Thoughts on 9/11
Posted on September 12, 2006 - Filed Under Politics | 1 Comment
I’m just after watching the second part of ‘The Path to 9/11′ on BBC 2, followed by Newsnight, which featured Martin Amis, among other notable guests. There are lots of thoughts swimming around in my head right now, but I want only to focus on the primary ones.
While watching the scenes of the World Trade Centre’s destruction on both programmes, I was taken aback at how moving, for want of a better word, I found the experience, even five years after the event. Even more surprising than this, I think, was how I felt personnally slighted by the events of that day, despite not having any personal connection what-so-ever with anyone either involved or related to someone who was. I feel that the reason for this is that I share the same religion as Americans, who live in the heartland of our religion, America. This religion I speak of is not Christianity; it is Westernism.
A segment of Newsnight was devoted to the work of an American photographer who was permitted to visually document the clearing of debris from Ground Zero. When commenting on the care that the fire department, and others involved in the process, took to collect every fragment of human remains from the wreckage, he remarked that this was the true religion of America, “the cult of the individual” as he described it. While over 80% of Americans profess to be Christians (and therefore are), that faith is only one aspect of their civilization. Other, equally if not more important aspects, inclued democracy, secular government, equality of the individual, and freedom of expression. These may well not be incompatible with Christianity, but they do not spring from it.
Perhaps part of my own devotion to Westernism is that I have a deep aversion to Nationalism, or rather Irish Nationalism, because I really don’t see what an Irish person has to shout about. The only Irish person I hold any deep admiration for is W.B. Yeats, and he was Anglo-Irish, so I feel like I can only take half-pride in being from the same country as the great man. Maybe if I was born French the situation would be different….
Anyway, since I feel unattacted to any particular country, I like to think of my self as European, which is a branch of Westernism, my ‘religion’.
I expect this idea of ‘Westernism’ as a religion is now wearing thin for the reader, so I’ll drop it here. However the reason I used the idea was to contrast our Western culture with the sect of Islam that attacked the West on 9/11. ‘Westernism’, as I employed it earlier, is an all-encompassing way of life, which is what Islam is to these fanatics. The main difference between the two, and I except that there are hundreds, is that while ‘Westernism’ is based on reason, progress and liberalism, Islam is based on nothing.
That’s right, nothing. Zero. Nil. Zilch. Islam is based on a “god”, called “Allah”. Does “Allah” exist? Absolutely not, and it’s high time we in the West stopped tolerating this nonsense. “But the Americans believe in God too”, you may say. Although this may be true, Christianity does not drive the actions of America, and it thankfully lost its influence in Europe a long time ago. The argument that religious belief, however misfounded, can be a force for good is not relevent here, and besides is hardly that well-grounded in logic to begin with.
I’m not sure if acknowledging this helps us counter terrorism in any meaningful way, but surely it’s worth remembering, if only because it’s true. Personally, the only way I can see of defeating Al-Quaida and their insane ilk is to get ordinary, non-fanatical Muslims onside. Methods to do this inclued a two state solution in Palestine involving Israel withdrawing back to its pre-1968 borders. However the situation cannot descend into Western appeasement and Muslims must take some responsibility for this mess and start stamping out extremism in their own communities. On Newsnight, Martin Amis said that he expected the near future to bring new security measures involving more targeted searches of certain ethnic groups at air terminals etc…. No doubt this measure would cause a furor amongst Muslims, and I agree that it is not a nice idea, but I think it would be damn more effective than random searches.
This post is becoming something of a rambling mess, partly because my thoughts are still pretty much all at sea, and partly because I haven’t written anything substantial in a long time. Before I take my leave, a final thought: we’re right. As Amis wrote in that piece linked to in my previous post, the West has a tendancy to question whether we can be right about anything because of ideas such as multiculturalism, relativism, etc…. In the awkwardly titled ‘War on Terror’ however, we, the West, are absolutely right. While some of us may find our comrades distasteful, and we could all do without Bush and Rummy pissing in the tent, the West will win out. Just like in Lord of The Rings, which is what this conflict seems frightningly like at times.
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