Saeed Naqvi

Via Indian Express, columnist Saeed Naqvi observes:

The collapsing consensus on Iraq is sought to be replaced by introducing more glue into the apparatus being erected for the war against terror. This will work as long as terrorists, jihadis, intelligence operatives continue to oblige with 9/11s and 7/7s. But skepticism, without which good journalism is not possible, will soon set in. Who knows, a reformed BBC, eager to rediscover its once peerless credibility, may sponsor a series of well researched, balanced documentaries on "jihad". The authors may even stumble upon John Buchan's wartime thriller (1914), Greenmantle: "It looks as if Islam had a bigger hand in the thing than we thought" I said. "You are right -- there is a Jehad preparing." "Supposing they had got some tremendous sacred sanction -- some holy thing...which will madden the remotest Moslem peasant with dreams of Paradise?" "Then there will be hell let loose".

This "jehad" was brewing in European minds before the First World War. As A.F.S. Talyarkhan used to ask: "Do you get me, Steve?"

The throwaway mention of intelligence operatives (that we've bolded for emphasis) in connection with 9/11 and 7/7 is puzzling. What does he mean there? Is he referring to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia -- or is he alluding to ridiculous conspiracy theories, widely circulated in the Arab world, of West's own complicity in the murder of its people? Doesn't this need some clarification -- if not from Mr. Naqvi, then from Indian Express (a usually sensible newspaper).

Then, Mr. Naqvi goes on to suggest that the West has been building up to (or imagining) an anti-Jehad crusade, if you will, since before WWI. This is to say, the war (which he finds offensive) was on the cards even before Osama and his ilk (or perhaps the shadowy intelligence agencies he wants to blame!) pulled off 9/11 and 7/7 -- the latter then became excuses for the former.

In this airbrushed version of faux-reality, the evil genius is not Osama, rather the West (and its media, i.e., propaganda apparatus)! If this isn't an unhinged idea, what is? Frankly, we wouldn't care for Mr. Naqvi's thoughts, except that millions of young, impressionable Indian minds read this kind of garbage and begin accepting bizarre conspiracies as reality. We're not just talking about some poor Indian Muslims here -- in a December trip to rural India, we heard very well educated Hindus cycle through the same foolishness.

Mr. Naqvi blames the media (not terrorists and Wahabis) for demonizing Muslims and Jehad. We blame Mr. Naqvi and like fantasists in the media for demonizing the entirely valid war against terror.

It's a darn shame Indian Express continues to give this horrible columnist a perch to spew his nonsense from. Or if freedom of speech dictates he be given his say, at least it should be presented as mostly fiction.