take it on

Submitted by Hani Bahnam (Lebanon), Aug 22, 2008 at 18:05

Hi Rasha,

I would like to hear your full analysis in response.

Here is mine

This is just a comment and not a fully fledged article so I will not engage in idea to idea analysis rather a strategic view on the causes leading up to the current state.

You see, the world has been created so to make 1 notion prevalent on all others. Capitalism. Everything that stands in the way of capitalism is pushed aside by the unraveling of its sheer power.

Religion in the state, by the state or by the people is a threat. The world cannot survive if it does not grow and growth requires a regulation system that is free of any form of constant enduring principles such as religion.

I will elaborate with one more example and 1 piece of advice.

Europe was ruled by all walks of church form, from Spain to France and Russia. They all fell, and the civil state prevailed as did Capitalism. Historically, the Arabs and Islamic peoples made all the initial inventions in a multitude of sciences but were handicapped by the lack of enough evolution in laws that prevented the flourishing of Capitalism.

The Arab world and Islam should follow the path of the French revolution and Turkish transformation. Move away from faith, turn into a civil state. That is the only sure way to have hope in 50 years from now. Voila, secularism is a means to an end. Capitalism replaced it, or is it capitalism that imposed it? hmmm

We mentioned Turkey, Now Dubai. Dubai is such a great example and the biggest threat to the advocates of Islam within the state regimes; yes regimes because 1 person can change the history of his people or the region, as did Ataturk with Turkey and Al-Nahyan family of Dubai.

There is hope because of Dubai. Don't look at the night life and sky scrapers, look at strategy, the obvious and the hidden. The only thing stronger than religion is greed. Others will follow suite because the global warming crisis (a threat to capitalism, again capitalism) cannot endure at this pace for the next 20 years, let alone 100 years; and as such energy sources will move away from gas to cleaner sources; and thus the inevitable need of transforming Arab countries into Dubai like economies to survive.

In short, the transformation of Islam into a niche religion just like Christianity. All problems solved. Islam will be embraced and will prosper.

As like the Vatican where the evolution of capitalism made it extinct. Nothing can stand in the way of capitalism.

Oil slowed the transformation and oil will speed it up, slowly.

Read your Adam Smith please. He has all the answers.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".