Finding Shelter in the Sandstorms of Middle Eastern Unrest.

Submitted by M. Tovey (United States), Jun 1, 2011 at 12:18

In the same vein of Dr. Pipes' thinking, there are some of us that view the 'Arab' unrest as a phenomenon of a recurring theme, that of a people caught in the confusion of not understanding why they are a discontented people, knowing only they are hungry, exposed to the whims of the elements and the capricious nature of those who have usurped control over their lives. But, insidiously, within their ranks are a few that see the discontent as opportunity, for a variety of reasons, though none seem interested in solving the source of that discontent (for it is the tool of their advantage).

The image Dr. Pipes included in his presentation depicts a Middle Eastern panorama that immediately evokes thoughts of a time when contentment could be possible, but is the image in Africa; or Arabia? What is missing are the people.

More to the point, what the people are missing is a sense that at some point in time: is peace possible? If one is to examine the current situation in any place in the Middle East, the most likely answer is: no. The upheaval, the revolt, the unrest, all point to a continuous sentiment that all is not well, that there is little hope under the current circumstances that it is not going to get better anytime soon, so why not disrupt the status quo to see what shakes from the date palm?

But one cannot delve into the situation for very long without determining that much of the uneasiness comes from a smaller component of the population, that of the radical mentality of the Islamic fundamentalists, who see adherence to the religious tenets of that belief system as a means for achieving a common goal, attempting to gain conformity to an ideology they have sworn to uphold at any cost. Therein lays the more potent seed for unrest.

Dr. Pipes alludes to the underlying circumstances that belie the optimistic idea that a 'spring' was in the offing, a term that can be categorically dismissed in that there is no rebirth in the tumult seen region-wide. The implications in the use of that term point to nothing more than a panacea of a short term pause to a more dramatic episode that is sure to come. When the unrest is found out to be nothing more than a stepping stone to more rebellion and the real reason for the unrest is finally exposed for what it intends, the whole world will find itself embroiled in realizing that the real reason was not for negotiating peace and contentment of the masses, but for answering a muezzin's call for obedience to the Islamic cause that underlies the unrest.

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