Experts: Terrorism rooted in politics, not Islam

Experts: Terrorism rooted in politics, not Islam

by Rakesh Mani
The Washington Square News
02/26/04

Americans tend to perceive the issues of terrorism in terms of Islam, when in actuality terrorism has more to do with the Arab-Israeli conflict, said Ervand Abrahamian, a Baruch College professor and author who spoke at a debate sponsored by the Americans for Informed Democracy last night.

"Terrorism is a political issue, not a cultural issue," Abrahamian said at the debate, titled, "The War on Terrorism & the Battle for Hearts & Minds of the World," held in the Kimmel Center.

Osama Bin Laden has been very concerned with the situation between the Israelis and the Palestinians, Abrahamian said. The fact that the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were all Arab could be indicative of the fact that Arabs are angered by a loss of Palestinian identity, he said.

"[President] George [W.] Bush saying [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon is a man of peace creates anger in the Arab world," Abrahamian said.

But Peter Weiss, a human rights lawyer and member of the Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy, said there is more to terrorism than the Arab-Israeli conflict. "The problem has also a lot to do with the brute force of U.S. policy," Weiss said. "There is an American notion prevalent that we don't need hearts and minds, we just need to win. You can't get people on your side if you're perceived as practicing policies through your lies.

"Americans are not doing a good job for the Iraqis, who are paying the price for the occupation," Weiss said. He said he opposed the war in Iraq because it was illegal under international law and based on false information.

"The United States has dinner, and then brings the United Nations in to wash the dishes just to internationalize the issue after they've achieved their own objectives," he said.