[lbo-talk] The 'Al Qaeda' Industry

[Michael Dawson]

The thesis of the article you linked was that it's all a scam, that if Al
Qaeda isn't as unified and powerful as the president says it is, then we're
all being lied to about Islamic fundamentalist terrorism.  That's just a
stupid argument, and unethical to boot.  Islamic fundamentalist terrorism is
quite real and, thanks to the invasion of Iraq and our continuing virtually
undiscussed sponsorship of Israel and Arab comprador thugs, almost certainly
growing.  The war on terror is not premised on the unity of Al Qaeda.  It is
premised on attacking Islamic fundamentalist terrorism without addressing
its root causes.

More 9/11s and Russian school massacres are coming.  A responsible
journalist would be writing about why that is so, not trying to score some
surprise points by dismissing reality.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

-----Original Message-----
From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org]
On Behalf Of Joseph Wanzala
Sent: Sunday, October 17, 2004 9:12 AM
To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
Subject: RE: [lbo-talk] The 'Al Qaeda' Industry

--- Michael Dawson <mdawson at pdx.edu> wrote:


>So I suppose that school attack in Russia was a
>hoax, and that Pakistan is
>the land of calm secular democracy?  What a dumb
>story.

I think you are misunderstanding the point of the story. Who suggested that 
the school attack was a hoax? that's a bit of a leap.... The point is not 
that radical Islamists are not engaged in all sorts documented activity. The

point is that the construct of Al Qaeda is amorphous and not clearly defined

and an Orientalist 'industry' has developed around it. What is the clear 
connection between Zarquawi, Bin Laden, the Chehens, Moslems in Cape Town 
and Sudan and Zanzibar, Arab radicals in Paraguay and Ecuador, Moslems in 
the Balkans and China, the PLO etc. - the point is that there isn't and the 
'war on terror' is predicated on the assumption that this is one large 
integrated entity.

Joe W.

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