There are times through the course of history ,when the actions of individuals and communities does something to lift the spirit of humanity; in the same way that the actions of others may do something to depress and subjugate that spirit. These contrasting moments often seem to appear in juxtaposition, where an act of oppression may be quickly followed by something sublime or vis -versa.
One such moment was 9/11 where an act of nihilistic rage was followed by the courage and nobility of the survivors, the New York Fire and Police Departments, and the passengers of Flight 93. In that single day we were collectively smitten and lifted by the actions of the murderous and the noble in an event that would shape relationships across the world for what has already been a decade, but paradoxically it was neither the murderous nor the noble who would have the greatest impact that day. That accolade must go to the actions of two devout Christians, George Bush and Tony Blair, who decided to respond to violence with violence, to claim an eye for their eye. This is not to say that violence does not some times inevitably bring about more violence or that some problems do not require the violence of the state, however there are times when the resort to violence can and must be seen as an act of mediocrity. Acts which stand in quiet contrast to the actions of the noble. Declaring a military and intelligence war on Islamic Terror represents an example of one such act of spiritual and political mediocrity. It was an act of mediocrity that would nuture and feed what it sought to destroy.
Irrespective of any questionable theological justification, the violence of Islamic Terror, has an essential charachteristic, it is violence that is justified by a doctrine of moral and spritual virtue. The West is struggled against because it is seen as decadent, immoral and without virtue. It is often portrayed, for good reason, as imperialistic and as exploitative, and for its seemingly arbitary use of power. But the West is also struggled against because it is successful. Whatever it's flaws, the West offers its citizens greater freedom; for those who are sucessful it offers greater material wealth and in some parts it offers greater protection to the weak and vulnerable. But above all and whilst imperfectly applied, perhaps the greatest virtue of the enlightened West are the principles of justice and equality that have been integral to its progress and success. Whatever, Islamic Terror might say about about the decadence of the West, the thing that it really fears is its virtue, its nobility and the perceived legitimacy of its justice.
So whilst the terrorists might proclaim western decadence and imperialism as their target, their real objective then and now remains the deconstruction of western virtues and the nobility of its values. When perceived in this way the attacks on the Twin Towers might have failed, if their lasting legacy had been the nobility of the survivors, the New York Fire Department and the passengers of Flight 93. But their spiritual virtue has been lost in the thinly veiled war on terror that has come dangerously close to being and becoming a war on Islam. Thus 9/11 became a triumph for the terrorists, because what Bush and Blair failed to understand then and what nobody seems to have understood since, is that the correct response to Islamic Terror is not state Terror. The correct response was never Iraq nor Guantanamo, nor Rendition. It is not the brutality of waterboarding nor the detention of those may or may not be innocent, without trial and justice. It is not machine gunning civilians, nor raping girls and murdering their families. The correct response to the crimes of 9/11 was always due process.
In reacting to the attacks of 9/11 without understanding the importance of virtue and the nobility of the human spirit, Bush and Blair responded predictably and with a mediocrity that would entrench and embed Islamic Terror for at least a generation. They failed to understand that the solution to Terror within Islam, is an Islamic world that shares and contributes to the success of the West and is a full partner in its aspirations. The paradox is that , if the West is not able to include Islam within its project it will ultimately destroy the very principles upon which it was founded and which justify its existence.
It is with this in mind that our leaders should view the current struggle of the Arab people for greater democracy and justice. In this time, when the peoples of the Middle East are responding to despotism with incredible bravery and nobility, we should support their aspiration for freedom and not fear the choices that their freedom brings. Because in pursuing liberty and in the struggle for their own freedom, the men, women and children of islam will not only make the world a better place for themselves, but in doing so will wield the ideas and values that Islamic Terror most fears.
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