Wednesday, June 6, 2007

1967 and the rise of extremism

Forty years after Israel defeated the combined armies of Jordan, Syria and Egypt in the 1967 war, some Middle East analysts argue that the conflict has helped to fuel the rise of Islamist ideologies.

Prior to the war, Arab nations such as Egypt, Iraq and Yemen overthrew monarchies and established military-backed socialist governments.

Arab nationalism and unity were touted as the ideological instruments to liberate occupied Palestinian lands and guide Arabs towards modernity. But the speed of Israel's victory shocked the Arab world and shattered the idea of Arab military might, as well as the region's military governments.

Huda Awad, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera: "What happened in 1967 shook the military prestige in the Arab world." "The cradle of authoritarianism was rocked and that repealed its legitimacy."

[More]


Comment:

So-called "Islamism" is hardly a recent phenomenon — such fanatics played a roll in the fall of 'Ali and the destruction of the Islamic Empire over a dozen centuries ago — but it is interesting how the current Apostate movement, which is worldwide in scope, all seems to go back to this one individual, Siyyid Qutb. The origins of Apostacy have long intrigued me; I will have to research the "family tree" of modern Apostacy, and see if I can discover what it is that made this siyyid tick. His motivations, and/or the motivations of those that motivated him, have profound implications for both human nature and the nature of Apostacy. I will post more on this later.

2 comments:

Jimmie D. Martin said...

You have a talent. I look forward to your posts.

Jimmie Dale Martin, Blogmaster said...

I looked at your hit map and you are getting some from the Muslim areas. I think they have a constant check on who says what about them with a billion dollar internet search system. Welcome to the club. Keep your powder dry.