Ron Paul argues that the rise of radical Islamism and its terror war on America and the West are a consequence of our intervention in and occupation of Muslim lands, not their politico-religious beliefs. And he cites published research that supposedly proves it:
Though it is hard for many to believe, honest studies show that the real motivation behind the September 11 attacks and the vast majority of other instances of suicide terrorism is not that our enemies are bothered by our way of life. Neither is it our religion, or our wealth. Rather, it is primarily occupation. If you were to imagine for a moment how you would feel if another country forcibly occupied the United States, had military bases and armed soldiers present in our hometowns, you might begin to understand why foreign occupation upsets people so much. Robert Pape has extensively researched this issue and goes in depth in his book “Cutting the Fuse: The Explosion of Global Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It”. In fact, of 2,200 incidents of suicide attacks he has studied worldwide since 1980, 95% were in response to foreign occupation.
But there are a couple of problems with Rep. Paul’s source, as Joel Richardson reveals:
It is essential to take note of the fact that the primary support for Paul’s belief concerning blowback comes from Robert Pape. The problem for Paul here is that by most accounts, Pape is an agenda-driven pseudo-scholar whose works and “studies” have been thoroughly debunked by several other scholars. I appeal to all supporters of Paul to read the following articles debunking Robert Pape’s, and thus Ron Paul’s, claims:
- “Design, Inference, and the Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism” in American Political Science Review
- “Contrasting Secular and Religious Terrorism” in Middle East Quarterly
But not only are Pape’s claims based on manufactured data, he has also been caught red-handed conspiring with the Hamas-linked group Council on American-Islamic Relations.
How many Ron Paul supporters can honestly say that they feel comfortable knowing that this is the man Paul looks to as one of his primary guides concerning foreign policy?
Richardson goes on to argue that the radical Islamists’ desire to kill the Jews didn’t stem from the creation of Israel and its “occupation,” as Rep. Paul, the Palestinians, and the American left contend, but from the words of Muhammad himself more than 1300 years ago. That’s true, to a degree.
But modern Islamofascism arose out of Wahhabism in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. Two of its chief architects were Hassan al-Banna, who founded the Muslim Brotherhood, and Grand Mufti Muhammad al-Husseini, the “Arab Fuehrer” who created Muslim Nazi divisions for Hitler and later helped found and set the ideological direction of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).
Rep. Paul and those who agree with him need some serious educating regarding the politico-religious beliefs that he seems to know little or nothing about and dismisses as irrelevant. Here are some places to start:
- My own Nazi roots of modern Islamofascism
- Daniel Pipes: Arab-Nazi Connection 1920’s, 1930’s, and Links to Al Banna and Al Husseini
- Encyclopedia of the Middle East: Hassan al-Banna
- Militant Islam Monitor: From Al Husseini to Hitler :Radical Islam and the Nazi connection – Pan Arabism to the PA
- Alternative News Report: Muslim Brotherhood’s Nazi Roots, Plans For World Domination