New at Reason
Michael Young talks with Yaroslav Trofimov, author of The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine and the Birth of al-Qaeda.
Comments to "New at Reason":
Syloson of Samos | September 27, 2007, 12:36pm | #
There is some discussion of these events in Kepel's The War For Muslim Minds.The author is also interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air being broadcast today.
Wow, that's very interesting. Something I wasn't aware of at all. In a perfect world, the oil wouldn't be sitting underneath these folks, would it?
Beware the Mahdi | September 27, 2007, 1:41pm | #
It's interesting how the goals of the gunmen appear to have been a desire to set the conditions for the coming of the Mahdi. And now we have Ahmahdinejad wanting to set the conditions for the same. I wonder if the CIA is still clueless about what is motivating jihadists or if they want to just dismiss them as bedouins again.Mr. Agrandizement | September 27, 2007, 2:00pm | #
"I wonder if the CIA is still clueless about what is motivating jihadists or if they want to just dismiss them as bedouins again."It must be nice to be able to delude oneself so easily.
ChrisO | September 27, 2007, 2:11pm | #
It's interesting how the goals of the gunmen appear to have been a desire to set the conditions for the coming of the Mahdi.How so? They weren't Shi'ite. To me, it looks like they had dreams of using the invasion as a springboard to restore the Caliphate, not unlike bin Laden and his ilk.
R Hampton | September 27, 2007, 3:45pm | #
Any help provided by the Saudi government is outweighed by their support of groups like Hamas and their global expansion of militant, extremist Wahhabi Islam. In one half of a year, I’ve accumulated well over 700 stories on my blog, Wahaudi, concerning Saudi Arabia’s primary role in creating Islamic terrorism.http://wahaudi.blogspot.com
dbust1 | September 27, 2007, 3:50pm | #
ChrisO,Whether Shia or Sunni or whether they believe in the idea of the Mahdi or not their goal then was the same as Ahmadinejad's now. In this case the Mahdi isn't the point, the point is that these jihadist groups aren't just seeking to kick the West out of their business, they're seeking Islamic domination. The CIA and others dropped the ball then and it doesn't seem as if they're taking Ahmadinejad very seriously now. This group, like Bin Laden, may have wanted to restore the caliphate but their goals were much more far reaching. The author stated that the attack “had the apocalyptic vision of a global clash of civilizations that would lead to the triumph of true Islam and the end of the world as we know it.”
Again, it doesn't matter that they don't all agree on the Mahdi. The Mahdi, however, is a great way for the west to understand why jihadists do what they do.
Paul | September 27, 2007, 4:02pm | #
To me, it looks like they had dreams of using the invasion as a springboard to restore the Caliphate, not unlike bin Laden and his ilk.ChrisO:
Restore a Caliphate over what? Taking the article at face value:
It had the apocalyptic vision of a global clash of civilizations that would lead to the triumph of true Islam and the end of the world as we know it.
Sounds to me that western ideals of any kind are to be put to bed worldwide in submission to an uber Islamic state. But maybe I'm reading too literally.
JBinMO | September 27, 2007, 5:12pm | #
Rumor has it the Urkbold is in the process of trying to establish his own califate.Art-P.O.G. | September 28, 2007, 4:54pm | #
Awesome article. Truly thought-provoking and disquieting.After a terrorist act, the Saudis roll back civil liberties (hmmm). Did the terrorists win?