banking services chronicle august 2020

 banking services chronicle august 2020

banking services chronicle august 2020 Published this article page no   Islam is not merely a religion. It is also  and perhaps foremost  a state ideology. It is allpervasive and missionary. It permeates every aspect of social cooperation and culture. It is an organizing principle a narrative a philosophy a value system and a vade mecum. In this it resembles Confucianism and to some extent Hinduism. Judaism and its offspring Christianity  though heavily involved in political affairs throughout the ages  have kept their dignified distance from such carnal matters. These are religions of heaven as opposed to Islam a practical pragmatic handson ubiquitous earthly creed. Secular religions  Democratic Liberalism Communism Fascism Nazism Socialism and other isms  are more akin to Islam than to lets say Buddhism. They are universal prescriptive and total. They provide recipes rules and norms regarding every aspect of existence  individual social cultural moral economic political military and philosophical. At the end of the Cold War Democratic Liberalism stood triumphant over the fresh graves of its ideological opponents. They have all been eradicated. This precipitated Fukuyamas premature diagnosis the End of History. But one state ideology one bitter rival one implacable opponent one contestant for world domination one antithesis remained  Islam. Militant Islam is therefore not a cancerous mutation of true Islam. On the contrary it is the purest expression of its nature as an imperialistic religion which demands unmitigated obedience from its followers and regards all infidels as both inferior and avowed enemies. The same can be said about Democratic Liberalism. Like Islam it does not hesitate to exercise force is missionary colonizing and regards itself as a monopolist of the truth and of universal values. Its antagonists are invariably portrayed as depraved primitive and below par. Such mutually exclusive claims were bound to lead to an allout conflict sooner or later. The War on Terrorism is only the latest round in a millenniumold war between Islam and other world systems. Such interpretation of recent events enrages many. They demand to know often in harsh tones  Dont you see any difference between terrorists who murder civilians and regular armies in battle Both regulars and irregulars slaughter civilians as a matter of course. Collateral damage is the main outcome of modern total warfare  and of low intensity conflicts alike. There is a major difference between terrorists and soldiers though Terrorists make carnage of noncombatants their main tactic  while regular armies rarely do. Such conduct is criminal and deplorable whoever the perpetrator. But what about the killing of combatants in battle How should we judge the slaying of soldiers by terrorists in combat Modern nationstates enshrined the selfappropriated monopoly on violence in their constitutions and ordinances and in international law. Only state organs  the army the police  are permitted to kill torture and incarcerate. Terrorists are trustbusters they too want to kill torture and incarcerate. They seek to break the death cartel of governments by joining its ranks. Thus when a soldier kills terrorists and inadvertently civilians as collateral damage  it is considered above board. But when the terrorist decimates the very same soldier  he is decried as an outlaw. Moreover the misbehavior of some countries  not least the United States  led to the legitimization of terrorism. Often nationstates use terrorist organizations to further their geopolitical goals. When this happens erstwhile outcasts become freedom fighters pariahs become allies murderers are recast as sensitive souls struggling for equal rights. This contributes to the blurring of ethical percepts and the blunting of moral judgment.  Would you rather live under sharia law Dont you find Liberal Democracy vastly superior to Islam Superior no. Different  of course. Having been born and raised in the West I naturally prefer its standards to Islams. Had I been born in a Muslim country I would have probably found the West and its principles perverted and obnoxious. The question is meaningless because it presupposes the existence of an objective universal culture and period independent set of preferences. Luckily there is no such thing. banking services chronicle august 2020