the.world.is.flat-第87部分

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technology　are　imported　to　the　Arab　regions；　very　little　of　it　is　internalized　or　
supplanted　by　Arab　innovations。　Between　1995　and　1996；　as　many　as　25　percent　of　the　
university　graduates　produced　in　the　Arab　world　immigrated　to　some　Western　country。　
There　are　just　18　computers　per　1；000　people　in　the　Arab　region　today；　compared　with　
the　global　average　of　78。3　per　1；000；　and　only　1。6　percent　of　the　Arab　population　
has　Internet　access。　While　Arabs　represent　almost　5　percent　of　the　world　population；　
the　report　said；　they　produce　only　1　percent　of　the　books　published；　and　an　unusually　
high　percentage　of　those　are　religious　books…over　triple　the　world　average。　Of　the　
88　million　unemployed　males　between　fifteen　and　twenty…four　worldwide；　almost　26　
percent　are　in　the　Middle　East　and　North　Africa；　according　to　an　International　Labor　
Organization　study　（Associated　Press；　December　26；　2004）。　
The　same　study　said　the　total　population　of　Arab　countries　quadrupled　in　the　past　
fifty　years；　to　almost　300　million；　with　37。5　percent　under　fifteen；　and　3　million　
coming　onto　the　job　market　every　year。　But　the　good　jobs　are　not　being　produced　at　
home；　because　the　environment　of　openness　required　to　attract　international　


investment　and　stimulate　local　innovation　is　all　too　rare　in　the　Arab…Muslim　world　
today。　That　virtuous　cycle　of　universities　spinning　off　people　and　ideas；　and　then　
those　people　
399　
and　ideas　getting　funded　and　creating　new　jobs；　simply　does　not　exist　there。　Theodore　
Dalrymple　is　a　physician　and　psychiatrist　who　practices　in　England　and　writes　a　column　
for　the　London　Spectator。　He　wrote　an　essay　in　City　journal；　the　urban　policy　magazine　
（Spring　2004）；　about　what　he　learned　from　his　contacts　with　Muslim　youth　in　British　
prisons。　Dalrymple　noted　that　most　schools　of　Islam　today　treat　the　Qu'ran　as　a　
divinely　inspired　text　that　is　not　open　to　any　literary　criticism　or　creative　
reinterpretation。　It　is　a　sacred　book　to　be　memorized；　not　adapted　to　the　demands　
and　opportunities　of　modern　life。　But　without　a　culture　that　encourages；　and　creates　
space　for；　such　creative　reinterpretation；　critical　thought　and　original　thinking　
tend　to　whither。　This　may　explain　why　so　few　world…class　scientific　papers　cited　by　
other　scholars　come　out　of　the　Arab…Muslim　universities。　
If　the　West　had　made　Shakespeare　〃the　sole　object　of　our　study　and　the　sole　guide　
of　our　lives；〃　said　Dalrymple；　〃we　would　soon　enough　fall　into　backwardness　and　
stagnation。　And　the　problem　is　that　so　many　Muslims　want　both　stagnation　and　power：　
they　want　a　return　to　the　perfection　of　the　seventh　century　and　to　dominate　the　
twenty…first；　as　they　believe　is　the　birthright　of　their　doctrine；　the　last　testament　
of　God　to　man。　If　they　were　content　to　exist　in　a　seventh…century　backwater；　secure　
in　a　quietist　philosophy；　there　would　be　no　problem　for　them　or　us；　their　problem；　
and　ours；　is　that　they　want　the　power　that　free　inquiry　confers；　without　either　the　
free　inquiry　or　the　philosophy　and　institutions　that　guarantee　that　free　inquiry。　
They　are　faced　with　a　dilemma：　either　they　abandon　their　cherished　religion；　or　they　
remain　forever　in　the　rear　of　human　technical　advance。　Neither　alternative　is　very　
appealing；　and　the　tension　between　their　desire　for　power　and　success　in　the　modern　
world　on　the　one　hand；　and　their　desire　not　to　abandon　their　religion　on　the　other；　
is　resolvable　for　some　only　by　exploding　themselves　as　bombs。　People　grow　angry　when　
faced　with　an　intractable　dilemma；　they　lash　out。〃　
Indeed；　talk　to　young　Arabs　and　Muslims　anywhere；　and　this　cognitive　dissonance　and　
the　word　〃humiliation〃　always　come　up　very　quickly　in　conversation。　It　was　revealing　
that　when　Mahathir　Mohammed　made　his　October　16；　2003；　farewell　speech　as　prime　
minister　of　Malaysia　at　an　Islamic　summit　he　was　hosting　in　his　own　country；　he　built　
his　remarks　
400　
to　his　fellow　Muslim　leaders　around　the　question　of　why　their　civilization　had　become　
so　humiliated…a　term　he　used　five　times。　〃I　will　not　enumerate　the　instances　of　our　
humiliation；〃　said　Mahathir。　〃Our　only　reaction　is　to　become　more　and　more　angry。　
Angry　people　cannot　think　properly。　There　is　a　feeling　of　hopelessness　among　the　
Muslim　countries　and　their　people。　They　feel　they　can　do　nothing　right。　。　。〃　
This　humiliation　is　the　key。　It　has　always　been　my　view　that　terrorism　is　not　spawned　
by　the　poverty　of　money。　It　is　spawned　by　the　poverty　of　dignity。　Humiliation　is　the　
most　underestimated　force　in　international　relations　and　in　human　relations。　It　is　


when　people　or　nations　are　humiliated　that　they　really　lash　out　and　engage　in　extreme　
violence。　When　you　take　the　economic　and　political　backwardness　of　much　of　the　
Arab…Muslim　world　today；　add　its　past　grandeur　and　self…image　of　religious　
superiority；　and　combine　it　with　the　discrimination　and　alienation　these　Arab…Muslim　
males　face　when　they　leave　home　and　move　to　Europe；　or　when　they　grow　up　in　Europe；　
you　have　one　powerful　cocktail　of　rage。　As　my　friend　the　Egyptian　playwright　Ali　Salem　
said　of　the　9/11　hijackers；　they　〃are　walking　the　streets　of　life；　searching　for　tall　
buildings…for　towers　to　bring　down；　because　they　are　not　able　to　be　tall　like　them。〃　
I　fear　that　this　sense　of　frustration　that　feeds　recruits　to　bin　Laden　may　get　worse　
before　it　gets　better。　In　the　old　days；　leaders　could　count　on　walls　and　mountains　
and　valleys　to　obstruct　their　people's　view　and　keep　them　ignorant　and　passive　about　
where　they　stood　in　comparison　to　others。　You　could　see　only　to　the　next　village。　
But　as　the　world　gets　flatter；　people　can　see　for　miles　and　miles。　
In　the　flat　world　you　get　your　humiliation　dishedup　toyou　fiber…optically。　I　stumbled　
across　a　fascinating　example　of　this　involving　bin　Laden　himself。　On　January　4；　2004；　
bin　Laden　issued　one　of　his　taped　messages　through　al…Jazeera；　the　satellite　
television　network　based　in　Qatar。　On　March　7；　the　Web　site　of　the　Islamic　Studies　
and　Research　Center　published　the　entire　text。　One　paragraph　jumped　out　at　me。　It　
is　in　the　middle　of　a　section　in　which　bin　Laden　is　discussing　the　various　evils　of　
Arab　rulers；　particularly　the　Saudi　ruling　family。　
〃Thus；　the　situation　of　all　Arab　countries　suffers　from　great　deterioration　in　all　
walks　of　life；　in　religious　and　worldly　matters；〃　says　bin　Laden。　

〃It　is　enough　to　know　that　the　economy　of　all　Arab　countries　is　weaker　than　the　economy　
of　one　country　that　had　once　been　part　of　our　＇Islamic＇　world　when　we　used　to　truly　
adhere　to　Islam。　That　country　is　the　lost　Andalusia。　Spain　is　an　infidel　country；　
but　its　economy　is　stronger　than　our　economy　because　the　ruler　there　is　accountable。　
In　our　countries；　there　is　no　accountability　or　punishment；　but　there　is　only　
obedience　to　the　rulers　and　prayers　of　long　life　for　them。〃　
The　hair　on　my　arms　stood　up　when　I　read　that。　Why？　Because　what　bin　Laden　was　referring　
to　was　the　first　Arab　Human　Development　Report；　which　came　out　in　July　2002；　well　
after　he　had　been　evicted　from　Afghanistan　and　was　probably　hiding　out　in　a　cave　
somewhere。　The　Arab　authors　of　the　report　wanted　to　grab　the　attention　of　the　Arab　
world　as　to　how　far　behind　it　had　fallen。　So　they　looked　for　a　country　that　had　a　
GDP　slightly　more　than　that　of　all　twenty…two　Arab　states　combined。　When　they　ran　
down　the　tables；　the　country　that　fit　that　bill　perfectly　was　Spain。　It　could　have　
been　Norway　or　Italy；　but　Spain　happened　to　have　a　GDP　just　slightly　larger　than　all　
the　Arab　states　together。　Somehow；　bin　Laden　heard　or　read　about　this　first　Arab　Human　
Development　Report　from　his　cave。　For　all　I　know；　he　may　have　read　my　own　column　about　
it；　which　was　thefirst　to　highlight　the　report　and　stressedthe　comparison　withSpain。　
Or　maybe　he　got　it　off　the　Internet。　The　report　was　downloaded　from　the　Internet　some　
1　million　times。　So　even　though　he　was　off　in　a　cave　somewhere；　he　could　still　get　
this　report；　and　its　humiliating　conclusion；　shoved　right　in　his　face…negatively　
comparing　the　Arab　states　to　Spain；　no　less！　And　when　he　heard　that　comparison；　


wherever　he　was　hiding；　bin　Laden　took　it　as　an　insult；　as　a　humiliation…the　notion　
that　Christian　Spain；　a　country　that　was　once　controlled　by　Muslims；　had　a　greater　
GDP　today　than　all　the　Arab　states　combined。　The　authors　of　this　report　were　themselves　
Arabs　and　Muslims；　they　were　not　trying　to　humiliate　anyone…but　that　was　how　bin　Laden　
interpreted　it。　And　I　am　certain　he　got　this　dose　of　humiliation　over　a　modem　at　56K。　
They　may　even　have　broadband　now　in　Tora　Bora。　
And　having　gotten　his　dose　of　humiliation　this　way；　bin　Laden　and　his　emulators　have　
learned　to　give　it　right　back　in　the　same　coin。　Want　to　understand　why　the　
Islamo…Leninists　behead　Americans　in　Iraq　and　
402　
Saudi　Arabia　and　then　distribute　pictures　on　the　Internet　with　the　bloody　head　of　
the　body　resting　on　the　headless　corpse？　It　is　because　there　is　no　more　humiliating　
form　of　execution　than　chopping　off　someone's　head。　It　is　a　way　of　showing　utter　
contempt　for　that　person　and　his　or　her　physical　being。　It　is　no　accident　that　the　
groups　in　Iraq　who　beheaded　Americans　dressed　them　first　in　the　same　orange　jumpsuits　
that　al…Qaeda　prisoners　in　Guantanamo　Bay　are　forced　to　wear。　They　had　to　learn　about　
those　jumpsuits　either　over　the　Internet　or　satellite　TV。　But　it　amazes　me　that　in　
the　middle　of　the　Iraq　war　they　were　able　to　have　the　exact　same　jumpsuits　made　in　
Iraq　to　dress　their　prisoners　in。　You　humiliate　me；　I　humiliate　you。　And　what　do　you　
suppose　terrorist　leader　Abu　Musab　al…Zarqawi　said　in　his　audiotape　released　on　
September　11；　2004；　the　third　anniversary　of　9/11？　He　said；　〃The　holy　warriors　made　
the　international　coalition　taste　humiliation　。　。　。　lessons　from　which　they　are　still　
burning。〃　The　tape　was　titled　〃Where　Is　the　Honor？〃　
As　I　said；　however；　this　frustration　and　humiliation　is　not　confined　to　the　Islamist　
fringes。　The　reason　why　the　Islamo…Leninists　have　become　the　most　energized　and　
pronounced　opponents　of　globalization/　Americanization　and　the　biggest　threat　to　the　
flattening　of　the　world　today　is　not　simply　their　e