Radicalization by Politics, Religion or Insanity?

The tragedy in New Orleans got our attention to focus on how radicalized “lone wolves” or packs of them can do very bad things to innocents. Do finger pointers miss the point that it’s the evil villains' radicalization, not necessarily their ideology or doctrine that’s mainly at fault?

Asra Nomani’s op ed on Fox News argued that “Islamists’ familiar ‘Triple D(own)” strategy” followed the Bourbon Street terror attack, in which “victim-based sermons … and denial create dangerous blind spots for those afraid to call out Islamic radicalization.” He particularly called out a mosque advising congregants to direct FBI inquiries to special interest group named CAIR & avoid speaking to the media. “I’ve seen this pattern before,” Nomani wrote. “First, a radicalized Muslim kills in the name of Islam. Then groups like CAIR … deny the crime had anything to do with Islam, deflecting with excuses & then demonizing anyone who calls out the terrorism as an ‘Islamaphobe.’”

My first reaction was to concede Mr. Nomani’s historical observations about this “method to the madness” we’ve also witnessed, but then wished he left out (or qualified) the reference to a particular religion and really homed in on the accused’s “radicalization” as the key element. Why? Because Western as well as Eastern history is replete with such “Triple D” strategies & they do more to draw attention away from the root of the problem aka “radicalization” of a person(s) & cast too much aspersion on arguably uplifting ideas they (& others) have warped beyond recognition. Consider the Jacobin Benjamin Franklin Bache who justified the Reign of Terror costing thousands of innocent lives in France circa 1790 by saying “much blood must be spilled to establish liberty” & save the “Rights of Man.” It took a level-headed General Napoleon Bonaparte, who twice almost lost his head to the guillotine, to actually save the “Rights of Man” & rid the body politic of the radicalized likes of Robespierre & St. Juste.

Davd Soul