Obama and the ‘Causes’ of Terrorism

Published in ABC
(Spain) on 9 September 2010
by Edurne Uriarte (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Patricia Gonzalez Darriba. Edited by Sam Carter.
In Spain we have spent years fighting the theory of the "causes" of terrorism: the idea that if terrorists kill it is because there are certain causes like poverty, oppression or provocation. This is to look at external circumstances and not at the mere will of an individual who makes the decision to kill instead of opting for peaceful methods of protest, defense or resistance.

And now U.S. president Barack Obama makes a statement justifying the theory of the "causes" of terrorism. A few hours ago, on ABC, Obama said that the Koran burning promoted by the fanatical Terry Jones “is a recruitment bonanza for al-Qaida” and that it can lead to serious and violent incidents in several countries.

Obama's subconscious, which is that of the Alliance of Civilizations, has played a dirty trick on him. He would never say that fanatical and extremist acts against Westerners and Christians in Muslim countries function either as a recruiting tool for anti-Muslim terrorists or as a reason for serious violence in the West, but he does believe that it happens the other way around. In other words, he says that al-Qaida is not just a group of bloodthirsty people but one that has "causes."

If we accept Obama's argument, we may conclude that terrorist groups will be created in the West in order to attack the provocations of Muslim extremists. Because, remember, the Muslim countries have a very high percentages of individuals with extremist and fanatic tendencies equaling those of Jones, although they go in the other direction (just have a look at the Pew Research Center surveys). But no, they do not create terrorists, but rather pacific, democratic condemnation and rejection, which Obama should well know.


Llevamos años en España combatiendo la teoría de las “causas” del terrorismo, la idea de que si los terroristas asesinan es porque hay unas causas, pobreza, opresión, provocaciones. Es decir, circunstancias exteriores y no la mera voluntad de un individuo que toma la decisión de matar en lugar de optar por métodos pacíficos de protesta, contestación o resistencia.

Y he aquí que llega nada más y nada menos que el presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, y hace apología de la teoría de las “causas” del terrorismo. Hace unas horas, en la cadena de televisión ABC, cuando ha afirmado que la quema de ejemplares del Corán pedida por el fanático Terry Jones es una herramienta de reclutamiento de Al Qaeda y que puede provocar graves hechos violentos en diversos países.

A Obama le ha traicionado probablemente su subconsciente, el de la Alianza de Civilizaciones. Y de la misma manera que jamás se le ocurriría afirmar que los actos extremistas y fanáticos contra los occidentales y cristianos en los países musulmanes son una herramienta de reclutamiento de terroristas anti-musulmanes o una causa de grave violencia en Occidente, sí lo hace en el otro sentido. En otras palabras, que Al Qaeda no es un mero grupo de sanguinarios sino que tiene “causas”.

Como se nos ocurra aceptar el razonamiento de Obama, tendremos que concluir que en Occidente se van a crear grupos terroristas para atentar contra las provocaciones del extremismo musulmán. Y es que, recuérdese, los países musulmanes presentan altísimos porcentajes de individuos con el extremismo y el fanatismo de Jones, aunque en el otro sentido (véanse las encuestas de la Pew Research Center) Pero no, no crean terroristas sino reacciones de repulsa y rechazo pacíficas y democráticas, como bien debería saber Obama.
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