when we go to Disney World that the man in the Mickey Mouse outfit is not wearing
a bomb…laden vest underneath； we trust when we get on the shuttle flight from Boston
to New York that the foreign student seated next to us isn't going to blow up his
tennis shoes。 Without trust； there is no open society； because there are not enough
police to patrol every opening in an open society。 Without trust； there can also be
no flat world； because it is trust that allows us to take down walls； remove barriers；
and eliminate friction at borders。 Trust is essential for a flat world； where you
have supply chains involving ten； a hundred； or a thousand people； most of whom have
never met face…to…face。 The more open societies are exposed to indiscriminate
terrorism； the more trust is removed； and the more open societies will erect walls
and dig moats instead。
The founders of al…Qaeda are not religious fundamentalists per se。 That is； they are
not focused simply on the relationship between themselves and God； and on the values
and cultural norms of the religious community。 They are a political phenomenon more
than a religious one。 I like to call them Islamo…Leninists。 I use the term 〃Leninists〃
to convey the utopian…totalitarian vision of al…Qaeda as well its self…image。 As
al…Qaeda's chief ideologist； Ayman al…Zawahiri； has put it； al…Qaeda is the
ideological vanguard； whose attacks on the United States and other Western targets
are designed to mobilize and energize the Muslim masses to rise up against their own
corrupt rulers； who are propped up by America。 Like all good Leninists； the
Islamo…Leninists are certain that the Muslim masses are deeply dissatisfied with
their lot and that one or two spectacular acts of jihad against the 〃pillars of
tyranny〃 in the West will spark them to overthrow the secularizing； immoral； and
unjust Arab…
395
Muslim regimes that have defiled Islam。 In their place； the Islamo…Leninists； however；
do not want to establish a workers' paradise but rather a religious paradise。 They
vow to establish an Islamic state across the same territory that Islam ruled over
at its height； led by a caliph； a supreme religious…political leader； who would unite
all the Muslim peoples into a single community。
Islamo…Leninism； in many ways； emerged from the same historical context as the radical
European ideologies of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries。 Fascism and
Marxist…Leninism grew out ofthe rapid industrialization and modernization ofGermany
and Central Europe； where communities living in tightly bonded villages and extended
families suddenly got shattered and the sons and fathers went off to the urban areas
to work for big industrial companies。 In this age of transitions； young men in
particular lost a sense of identity； rootedness； and personal dignity that had been
provided by traditional social structures。 In that vacuum； along came Hitler； Lenin；
and Mussolini； who told these young men that they had an answer for their feelings
of dislocation and humiliation： You may not be in the village or small town anymore；
but you are still proud； dignified members of a larger community…the working class；
or the Aryan nation。
Bin Laden offered the same sort of ideological response for young Arabs and Muslims。
The first person to recognize the Islamo…Leninist character of these 9/11
hijackers…that they were not fundamentalists but adherents of an extreme； violent
political cult…was Adrian Karatnycky； the president of Freedom House。 In a November
5； 2001； article in the National Review； titled 〃Under Our Very Noses；〃 Karatnycky
makes the following argument： 〃The key hijackers。。。 were well…educated children of
privilege。 None of them suffered first…hand economic privation or political
oppression。〃 And none of them seem to have been raised in a particularly
fundamentalist household。 Indeed； the top 9/11 operatives and pilots； like Mohammed
Atta and Marwan al…Shehhi； who shared an apartment in Hamburg； where they both
attended the Technical University of Hamburg…Harburg； all seem to have been recruited
to al…Qaeda through cells and prayer groups…after they moved to Europe。
396
None of these plotters was recruited in the Middle East and then planted in Europe
years in advance by bin Laden； notes Karatnycky。 To the contrary； virtually all of
them seem to have lived in Europe on their own； grown alienated from the European
society around them； gravitated to a local prayer group or mosque to find warmth and
solidarity； undergone a 〃born…again〃 conversion； gotten radicalized by Islamist
elements； gone off for training in Afghanistan； and presto； a terrorist was born。
Their discovery of religion was not just part of a personal search for meaning。 It
went far beyond fundamentalism。 They converted Islam into a political ideology； a
religious totalitarianism。 Had the 9/11 hijackers been students at Berkeley in the
early 1970's； they would have been Trotskyite radicals。 〃To understand the September
11 terrorists； we should have in mind the profile of the classic revolutionary：
deracinated； middle class； shaped in part by exile。 In other words； the image of Lenin
in Zurich； or of Pol Pot or Ho Chi Minh in Paris 。 。 。 For them Islamism is the new
universal revolutionary creed； and bin Laden is Sheikh Guevara；〃 writes Karatnycky。
〃Like the leaders of America's Weather Underground； Germany's Baader…Meinhof Gang；
Italy's Red Brigades； and Japan's Red Army Faction； the Islamic terrorists were
university…educated converts to an all…encompassing neo…totalitarian ideology。〃
My friend Abdallah Schleifer； a journalism professor in Cairo； actually knew Ayman
al…Zawahiri； bin Laden's number two and chief ideologue； when al…Zawahiri was a young
doctor on his way to becoming a young neo…Leninist Muslim revolutionary。 〃Ayman was
attracted from the time he was a teenager into a Utopian vision of an Islamic state；〃
Schleifer told me on a visit to Cairo。 But instead of being drawn to the traditional
concern of religion…the relationship between oneself and God…al…Zawahiri became
drawn to religion as a political ideology。 Like a good Marxist or Leninist；
al…Zawahiri was interested in 〃building the Kingdom of God on earth；〃 said Schleifer；
and Islamism became his Marxism…his 〃utopian ideology。〃 And where Mohammed Atta meets
al…Zawahiri is the intersection where rage and humiliation meet the ideology that
is going to make it all right。 〃Ayman is saying to someone like Mohammed Atta； 'You
see injustice？ We have a system…a system； mind
you； a system…that will give you ＇justice＇； not a religion； because religion gives
you inner peace。' It doesn't necessarily solve any social problem。 But ＇al…Zawahiri＇
is saying we have a system that will give you justice。 You feel frustration？ We have
a system that will enable you to flower。 The system is what we call Islamism…an
ideological； highly politicized Islam； in which the spiritual content…the personal
relationship ＇with God＇ … is taken out of Islam and instead it is transformed into
a religious ideology like fascism or communism。〃 But unlike the Leninists； who wanted
to install the reign of the perfect class； the working class； and unlike Nazis； who
wanted to install the reign of the perfect race； the Aryan race； bin Laden and
al…Zawahiri wanted to install the reign of the perfect religion。
Unfortunately； bin Laden and his colleagues have found it all too easy to enlist
recruits in the Arab…Muslim world。 I think this has to do； in part； with the state
of half…flatness that many Arab…Muslim young people are living in； particularly those
in Europe。 They have been raised to believe that Islam is the most perfect and complete
expression of God's monotheistic message and that the Prophet Muhammed is God's last
and most perfect messenger。 This is not a criticism。 This is Islam's self…identity。
Yet； in a flat world； these youth； particularly those living in Europe； can and do
look around and see that the Arab…Muslim world； in too many cases； has fallen behind
the rest of the planet。 It is not living as prosperously or democratically as other
civilizations。 How can that be？ these young Arabs and Muslims must ask themselves。
If we have the superior faith； and if our faith is all encompassing of religion；
politics； and economics； why are others living so much better？
This is a source of real cognitive dissonance for many Arab…Muslim youth…the sort
of dissonance； and loss of self…esteem； that sparks rage； and leads some of them to
join violent groups and lash out at the world。 It is also the sort of dissonance that
leads many others； average folks；to give radicalgroups like al…Qaeda passive support。
Again； the flattening of the world only sharpens that dissonance by making the
backwardness of the Arab…Muslim region； compared to others； impossible to ignore。
It has become so impossible to ignore that some Arab…Muslim intellectuals have started
to point out this backwardness with brutal honesty and to demand
solutions。 They do this in defiance of their authoritarian governments； who prefer
to use their media not to encourage honest debate； but rather to blame all their
problems on others…on America； on Israel； or on a legacy of Western colonialism…on
anything and anyone but the dead hand of these authoritarian regimes。
According to the second Arab Human Development Report； which was written in 2003 for
the United Nations Development Program by a group of courageous Arab social scientists；
between 1980 and 1999； Arab countries produced 171 international patents。 South Korea
alone during that same period registered 16；328 patents。 Hewlett…Packard registers；
on average； 11 new patents a day。 The average number of scientists and engineers
working in research and development in the Arab countries is 371 per million people；
while the world average； including countries in Africa； Asia； and Latin America； is
979； the report said。 This helps to explain why although massive amounts of foreign
technology are imported to the Arab regions； very little of it is internalized or
supplanted by Arab innovat