Victory through death

The word used to describe the events in London one and a half week ago seems to be “barbaric”. It appears that the word was first used by Tony Blair in his first statement 7 July while still at the G8 summit.

(Before continuing it should be noted that this post, for the sake of argument, will assume that the information provided by the media is, in large, correct. After all, perception of “reality” is more important than “reality” itself.)

After that various commentators rapidly picked it up. Indeed a telling display of what is really meant by the much hailed journalistic “independence”. Tony Blair used the term in his first speech in Gleneagles – the horde of sheeps known as journalists followed. Spöknippet has discussed the terminology used in the so called war against terrorism before.

When a state fights its political enemy in the name of humanity, it is not a war for the sake of humanity, but a war wherein a particular state seeks to usurp a universal concept against its military
opponent. At the expense of its opponent, it tries to identify itself with humanity in the same way one can misuse peace, justice, progress, and civilization [Spöknippets italics] in order to claim these as one’s own and to deny the same to the enemy.
Carl Schmitt, The Concept of the Political, p 54

Although this dehumanization of so called terrorists, or more correctly – the enemy – is far from new it seems to be more outspoken now than, for example, after the events in Madrid 11 March 2004.

You can’t talk about barbarism without contrasting it to civilization, whether it is articulated or not. In this case it was, according to Blair the barbarians attacked all “civilized people”. “Pope” Benedikt XVI was even more explicit in labeling the events as “barbaric acts against humanity”.

In consequence it is just natural to argue that the “suicide bomber defies ordinary human logic”. If we ignore the abuse of the word logic we see yet again that western values are confused with human values. A quick look at history shows us that the contemporary, western, obsession with comfort and safety is quite the exception.

That said it is obvious that the willingness give ones life is perhaps the ultimate breach with the modern worlds fixation with the individual. It is hard to think of any other single act that means such a complete refusal of the “values” of the modern world. Martyr operations are propaganda of the deed like nothing else.

What we have in “Islamism”, or “political Islam”, in general and martyr operations in particular, is truly a revolt against the modern world. This tendency is of course not isolated to the Muslim world. It has a number of different expressions but it is perhaps most clearly visible in the Muslim world. Ernst Niekisch believed in the early 1930’s that Germany’s road “to Potsdam, back to itself” could only be found via Moscow. The road back to Germany may today very well go through Mecca.

Feel no fear though, Tony Blair assures us that it is no clash of civilizations we are witnessing. What Blair basically says is that there is nothing wrong with Muslims – as long as they adopt a western lifestyle. Yet another wonderful display of the multiculturalists never ending generosity and tolerance.

A recent survey among Swedish children shows that the youth are not very happy at all, despite individualization, “equality” and lack of values. As Oskorei notes that itself is probably the problem.

Lack of identity and belonging is not, regardless what some nationalists claim, limited to the native European population. Rather, the rootlessness of the western world is often even more clearly visible among “second generation immigrants”.

Some try to use the “frustrated, degraded, young men from the ghettos”-rhetoric. A number of people involved are now believed to be identified. First of all, one of the men who appears in the press was around 30 years old. It is, not suprisingly, found that the attackers came from relatively “integrated” homes. It even seems as “the forth bomber” was a convert to Islam.

However, most, if not all, studies of suicide bombers show that they usually are well educated and socially comes from the middle stratas. In other words the alleged suicide bombers seems fairly typical.

If we are to believe the liberals the antidote to “fundamentalism” is more of what we already have. More equality, more democracy, more secularization and so on. In short, more of the western “values” which cause the rootlessness which characterizes the modern world. But the will to give ones life for something higher, greater, holier and more eternal than ones own person, be it God, Nation, Class or Family, can not be suppressed by hollow liberalism.

Pacifism will rise and fall with the times. A period of weariness or one that lacks great ideas will always give it a clear field. And rightly, for when young men have no great aim before their eyes, why should they sacrifice themselves? When they have, on the other hand, they will of their own accord be carried away by the force that quails at nothing.
Ernst Jünger – Copse 125, p 153

The need for heroism and the longing for myths remains. The struggle to reconnection with the eternal continues. Our stronger and more deeply realized will to power will turn the scale.

Hail Victory! Hail Death!