Shame In Muslim Culture

In order to fully appreciate how capitalism fueled Islamic fundamentalism, it is important to understand the significance of honour and shame in Muslim culture. As capitalism spread throughout the world, the nations at the helm established secular colonies and implemented capitalist socio-economic systems while destroying cultures deeply rooted in Islamic faith. Understanding the tremendous value placed on honour, it is not difficult to comprehend the shame caused by permitting infidels, to expropriate your tribal lands; lands from which they grow rich while you grow poor. Let that shame simmer for a decade or two and you have anger, then hatred, and from that hatred a very virulent and lethal strain of extremism emerges.

Understanding how

This is also made possible because to Muslims, Islam legitimizes everything and because the Saudi monarchy is supportive of anything that will challenge the Shia or other moderate forms of Islam. Of note, al Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Shabab and others are all Sunni Salafi groups. For fifty years, Saudi Arabia has been the official sponsor of Sunni Salafism, which just happens to be another term for Wahhabism. These terror groups have been generously backed by the Saudi government, which has assigned delegates to its consulates in Muslim countries that promote Salafism. Regardless, the United States stays silent because the Saudi monarchy serves U.S. strategic interests. Their central position as a member of OPEC safeguards crude oil prices, they are an important buyer of US weapons, they invest heavily in U.S. government bonds and they provide cover for covert military action. ISIS is but one example of a terrorist organization who, despite not being loyal to Saudi Arabia, received their support for the ongoing dissemination of Sunni beliefs. Nonetheless, they work to constrain the power of these groups, while trying not to interrupt the continued destruction of Shia beliefs. Western leaders typically play down the link between Saudi Arabia and

Notwithstanding, Islamic fundamentalism saw its inception decades earlier and owes much to the role played by capitalism. Dozens of less developed nations have been exploited for profit by a few very wealthy and powerful people and the global corporations they control. The real problem though, is not capitalism but rather the abuse of capitalism and the belief that we can continue to consume a disproportionate allotment of the world’s resources, without consequence. Interestingly, Marx predicted that the inequality caused by capitalism would give rise to a class struggle that would ultimately lead to its own demise. While his definition of the proletariat does not automatically stir images of the Taliban or Mujahedeen, the similarity is striking. In no way do I claim that capitalism is solely responsible for the growth of Islamic terrorism; it has however, played a very significant role. And while capitalism is not all bad, hopefully the future will see a more proportionate amount of the world’s resources invested in finding a sound and equitable solution for this and its many other