another explanation: secular recoil

Submitted by myth (Germany), Jun 12, 2010 at 09:54

From my own experience talking to lots of people from oriental countries over the years I recall only two groups actually complaining about islamists or pointing out features of islamic culture they reject. Those were turks and persians. They would use the word "islamist" , use attributes like "medieval" or "dangerous". I remember a persian suffering very much from the fact people take him for an arab with all the islamist implications. Both groups look very much westernized to me. Now Persia before the revolution and Turkey a short while ago were very westernized countries by oriental standards. My guess is, that westernization and secularism in muslim oriental countries produces a recoil effect of determined islamist movements. A similar thing can be observed in east-germany. Back in the days of socialism the party prescribed the population a loving attitude towards international "comrades" living in the east-german-state. After the fall of the wall in Berlin a stunning hostility towards foreigners of darker skin (to the point of neo-nazi attitudes) was exposed. An effect almost alien to the old west germany. Again I see some recoil from the prescription attitude of internationalism. Does Dr Pipes have any indication to confirm that the more secular a muslim country is, the more radical its islamists movements are ?

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