Comments on: The Chirol Plan in Action http://cominganarchy.com/2008/05/06/the-chirol-plan-in-action/ Speak Victorian, Think Pagan Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:04:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Curzon http://cominganarchy.com/2008/05/06/the-chirol-plan-in-action/#comment-383610 Curzon Wed, 07 May 2008 03:56:58 +0000 http://cominganarchy.com/2008/05/06/the-chirol-plan-in-action/#comment-383610 Jing, you're being aggressively dismissive of Turkey's efforts. All radical movements are doomed without pragmatic solutions. Supporting an alternative such as Turkey, which has a track record, and which is a model ready for adoption by any government when the radicals fail, is to be encouraged. And this is far more effective than the US wasting money on sending Karen Hughes to engage in so-called public diplomacy in the Middle East. Jing, you’re being aggressively dismissive of Turkey’s efforts. All radical movements are doomed without pragmatic solutions. Supporting an alternative such as Turkey, which has a track record, and which is a model ready for adoption by any government when the radicals fail, is to be encouraged. And this is far more effective than the US wasting money on sending Karen Hughes to engage in so-called public diplomacy in the Middle East.

]]> By: Jing http://cominganarchy.com/2008/05/06/the-chirol-plan-in-action/#comment-383598 Jing Tue, 06 May 2008 13:15:48 +0000 http://cominganarchy.com/2008/05/06/the-chirol-plan-in-action/#comment-383598 Spreading "moderate" Islam is simply a foolish idea dreamt up by well-wishers detached from reality. Any socio-political movement that even hints of being backed by the "Great Satan" is going to go nowhere in the middle east. Propping up moderate clerics against fundamentalist clerics is like asking sheep to fight wolves. There is a reason that radicals are strong; it is because they are driven, passionate, and hold moderates in contempt. I believe all religious revivalist movements eventually reach an apogee and then peter out. The reason that fundamentalist Islam survives for so long is that they have seized the organs of the state and continue to propogate themselves through state power. If there is anything that can be learned from history ever since Jacobin France is that Revolutions eventually eat their own. People eventually get tired of the myriad restrictions on everyday freedom. If you want to speed along the decline of Islamic fundamentalism, I would argue that the best way is to actually speed it along. People want Sharia? Allow them to have a taste of the harshest Sharia practices. Eventually they will reject such religiosity, but only as long as the democratic institutions remain in place where a Sharia government can be removed. Spreading “moderate” Islam is simply a foolish idea dreamt up by well-wishers detached from reality. Any socio-political movement that even hints of being backed by the “Great Satan” is going to go nowhere in the middle east. Propping up moderate clerics against fundamentalist clerics is like asking sheep to fight wolves. There is a reason that radicals are strong; it is because they are driven, passionate, and hold moderates in contempt.

I believe all religious revivalist movements eventually reach an apogee and then peter out. The reason that fundamentalist Islam survives for so long is that they have seized the organs of the state and continue to propogate themselves through state power. If there is anything that can be learned from history ever since Jacobin France is that Revolutions eventually eat their own. People eventually get tired of the myriad restrictions on everyday freedom. If you want to speed along the decline of Islamic fundamentalism, I would argue that the best way is to actually speed it along. People want Sharia? Allow them to have a taste of the harshest Sharia practices. Eventually they will reject such religiosity, but only as long as the democratic institutions remain in place where a Sharia government can be removed.

]]> By: Ghosts of Alexander http://cominganarchy.com/2008/05/06/the-chirol-plan-in-action/#comment-383597 Ghosts of Alexander Tue, 06 May 2008 09:01:02 +0000 http://cominganarchy.com/2008/05/06/the-chirol-plan-in-action/#comment-383597 The Fethullacilar Turkish schools in post-Soviet Central Asia are excellent. However, they are relatively few and end up catering to the elite. Still a decent model though, as the article said. The Fethullacilar Turkish schools in post-Soviet Central Asia are excellent. However, they are relatively few and end up catering to the elite. Still a decent model though, as the article said.

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