The Enemy Is Not Islam. It Is Nihilism

Charles Krauthammer
The Weekly Standard

22 October 2001

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EUROPE'S GREAT RELIGIOUS WARS ended in 1648. Three and a half centuries is a long time, too long for us in the West to truly believe that people still slaughter others to vindicate the faith.

Thus in the face of radical Islamic terrorism that murders 6,000 innocents in a day, we find it almost impossible to accept at face value the reason offered by the murderers. Yet Osama bin Laden could not be clearer. Jihad has been declared against the infidel, whose power and influence thwart the triumph of Islam, and whose success and example--indeed, whose very existence--are an affront to the true faith. As a leader of Hamas declared at a rally three days after the World Trade Center attack, "the only solution is for Bush to convert to Islam."

To Americans, who are taught religious tolerance from the cradle, who visit each other's churches for interdenominational succor and solidarity, this seems simply bizarre. On September 25, bin Laden issues a warning to his people that Bush is coming "under the banner of the cross." Two weeks later, in his pre-taped post-attack video, he scorns Bush as "head of the infidels."

Can he be serious? This idea is so alien that our learned commentators, Western and secular, have gone rummaging through their ideological attics to find more familiar terms to explain why we were so savagely attacked: poverty and destitution in the Islamic world; grievances against the West, America, Israel; the "wretched of the earth"--Frantz Fanon's 1960s apotheosis of anti-colonialism--rising against their oppressors.

Reading conventional notions of class struggle and anti-colonialism into bin Laden, the Taliban, and radical Islam is not just solipsistic. It is nonsense. If poverty and destitution, colonialism and capitalism are animating radical Islam, explain this: In March, the Taliban went to the Afghan desert where stood great monuments of human culture, two massive Buddhas carved out of a cliff. At first, Taliban soldiers tried artillery. The 1,500-year-old masterpieces proved too hardy. The Taliban had to resort to dynamite. They blew the statues to bits, then slaughtered 100 cows in atonement--for having taken so long to finish the job.

Buddhism is hardly a representative of the West. It is hardly a cause of poverty and destitution. It is hardly a symbol of colonialism. No. The statues represented two things: an alternative faith and a great work of civilization. To the Taliban, the presence of both was intolerable.

The distinguished Indian writer and now Nobel Prize winner V.S. Naipaul, who has chronicled the Islamic world in two books ("Among the Believers" and "Beyond Belief"), recently warned (in a public talk in Melbourne before the World Trade Center attack), "We are within reach of great nihilistic forces that have undone civilization." In places like Afghanistan, "religion has been turned by some into a kind of nihilism, where people wish to destroy themselves and destroy their past and their culture . . . to be pure. They are enraged about the world and they wish to pull it down." This kind of fury and fanaticism is unappeasable. It knows no social, economic, or political solution. "You cannot converge with this [position] because it holds that your life is worthless and your beliefs are criminal and should be extirpated."

This insight offers a needed window on the new enemy. It turns out that the enemy does have recognizable analogues in the Western experience. He is, as President Bush averred in his address to the nation, heir to the malignant ideologies of the 20th century. In its nihilism, its will to power, its celebration of blood and death, its craving for the cleansing purity that comes only from eradicating life and culture, radical Islam is heir, above all, to Nazism. The destruction of the World Trade Center was meant not only to wreak terror. Like the smashing of the Bamiyan Buddhas, it was meant to obliterate greatness and beauty, elegance and grace. These artifacts represented civilization embodied in stone or steel. They had to be destroyed.

This worship of death and destruction is a nihilism of a ferocity unlike any since the Nazis burned books, then art, then whole peoples. Goebbels would have marvelled at the recruitment tape for al Qaeda, a two-hour orgy of blood and death: image after image of brutalized Muslims shown in various poses of victimization, followed by glorious images of desecration of the infidel--mutilated American soldiers in Somalia, the destruction of the USS Cole, mangled bodies at the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Throughout, the soundtrack endlessly repeats the refrain "with blood, with blood, with blood." Bin Laden appears on the tape to counsel that "the love of this world is wrong. You should love the other world...die in the right cause and go to the other world." In his October 9 taped message, al Qaeda spokesman Sulaiman abu Ghaith gloried in the "thousands of young people who look forward to death, like the Americans look forward to living."

Once again, the world is faced with a transcendent conflict between those who love life and those who love death both for themselves and their enemies. Which is why we tremble. Upon witnessing the first atomic bomb explode at the Trinity site at Alamogordo, J. Robert Oppenheimer recited a verse from the Hindu scripture "Bhagavad Gita": "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." We tremble because for the first time in history, nihilism will soon be armed with the ultimate weapons of annihilation. For the first time in history, the nihilist will have the means to match his ends. Which is why the war declared upon us on September 11 is the most urgent not only of our lives, but in the life of civilization itself.

The original article appeared in The Weekly Standard of 22 October 2001

Last 25 Visitor Comments

Name Email Subject Date

mathcr. Anonymous nihilism 1/17/2007
Nihilism doesn't justify murder. It doesn't justify anything. Morality is simply a human concept, nothing more, nothing less. Recognize the difference between a social responsibility and a moral responsibility. Social responsibility is don't let lions eat people. Moral responsibility is torture lions that eat people.
Visitor Anonymous Nihilism 10/31/2006
Nihilism is atheist-hard materialist anarchist extremism. It is pure evil. It is anti-Social behaviour. ASBOs are nihilists. All chavs are nihilists. Nihilism is evil because it justifies murder, rape, prostitution, thievry, happy slapping and materialism. It is full of disrespect. All chavs are nihilists!!
David Richards dcr_au_at_aapt.net.au Tolerance 10/14/2006
"To Americans, who are taught religious tolerance from the cradle" You have got to be joking! Americans are very intolerant of dissenting voices.
The Dude ad.willis_at_yahoo.com Religious Nihilism 8/16/2006
If one reads the works of Nietzsche then one should know that Nietzschean Nihilism, that is Nihilism as descibed by Nietzsche, christianity was considered nihilistic. This 'religious nihilism' is true for any religion or faith that holds that there really is no value to life while living, the only thing that matters is the afterlife. So if all that mattered is an afterlife then life 'on earth' would be meaningless. So this article is completely biased, and it would seem, since there are no signs, that this man from the Weekly Standard has done no resarch on the topic of nihilism. This man uses another fellows comments on nihilism to put them in another context, unless of course this other man is just as wrong as the author, to suite his needs of creating a scapegoat of nihilism. Religious nihilism is not the nihilism that is the reaction to the postmodern era, it is the embedded belief that life, here and now, is meaningless. And the only type of life that has value is the one beyound the here and now, the big pie in the sky know as heaven.
Hadi hadi_daher_at_hotmail.com General Comment 7/23/2006
define an ennemy? how often do you feel offended by others? everything that differs is a potential threat to our system of convictions...as is everything around... thus nihilism is out!
Truth_Seeker anonymous Nihilism 4/1/2006
By just going through history , we can know that religion is the cause of much destruction and wars. Religion's intial purpose was to create an order in society (by using the fear of God ), but soon 'The Religious ' people started manipulating it and using it for their evil purposes. The real enemy thus, is not nihilism but actually religion or more precisely people who manipulate religion. PS: But one shud never forget that religion is a belief and God a myth .Man should practice religion not because of fear of God or expectation of some favour but because it is the right thing.
Buchoo fbuchoo2365_at_hotmail.com V.S. Naipaul 1/18/2006
V.S. Naipaul not an Indian writer. He is from Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean and spent a significant portion of his life in London. He is of Indian descent but you would find very few of these 'Indians' in Trinidad & Tobago who identify with actual 'Indians' from India.
empty Anonymous General Comment 11/8/2005
nihilism is not against religion.religion is against everything.
Dennis djmcclure39_at_hotmail.com Nihilism 10/20/2005
Martin Heidegger writes in his Letter on Humanism (1947) this: "With the assistance of logic and ratio -- so often invoked -- people come to believe that whatever is not positive is negative and thus that it seeks to degrade reason -- and therefore deserves to be branded as depravity. We are so filled with 'logic' that anything that disturbs the hbitual somnolence of prevailing opinion is automatically registered as a despicable contradiction. We pitch everything that does not stay close to the familiar and beloved positive into the previously excavated pit of pure negation, which negates every thing, ends in nothing, and so consummates nihilism. Following this logical course we let everything expire in a nhilism we invented for ourselves with the aid of logic." That nihilism precedes Fundamental Islam is a great insight by Mr. Krauthammer. But, it is insufficient to the task of ending the War on Terror, for not only do we have to take on the nihilsim from the Middle East, but the Nihilism of the East .... and the West. And even the nihilism of our own beloved USA. Nihilism does not seem to care what Poltical or Religious Structure exists. The KKK and the Southern Political Agenda since the Civil War and its lynchings of Black Americans is but one example of Nihilism. The US Government treatment of Native Americans via long marches and the reservation systems are another. Then, move to our Foreign Policy and the clandestine wars of our CIA since WWII, that has led to the deaths over over 6 million people. Then, take the arrogance and solipsism of the current Bush Administration as it kills innocent Iraqi citizens and perpetrates torture at places like Gitmo and Abu Ghraib. All these have their Posters and Slogans that justify their actions, but in the end, Islamic Fundamentalism and American Imperial Policy find roots in nihilism, and in those roots, the energy and anger and vehemence to kill and eliminate other human beings. The first notion is that something needs to be changed, but, alas, as we have found: the more things change the more they stay the same. Or, if Islamic Fundamentalism and American Imperialism are really not the problem and danger that we face, then what is this monster called nihilsim. Why does it continue to come at us? All of us? How do we get our arms around this phenomenon, that has plagued humankind for thousands of years? Starters would be to understand that our unconsciousness to reality may be so unconscious, that any awareness of our unconsciousness is concealed in such deafness and blindness. There an inquiry can begin, possibly leading one to understand how a smart person like Charles Krauthammer can be so unknowledgable. Or, how to go about waking ourselves up.
Calvin George calvinanthonygeorge_at_yahoo.com Terrorism 10/5/2005
Maybe the difficulty in understanding/rationalising terrorist motives comes from the fact that they they don't really have a rational. Maybe they are just you a bunch of grade A variety A**holes. Regardless of religious convictions.
Visitor Anonymous General Comment 9/7/2005
I am still at a loss to understand humankind's need for an answer to the question of what is beyond "life." As I see it, you can't know until your 'shuffle off this mortal coil' and once you do you can't tell anyone anyway. I don't see nihilsm as the enemy. Muslim (or any faith's) extremists are the true enemy. The Muslim extremists will kill you if they get the chance, even at the cost of their own life. Therefore, they musn't get the chance. Relax and realise that the simplest solution is usually the right one.
Juniper anonymous Comment 9/2/2005
Religion is a lie... mind candy for the weak to bolster their sense of self-worth in persuit of an afterlife. You have one life so do the best you can without hurting others... find your own truth and stop feeding off the fairytales of others who claim to know better. Nihilism strips away the lies and deception... open your eyes.
Xeper Anonymous This is moronic. 7/10/2005
Wait a second, nihilism is the enemy huh? Who started the Crusades, Inquisition, Genocide of the Native Americans (including the Sand Creek Massacre led by the great Methodist missionary and military leader John Chivington who in the name of God slaughtered Women and Children. In its worst form he and his men cut the unborn children out of their mother's womb while both were still alive. I'm sure Jesus would approve), Sept. 11th, The Thirty Years War (which decimated Germany in the 17th century) and Oral Roberts (Hey if you don't give me 8 million dollars God will kill me) just to name a few? It wasn't Nihilists. All these were by Christians and Muslims. Who is the real enemy? And how is Islam Nihilistic when Nihilism rejects faith in anything utopian or unprovable? Krauthammer thinks he is clever by using Nihilism as a derogatory term and an insult. He only shows his true colors as being an ignorant hate mongerer. Do us all a favor Krauthammer and walk into a meatgrinder. It's pretty clear that your thought processes are deranged and you are a detriment to your race.
martyn martynblackburn77_at_yahoo.co.uk Nihilism 7/1/2005
I think nihilism is just a transitional phase into a kind of extreme form of humanism. I think all us nihilists should get together and bring U.G. Krishnamurti - now there is a guy that is capable of shutting all you Christians and god-men up! Like U.g. said "You can create god in your head and put him on the table and experience that but THAT will always be in your imagination"
Barney stabmaster_g_at_shaw.ca only I know 6/26/2005
There is no black and white. There is no good and evil. There is only the void. I think I'll write a letter to a random person in the middle east and get them to love me. Maybe I'll send 'em ten bucks to seal the deal. I kinda think they'll take my money and slit my throat the first chance they get... then grab my wallet. It's just life... enjoy it while you can. Don't take wooden nickels.
william Anonymous Nihilism and Islam 6/20/2005
In Nihilism you *deny* belief in deities since there is absolutely no proof for them. And in Islam, I did find a few choice verses that justified a war against a Christian Nation... 'O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people. Since the majority of Americans are Christians, this can be called a 'Christian Nation.' This verse does seem to clearly support a war with the U.S. and it has absolutely nothing to do with nihilism. Just thought that you would like to know that...
Travis anonymous Nihilism 6/17/2005
The attacks are being made out of faith in a religion...once you have that you no longer have nihilism. Nihilism does not mean you are "waiting for death", which the author relates to nihilistic beliefs, it only states that there is nothing in life and nothing in death.
stephanie Anonymous General Comment 6/3/2005
dudebroz yr all wack.
Glacier batameese_at_yahoo.co.uk Nihilism 5/13/2005
And Gary, why exactly do we have a happier and productive life than they do? We can't progress in life if we constantly get accused of being a threat to the world and subsequently having our countries literally flattened by the so-called 'diplomatic nations'. Look what we've done to Africa, South America and now the target is the Middle East. Anyone who denies that this is a war against Islam....you're ignorant. Before making ambiguous comments, do your research and you'll see that there was a time when Islam ruled most of the world, being the most educated and up-to-date nation, spreading nothing but peace and harmony. And we europeans were living like animals. we're not far from that now either! If any one is using a 'cop-out' - it's us.........and we've been using it for a LONG time.
Gary bah1224_at_cs.com nihilism 12/27/2004
Nihilism is the biggest cop-out. My life is not going the way I want it to so I will believe in nothing. People using nihilism as a way of life is the same as a 2 year old not getting what they want from their mother and saying I hate you because of it and then scrawling in the floor to throw a tantrum. I do believe that the Middle East does follow this cop-out philosophy though. Since you have a happier and more productive life than I do, I hate you for it.
Santiago screamings_at_cnvenezuela.org Nihilism 11/29/2004
Hey� visit counterorder.com or cnvenezuela.org (In spanish..) and read read read�� Nihilism, it's "belief in nothing"... so you can't say "hey nihilism and religions have a relationship" that's not TRUE�� If you think that the 11 Spt... was a war declaration... GO OUT� and try to search about the last 50 yrs of history... and you will see.. that the war.. was declared too much time ago.. and we just are "observing" some acts...
Jared Anonymous General Comment 11/15/2004
yes I suggest you go to counterorder.net, Nihilism has nothing to do with God and Polotics except for the abandonment. Nihilism does not promote violence, it promotes nothing. Do your research next time.
Will Anonymous nihilism 11/9/2004
Nihilism has nothing to do with Islam - they believe in a god after all, which is anything but nothing. To call it nihilism is simply a way of ignoring the belief system behind it.
L�sberg Anonymous nihilism 9/11/2004
There is no good or evil, only self-interest
Nove Anonymous Link 5/28/2004
link to nihilism: http://counterorder.com/ read to learn..
puzzled anonymous_at_yahoo.com Reformation 5/26/2004
What we need is a modernization or reformation of Islam. We need the Need to reform and educate people not to fund the likes of Bin Ladin. Clerics to stand up and denounce Bin Ladin and redirect outward aggression to form a parlimentary system in Saudi Arabia, to oust the royalty and the corruption it breeds. A palimentary system in Iran and Pakistan.
puzzled anonymous_at_yahoo.com Islamic Clergy are being Nihilism 5/26/2004
What we are seeing is the lack of criticism from Islamic clerics about the subversion of their religion by people like Bin Ladin. Bin Ladin is practicing Nihilism by subverting Islamic Law and commonly accepted practice and unleashing a hatred to acheive and end. Pure Nihilism is unachievable but in practice, like Hitler, you use nihilism to subvert a common history, culture or nationalism to mobilize a community to achieve your goals. The Pan-Arab, Islamic community has a bad habit of pointing fingers outside the community to fault others for their problems. I believe it act as misdirection in order to focus their peoples frustration outwardly rather than inwardly. We are somewhat witnessing the implosion of Islamic Nations as a viable government. A government as we have learned over history where power is centralized becomes corrupt. They are rotting from the endside. When faced with the standard of living around the world and their own standard of living it become increasingly difficult to maintain control of their peoples. Only by starting a crusade against the evil west can they unite the Pan-Arab nationalism needed to preserve Islam as they know it.
titi antekhrist74_at_aol.com france 5/5/2004
Nihilism is great because everybody have to know that god doesn't exist and that religions have caused to much death and war! American Puritan you suck so muchhh !!!! Bush is the incarnation of your stupidity, and he just make me feel hill.
Tris Anonymous yes 5/3/2004
I would feign to say that Middle Eastern nations would allow a Christian population in their countries equal to the Islamic population in the United States. Therefore i would have to agree that America is being the tolerate country and that radical terrorists do not have a legitimate claim for the atrocities they are commiting.
Robbie Anonymous n/a 5/3/2004
Jill has a good point. The United States is deemed a "Christian nation" by many Middle Eastern Muslims but America is highly open to the Islamic religion itself. Why does America have to get a bad rap for not being "tolerant" when we are so open to other religions?
Jill Anonymous muslims 5/3/2004
I agree with the "Non Educated Guy." I think that the Muslim people seem to have a deep hatred of the West. Although many people argue that the West "terrorizes" the Muslim people, Westerners are much more open to other religions, whereas Middle Eastern Muslims are quite closed to the fact of having Christians or other religions in their countries.
Non Educated Guy Anonymous General Comment 5/3/2004
Do you believe that the Crusades are indeed the main reason of Islamic hatred towards the west? Or, do you believe that these tensions are simply a lack of understanding on part of Muslim people towards the West?
Educated Guy Anonymous Thank you 4/30/2004
Why thank you Jason that is an honorable remark from you. Cameron how can one's beliefs be boring. To someone who is not a Christian belief in a God you can't see or talk to could be boring... Rethink your ideas. Signed, The Educated Guy Holla! homie!
Cameron Anonymous Nihilism 4/30/2004
Why would people want to become nihilists. To believe in nothing would be boring. You would have nothing to talk about.
Jason Anonymous General Comment 4/30/2004
Educated Guy has some good points. He must be well educated.
Educated Guy Anonymous General Comment 4/30/2004
Comparing Nihilim to Islam is like comparing apples to oranges. Each as its own pros and cons just like any choice in life. Just picking one because you think it is better than the other would be a complete waste of time because there will always be someone opposing your ideas. Two words we all need to live by is peaceful coexistance.
Anna Anonymous good comment 4/30/2004
what complex comments u have
Robert Anonymous nihilism 4/30/2004
read some books they are good on nihilism
Stacy Anonymous nihilism 4/30/2004
nihilism is something i do not understand
jimmy Anonymous nihilism 4/30/2004
nihilism is a very complex philosophy
bob Anonymous General Comment 4/30/2004
Nihilism is really kind of stupid because i dont think people can truely not believe in anything!!
Bill Anonymous hey 4/30/2004
i htink yall are right
Bill Anonymous nihilism 4/30/2004
I think that Americans are nihilists
Joseph Anonymous nihilism 4/30/2004
do you think nihilism is the only cause of this religious tension
Me Anonymous General Comment 4/30/2004
I love Nihilism
Joe Anonymous General Comment 4/30/2004
I agree with Katherine
Katherine Anonymous General Comment 4/30/2004
I really think that the people need to get over all of this religious tenison because things are only going to get worse if we dont all try to get along!
Mr. Clark Anonymous Russian Lit. 4/30/2004
Hi, I am a teacher, I regularly make my class read such things!!! I like pain as you can tell!!! mwahahahahahaha!!!
Summer Anonymous Richie 4/30/2004
I am Summer. I am a nihilist. I like Richie Boyd.
That B Guy me@home.cool we would be... 4/30/2004
we would be nothing... if were all nihilists and that is soo cool d00d!

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Last 25 Visitor Comments
Name	Email	Subject	Date
mathcr.	Anonymous	nihilism	1/17/2007
Nihilism doesn't justify murder. It doesn't justify anything. Morality is simply a human concept, nothing more, nothing less. Recognize the difference between a social responsibility and a moral responsibility. Social responsibility is don't let lions eat people. Moral responsibility is torture lions that eat people.
Visitor	Anonymous	Nihilism	10/31/2006
Nihilism is atheist-hard materialist anarchist extremism. It is pure evil. It is anti-Social behaviour. ASBOs are nihilists. All chavs are nihilists. Nihilism is evil because it justifies murder, rape, prostitution, thievry, happy slapping and materialism. It is full of disrespect. All chavs are nihilists!!
David Richards	dcr_au_at_aapt.net.au	Tolerance	10/14/2006
"To Americans, who are taught religious tolerance from the cradle" You have got to be joking! Americans are very intolerant of dissenting voices.
The Dude	ad.willis_at_yahoo.com	Religious Nihilism	8/16/2006
If one reads the works of Nietzsche then one should know that Nietzschean Nihilism, that is Nihilism as descibed by Nietzsche, christianity was considered nihilistic. This 'religious nihilism' is true for any religion or faith that holds that there really is no value to life while living, the only thing that matters is the afterlife. So if all that mattered is an afterlife then life 'on earth' would be meaningless. So this article is completely biased, and it would seem, since there are no signs, that this man from the Weekly Standard has done no resarch on the topic of nihilism. This man uses another fellows comments on nihilism to put them in another context, unless of course this other man is just as wrong as the author, to suite his needs of creating a scapegoat of nihilism. Religious nihilism is not the nihilism that is the reaction to the postmodern era, it is the embedded belief that life, here and now, is meaningless. And the only type of life that has value is the one beyound the here and now, the big pie in the sky know as heaven.
Hadi	hadi_daher_at_hotmail.com	General Comment	7/23/2006
define an ennemy? how often do you feel offended by others? everything that differs is a potential threat to our system of convictions...as is everything around... thus nihilism is out!
Truth_Seeker	anonymous	Nihilism	4/1/2006
By just going through history , we can know that religion is the cause of much destruction and wars. Religion's intial purpose was to create an order in society (by using the fear of God ), but soon 'The Religious ' people started manipulating it and using it for their evil purposes. The real enemy thus, is not nihilism but actually religion or more precisely people who manipulate religion. PS: But one shud never forget that religion is a belief and God a myth .Man should practice religion not because of fear of God or expectation of some favour but because it is the right thing.
Buchoo	fbuchoo2365_at_hotmail.com	V.S. Naipaul	1/18/2006
V.S. Naipaul not an Indian writer. He is from Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean and spent a significant portion of his life in London. He is of Indian descent but you would find very few of these 'Indians' in Trinidad & Tobago who identify with actual 'Indians' from India.
empty	Anonymous	General Comment	11/8/2005
nihilism is not against religion.religion is against everything.
Dennis	djmcclure39_at_hotmail.com	Nihilism	10/20/2005
Martin Heidegger writes in his Letter on Humanism (1947) this: "With the assistance of logic and ratio -- so often invoked -- people come to believe that whatever is not positive is negative and thus that it seeks to degrade reason -- and therefore deserves to be branded as depravity. We are so filled with 'logic' that anything that disturbs the hbitual somnolence of prevailing opinion is automatically registered as a despicable contradiction. We pitch everything that does not stay close to the familiar and beloved positive into the previously excavated pit of pure negation, which negates every thing, ends in nothing, and so consummates nihilism. Following this logical course we let everything expire in a nhilism we invented for ourselves with the aid of logic." That nihilism precedes Fundamental Islam is a great insight by Mr. Krauthammer. But, it is insufficient to the task of ending the War on Terror, for not only do we have to take on the nihilsim from the Middle East, but the Nihilism of the East .... and the West. And even the nihilism of our own beloved USA. Nihilism does not seem to care what Poltical or Religious Structure exists. The KKK and the Southern Political Agenda since the Civil War and its lynchings of Black Americans is but one example of Nihilism. The US Government treatment of Native Americans via long marches and the reservation systems are another. Then, move to our Foreign Policy and the clandestine wars of our CIA since WWII, that has led to the deaths over over 6 million people. Then, take the arrogance and solipsism of the current Bush Administration as it kills innocent Iraqi citizens and perpetrates torture at places like Gitmo and Abu Ghraib. All these have their Posters and Slogans that justify their actions, but in the end, Islamic Fundamentalism and American Imperial Policy find roots in nihilism, and in those roots, the energy and anger and vehemence to kill and eliminate other human beings. The first notion is that something needs to be changed, but, alas, as we have found: the more things change the more they stay the same. Or, if Islamic Fundamentalism and American Imperialism are really not the problem and danger that we face, then what is this monster called nihilsim. Why does it continue to come at us? All of us? How do we get our arms around this phenomenon, that has plagued humankind for thousands of years? Starters would be to understand that our unconsciousness to reality may be so unconscious, that any awareness of our unconsciousness is concealed in such deafness and blindness. There an inquiry can begin, possibly leading one to understand how a smart person like Charles Krauthammer can be so unknowledgable. Or, how to go about waking ourselves up.
Calvin George	calvinanthonygeorge_at_yahoo.com	Terrorism	10/5/2005
Maybe the difficulty in understanding/rationalising terrorist motives comes from the fact that they they don't really have a rational. Maybe they are just you a bunch of grade A variety A**holes. Regardless of religious convictions.
Visitor	Anonymous	General Comment	9/7/2005
I am still at a loss to understand humankind's need for an answer to the question of what is beyond "life." As I see it, you can't know until your 'shuffle off this mortal coil' and once you do you can't tell anyone anyway. I don't see nihilsm as the enemy. Muslim (or any faith's) extremists are the true enemy. The Muslim extremists will kill you if they get the chance, even at the cost of their own life. Therefore, they musn't get the chance. Relax and realise that the simplest solution is usually the right one.
Juniper	anonymous	Comment	9/2/2005
Religion is a lie... mind candy for the weak to bolster their sense of self-worth in persuit of an afterlife. You have one life so do the best you can without hurting others... find your own truth and stop feeding off the fairytales of others who claim to know better. Nihilism strips away the lies and deception... open your eyes.
Xeper	Anonymous	This is moronic.	7/10/2005
Wait a second, nihilism is the enemy huh? Who started the Crusades, Inquisition, Genocide of the Native Americans (including the Sand Creek Massacre led by the great Methodist missionary and military leader John Chivington who in the name of God slaughtered Women and Children. In its worst form he and his men cut the unborn children out of their mother's womb while both were still alive. I'm sure Jesus would approve), Sept. 11th, The Thirty Years War (which decimated Germany in the 17th century) and Oral Roberts (Hey if you don't give me 8 million dollars God will kill me) just to name a few? It wasn't Nihilists. All these were by Christians and Muslims. Who is the real enemy? And how is Islam Nihilistic when Nihilism rejects faith in anything utopian or unprovable? Krauthammer thinks he is clever by using Nihilism as a derogatory term and an insult. He only shows his true colors as being an ignorant hate mongerer. Do us all a favor Krauthammer and walk into a meatgrinder. It's pretty clear that your thought processes are deranged and you are a detriment to your race.
martyn	martynblackburn77_at_yahoo.co.uk	Nihilism	7/1/2005
I think nihilism is just a transitional phase into a kind of extreme form of humanism. I think all us nihilists should get together and bring U.G. Krishnamurti - now there is a guy that is capable of shutting all you Christians and god-men up! Like U.g. said "You can create god in your head and put him on the table and experience that but THAT will always be in your imagination"
Barney	stabmaster_g_at_shaw.ca	only I know	6/26/2005
There is no black and white. There is no good and evil. There is only the void. I think I'll write a letter to a random person in the middle east and get them to love me. Maybe I'll send 'em ten bucks to seal the deal. I kinda think they'll take my money and slit my throat the first chance they get... then grab my wallet. It's just life... enjoy it while you can. Don't take wooden nickels.
william	Anonymous	Nihilism and Islam	6/20/2005
In Nihilism you deny belief in deities since there is absolutely no proof for them. And in Islam, I did find a few choice verses that justified a war against a Christian Nation... 'O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people. Since the majority of Americans are Christians, this can be called a 'Christian Nation.' This verse does seem to clearly support a war with the U.S. and it has absolutely nothing to do with nihilism. Just thought that you would like to know that...
Travis	anonymous	Nihilism	6/17/2005
The attacks are being made out of faith in a religion...once you have that you no longer have nihilism. Nihilism does not mean you are "waiting for death", which the author relates to nihilistic beliefs, it only states that there is nothing in life and nothing in death.
stephanie	Anonymous	General Comment	6/3/2005
dudebroz yr all wack.
Glacier	batameese_at_yahoo.co.uk	Nihilism	5/13/2005
And Gary, why exactly do we have a happier and productive life than they do? We can't progress in life if we constantly get accused of being a threat to the world and subsequently having our countries literally flattened by the so-called 'diplomatic nations'. Look what we've done to Africa, South America and now the target is the Middle East. Anyone who denies that this is a war against Islam....you're ignorant. Before making ambiguous comments, do your research and you'll see that there was a time when Islam ruled most of the world, being the most educated and up-to-date nation, spreading nothing but peace and harmony. And we europeans were living like animals. we're not far from that now either! If any one is using a 'cop-out' - it's us.........and we've been using it for a LONG time.
Gary	bah1224_at_cs.com	nihilism	12/27/2004
Nihilism is the biggest cop-out. My life is not going the way I want it to so I will believe in nothing. People using nihilism as a way of life is the same as a 2 year old not getting what they want from their mother and saying I hate you because of it and then scrawling in the floor to throw a tantrum. I do believe that the Middle East does follow this cop-out philosophy though. Since you have a happier and more productive life than I do, I hate you for it.
Santiago	screamings_at_cnvenezuela.org	Nihilism	11/29/2004
Hey� visit counterorder.com or cnvenezuela.org (In spanish..) and read read read�� Nihilism, it's "belief in nothing"... so you can't say "hey nihilism and religions have a relationship" that's not TRUE�� If you think that the 11 Spt... was a war declaration... GO OUT� and try to search about the last 50 yrs of history... and you will see.. that the war.. was declared too much time ago.. and we just are "observing" some acts...
Jared	Anonymous	General Comment	11/15/2004
yes I suggest you go to counterorder.net, Nihilism has nothing to do with God and Polotics except for the abandonment. Nihilism does not promote violence, it promotes nothing. Do your research next time.
Will	Anonymous	nihilism	11/9/2004
Nihilism has nothing to do with Islam - they believe in a god after all, which is anything but nothing. To call it nihilism is simply a way of ignoring the belief system behind it.
L�sberg	Anonymous	nihilism	9/11/2004
There is no good or evil, only self-interest
Nove	Anonymous	Link	5/28/2004
link to nihilism: http://counterorder.com/ read to learn..
puzzled	anonymous_at_yahoo.com	Reformation	5/26/2004
What we need is a modernization or reformation of Islam. We need the Need to reform and educate people not to fund the likes of Bin Ladin. Clerics to stand up and denounce Bin Ladin and redirect outward aggression to form a parlimentary system in Saudi Arabia, to oust the royalty and the corruption it breeds. A palimentary system in Iran and Pakistan.
puzzled	anonymous_at_yahoo.com	Islamic Clergy are being Nihilism	5/26/2004
What we are seeing is the lack of criticism from Islamic clerics about the subversion of their religion by people like Bin Ladin. Bin Ladin is practicing Nihilism by subverting Islamic Law and commonly accepted practice and unleashing a hatred to acheive and end. Pure Nihilism is unachievable but in practice, like Hitler, you use nihilism to subvert a common history, culture or nationalism to mobilize a community to achieve your goals. The Pan-Arab, Islamic community has a bad habit of pointing fingers outside the community to fault others for their problems. I believe it act as misdirection in order to focus their peoples frustration outwardly rather than inwardly. We are somewhat witnessing the implosion of Islamic Nations as a viable government. A government as we have learned over history where power is centralized becomes corrupt. They are rotting from the endside. When faced with the standard of living around the world and their own standard of living it become increasingly difficult to maintain control of their peoples. Only by starting a crusade against the evil west can they unite the Pan-Arab nationalism needed to preserve Islam as they know it.
titi	antekhrist74_at_aol.com	france	5/5/2004
Nihilism is great because everybody have to know that god doesn't exist and that religions have caused to much death and war! American Puritan you suck so muchhh !!!! Bush is the incarnation of your stupidity, and he just make me feel hill.
Tris	Anonymous	yes	5/3/2004
I would feign to say that Middle Eastern nations would allow a Christian population in their countries equal to the Islamic population in the United States. Therefore i would have to agree that America is being the tolerate country and that radical terrorists do not have a legitimate claim for the atrocities they are commiting.
Robbie	Anonymous	n/a	5/3/2004
Jill has a good point. The United States is deemed a "Christian nation" by many Middle Eastern Muslims but America is highly open to the Islamic religion itself. Why does America have to get a bad rap for not being "tolerant" when we are so open to other religions?
Jill	Anonymous	muslims	5/3/2004
I agree with the "Non Educated Guy." I think that the Muslim people seem to have a deep hatred of the West. Although many people argue that the West "terrorizes" the Muslim people, Westerners are much more open to other religions, whereas Middle Eastern Muslims are quite closed to the fact of having Christians or other religions in their countries.
Non Educated Guy	Anonymous	General Comment	5/3/2004
Do you believe that the Crusades are indeed the main reason of Islamic hatred towards the west? Or, do you believe that these tensions are simply a lack of understanding on part of Muslim people towards the West?
Educated Guy	Anonymous	Thank you	4/30/2004
Why thank you Jason that is an honorable remark from you. Cameron how can one's beliefs be boring. To someone who is not a Christian belief in a God you can't see or talk to could be boring... Rethink your ideas. Signed, The Educated Guy Holla! homie!
Cameron	Anonymous	Nihilism	4/30/2004
Why would people want to become nihilists. To believe in nothing would be boring. You would have nothing to talk about.
Jason	Anonymous	General Comment	4/30/2004
Educated Guy has some good points. He must be well educated.
Educated Guy	Anonymous	General Comment	4/30/2004
Comparing Nihilim to Islam is like comparing apples to oranges. Each as its own pros and cons just like any choice in life. Just picking one because you think it is better than the other would be a complete waste of time because there will always be someone opposing your ideas. Two words we all need to live by is peaceful coexistance.
Anna	Anonymous	good comment	4/30/2004
what complex comments u have
Robert	Anonymous	nihilism	4/30/2004
read some books they are good on nihilism
Stacy	Anonymous	nihilism	4/30/2004
nihilism is something i do not understand
jimmy	Anonymous	nihilism	4/30/2004
nihilism is a very complex philosophy
bob	Anonymous	General Comment	4/30/2004
Nihilism is really kind of stupid because i dont think people can truely not believe in anything!!
Bill	Anonymous	hey	4/30/2004
i htink yall are right
Bill	Anonymous	nihilism	4/30/2004
I think that Americans are nihilists
Joseph	Anonymous	nihilism	4/30/2004
do you think nihilism is the only cause of this religious tension
Me	Anonymous	General Comment	4/30/2004
I love Nihilism
Joe	Anonymous	General Comment	4/30/2004
I agree with Katherine
Katherine	Anonymous	General Comment	4/30/2004
I really think that the people need to get over all of this religious tenison because things are only going to get worse if we dont all try to get along!
Mr. Clark	Anonymous	Russian Lit.	4/30/2004
Hi, I am a teacher, I regularly make my class read such things!!! I like pain as you can tell!!! mwahahahahahaha!!!
Summer	Anonymous	Richie	4/30/2004
I am Summer. I am a nihilist. I like Richie Boyd.
That B Guy	me@home.cool	we would be...	4/30/2004
we would be nothing... if were all nihilists and that is soo cool d00d!

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