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From Ibn Khaldun’s Introduction to Al Qaeda’s Conclusion | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Terrorism at a grass-roots level! This is what the villains affiliated to the terrorist Al Qaeda organization attempted to bring about when it decided to cloak one of its members in explosives and use him in a failed assassination attempt on Saudi Assistant Minister for Security Affairs, Prince Mohammed Bin Naif. This is a miserable scene that has no connection whatsoever to the glorious history of the Arab world which was able to produce scientific breakthroughs and export these advances to the wider world. The Arab world was a cross-border one that conducted dialogue and coexisted with others. Its figures, such as al-Ghazali, Ibn Khaldun, Averroes, Avicenna, al-Kindi, and Alhazen, towered over their contemporaries. Their ideas have served humanity and formed the basis of knowledge in areas such as medicine, astronomy, mathematics, algebra, geometry, architecture, and sociology.

The Arab world was confident and courageous, but later became scared and frightened of others because it relied on a narrow way of thinking, believing everything different from it to be an enemy lying in wait to gnaw at its bones. This is an image that only serves to frighten children before bed, rather than educate future generations on how to respect their own religion, as well as the religions, nations, sects, and doctrines of others.

The Arab world was one that was concerned with science and education in an open manner to all nations of the world. However the dark Takfirist ideology gradually sneaked in and took over the minds of some people and became a point of reference for them.

There are two perfect symbolic incidents in this regard; the first was when Imam Mohamed Abdo travelled to Europe and returned home and said “[in Europe], I saw Muslims without Islam.” The second was when Sayyid Qutb returned from the US and began to launch his Takfir ideology within societies claiming that this was to protect society against the West and confined them to extremism, solitude and isolation.

The Arab nation used to be preoccupied with nourishing minds with science; this later changed to poisons and explosives. The recent Al Qaeda operation is not a testimony of its creativity, creative thinking or new ideas; it is evidence of the group’s despair.

In spite of this thunderous downfall, there are still some people who are finding excuses for Al Qaeda and its members. Some try to explain and interpret situations in a way that can only be described as satanic. Al Qaeda and the like have been reared on the same cancerous ideology that must be eradicated not with a painkiller but with a chemical that will completely destroy these cells.

How times have changed from the days of Ibn Khaldun’s Introduction [Muqadimmah] to the days of Al Qaeda’s conclusion.