Re: <nettime> ICT&S Researchers: Towards Critical Internet Theory

[Thijs <thijsv77@gmail.com>]

A fragment of the article you mentioned ('Among the believers') is here:
http://www.proteinwisdom.com/?p=9863

Jochen Bittner, WSJ Opinion
Journal<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119032925824734477.html?mod=opinion_main_europe_asia>
:

[?] In contrast to most post-modern nation states, Islamic
fundamentalism offers the kind of warm hearth for which many shaken
Western souls might yearn: community instead of individualism. Moral
certainty instead of moral arbitrariness. And hasn't the fulfilling
sense of fighting a "cold evil" always held great attraction for young
idealists? Take the revolutionary companeros around Fidel Castro and
Che Guevara. The anti-globalization movement, which never ceases to
denounce "unmerciful neo-liberalism," is another example.

But can we seriously compare the political appeal of social
revolutionary groups with theocentric al Qaedism? Let's try a test.
Who is the source of the following quote: "This is why I tell you: as
you liberated yourselves before from the slavery of monks, kings and
feudalism, you should liberate yourselves from the deception, shackles
and attrition of the capitalist system." Karl Marx? Hugo Chavez? Noam
Chomsky? In fact, the words are Osama bin Laden's, spoken on a video
that appeared shortly before the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks
on the U.S. The al Qaeda chief went on to denounce in great detail the
excesses of unbridled capitalism and "global warming" before inviting
all Americans to convert to Islam. Bin Laden offers some kind of
"counter-globalization": The security the Muslim Umma promises, the
global village of all believers.

regards,
Thijs

On 9/29/07, Patrice Riemens <patrice@xs4all.nl> wrote:
> On another (but the same) plane, there was in the Wall Street
> Journal's last week-end edition (20-23 sept) a fantastic op-ed
> by a German columnist from Die Zeit in which Al Quaeda and the
> counter-globalisation movement were 'theoretised'into basically
> one and the same thing. After reading it, the state prosecutor who
> had Alej H. helicopetered all the way from Berlin to Karlsruhe on
> accusation of furnishing the intellectual instruments to terrorist
> groups ('gentrification', 'globalisation' etc.) appeared somewhat
> more understandable, if not less brain-damaged. Now I couldn't find
> the article on-line, since the WSJE archives is for subscribers only.
> If anyone has access, please forward it to the list. It's really
> enlightning - in a perverse sense - reading.








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