherwise dead black MSM?
As far as the “Narrative” problem goes, IMO he nailed it and as you state, education level appears to be irrelevant. Old Blue just confronted this issue in his 23NOV post at Afghan Quest.
I don’t have a clue on how to fix this other than getting extremely serious about IO and working with people like that Jordanian born counterterrorism expert to try to duplicate his clear eyed understanding of the real situation wrt the USv.Islam.
Seems like a slender reed to put our hope and effort on but I can’t see that we have any choice.
The “Narrative” is real, as anybody who bothers to read the middle-eastern and muslim-interest blogs can attest. It’s like dealing with the flat-earthers, but without the sense of humor.
It’s also no accident, and no natural or cultural phenomenon. The “Narrative” is the work product of the Muslim Brotherhood, which explicitly agreed in the Hamas Charter, for example, to mount an advertising campaign to teach their fellow Muslims that it is a religious duty of all Muslims to kill their neighbors. The Palestinians have followed through, and they sell murder like US corporations sell cars.
They have spent 50 years honing that message. They have found that most Muslims are not fanatics, but are ordinary people with an ordinary sense of justice, who will not attack their neighbors without just cause. And so, they manufacture cause: if the Joos or the US don’t behave badly enough, they will simply lie.
The “Narrative” is the major weapon of the irhabist (unholy war) movement, and it is also their greatest weakness.
There are only two options as I see it… Either (a) we end the war by surrendering or (b) we keep on fighting and trying to show them our way is best…
The current furor over ObL is just more dhimmi fluff… ObL is only one of many bad influences out there. We need to point out the child sex trade in Kandahar, the idiocy of murder and riot over cartoons that no one saw, and get them to thinking about surviving in a post-”backstabbing caravan raider” fashion.
Right now, due to the vocal minority, my friends and I won’t hire a Muslim to do anything.
Later, if Muslims are willing to drop the “I keel you!” mode of thinking satirized by Jeff Dunham, we can welcome them back into the marketplace.
The rocket and mortar attacks against Israel are still going on. Islam as portrayed by the Taliban, al Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah is just a death cult with no redeeming value.
Who is this person and what has he done with the real Tom Friedman? Whatever it is, keep doing it. He stops short of one thing, however: “The Narrative” has not only taken hold in the Arab world but in the Liberal world as well. How can we expect the Muslim world to admit and acknowledge all the good we have done for them and every people in need when half of the people right here in the U.S. not only fail to admit and acknowledge same but confess to made up sins and apologize for them? And how do we combat The Narrative when U.S. msm rivals Al-jezzera in its propagation?
On a related note, I am hoping that the return of this forum also signals the return of Uncle J dropping by the White House Press Room to deliver “a Narrative” of his own.
I was going to agree, but Gina seems to have nailed the whole thing. And I agree, what happened to the real Tom Friedman, and what has the NYT done with him?
And, yeah, The Narrative seems to have taken root in the highest councils of the left in this country.
Part of the “Narrative” that friedman forgets, is that he and his Newspaper helped develope it!!
It is about time for some Uncle J as Press Secretary action. Look for it.
Cordially,
Uncle J
Woo-hoo! I kinda missed the classic beatdowns, only a master can give- let the smacking down begin, Uncle J!!
Sweet!! I eagerly await. Thanks Uncle J!
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while, and such is the case with the usually “squirrely” Noo Yawk Times.
On another note, I am happy to see that your blog is back up and running Uncle J. I will probably be linking to it on a fairly regular basis:
http://www.aroundotown.blogspot.com/2009/11/uncle-jimbos-blog-is-back-up-and.html
Yo, Friedman,
How about this narrative? Does America know about it?
The Anglo-American-Wahabi Alliance
http://www.aliraqi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=88774
Or this one here?
Sanctions, Genocide, and War Crimes
http://www.aliraqi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=59548
Hmm?
What sez u?
Want more?
It seems that you don’t have the balls to express an opinion.
When you have the courage to move beyond a Jack Nicholson Joker image maybe someone will give you some credence.
Until then …
Suck Jack’s dick you looser!
Yawn,
The Iraqis know who committed the war crimes against them: that is why Zarqawi died the most hated man in Iraq, after his own family disowned him. That is why they put the terrorists on TV to confess.
The countries that are tied to Islam as a religion will never be free until they repudiate the Hamas Covenant and the advertising campaign by the Muslim Brotherhood. All the spin-off terrorist groups from that organization (Hamas, Al-Qaeda, Al-Qaeda-in-Iraq, the Mumbai killers, the newer groups in Somalia) teach doctrine very much along the same lines. The http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP109206 ” rel=”nofollow”>Hamas Covenant even contains an agreement to engage in an advertising campaign to convince Muslims that they have a duty to kill any non-Muslim that sets foot on land ever previously held by a “Muslim” regime.
The Hamas Covenant is clearly a plan for Hirabah, “unholy war” and its hostility extends beyond Jews to include all non-Muslims. This is in fundamental opposition to the teachings of Islam according to the real authorities. Real Muslim scholars acknowledge their Abrahamic roots and embrace the core teachings of Judaism. See http://www.islamicamagazine.com/online-analysis/open-letter-to-his-holiness-pope-benedict-xvi.html” rel=”nofollow”>Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and A Common Word. Terrorists, of course, don’t listen to real Muslim scholars any better than Hitler listened to the Pope of his time. Perhaps that is why their writings have been thrown out as precedent for real Muslims.
Terrorists long ago came to the realization that religious bigotry alone is not enough to motivate ordinary Muslims to suicidal rage. They need a strong reason, and so the terrs are happy to supply it, even if they have to kill their neighbors and their neighbors’ children to get it. The Hamas Covenant includes a suicide pact and a vow to sacrifice their own souls (that is, embrace damnation) the in service of God.
We know the drill. We know about the lying. We know whose actions are vicious, and whose are honorable. Your false advertising does not impress.
Uncle Jimbo,
You’re right on that the real news is that the NY Times does any honest reportage regarding the “Narrative.” This post reminded me of one of the first items I read, post-9/11, that shed light on the culture behind such thought. Impressively, THAT essay was also originally published in the NY Times Magazine about a year prior to 9/11. It is from a Jewish journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg, who spent some time (the abridged article doesn’t say, but recalling the original, I believe it was about 6 weeks!) in a Pakistani madrasa, auditing their “classes” and living alongside the students. That original also described the learning processes of these boys (who’d all come there from lives of squalor) aged 9-30+, as listening to recited text from the Quran & Hadith in a language alien to them, and “translated” very loosely by older students (outside of class) to echo the sentiments of Taliban and AQ fundamentalism.
Although Hasan almost certainly wasn’t the immediate product of those madrasas (there are over 10,000 of them in Pakistan, according to the article…this one in particular having 3500 students), he undoubtedly gleaned influence from those who were (as Goldberg writes, “10 of the Taliban’s 12 senior leaders studied” at that very madrasa).
I’m still trying to find the entire, original article, but the condensed version can be found here: http://www.echarcha.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6553
One point that Goldberg makes is that, by its nature Islam “is in permanent competition with other civilizations…” and references Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington’s term “Islam’s bloody borders” regarding their recurring inability to make nice, regardless of who their neighbors are (geographically, or otherwise). As I’m sure you agree, no measure of appeasement, large or small, will fix that.
So long as western media does little to discredit the lunatic fringe spawned in these “schools” and the drivel perpetuated by the YWN’s of the blogosphere, there’ll continue to be the Hasans in our midst. Here’s to the NY Times publishing this one article, but here’s also an absolute conviction that unless they adopt a general about-face in their editorial prime directive, the thrust of what they “say” will remain as part of the problem instead of part of the solution.
As a fan of B5, I look forward to your posts there, but am glad to see you spreading your creative wings here as well. Keep up the stellar work, sir.
Jeff
My big problem with Friedman’s column is that for years he encouraged this narrative. It’s a remarkable coincidence that he writes such a straightforward condemnation of it after President Obama was elected. Had McCain won last year, the column would have been a lot more nuanced.
The column by itself was excellent, but his history makes it seem somewhat cynical.