the.world.is.flat-第97节

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humiliation；〃　said　Mahathir。　〃Our　only　reaction　is　to　become　more　and　more　angry。　
Angry　people　cannot　think　properly。　There　is　a　feeling　of　hopelessness　among　the　
Muslim　countries　and　their　people。　They　feel　they　can　do　nothing　right。　。　。〃　
This　humiliation　is　the　key。　It　has　always　been　my　view　that　terrorism　is　not　spawned　
by　the　poverty　of　money。　It　is　spawned　by　the　poverty　of　dignity。　Humiliation　is　the　
most　underestimated　force　in　international　relations　and　in　human　relations。　It　is　


when　people　or　nations　are　humiliated　that　they　really　lash　out　and　engage　in　extreme　
violence。　When　you　take　the　economic　and　political　backwardness　of　much　of　the　
Arab…Muslim　world　today；　add　its　past　grandeur　and　self…image　of　religious　
superiority；　and　combine　it　with　the　discrimination　and　alienation　these　Arab…Muslim　
males　face　when　they　leave　home　and　move　to　Europe；　or　when　they　grow　up　in　Europe；　
you　have　one　powerful　cocktail　of　rage。　As　my　friend　the　Egyptian　playwright　Ali　Salem　
said　of　the　9/11　hijackers；　they　〃are　walking　the　streets　of　life；　searching　for　tall　
buildings…for　towers　to　bring　down；　because　they　are　not　able　to　be　tall　like　them。〃　
I　fear　that　this　sense　of　frustration　that　feeds　recruits　to　bin　Laden　may　get　worse　
before　it　gets　better。　In　the　old　days；　leaders　could　count　on　walls　and　mountains　
and　valleys　to　obstruct　their　people's　view　and　keep　them　ignorant　and　passive　about　
where　they　stood　in　comparison　to　others。　You　could　see　only　to　the　next　village。　
But　as　the　world　gets　flatter；　people　can　see　for　miles　and　miles。　
In　the　flat　world　you　get　your　humiliation　dishedup　toyou　fiber…optically。　I　stumbled　
across　a　fascinating　example　of　this　involving　bin　Laden　himself。　On　January　4；　2004；　
bin　Laden　issued　one　of　his　taped　messages　through　al…Jazeera；　the　satellite　
television　network　based　in　Qatar。　On　March　7；　the　Web　site　of　the　Islamic　Studies　
and　Research　Center　published　the　entire　text。　One　paragraph　jumped　out　at　me。　It　
is　in　the　middle　of　a　section　in　which　bin　Laden　is　discussing　the　various　evils　of　
Arab　rulers；　particularly　the　Saudi　ruling　family。　
〃Thus；　the　situation　of　all　Arab　countries　suffers　from　great　deterioration　in　all　
walks　of　life；　in　religious　and　worldly　matters；〃　says　bin　Laden。　

〃It　is　enough　to　know　that　the　economy　of　all　Arab　countries　is　weaker　than　the　economy　
of　one　country　that　had　once　been　part　of　our　＇Islamic＇　world　when　we　used　to　truly　
adhere　to　Islam。　That　country　is　the　lost　Andalusia。　Spain　is　an　infidel　country；　
but　its　economy　is　stronger　than　our　economy　because　the　ruler　there　is　accountable。　
In　our　countries；　there　is　no　accountability　or　punishment；　but　there　is　only　
obedience　to　the　rulers　and　prayers　of　long　life　for　them。〃　
The　hair　on　my　arms　stood　up　when　I　read　that。　Why？　Because　what　bin　Laden　was　referring　
to　was　the　first　Arab　Human　Development　Report；　which　came　out　in　July　2002；　well　
after　he　had　been　evicted　from　Afghanistan　and　was　probably　hiding　out　in　a　cave　
somewhere。　The　Arab　authors　of　the　report　wanted　to　grab　the　attention　of　the　Arab　
world　as　to　how　far　behind　it　had　fallen。　So　they　looked　for　a　country　that　had　a　
GDP　slightly　more　than　that　of　all　twenty…two　Arab　states　combined。　When　they　ran　
down　the　tables；　the　country　that　fit　that　bill　perfectly　was　Spain。　It　could　have　
been　Norway　or　Italy；　but　Spain　happened　to　have　a　GDP　just　slightly　larger　than　all　
the　Arab　states　together。　Somehow；　bin　Laden　heard　or　read　about　this　first　Arab　Human　
Development　Report　from　his　cave。　For　all　I　know；　he　may　have　read　my　own　column　about　
it；　which　was　thefirst　to　highlight　the　report　and　stressedthe　comparison　withSpain。　
Or　maybe　he　got　it　off　the　Internet。　The　report　was　downloaded　from　the　Internet　some　
1　million　times。　So　even　though　he　was　off　in　a　cave　somewhere；　he　could　still　get　
this　report；　and　its　humiliating　conclusion；　shoved　right　in　his　face…negatively　
comparing　the　Arab　states　to　Spain；　no　less！　And　when　he　heard　that　comparison；　


wherever　he　was　hiding；　bin　Laden　took　it　as　an　insult；　as　a　humiliation…the　notion　
that　Christian　Spain；　a　country　that　was　once　controlled　by　Muslims；　had　a　greater　
GDP　today　than　all　the　Arab　states　combined。　The　authors　of　this　report　were　themselves　
Arabs　and　Muslims；　they　were　not　trying　to　humiliate　anyone…but　that　was　how　bin　Laden　
interpreted　it。　And　I　am　certain　he　got　this　dose　of　humiliation　over　a　modem　at　56K。　
They　may　even　have　broadband　now　in　Tora　Bora。　
And　having　gotten　his　dose　of　humiliation　this　way；　bin　Laden　and　his　emulators　have　
learned　to　give　it　right　back　in　the　same　coin。　Want　to　understand　why　the　
Islamo…Leninists　behead　Americans　in　Iraq　and　
402　
Saudi　Arabia　and　then　distribute　pictures　on　the　Internet　with　the　bloody　head　of　
the　body　resting　on　the　headless　corpse？　It　is　because　there　is　no　more　humiliating　
form　of　execution　than　chopping　off　someone's　head。　It　is　a　way　of　showing　utter　
contempt　for　that　person　and　his　or　her　physical　being。　It　is　no　accident　that　the　
groups　in　Iraq　who　beheaded　Americans　dressed　them　first　in　the　same　orange　jumpsuits　
that　al…Qaeda　prisoners　in　Guantanamo　Bay　are　forced　to　wear。　They　had　to　learn　about　
those　jumpsuits　either　over　the　Internet　or　satellite　TV。　But　it　amazes　me　that　in　
the　middle　of　the　Iraq　war　they　were　able　to　have　the　exact　same　jumpsuits　made　in　
Iraq　to　dress　their　prisoners　in。　You　humiliate　me；　I　humiliate　you。　And　what　do　you　
suppose　terrorist　leader　Abu　Musab　al…Zarqawi　said　in　his　audiotape　released　on　
September　11；　2004；　the　third　anniversary　of　9/11？　He　said；　〃The　holy　warriors　made　
the　international　coalition　taste　humiliation　。　。　。　lessons　from　which　they　are　still　
burning。〃　The　tape　was　titled　〃Where　Is　the　Honor？〃　
As　I　said；　however；　this　frustration　and　humiliation　is　not　confined　to　the　Islamist　
fringes。　The　reason　why　the　Islamo…Leninists　have　become　the　most　energized　and　
pronounced　opponents　of　globalization/　Americanization　and　the　biggest　threat　to　the　
flattening　of　the　world　today　is　not　simply　their　extraordinary　violence；　but　also　
because　they　enjoy　some　passive　support　around　the　Arab…Muslim　world。　
In　part；　this　is　because　most　governments　in　the　Arab…Muslim　world　have　refused　to　
take　on　these　radicals　in　a　war　of　ideas。　While　Arab　regimes　have　been　very　active　
in　jailing　their　Islamo…Leninists　when　they　can　find　and　arrest　them；　they　have　been　
very　passive　in　countering　them　with　a　modern；　progressive　interpretation　of　Islam。　
This　is　because　almost　all　of　these　Arab…Muslim　leaders　are　illegitimate　themselves。　
Having　come　to　power　by　force；　they　have　no　credibility　as　carriers　of　a　moderate；　
progressive　Islam；　and　they　always　feel　vulnerable　to　hard…line　Muslim　preachers；　
who　denounce　them　for　not　being　good　Muslims。　So　instead　of　taking　on　the　Muslim　
radicals；　the　Arab　regimes　either　throw　them　in　jail　or　try　to　buy　them　off。　This　
leaves　a　terrible　spiritual　and　political　void。　
But　the　other　reason　for　the　passive　support　that　the　Islamo…Leninists　enjoy…and　the　
fact　that　they　are　able　to　raise　so　much　money　through　
403　
charities　and　mosques　in　the　Arab…Muslim　world…is　that　too　many　good　decent　people　
there　feel　the　same　frustration　and　tinge　of　humiliation　that　many　of　their　most　
enraged　youth　do。　And　there　is　a　certain　respect　for　the　way　these　violent　youth　have　


been　ready　to　stand　up　to　the　world　and　to　their　own　leaders　and　defend　the　honor　
of　their　civilization。　When　I　visited　Qatar　a　few　months　after　9/11；　a　friend　of　mine　
there…a　sweet；　thoughtful；　liberal　person　who　works　for　the　Qatari　government…
confided　to　me　something　in　a　whisper　that　was　deeply　troubling　to　him：　〃My　
eleven…year…old　son　thinks　bin　Laden　is　a　good　man。〃　
Most　middle…class　Arabs　and　Muslims；　I　am　convinced；　were　not　celebrating　the　death　
of　three　thousand　innocent　Americans　on　9/11。　I　know　my　Arab　and　Muslim　friends　were　
not。　But　many　Arabs　and　Muslims　were　celebrating　the　idea　of　putting　a　fist　in　
America's　face…　and　they　were　quietly　applauding　the　men　who　did　it。　They　were　happy　
to　see　someone　humiliating　the　people　and　the　country　that　they　felt　was　humiliating　
them　and　supporting　what　they　saw　as　injustice　in　their　world…whether　it　is　America's　
backing　of　Arab　kings　and　dictators　who　export　oil　to　it　or　America's　backing　of　Israel　
whether　it　does　the　right　things　or　the　wrong　things。　
Most　American　blacks；　I　am　sure；　had　little　doubt　that　O。　J。　Simpson　murdered　his　
ex…wife；　but　they　applauded　his　acquittal　as　a　stick　in　the　eye　of　the　Los　Angeles　
Police　Department　and　a　justice　system　that　they　saw　as　consistently　humiliating　and　
unfair　to　them。　Humiliation　does　that　to　people。　Bin　Laden　is　to　the　Arab　masses　what　

O。J。　was　to　many　American　blacks…the　stick　they　poke　in　the　eye　of　an　〃unfair〃　America　
and　their　own　leaders。　I　once　interviewed　Dyab　Abou　Jahjah；　often　called　the　Malcolm　
X　of　Belgium's　alienated　Moroccan　youth。　I　asked　him　what　he　and　his　friends　thought　
when　they　saw　the　World　Trade　Center　being　smashed。　He　said；　〃I　think　if　we　are　honest　
with　ourselves；　most　of　the　Muslims　all　o