October 30, 2011

9/11 And Karbala: The Stories We Tell Ourselves To Give Meaning To Our Deaths



Cultures and countries are conquered with language, stories, and significant events that imprint new myths on the collective mind. The most obvious example in modern times is the September 11 event.

Such events give precise meaning to our collective actions, the decisions of our leaders, the deaths of our heroes, and the social changes that we all experience.

The 9/11 myth has motivated Western warriors to pursue phantom terrorists and villains with a deep sense of glory and heroism in their quest. They anticipate a hero's welcome in the heavens for defending their country from terror. And they deserve their place in the Valhalla of heroes because they acted heroically on Earth within their narrow worldview.

Three months before the 9/11 attacks, on June 2nd, 2001, War of Terror architect Paul Wolfowitz alluded to the need for a new spirit of heroism in the American military, telling graduates at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point:
"A century ago, on a peaceful day in 1903, with great foresight, Secretary of War Elihu Root told Douglas MacArthur’s graduating class, "Before you leave the Army…you will be engaged in another war. It is bound to come, and will come. Prepare your country."

One day, you too will be tested in combat. And if you fail that test, the nation will fail, too. We are counting on you, all of you."
Wolfowitz's speech to the 2001 class hit all the right nerves - an appeal to courage and duty, a remembrance of history and American victories in past wars, providing little anecdotes of great American war leaders like Eisenhower, reminding them of the fragility of peace - really emotional stuff.

He ended the speech with a warning that a new surprise laid ahead for them and America comparable to the Pearl Harbor attack, saying:
"Yours will not be a life of personal gain, but it is noble work. You will man the walls behind which democracy and freedom flourish. Your presence will reassure our allies and deter the enemies of freedom around the world. Be prepared to be surprised. Have courage. And remember what General Eisenhower said to those American and Allied troops before they were about to land on the beaches of Normandy. "You are about to embark on a great crusade," he told them. "The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you."

Today, as you, the Class of 2001, go forth on your own crusade, our hopes and prayers go with you. Thank you, God bless the Class of ’01, and God bless America."
Click here to watch a brief excerpt of Wolfowitz's cunning and strategic speech.

Looking back on his speech ten years later, we can clearly see that Wolfowitz was laying the mental groundwork in West Point graduates and getting them ready for a new kind of war in which they would sacrifice themselves to defend democracy and freedom.

If Wolfowitz wasn't one of the guilty conspirators involved in the 9/11 attacks, if the "surprise attack" was really a surprise, then his speech deserves to be called prophetic and wise. But, as it is the case in history, politics is prophecy.

There is no such thing as a surprise attack on the biggest empire in history on the scale of the 9/11 events. 9/11 was engineered and planned many years before 2001 by the shadow governments in America and Israel.

So there was nothing prophetic about Wolfowitz's speech. It was a cold-blooded calculation by him to use the special occasion to brainwash American soldiers and get their spirits fired up for the war that he and his fellow assassins were planning in the Pentagon in the dark of night.

II.

The grand architects of the war on terror view the 9/11 myth as a necessary illusion because it gives meaning to the deaths of warriors on the battlefields of the Middle East.

These same people believe that the war on terror is a necessary war because it contributes to the reduction of the world population and represents a critical step towards building one system on this planet under which all nations will unite.

If overpopulation is truly a huge global problem that threatens all life on this planet then war is one of the solutions, and you can't have war in modern democratic societies without necessary illusions like 9/11.

I'm not saying I agree with this view. I understand the psychopathy of the ruling elite and they make up very clever ideologies to serve their own corrupt interests. But I will remain on the margins of history and be open to all possibilities.

However, I am slowly coming to the unnerving conclusion that the esoteric conspirators behind the 9/11 attacks didn't invent a sacred myth simply to attain power and profit. Maybe it is bigger than that.

Plus, why would so many people be involved in the conspiracy to cover up the truth about 9/11? Are they all afraid of telling the truth? Do they all love their careers and salaries? Or do they truly believe that lying to the global public is justified in the present historical situation when the world is facing numerous crises?

That is for you to decide.

Of course, power and status, oil and profit, are big reasons why the war on terror was manufactured. The war has made a lot of war profiteers and psychopaths successful. But, from my understanding, world war three is not being waged solely for wealth and power.

At the end of the day, the war on terror is primarily about building a world government with one set of authoritarian rules and despotic rulers to govern the people and resources on this planet. A lot of well meaning people regard this as a noble global goal, and it can't be achieved without committing acts of deception, orchestrating global chaos, and starting a world war.

World War III is also being fought to reduce some of the world population in a way that allows both cultures, Islam and the West, to sacrifice their sons in the service of myths and stories so that they die a hero's death. Their life and their death is given meaning by stories and myths that are crafted by the political and religious elites.

The myth of 9/11 gives Western warriors dignity and honor. They are being given the title of heroes for defeating the terrorists, defending freedom, and bringing democracy to the Middle East, all of which are imperialist lies.

Those who consider themselves philosopher kings don't want the truth about 9/11 being exposed in public because the truth not only undermines the cultural fabric and societal cohesion in the West, but it also puts into question the identity of the Western warrior as the hero in this struggle, and the image of Israel as the "defender of civilization against barbarism."

III.

Muslim warriors are also fed myths and legends to heighten their morale and prepare them for war.

The most important story in Shia Islam is the story of Karbala which was a famous battle that was fought in Karbala, Iraq in the seventh century A.D. between Husain ibn Ali, the grandson of the prophet Muhammad and a symbol of justice, and the troops of Yazid I, a cruel tyrant.

Karbala is the Islamic tale of David vs Goliath. It is about fighting against oppression and sacrificing yourself for the community. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia's description of the Battle of Karbala:
The Battle of Karbala took place on Muharram 10, in the year 61 of the Islamic calendar (October 10, 680) in Karbala, in present day Iraq. On one side of the highly uneven battle were a small group of supporters and relatives of Muhammad's grandson Husain ibn Ali, and on the other was a large military detachment from the forces of Yazid I, the Umayyad caliph, who Husain had refused to recognise as caliph. Husain and all his supporters were killed, including Husain's baby son, and the women and children were taken as prisoners. The dead are regarded as martyrs by Shi'ah Muslims, and the battle has a central place in Shi'ah history and tradition, and has frequently been recounted in Shi'ah Islamic literature.
We will see the rebirth of the spirit of Karbala when Israel and America attack Iran.

Iranian clerics and military leaders used the story to inspire young Iranians to resist Saddam's aggression in the 1980s. And they will use this story again to mobilize Muslim warriors and recreate the same emotion in them that engulfed Husain ibn Ali when he opposed tyranny.

Britain's Channel 4 made a documentary called "Once Upon A Time In Iran," in 2007 about the significance of the battle of Karbala and the tradition of martyrdom in Iranian history.

Watch a ten minute excerpt from the documentary that specifically talks about the battle of Karbala. If you want a better understanding of the dynamic nature of the world war that is coming then watch this documentary. It provides an insight into how stories of death and heroic sacrifice shape cultures, religions, and nations for centuries.

English historian Edward Gibbon said this about Husain ibn Ali's act of sacrifice:
"In a distant age and climate, the tragic scene of the death of Husain will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader."
Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle said:
"The best lesson which we get from the tragedy of Karbala is that Hussain and his companions were the rigid believers of God. They illustrated that numerical superiority does not count when it comes to truth and falsehood. The victory of Hussain despite his minority marvels me!"
In World War III, Hussain's example will inspire the Iranian people and Muslim fighters against America and Israel. The emotional impact of his death still resonates in the hearts and minds of devout Muslim followers.

The story of Karbala is an example of how the stories we tell ourselves regulate our communal life, influence our choices, and guide the course of politics and society.

I searched the term 'Karbala' on YouTube and I discovered that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah retells Husain's tragic sacrifice in this video. I expect that he will deliver the same sermon to Hezbollah fighters when the fighting begins because it is a very effective story.

In another message about Karbala, Nasrallah says:
"This Karbala of yours O' my master we will never leave it, rather, we will remain in it. With our bodies and souls, with our minds and hearts, with our pens and rifles, with our love and hate, with our blood and tears, until we meet your Grandson, the Saviour of this Nation, and the Grandson of the Messenger of God, and the reformer of this religion, and the one who will manifest Divine Justice in this world.

As for us, God willing, we are waiting, we will meet that appointment, we will definitely not leave our Imam and Leader, for someone to deceive him, or for someone to take him away, or that someone kills him, or that someone severs his head, or let anyone make captives the women of this household.

Surely there took place a Karbala which ended with such tragedies. However, any Nation which truly maintains Karbala in its spirit, then its end will not be tragic."
From a propaganda standpoint, the story of Karbala provides an advantage for Hezbollah and Iran over America. But not over Israel. The level of intensity and spirit of sacrifice that the tragedy of Karbala creates in Muslim hearts can be matched by the tragedy of the Holocaust in inspiring Jewish soldiers to sacrifice their lives for Israel.

American soldiers don't have such an emotionally deep story as the Holocaust or Karbala to fall back on when their morale is low. But a greater kind of heroism awaits them.

I think American soldiers are capable of bringing peace between Muslims and Jews because they don't have either an emotional attachment to history or a cultural attachment to the Middle East. They are not carrying history's emotional baggage like Muslims and Jews.

America is a young nation and that is its greatest strength. If American soldiers were free from the myth of 9/11 then they could embrace their historic role as peacemakers in the Middle East.

I never heard of the story of Karbala until a few months ago. It is very inspiring because it reveals another episode in history of a single man's actions changing the spirit of his people and the destiny of the human race.

Fighting against oppression and being remembered throughout history as a martyr for freedom is a true act of sacrifice.

American and NATO soldiers are making this same heroic sacrifice but they are acting within their own cultural context, and for their own countries. The fact that they are not bringing democracy and freedom to the Middle East but instead tyranny and destruction does not diminish their sacrifice and heroism.

Soldiers who are deceived into playing the role of the oppressor must be granted mercy, and welcomed into the Valhalla of heroes in Heaven because of their faith, bravery and honour.

IV.

Throughout history, the oppressor invents a false story to conquer foreign lands with imperial slaves, and the oppressed remembers a true story from the past to get inspired and resist the oppressor.

The important difference between the 9/11 story and the Karbala story is that the 9/11 story is not true. That reality takes away the popular meaning of the war on terror, reveals the Western soldier as a mental slave, and puts Western civilization on trial.

But regardless of what you think about the war possessed Neocons, Zionists, and Globalists of the West, and the snakelike Mullahs of Islam, you cannot deny the heroism of the soldiers on both sides in this tragic war.

Their acts of sacrifice must be recorded and remembered with great care.

We can't ever speak bad about the heroic fighters on both sides of the mythic and divine battlefield because they all spill their blood to defend their culture and country.