Excellent summary of why people in the Midi dislike us.

He,in brief words, discribed deeply the whole situation in the Middle East. I agree with every word he said. I cannot add any other words beside him. I think if you watch this you will like it more. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7163678675859613485&q=Hossein+Nasr+&ei=RuEzSIBTn7DhAuavxeYJ

If we are ever going to have civil peace and peace of mind, it will be necessary to delegate religion to non-combatant. Religion should be a source of peace not of war. Religion should be a choice not a requirement. Systems of social organization should also be a matter of choice by the people involved. Economics and technology should be shared by all people to provide quality lives not weapons of war. People need to work out their problems without resorting to death and destruction. It takes cooperation and coordination to maximize goods and sevices and minimize conflict. Dave

I ask myself how these truths are relevant now. My recollection is that Saddam Hussein was a thug installed by U.S. shadow government. My recollection is that he was Daddio Bush's buddy who fought Iran. My recollection is that under excellent diplomatic relations he was set up by Daddio's gal April Glasbe, virtually given the go ahead to invade the errant province of Kuwait (which had been whip-drilling into Iraqi oilfields across the border). It is my recollection that Saddam was hanged before any of these particular truths could be sorted out. Certainly the capitalist West, with its ineptitude and contradictions, was in someone else's house repeatedly, and now for much too long a time. Corporate capitalism is elites dealing with elites to the detriment of common people in both camps. This is especially tragic when the positive tendencies of the Islamic world are squashed or disrupted by either monetary exploitations or standing armies. The elite emirs are illegitimate in Islamic terms but useful to wealthy interests in the West. Western soldiers stand by to keep them in place. As Nasr says, it is western capitalism that is about to fall on its face if it cannot maintain its extractive...

Rather interesting that Mr. Hossein foresaw western involvement in the Middle East for the next fifty years. Only? I remember having a long discussion in London back in 1988 with a British fellow who had worked in the hotel industry in Kuwait. He told me if Kuwait was ever attacked the west would defend it vigorously. He was right. I remember having a discussion with a Jordanian who told me the Iraqi economy was dying and the Jordanian economy along with it, because Iraq used to buy everything that Jordan could manufacture, but the sanctions had destroyed the economy of the whole region. He supported Bush in the 2000 election because he said the first Bush created the situation and the second Bush would correct it. I'm still trying to figure out if he was right. If we are going to be involved in the region anyhow, we might as well start with independence for Palestine. It will happen one day. Better it should happen now and with American backing.

We needed to listen to Seyyed Hossein Nasr then and we should be listening to him, now.