New
Internationalist 362
November
2003
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Fundamental
flaws It was unnerving for all the residents in the building when the couple and their four children moved into a recently vacated flat. All of us, Muslim and Christian alike, talked in shocked tones. ‘I can’t believe we are going to be living with such people,’ said a neighbour. A devout Muslim herself, she could not tolerate the fact that the couple that had moved in belonged to an extreme Islamic fundamentalist group. The man sported a long beard and the wife was completely shrouded in black. I have yet to see her face. Several times per month, they held meetings for men and women separately - we guessed for religious studies. Christmas decorations in our building lobby were frowned upon and we heard of their displeasure. In time we got used to their presence. We later found out that the man's own parents had been highly disapproving when he became a fundamentalist. Father and son were not on speaking terms. But it is becoming a common story in Lebanon - some children of modern Muslims are turning to fundamentalism. In hushed tones a good friend of mine confided to me that his younger brother had become a fundamentalist. The family was aghast. The father threatened to cut off all inheritance if his son didn't leave the group he had joined. The son refused and left the family home. The trend has not gone unnoticed. 'I'm worried,' said Othman, a devout Muslim and father of three grown children. 'Fundamentalism is increasing. I worry for the future of the country. I worry about my children and grandchildren.' Fundamentalists will quickly point to the 'evils of America and Israel' when asked to identify the big Satan. US policy which tends to side with Israel against the Arabs has left many feeling that the only way to fight the two allies is through force. And if fundamentalism blesses this force, so much the better for them. 'They think that the only way to change things is through extremism,' said Othman, some of whose friends' children have turned to fundamentalism. Othman himself stared at his daughter in shock when her first reaction to a forthcoming US trade exhibition in Beirut was 'Let's blow up the place!' 'I know she was joking and she would never do it,' said Othman. 'But this is a frightening reaction. This hatred against the Americans is spreading more and more and it's very scary.'
The bombing of the UN headquarters in Iraq in August has sent shudders throughout the Arab world. The targets are no longer just the US and Israel. The international community and Arabs themselves - as the bombing of the Jordanian embassy early that same month proves - are targets too. Lone voices in the Arab world are beginning to cry out. 'It's time we examined our own societies,' said one analyst in Saudi Arabia. 'How are we producing such sons who are killing in the name of religion?' The Saudi Arabian security authorities are reportedly worried that 3,000 young men have disappeared from the kingdom and are believed to have infiltrated Iraq to conduct attacks against Western - and maybe Arab - targets. 'We cannot keep blaming the US and Israel for the increase in fundamentalism,' said Othman. 'There is nothing we can do about Zionism and the US Congress. But there is a lot we can do to improve our own societies.' Voices like Othman's are calling for a change in Arab societies. Many Arab governments - including Lebanon's - are riddled with corruption. Laws exist seemingly only to protect the powerful. Those without political backing are basically on their own. This, sociologists argue, is creating a high level of frustration. Fundamentalism begins to look more and more attractive. It certainly looked rather inviting to a friend of mine. A few years ago while at university she began secretly to attend religious meetings - the first step towards joining the group. Hoping to convert me, she dragged me to one of the meetings. The experience was enlightening to say the least but after a heated argument between myself and the teacher I was no longer welcome. A few weeks later, her father found out and banned her from attending the meetings. While Lebanon is a long way away from producing a generation of fundamentalists (fortunately we love our night life and are slaves to the latest fashions), some parents have begun to keep a watchful eye on their grown-up children's activities. No-one can forget the story of a young, attractive cleanshaven Lebanese Muslim man who was educated at a Christian school, enjoyed parties, drinks and having a good time. His name was Ziad Jarrah and he was one of the 11 September hijackers. His parents never knew he had become a fundamentalist.
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2003 New Internationalist Publications Ltd. All rights reserved. |
