In light of recent global terrorist attacks, a debate is being centered around the question of Islam and political correctness among national leaders. In particular, President Barack Obama has been criticized for refusing to define the attacks for what they largely appear to be: examples of radical Islamic terrorism. In fact, he has even been quoted as defending the opposite belief, saying that “ISIL is not ‘Islamic.’ No religion condones the killing of innocents”. On January 13, 2015, CNN national security analyst, Peter Bergen, wrote an article that reflects on the Charlie Hebdo attacks and explains why Islam does indeed fuel terrorism. He bases his argument on the use of violent verses in the Quran and looks at a type of religious ideology termed, “Binladenism”.
Beyond his role as security analyst at CNN, Peter Bergen is a journalist, author, and documentary producer. A professor of practice at Arizona State University, he has also held teaching positions at other universities including Harvard. He specializes in security and has written numerous books on the subject. Perhaps most impressive, Bergen produced the first television interview with Osama Bin Laden. This notable background is significant when analyzing his article on whether Islam fuels terrorism. The answer to his question is simple. Yes, Islam does fuel terrorism, and we as American citizens are doing ourselves no favors by denying this uncomfortable truth.
Bergen begins by considering the terrorist’s targets. One target was a magazine that had insulted the prophet Muhammad, and the other was a kosher store serving Jews. Anti-Semitism a basic militant Islamist belief, and the Quran verse, “O believers, take not Jews and Christians as friends” gives leverage to this. Bergen notes that one reason Islamic militants fight against “enemies of Islam” is because the Quran gives sufficient ammunition to do so. He points to a well known verse from the Quran that plainly states “fight and slay the nonbelievers wherever you find them, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them”, a verse that Osama Bin Laden cited when formally declaring war against the “Jews and the Crusaders” in the late 90’s.
Bergen refers to Bin Laden again when speaking of “Binladenism” , an idea laid out by Bin Laden himself before his death in 2011. Bergen compares this ideology to Marxism and Nazism, noting that all ideologies, religious or otherwise, typically believe that history has a direction and will eventually become a utopia. In the case of Binladensim, the world will be perfect after the restoration of a “Taliban-style Caliphate”, and that those who stand in the way of this must be destroyed. Bergen sums up his article by claiming that this ideology is the belief of many followers of Islam and would explain the Paris attacks and even 9/11.
Although Bergen repeatedly refers to the Islamic holy text for evidence, he remains aware that not every Muslim is an extremist and the Old Testament itself has many violent scriptures. He acknowledges this while furthering his claim with the statement, “assertions that Islamist terrorism has nothing to do with Islam are as nonsensical as claims that the Crusades had nothing to do with Christian beliefs”. With this honesty, he is able to uncover truths that perhaps many politicians today are too afraid to make note of, including our current Commander-in-chief. Of course, with the current presidential election unfolding, many Republican candidates are quick to jump on the bandwagon, attacking and criticizing the current president. As the general election nears, we can only hope that at least one of the nominees takes into consideration the knowledge of Peter Bergen.
