... at September 11, 2001, with Fr. James V. Schall, from his 2006 essay, "9/11 Revisited":
Perhaps the most visible issue that we associate with the resurgence of Islam is, ironically, the suicide bomber. No other instrument, I think, could be, from the Muslim terrorist side, more effective than this in giving attention to the seriousness, in their minds, of their cause. We tend to think that a suicide bomber is about as deviant from any understanding of the good as it is possible to get. To arrive at this conclusion, we have to assume there is such a thing (beside Islamic revelation) common to all, Muslim and every one else, a natural law, or whatever it may be called.
But if natural law itself is not possible in the context of a view of Allah that makes him the arbitrary cause of all activities in the world, with no internal order either to himself or the world, we can have no "natural law." If it is an "insult" to Allah to say that he is not the direct cause of all things, we cannot propose as an alternative the natural law that proposes stable secondary causes that the Muslim will also recognize. The suicide bomber, be it noted, is not considered to be violating any "law." Rather he is following a law. The suicide bomber does not see himself violating any such law. In fact, he sees himself obeying the "law" or "will" of Allah.
We do have instances of Western religious leaders sympathizing with suicide bombers on the grounds that their pain is so great they must lash out. But the "oppression" is usually itself defined in terms of Western political philosophy that no suicide bomber himself would ever follow. Moreover, it seems strange that we do not have the moral passion about this phenomenon that we once heard expressed against "nuclear weapons," even now that countries like Iran claim to have a right to them and may in fact have developed them, or is currently developing them.
Yet, I would maintain that it is precisely the matter of the "suicide bomber" that brings us closest to the religious issue that we must deal with. In terms of the Muslim theology professed by their practitioners, the suicide bombers are in heaven. What they do is wholly justified in religious terms. We cannot simply write this reasoning off as "invincible ignorance." The suicide bomber claims that it is indeed legitimate both to kill oneself and to kill innocent civilians in the pursuit of the cause of getting rid of Islam's greatest enemies and eventually establishing the rule of Allah on earth. They are, in their own minds, doing Allah's work.
Again, here I am arguing sympathetically with what the suicide bombers and their promoters think they are doing. I may think, as I do, it horrendous that any mind or religion could come to this view, but some minds and religion have come to this view. If we insist on writing them off as mere fanatics, madmen, or hypocrites, well and good. But in so doing, we miss the import of what is going on. We are no longer capable of dealing with the root causes of the problem. Again, the root causes are theological. Basically, the question is whether or not Islam is true objectively in its explanation of itself. If so, why so? If not, why not? I think we must locate someplace in the culture to begin to treat of this issue in a much more fundamental manner. Dialogue may be well and good, but it is not the first requirement.
But if natural law itself is not possible in the context of a view of Allah that makes him the arbitrary cause of all activities in the world, with no internal order either to himself or the world, we can have no "natural law." If it is an "insult" to Allah to say that he is not the direct cause of all things, we cannot propose as an alternative the natural law that proposes stable secondary causes that the Muslim will also recognize. The suicide bomber, be it noted, is not considered to be violating any "law." Rather he is following a law. The suicide bomber does not see himself violating any such law. In fact, he sees himself obeying the "law" or "will" of Allah.
We do have instances of Western religious leaders sympathizing with suicide bombers on the grounds that their pain is so great they must lash out. But the "oppression" is usually itself defined in terms of Western political philosophy that no suicide bomber himself would ever follow. Moreover, it seems strange that we do not have the moral passion about this phenomenon that we once heard expressed against "nuclear weapons," even now that countries like Iran claim to have a right to them and may in fact have developed them, or is currently developing them.
Yet, I would maintain that it is precisely the matter of the "suicide bomber" that brings us closest to the religious issue that we must deal with. In terms of the Muslim theology professed by their practitioners, the suicide bombers are in heaven. What they do is wholly justified in religious terms. We cannot simply write this reasoning off as "invincible ignorance." The suicide bomber claims that it is indeed legitimate both to kill oneself and to kill innocent civilians in the pursuit of the cause of getting rid of Islam's greatest enemies and eventually establishing the rule of Allah on earth. They are, in their own minds, doing Allah's work.
Again, here I am arguing sympathetically with what the suicide bombers and their promoters think they are doing. I may think, as I do, it horrendous that any mind or religion could come to this view, but some minds and religion have come to this view. If we insist on writing them off as mere fanatics, madmen, or hypocrites, well and good. But in so doing, we miss the import of what is going on. We are no longer capable of dealing with the root causes of the problem. Again, the root causes are theological. Basically, the question is whether or not Islam is true objectively in its explanation of itself. If so, why so? If not, why not? I think we must locate someplace in the culture to begin to treat of this issue in a much more fundamental manner. Dialogue may be well and good, but it is not the first requirement.
And a hero remembered, from an interview with Deena Burnett, who husband, Tom Burnett, died on Flight 93:
IgnatiusInsight.com: You were one of the people who
pushed for the cockpit recordings from Flight 93 to be released. Can you talk a
bit about that process and what it meant to you to finally hear those
recordings?
Deena Burnett: Well,
as early as the morning of September 11th, I was requesting to hear the cockpit
voice recorder. I felt like it would just give me some answers as to what
happened in those final moments. I didn't know how to go about finding someone
who could allow me to hear it. Anyone who had anything to do with the
government, I'd just ask them, "Help me." Very early on I met a lady,
Ellen Tauscher, a representative from California, who really took me on as her
project and helped me. She helped me go through the channels, writing the
letters and making the phone calls and putting the pressure on different
channels within the FBI and our government to release that cockpit voice
recorder. I have told her so many times, "You know, Ellen, that you did
this; it was you, but I'm getting all the credit for it." And she would
just laugh and say, "That's okay, because I'm just here to help you."
She's a great lady, absolutely a great lady. She guided me through the channels
and made it happen.
We went to New Jersey in April 2002. We were allowed four family members, each family. We went in to hear it and I went through it twice. They had a transcript on the wall that we were able to see and read in sequence with hearing the audio. And I heard Tom's voice for the first time in several months, and it gave me this incredible sense of peace that I had not expected to find through listening to it. And the peace came because, I think, for the first time in months I knew exactly what had happened by hearing the sounds and being able to visualize what he experienced. After that, it just gave me the energy and the strength to keep moving forward, to keep doing the things that needed to be done, in raising my family and making sure that those responsible for September 11th came to justice.
Deena Burnett: Well,
as early as the morning of September 11th, I was requesting to hear the cockpit
voice recorder. I felt like it would just give me some answers as to what
happened in those final moments. I didn't know how to go about finding someone
who could allow me to hear it. Anyone who had anything to do with the
government, I'd just ask them, "Help me." Very early on I met a lady,
Ellen Tauscher, a representative from California, who really took me on as her
project and helped me. She helped me go through the channels, writing the
letters and making the phone calls and putting the pressure on different
channels within the FBI and our government to release that cockpit voice
recorder. I have told her so many times, "You know, Ellen, that you did
this; it was you, but I'm getting all the credit for it." And she would
just laugh and say, "That's okay, because I'm just here to help you."
She's a great lady, absolutely a great lady. She guided me through the channels
and made it happen. We went to New Jersey in April 2002. We were allowed four family members, each family. We went in to hear it and I went through it twice. They had a transcript on the wall that we were able to see and read in sequence with hearing the audio. And I heard Tom's voice for the first time in several months, and it gave me this incredible sense of peace that I had not expected to find through listening to it. And the peace came because, I think, for the first time in months I knew exactly what had happened by hearing the sounds and being able to visualize what he experienced. After that, it just gave me the energy and the strength to keep moving forward, to keep doing the things that needed to be done, in raising my family and making sure that those responsible for September 11th came to justice.
Read the entire piece: Tom Burnett: A Hero on Flight 93 | An interview with Deena Burnett, author of Fighting Back.
Related IgnatiusInsight.com Columns and Articles:
• On the Term "Islamo-Fascism" | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Spartans, Traitors, and Terrorists | Dr. Jose Yulo
• Christians and Muslims, Living Together | Preface to English Edition of 111 Questions on Islam | Samir Khali
Samir, S.J.
• Plato's Ring in the Sudan: How Freedom Begets Isolation of the Soul | Dr. Jose Yulo
• Martyrs and Suicide Bombers | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• The One War, The Real War | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Wars Without Violence? | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• The Echo of Melos: How Ancient Honor Unmasks Islamic Terror | Dr. Jose
Yulo
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