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The real goal of Islamic fundamentalists
Reader comment on item: Frontpage Interview: Daniel Pipes

Submitted by Kenneth Besig (Israel), Dec 16, 2003 at 15:16

I would suggest that the leaders of the various fundamentalist Islamic/ terror movements couldn't be less interested about living in "exact accord" with an 'absolute truth," and are far more concerned with attaining money and power.

However, as this interviewer notes, the lifestyle these groups offer as a result of their radical and inhuman interpretations of Islam's holy book, the Koran, would indeed be "nightmarish" to anyone with an iota of self respect and intellectual integrity and would only attract the most marginal and violent members of any society. This is why these groups will never, ever try to achieve their political goals through the ballot box and the peaceful, democratic means that implies, and specifically why they must use murder and mayhem in order to create enough chaos, instability, and repression to take power by violent coup d'etat.

Keep in mind that many of these Islamic terrorist leaders studied political science(popular revolution) at the Patrice Lumumba Institute in the former Soviet Union and thus their methods of agitation/propaganda and their creative use of violence faithfully reflect this training. Regarding their "devoted followers" one need only look at the now imprisoned "Jackal." This individual would be little more than a psychopathic serial murderer in normal society, but in the murky world of international Islamic terror, he became a revered icon, even though he was a singularly stupid and vacous individual (take a look at his new book), and whose sole contribution was the cold blooded murder of usually innocent and unarmed civilians. Regarding the two top Islamic terrorist leaders in the world today, that is, Yassir Arafat and Osama bin Laden, even their own followers don't try to fool anybody that either man is anything but an Islamic fool with little or no real knowledge of Islam as a religion. Their followers don't even think these two are even very brave. If anything, their followers value them because of their duplicity and cynical manipulation of their money, power, and followers to obtain even greater money, power, and followers.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

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Reader comments (27) on this item

Title By Date
Saudi Influence [114 words]MoniqueJun 4, 2007 19:04
Daniel Pipes was not alone [90 words]yuval brandstetterDec 29, 2003 05:29
You say it like it is!
[w/response] [63 words]
Rebecca WilkinDec 27, 2003 05:52
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Appreciation [44 words]Jim CarlillDec 16, 2003 14:05
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Saudi Wahabbism
[w/response] [169 words]
Robert B. ArbetmanDec 16, 2003 11:46
One small big thing to add [289 words]YuriDec 16, 2003 11:26
Front Page interview [246 words]Amir SheibanyDec 16, 2003 09:51
A couple of caveats and questions [251 words]Ron ThompsonDec 16, 2003 09:31
Thank you [80 words]thom thomasDec 16, 2003 09:26
Being an outsider [360 words]Octavio JohansonDec 16, 2003 09:18

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

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