New approach toward global evil

New approach toward global evil

Vladimir Simonov, Political Analyst, RIA Novosti, Moscow

The involvement of the radical Islamic group Jamaah Islamiyah
in the JW Marriott hotel blast in Jakarta is no longer a matter
of supposition, but proof. The radical Islamic group has clearly
chosen the world's most populous Muslim country as the focus of
its campaign to kill innocent people.

This kind of decision could hardly have been made at a local
level. Although anti-terrorist experts do not believe that Jamaah
Islamiyah is a branch of al-Qaeda, the two organizations do co-
operate closely. Bin Laden generously finances his "younger
brothers" in Jakarta and Bali.

International terrorism is expanding its scope, all the while
claiming more lives in the Muslim world. Against this backdrop,
America's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq look like minor, local
campaigns, incommensurate with the global and multi-faceted
terrorist threat.

Moreover, the U.S.'s invasion of Afghanistan, like the
occupation of Iraq, has only served to whip up the hostility of
the Muslim population and this is now being exploited by Islamic
radicals.

The ruling elites of some Islamic states should carry their
fair share of the blame for the new victims of terrorism. Under
pressure from radical lobbies, the governments of these countries
are acting slowly to block financial flows to terrorists groups
and at times engage in secret contacts with their bosses. In
their turn, local secret services have adopted a passive
position, and are in no hurry to plant their agents in terrorist
cells, a practice pursued by the U.S. today.

Consequently, the tumor of terrorism keeps spreading in the
Muslim world itself and, more often that not, in those states
that covertly sponsor it.

This has led to the emergence of an idea that is gaining more
and more popularity in many influential capitals. Should the
Islamic world do more to fight its heretics who preach terrorist
methods? Would it not be worth establishing an anti-terrorist
coalition based on the true principles of Islam, rejecting
violence and even more so the murder of innocent people?

Hints of this idea came in an unexpected proposal from Russian
President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Malaysia. Putin
announced that Russia, where there are even more Muslims than in
the latter country, should join the Organization of the Islamic
Conference. "I am suggesting that Russia should be presented in
the Organization of the Islamic Conference at the first stage, at
least as an observer," he said.

This is not the first time that the Russian leader has
publicly raised the problem of Islam's key role. However, on this
occasion the phrasing was extremely interesting. It seems that
Putin's comments were set in the context of a search for new
forces to act in the global anti-terrorist coalition formed
following the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

The Russian leader is evidently prepared to make great efforts
to halt the spread of Islamic extremism, including from Chechnya.
At the same time, when speaking about this threat, Putin always
makes a distinct difference between genuine Islam as a peaceful,
humane religion and the pseudo-religious slogans used as a cover
by fanatics.

Interestingly, Malaysia, which takes over the OIC rotating
chair in October, supported the Russian president's initiative
without any hesitation. This continues the OIC leadership's
traditionally considerate attitude with regard to Moscow's
actions that affect the interests of 20 million Russian Muslims.

In particular, this January, the OIC secretary general made it
clear that Chechnya was the Russian Federation's internal affair.
One could argue that Russia's accession to the OIC could help the
international community understand that the tragedies of the
Moscow theater hostage-taking and the recent Mozdok bombing, on
the one hand, are the same as the dreadful events in Jakarta and
Bali, on the other.

Putin's proposal was praised by Russia's Spiritual Board of
Muslims, which saw it as "a timely response to the threat of
terrorism." It seems that the Islamic world is becoming
increasingly inclined to believe that it is time to take back the
green banner of Islam from the bloodied hands of apostates.