200 bombs exploded in Bangladesh last week all over the country in a well-planned attack of psychological and physical terrorism. The bombs were not intended to kill civilians....yet, but to show the terrorists power. The Islamists in Bangladesh have thrown down the gauntlet and chances are no one will challenge them for fear of deadlier destruction. I remember, before we went in to liberate Iraq, there was a lot of talk about the compatibility of Islam with Democracy. A lot of pundits were skeptical that countries with an Islamic majority could ever transition to Democracy. However, to prove the naysayers wrong, other pundits cited Turkey and Bangladesh as functioning Democracies with large Muslim populations. Bangladesh, a country that's barely on the radar of news agencies let alone the American public is the third largest Muslim nation in the world behind Indonesia and India and yet it has (had?) an established parliamentary form of democracy. But Islamists are now holding the nation hostage threatening further destruction and mayhem if they don't win enough votes to take over the Parliament and enact Sharia law. The group who planned the bombs appear to have many members who used to work in Saudi Arabia where they were indoctrinated into Wahhabism. Bangledesh is becoming the new breeding ground for terrorists. How will this effect the rest of muslim SouthEast Asia like Indonesia and Malaysia? How will these governments respond? How will or should WE respond?
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Bangledesh Bombed
200 bombs exploded in Bangladesh last week all over the country in a well-planned attack of psychological and physical terrorism. The bombs were not intended to kill civilians....yet, but to show the terrorists power. The Islamists in Bangladesh have thrown down the gauntlet and chances are no one will challenge them for fear of deadlier destruction. I remember, before we went in to liberate Iraq, there was a lot of talk about the compatibility of Islam with Democracy. A lot of pundits were skeptical that countries with an Islamic majority could ever transition to Democracy. However, to prove the naysayers wrong, other pundits cited Turkey and Bangladesh as functioning Democracies with large Muslim populations. Bangladesh, a country that's barely on the radar of news agencies let alone the American public is the third largest Muslim nation in the world behind Indonesia and India and yet it has (had?) an established parliamentary form of democracy. But Islamists are now holding the nation hostage threatening further destruction and mayhem if they don't win enough votes to take over the Parliament and enact Sharia law. The group who planned the bombs appear to have many members who used to work in Saudi Arabia where they were indoctrinated into Wahhabism. Bangledesh is becoming the new breeding ground for terrorists. How will this effect the rest of muslim SouthEast Asia like Indonesia and Malaysia? How will these governments respond? How will or should WE respond?
No comments:
Post a Comment