Chessbase News, Germany
Aug 3 2005
“No scalp is too big” for Lobron’s belt
Chess Classic Mainz: Once again many world class players will play
the FiNet Chess960 and Ordix Open. Chess movies and children’s club.
By Hartmut Metz
(Translation Eric van Reem)
Once again, the Open tournaments during the Chess Classic Mainz (9-14
August) will be the strongest worldwide in their categories. The FiNet
Open in Chess960 (11-12 August) , in which the starting positions of
the pieces will be known only a few minutes before the start of the
game, is the only one of this sort worldwide on this level. One day
later the Ordix Open will start and once again many top players will
play their games in the Rheingoldhalle. The first 32 grandmasters
of the starting list have an average ELO of over 2600! Far more
than 100 FIDE title holders are expected to come to Mainz this
year. Almost all grandmasters who will play the traditional Ordix
Open will participate in the Chess960 Open tournament as well, with
a few exceptions: Ulf Andersson (Sweden) and the German grandmasters
Leonid Kritz and Raj Tischbierek. Two reasons can be found for the
fact that so many top players like to play both Open tournaments:
not only the price fund of 36.000 Euro, with many rating prices for
all classes, is very attractive, but Chess960 has been accepted by
most chess players nowadays.
Is there a player this year who can win both Open tournaments? The
winner would receive no less than 8000 Euro and has the opportunity
to challenge the winner of the Chess960 world championship match
between Zoltan Almasi and Peter Svidler next year. There is a
long list of favourites for both Opens. Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu,
the European Champion, thinks that the highest rated player Levon
Aronian has excellent chances to win one of the tourneys this year:
“He played very well in Warsaw during the European Championship and
I was very impressed about his play in the play-off.” The Armenian,
who is now living in the Eastern part of Germany, is climbing higher
and higher on the rating list and has even entered the top 10 of the
world! Aronian, who does not like to invest too much time in opening
preparation, might therefore have an advantage in the Chess960
tournament and maybe he can repeat his victory of 2003. Last year
he could not defend his title because he played his Chess960 world
championship match against Peter Svidler, which he lost after some
exciting games with the narrowest margin. Two more spectacular players
are expected to play an important role in Mainz: Alexander Morozevich
(Russia) and Alexei Shirov (Spain). Last year, the Russian star almost
won the Ordix Open, while Shirov battled it out in a match against
Indian superstar Vishy Anand.
Some more prominent starters are Alexei Dreev (19), who has played
many times in the Chess Classic tournaments, Ivan Sokolov (20), who
is now living in the Netherlands, Teimur Radjabov (22) and Nisipeanu
(24). The European Champ will probably make a giant leap forward in
the next rating list and Radjabov, the former prodigy from Azerbaijan
who became grandmaster at age 14, is still regarded as a player who
can be the number 1 of the world in the near future. In Warsaw, the
number one of the junior rating list showed his enormous abilities
and ended on second place behind Nisipeanu, but one place ahead of
Aronian. So, the three medal winners from the European Championship
will all be present in Mainz this year!
But there are some more grandmasters that are able to win one of
the Open tournaments. Michael Krasenkov from Poland, a former top 10
player, is always playing well in Mainz, or the rapid chess specialist
Vadim Zvjaginsev from Russia. Not to forget the next Indian star
Penteala Harikrishna or the strong Armenian grandmasters Gabriel
Sargissian and Rafal Vaganjan. Artur Yussupov has another favourite,
a man who has often played in the Rheingoldhalle: ” I think Vadim
Milov has good chances this year”, the always modest European
champion in rapid chess says. Yussupov himself hopes to score +4,
which means that he would score 7,5 points out of 11 rounds in both
Open tournaments. With that score of 15 points he would have a fair
chance to win the combined competition, which is his main goal this
year. Jussupov will also be one of the live commentators during
the evening matches between Vishy Anand and Alexander Grischuk and
also between Peter Svidler and Zoltan Almasi, together with GM Eric
Lobron. They will entertain the audience with their commentary:
Yussupov, the modest and experienced former candidate for the world
title and the optimistic German GM from Wiesbaden, who entertains
his listeners with his comments. Lobron will also play in the Open
tournaments: “There is no clear favourite in Mainz. In the past years
you could see that it is possible for almost everybody to play at
the top, particularly in rapid chess and Chess960. And I am looking
forward to shock some of the higher rated top players, like I often
did in the past: no scalp is too big for my belt”, the self confident
ELO shocker Lobron says. Another German player who will have a good
portion of self confidence must be Arkadi Naiditsch, who unexpectedly
won the renowned chess tournament in Dortmund in July. Of course, the
young German hope for the future will play both tournaments in Mainz.
In Chess960 the advantage for players who do a lot of homework on
openings is reduced to a minimum. “Therefore I think that this variant
has good chances to become a serious alternative in the long run”,
Lobron explains. Therefore, it is not really necessary to train
Chess960 before the tournament. However, Alexandra Kosteniuk has
trained Chess960 positions and is looking forward to play the FiNet
Open. She likes the chess variant and enjoys playing Chess960. And
the prospect, not only for women but also for players in different
age categories to play a Chess960 world championship match next year,
will motivate all players in Mainz. Hans-Walter Schmitt, the chief
organiser of the Chess Classic Mainz, plans more Chess960 world
championship matches next year, to boost Chess960 even further.
Kosteniuk will not be the only beautiful and talented female chess
player in Mainz. World champion Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria) ,
her Russian friend Natalia Zhukova, or the German number two, Ketino
Kachiani-Gersinska are also hot candidates. And let´s not forget
Viktorija Cmilyte (Latvia). Last year, the wife of Alexei Shirov
played two excellent tournaments in the Chess Classic. This year Maja
Chiburdanidze from Georgia, once the youngest world champion ever,
is expected to play an important role. She dominated women´s chess
in the eighties and early nineties.
The FiNet Chess960 Open and the Ordix Open are extremely attractive for
players and audience alike. However, in the evening, after the Opens,
more highlights are planned: the new number one of the rating list,
Vishy Anand faces his challenger Alexander Grischuk from Russia,
number 11 of the world. From August 11-14, every night at 18.30
and 20.00, they will play eight rapid chess games. The 21-year old
Russian earned this match for the Grenke Leasing Championship after
his impressive victories in the Ordix Open tournaments of 2003 and
2004, in which he did not lose a single game. Naturally, the players
involved do not really want to make a prognosis and therefore we have
to ask other players about their expectations. Peter Svidler thinks
that Anand is the clear favourite – “but I am convinced that the two
will play a highly interesting match”. European champion Nisipeanu
thinks that blitz games will bring the decision played after the 4-4
in the regular match. Yussupov expects Anand to win 5-3, and the other
commentator Eric Lobron thinks that Grischuk will have no chance at
all: he expects an clear 6-2 victory for the Indian star.
At the same time the FiNet Chess960 world championship match will
be played between Zoltan Almasi and Peter Svidler and the Russian
expects a tight match. “I have spoken to several players about
Almasi´s results in Chess960 last year and they were all impressed
by his play. Therefore I take my opponent seriously and expect a
difficult battle, in which it is impossible to say who has the best
chances. Some of his grandmaster colleagues think that Svidler has
good chances to defend his title: Lobron thinks that the 29 year old
Russian will win the match 5-3. Yussupov thinks that the from St.
Petersburg will win with a smaller margin: 4,5-3,5. However, Nisipeanu
thinks that the 28 year old Hungarian is able to win the match 4,5-3,5.
One of the highlights in Mainz this year is the Unzicker-Gala.
Schmitt wanted to organise a party for the 80-year old German
grandmaster from Munich and invited the illustrious guests Anatoly
Karpov, Viktor Korchnoi and Boris Spassky. The four legends will play
a double round robin on Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 and 10 August. Other
heroes of the past will also be present at that time to celebrate,
like Lajos Portisch, Wolfgang Uhlmann and Vlastimil Hort. Not to
forget Lothar Schmid, who is not only known as a strong grandmaster,
but came to fame as referee in various matches of Bobby Fischer, like
the world championship in 1972 against Boris Spassky. Only recently
Schmid was elected as the “chess referee of the century”!
There are some more events in Mainz that will attract chess players
and audiences alike: Alexander Grischuk will play a simultaneous
exhibition on 40 boards on 10 August at 15.30. It is still possible
to get one of the boards for at least 50 Euro on
World champion Antoaneta Stefanova will play blitz games and if you are
interested, you can also go to the website to get more information. One
of the most interesting computer chess events of the past 10 years
will be played on 11 and 12 August. The Livingston Chess 960 computer
chess world championship with the best computer chess program of the
world, Shredder by Stefan Meyer-Kahlen, will set new standards. The
organisers Mark Vogelgesang and the Dutch computer chess expert Eric
van Reem expect that about 20 programs from all over the world will
come to Mainz. The tournament is a breakthrough for computerized
Chess960. The renowned Professor Ingo Althofer from the University
of Jena will act as tournament director.
Not only the chess events are important in Mainz, the organisers have
also improved several service facilities for participants and audience
alike. During the tournaments, parents can bring their children to the
Chess Classic Children’s corner, in which trained experts will keep
the kids busy. For sponsors, the “Gourmet Club” is a nice opportunity
to follow the games in an exclusive atmosphere with business partners,
and if people just want to relax a bit between the rounds, they can
watch one of the chess movies or documentaries in the Chess Classic
Cinema. However, watching the games of the Chess Classic Mainz 2005
“live” is definitely most exciting!
–Boundary_(ID_q7i8ioRM5DngNwMLAOKrpA)–

ARMENIA’S DRAFT CONSTITUTION BIG STEP FORWARD
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Aug 3 2005
YEREVAN, August 3. /ARKA/. The draft amendments to Armenia’s
Constitution are a big step forward compared with the previous drafts,
the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of
Europe to Armenia Boyana Urumova told a press-conference. She agreed
with the conclusion of the Venetian Commission that this draft is
progress and it is a good basis to ensure activity of democratic
institutions in the country. Urumova pointed to the willingness
and efforts of the Armenian authorities to promote the process of
constitutional reforms. She said that the opposition also should
make a compromise. The authorities together with the opposition and
civil society should be consistent in the final discussion of the
draft to reach a political consensus, Urumova said. She said that the
political majority and the opposition parties should do their best
to maintain the constructive political dialogue. In this context she
pointed out the necessity to raise public awareness of the expected
amendments to the Constitution. The RA National Assembly approved
the draft amendments to Constitution in the first reading on May 11,
2005, which was proposed by the ruling coalition. Its adoption in
the second reading is expected at the end of August, 2005. A.A. -0–

PRESENTATION OF BOOK “INTELLIGENCE AND COUNTERINTELLIGENCE: ARMENIAN TRACE” HELD IN ARMENIA
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Aug 3 2005
YEREVAN, August 3. /ARKA/. A presentation of the book “Intelligence
and Counterintelligence: Armenian trace” by Colonel Arkady Sargsyan
has been held in Yerevan. According to the author, the book
contains biographies of over 100 Armenian intelligence officers
that worked in all the Soviet and Russian intelligence services
(NKVD, KGB, naval intelligence, military intelligence of the Head
Intelligence Department). Sargsyan pointed out that the book contains
the biographies of all heads of security services (from 1920) and
of internal affairs services (from 1918) of Armenia. He said that
Armenian intelligent officers worked in various parts of the world.
Sargsyan pointed out that many of them held high posts in other
countries’ intelligence services. Sargsyan pointed out that in
writing the book he used the information of the archives of the RA
Federal Security Service, RF Counterintelligence Service, RF Foreign
Intelligence Service, RF Head Intelligence Department, RF Foreign
Ministry and Information Center of the RF Ministry of the Interior.
In his turn, Vice-Chief of the Joint Staff, RA Armed Forces,
Major-General Bazentsi Azoyan pointed out that the book tells about
the people who performed their civic and national duty, defending the
interests of the Soviet Union and of Armenia. According to him, the
publication of the book is a most importance event, as nothing has
so far been written about very many talented Armenian intelligence
officers. According to Azoyan, the Armenian people that have for
centuries been deprived of nationhood formed psychological features
that allowed it to properly organize intelligence activities, which
contributed to the nation’s self-preservation. In particular, he said
that Armenian left an appreciable trace both among top officials and
field officers of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. Armenian
intelligence officers served in various political situations and in
various regimes. Azoyan welcomed the fact that the book contains the
information on the intelligence officers that were stamped as traitors
in the 1930s. “It is the right approach, as policy and values change,
but those people did their job and there were no discrepancies between
their work and civic duties then,” Azoyan said.
He expressed confidence that the book will help young people that
decide to devote themselves to intelligence properly organize their
work to the country’s benefit.
President of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences Fadey Sargsyan,
and Colonel Petros Petrosyan, who was involved in the unique operation
of removing the Soviet secret agent Kim Filby from Beirut to the USSR,
made a high appraisal of the book as well. P.T.
-0–

KARABAGH FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY SAYS KARABAGH CONFLICT SHOULD BE SOLVED ON BASIS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
ArmenPress
Aug 3 2005
STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 3, ARMENPRESS: Nagorno Karabagh Foreign
Affairs Ministry disseminated yesterday a statement claiming that
the representatives of Azerbaijani mass media “without knowing the
details of the pace of peaceful regulation of the Karabagh conflict
issue articles not properly commenting Stepanakert’s information.”
“As a result, Azerbaijani public gets wrong information which hinders
the understanding of humans’ values and continuation of discussions
of alternative means,” says the statement.
“It is beyond any doubt that only by establishing effective contacts
between Karabagh and Azerbaijan it will be possible to find proper
resolution of the conflict.” “Azerbaijani leadership is responsible
for unbridling military actions as well as for their results. The
Karabagh conflict must be regulated on the basis of international law,”
concluded the statement.

EBRD helps develop Armenian insurance sector
Harold Doan and Associates (press release), CA
Aug 3 2005
Press Release – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
The EBRD is acquiring a 35 per cent stake in Cascade Insurance and
Reinsurance Company (CIRCO), a leading insurance company in Armenia,
to help meet the growing demands for insurance in the country. It is
the Bank’s first investment in Armenia’s non-banking financial sector.
The EBRD’s AMD88.4 million ($200,000) investment will help financially
strengthen CIRCO, enabling the company to increase the amount of
risk it can retain that is not reinsured, and continue broadening
its product range, particularly for non-life insurance products
such as motor, cargo and property. The Bank’s investment – which
could increase by up to an additional AMD125 million in the event of
further capital increases by CIRCO – should also help raise values
in the insurance industry by promoting international standards of
best insurance practice.
Kurt Geiger, EBRD Business Group Director for Financial Institutions,
said the project is very important because it will help promote
Armenian financial services to western standards. More and more people
and companies in Armenia are recognising the benefits of insurance,
which is fuelling the growth of the market, Mr Geiger said. By
working with a company committed to Armenia and the development of
its financial products to western standards, we are helping meet that
demand, he added.
Established in 2004, CIRCO offers both commercial and personal
insurance in the non-life and life sectors. While the EBRD will own
just over a third of the company, the remaining shares are owned by
CIRCO’s parent company Cascade Capital Holdings, which in turn is
owned by the Cafesjian Family Foundation, set up in 1996 by Gerard
L Cafesjian, an American of Armenian descent.
The EBRD’s investment in CIRCO is a significant event for the Armenian
insurance sector, said Jonathan Stark, Deputy CEO of Cascade Capital
Holdings. It is also a major step towards Cascade Capital’s goal
to become a financial market leader in Armenia and the Caucasus,
Mr Stark said.
The project forms part of the EBRD’s strategy to support the expansion
and development of the non-bank financial institutions sector, and
particularly insurance, in its countries of operations where this
sector is under-developed. The Bank is one of the largest investors
in Armenia, having invested more than ~@100 million in 23 projects.

Armenian Youth Federation-YOARF Eastern US
80 Bigelow Ave
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel. (617) 923-1933
Fax (617) 924-1933
Press Release
For Immediate Release ~ July 28, 2005
Contact: Sossi Essajanian
(617) 923-1933
[email protected]
AYF-YOARF Internship Program in Full Gear in Armenia
WATERTOWN, Mass.?For the past two months, Aline Alexanian, Arevat
Garamova and Liya Manukian have been learning and living Armenia. As
members of the 2005 Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Eastern Region
Internship program, the three, along with their directors Serouj
Aprahamian and Vahag Melkonian, have been in Armenia since June,
working and traveling around the country.
Aprahamian and Melkonian assigned a position to each intern according
to her interests. Alexanian, a biology and Spanish double major at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, works at St. Gregory
the Illuminator Hospital, focusing on the medical field in Armenia.
Fellow intern Garamova, majoring in Russian studies, political science
and history at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)
is interning at Cafesjian Museum Foundation. Manukian, an exercise
biology major at the University of California at Davis, spends her days
working at the American University of Armenia?s Cardiac Surgery Center.
Living in an apartment in downtown Yerevan, the group enjoys a
birds-eye view of the goings-on in the city. But while they are not
working, Alexanian, Garamova, Manukian, Aprahamian, and Melkonian
spend their days learning the ins and outs of both Armenia and
Karabagh. Thus far, the group has explored Yerevan, visiting such
sites as the Dzidzernagapert Genocide Monument and the Madenataran
manuscript museum. Venturing outside the city, they toured the
churches of Etchmiadzin, St. Hripsime and St. Gayane. ?This was a very
educational experience where the group learned a lot about Armenia?s
rich religious history,? said director Aprahamian.
Also as part of the program, the interns participate in the
Birthright Armenia forums and classes during the week and as a
consequence, spend a lot of time with other people they met through
the Birthright program. During their trip to the temple of Garni,
as well as the church of Geghard, several Birthright participants
joined the trip. Making the day especially exciting was that the trip
fell on the traditional holiday of Vartevar, where everyone throws
water on each other. ?It was very fitting that we were in Garni that
day, given the pagan roots of this holiday,? said Aprahamian. Later,
the group packed their van for a two-day trip to northern Armenia,
visiting Dilijan, as well as the Haghartsin and Goshavank monasteries,
with an overnight trip to Sevan.
Other trips took Alexanian, Garamova, Manukian, Melkonian and
Aprahamian to Armenia?s northern cities of Gyumri, Spitak and
Davtashen. Along with fellow Birthright participants, the group
visited churches, a cemetery of earthquake victims, and saw the
impact of the 1988 earthquake on the community. In Gyumri, they
saw buildings devastated by the quake, and visited the town museum,
which included much information on the history of Gyumri, artifacts
from the past, and works of art, as well as photography. They then
headed to Davtashen and in a neighboring village, visited a museum
in honor of Kevork Chavoush. ?It was very interesting and it gave
the entire group an opportunity to learn about the fedayee movement
and its contributions to Armenia,? said Aprahamian.
As part of the Birthright program, the group also had the opportunity
to meet with Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, where they discussed
topics such as dual citizenship, Artsakh, Turkish-Armenia relations,
as well as Genocide recognition and reparation. The group later viewed
the documentary ?Armenia: A Country Under Blockade? as part of the
Golden Apricot International Film Festival taking place in Yerevan
from July 12-17. The film discussed the effects of Turkey?s blockade
on Armenian society.
When participants of the AYF West Coast Youth Corps arrived in July,
the Alexanian, Garamova, Manukian, along with Aprahamian and Melkonian
met with the group and bid them farewell as they set out to Vaik,
where they are spending the remainder of time in Armenia doing
construction work there at a local youth center.
At the same time, the Armenian Cultural and Educational Society
(Hamazkayin) hosted its Armenia Forum program in Yerevan, and featured
a lecture by Armenian studies professor Richard G.
Hovannisian as part of the program. The group was invited to attend
the lecture, which took place at the Yerevan State University
hostels. Hovannisian discussed the Armenian genocide, its impact,
current developments within Turkey, as well as the status of
reconciliation between Turks and Armenians.
As the group approaches the half way mark of the internship program,
they are preparing for more work at their internships and more trips.
>From July 29 to 31, they will be heading to Artaskh to learn about
the people, places and situation of the new republic. ?There have
been several occasions where we end up sitting up at night as a group,
often with other diasporan interns here, and have relatively fruitful
discussions about Armenia, diaspora, and other issues. These informal
discussions tend to be the most rewarding and really give everybody
the chance to reflect and build on their experiences here,?
said Aprahamian.
Since 1992, the AYF-YOARF Eastern Region Internship in Armenia has
been sending youth to work in Armenia. The eight-week internship in
Yerevan includes an orientation to Armenia during first week; weekend
and overnight trips to different parts of Armenia and Karabagh;
a scheduled lecture series; and opportunities to participate in the
Birthright Armenia program.
For more information, visit or contact the AYF Eastern
Region office at (617) 923-1933.

Anti-Armenian Vandalism Raises Tensions in Southern Russian
Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union, DC
Aug 3 2005
(August 3, 2005)
Recent incidents of vandalism targeting ethnic Armenians in Russia’s
Northern Caucasus have raised inter-ethnic tensions, according to
separate reports by the Regnum news agency. The latest incident took
place on July 29, 2005. According to a Regnum report the next day,
29 gravestones in the cemetery of Verkhny Yurt (Krasnodar region) were
toppled and defaced. Most of the gravestones marked the final resting
places of ethnic Armenians. Local police believe the vandalism was the
work of a mentally ill person, and point to the words “schizophrenia”
painted on many of the gravestones. The local Armenian community,
however, sees the incident as an act of ethnic hatred and are demanding
that police treat it as such.
Considering the fact that on July 16, an Armenian church was burned
down by arsonists in the city of Budyonnovsk, according to a July
19 Regnum report, the attitude of local Armenians to the cemetery
vandalism is understandable.

Today, Azerbaijan
Aug 3 2005
Number of Azerbaijanis in Georgia reduced from 308 thousand to 284
thousand during last 16 years
02 August 2005 [10:40] – Today.Az
The research mission of the International Federation on Human Rights
central headquarter of which is situated in France declared that
rights of the national minorities are violated in Georgia.
This was informed to the Georgian bureau of APA by the chairman of
the Tbilisi information center on human rights Ucha Nanuashvili.
According to the words of Ucha Nanuashvili, the numbers of the
national minorities in 1989 and 2005 were compared in the report of
the research mission. According to that report, though 308.000
Azerbaijanis lived in Georgia in 1989, this number is 284.000 today.
The number of Armenians reduced from 437 thousand to 249 thousand,
Russian from 341 thousand to 68 thousand, Ukrainians from 52 thousand
to 7 thousand, Greeks from 100 thousand to 15 thousand during this
period.
URL:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri Foreign Minister Meets US Secretary of State
Baku Today, Azerbaijan
Aug 3 2005
Baku Today
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov who is in Washington
on a three-day official visit, met with US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday.
The parties exchanged views on the role of the United States, as a
co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, in the settlement of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, Caspian energy
projects, the current situation in the Caucasus region, as well as
preparations for Azerbaijan’s November parliament elections.
While in Washington, Mammadyarov will hold meetings in the Pentagon
and National Security Council. He will also meet with representatives
of the National Democratic Institute, International Republican
Institute, International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) and
non-governmental organizations.
The Minister will also address members of the US-Azerbaijan Chamber
of Commerce in the Washington based Azerbaijan Trade and Cultural
Center on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Mammadyarov will deliver a speech at the US Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace.

The London bombs: Iraq or the “rage of Islam”?
By Sami Zubaida
Open Democracy, UK
Aug 3 2005
Many commentators regard the London terror attacks as Tony Blair’s
payback for Britain’s role in Iraq. Sami Zubaida assesses the evidence.
The London bombings on 7 July were followed by a brief period of
political unity in Britain, but very soon the voices of commentators
arguing that the outrages were the result of the government’s
involvement in the Iraq war swelled into a chorus. Politicians like
George Galloway and journalists like John Pilger (whose cover story
in the New Statesman was headlined “Blair’s Bombs”) accused Tony
Blair of bringing the atrocity on London’s citizens.
Britain, according to this line of reasoning, had become a target for
Islamic anger because of war in and occupation of a Muslim country.
Most were quick to add that these statements were explanation, not
justification. But in any case, how good an explanation is it?
A conditional rage
A contrary argument centres round a term coined by Bernard Lewis in a
1990 article “The Roots of Muslim Rage” (Atlantic Monthly, September
1990). Lewis’s arguments there and subsequently are well considered and
historically grounded, although popular discourse takes up the idea of
“Muslim rage” to imply an essential quality of religious sentiment.
It is interesting to note that the argument can appeal equally to those
embracing the “rage” and those fearful of it. Islam, it proposes, is a
conquering religion, whose intrinsic aspiration is to dominate others.
But the modern world has brought about the weakness and defeat of
Islamic states, the end of the caliphate, and the colonisation or
subordination of Islamic lands to non-Muslim powers. Christians,
Jews and Hindus – who should, at best, be protected minorities under
Islamic power – are now the dominant powers subordinating Muslims.
This situation generates the “rage” which hits out against the dominant
infidels and dreams of the restoration of Muslim glory.
The clear implication of this view is that “Muslim rage” is
unconditional, and has little to do with particular events such as
Israeli oppression of Palestinians or the American invasion of Iraq.
It is an essential property of Islam when it does not dominate.
The argument does not accord with the facts of modern history (as
detailed even in Bernard Lewis’s own account), which show that there is
no general “Islam” but a diversity of Muslims, many of whom adapted,
coexisted and prospered in various combinations of power relations –
ranging from a weakened and modernising Ottoman empire to British
colonial rule in India, to patterns of coexistence in Malaya and
Africa.
When movements of self-determination arose in the 20th century,
only a few (as, initially, in Algeria), took religious forms; most
were secular and nationalist, and some (as in Egypt and the Levant)
featured prominent participation by Christian co-nationals.
Almost a century later, it is possible to speak of a “rage of Islam”,
one that is not general or essential but rather specific to a modern
global conjuncture and to particular groups and sentiments. And this
is where Iraq comes in.
A seductive “imaginary”
It is notable that the London bombers killed on 7 July and those
arrested after 21 July are not Iraqi or Palestinian. The fact that
some of them are of Pakistani descent is relevant, if at all, only
for logistical reasons to do with the central role of that country
in the international jihadi networks. The bombers are not otherwise
driven by some element of Pakistani culture or heritage. Indeed,
typically, radical jihadis disown the Islam of their parents as errant
and corrupted, in contrast to their own pure faith.
Also notable is the participation of converts, the known cases being of
Afro-Caribbean descent, and as such sharing alienation as inferiorised
British citizens. These jihadis are avenging Palestinians and Iraqis
on behalf of a universal Muslim community engaged in a global battle
against non-believers who are oppressing Muslims; and not only Iraq
and Palestine, but Afghanistan, Chechnya, Kashmir and Bosnia are
fields of oppression of Muslims. So is the infidel military presence
in the Arabian peninsula and other Islamic lands (the original cause
advanced by Osama bin Laden for jihad against America and its Saudi
hosts). So, Iraq is only one episode in this global battle.
The attacks of 9/11 in the United States predated the invasion of
Iraq and Afghanistan, and coincided with ongoing events in Palestine.
All these episodes are, of course, pertinent to universal jihad,
but only insofar as they confirm and corroborate the ideological
“imaginary” of the war of Islam against the infidels.
It is rightly pointed out that only a small minority of Muslims
are involved in these activities. There are indications, however,
that many passive or moderate Muslims, some not even religious, do
participate in this “imaginary”: in sentiment, and maybe in token
action such as money collections in mosques.
The Arab media are full of admiring and supporting voices of the acts
of “martyrdom”, as well as mealy-mouthed regrets and “explanations”
of such acts in terms of offensive western policies. 9/11 itself
was greeted with open displays of delight in some quarters and quiet
satisfaction in others (not only Muslim). Elements of the subsequent
“war on terror” – most notably Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo – and the
increasing pressure on Muslims in many western countries contribute
to the siege mentality.
After the left, a gap
The idea of the division of the world into antagonistic religious
communities is an old one, and not confined to Muslims. There have
been pogroms of Jews in Tsarist Russia and elsewhere in Europe; the
expulsion of Jews and Muslims from Iberia; religious riots against
Christians in Syria/Lebanon in the 19th century; massacres of Armenians
in Turkey; the “ethnic cleansing” of Bosnians during the wars of
ex-Yugoslavia. Many other violent episodes were fed by these ideas.
In a largely secularised 20th century these notions may have declined,
but never disappeared. So, why did they come to the fore again in the
last decades of that century? Many writers have focused on the theme
of “political Islam” and tried to explain its rise, but even that
brand of Islam is not uniform or unitary; it includes diverse forms,
only some of which are violent.
One particular pertinent factor in the modern conjuncture is the
decline of the left and of Marxism as an idiom of denunciation of
capitalism and its injustices including racism, class oppression and
imperialism. Opposition and action against imperialism, especially
of United States militarism, was an important element of this leftist
idiom. America and its allies targeted communist and leftist movements
worldwide as part of the cold war, which added to the left’s popular
credibility.
Nationalist movements, including Arab nationalism, veered towards a
leftist idiom, as in Gamal Abdel Nasser’s “Arab socialism”, and the
Ba’ath Arab Socialist Party, borrowing heavily from Marxist motifs
and vocabulary. The failure of these movements, then the collapse
of communism and the Soviet threat made these idioms increasingly
redundant.
In the process, and partly to fill the gap left by the failure of
radical leftism, jihadi Islam became a world antagonist of America
(while America retains many Muslim allies). This would explain its
attraction to disenfranchised groups in the west, and conversion to
it by individuals seeking action and redemption. It is interesting
that many conversions occur in prison, where militant Islam appears
to grant an honourable identity to the disenfranchised and despised:
part of a world crusade against the arrogant infidel. For some it is
worth dying for.
This dominance of militant Islam as the chief antagonist to the west
in a “war of the worlds” would also explain its attraction to remnants
of the old sectarian left. Maoists and Trotskyites show evidence of
increasing sympathy for and even joint action with disaffected Muslims,
as in the Respect party (widely regarded as a front organisation of
the Socialist Workers Party) whose candidate George Galloway won the
east London constituency of Bethnal Green & Bow in Britain’s May 2005
general election. There is no suggestion of the left’s complicity or
sympathy with terrorist action; but the class struggle has acquired
a religious tinge.
The Iraq factor
So, what of the initial question regarding the role of the Iraq
episode in the bomb outrages in London? The main contribution of
Iraq is in reinforcing the ideological picture of the universal
Islamic community doing battle with Christians and Jews. Withdrawal
of British or American troops from Iraq would not alter that picture,
nor diminish the momentum of martyrdom now established.
Such withdrawal may lead to a declaration of victory and brief respite,
but there is always another cause in this universal struggle in a
globalised world. We don’t know when this momentum will fizzle out:
perhaps with the realisation that this jihad is doing nothing to
alter the poverty, corruption and oppression in Muslim lands, or
helping in the liberation of Palestinians (in fact the contrary:
it provides international legitimacy for their oppression).
One element in Iraq, however, is highly pertinent to global jihadism.
The invasion of the country has provided a fertile territory, a
“failed state”, for recruitment and training of the cadres of jihad.
The victims are overwhelmingly Iraqi, and many are the wrong kind
of Muslim. Like most of their co-religionists around the world,
they fall outside the umma, the imagined global community of Muslims.