THE latest suicide bomber attacks in Brussels by so-called Islamist Fundamentalist groups or fanatic followers of Iraq-Syria Islamic State (ISIS) ideology of establishing a pure, nonetheless an achronistic tottering idea of a pure Islamic Caliphate has raised many questions about the role of fanatic Islamist religious groups who have taken upon themselves the task or responsibility of spreading ‘violence’ in imperialist western countries to take revenge for oppression and repression of the Arab Muslims by western imperialists. It is essential to contextualise the emergence of the phenomenon of Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorism beginning with Saudi Arabian Osama-bin-Laden’s attack of September 11, 2001 in the United States of America, the most important capitalist-imperialist country of the world.

President George Bush of the United States of America after September 11, 2001 declared “Global War against Terrorism” and covertly Anglo-American forces attacked Saddam Hussein of Iraq which was described as the greatest enemy of the civilised world who allegedly possessed weapons of mass destruction. The global situation has changed beyond recognition because if on one hand, America led NATO Armed forces overtly or covertly are forcibly changing established State regimes in various Arab countries like Iraq or Libya or Syria, on the other hand, organised groups of Islamist fundamentalists are targeting civilian populations in Western countries like France or Belgium or others not only to take revenge from capitalist-imperialist State systems but also to teach Western societies a lesson that revenge will be taken because their states and governments are committing atrocities against Arab-Muslim countries and societies.

Is the rise of Islamist fundamentalist or ISIS violent response to western imperialist interventionist policies in Arab countries a consequence of the acts of omission and commission or the part of imperialists? Or is the rise of Islamic-religious fundamentalist revival an ‘autonomous’ phenomenon, a product of social and cultural level of backwardness in Arab countries? Is the phenomenon of religious revivalism in Arab world a creator of feudal-monarchical oligarchies which control the Arab states for keeping the mass discontent away from the home grown causes of discontent? It is essential to focus attention on ‘cause and consequence’ explanation and also on factors which are ‘autonomously’ responsible for the birth and rise of Islamist fundamentalist militant violence prone groups which may have originated from the situation prevailing in Arab societies. It can be safely suggested that the funding and supply of arms to ISIS or other Jihadi Islamic groups may be largely and generously provided by feudal-monarchical anti-democratic Arab regimes from Saudi Arabia to Egypt with a clear goal that socially discontented groups should not look around for the causes of their underdevelopment and deprivation and should not stand up in revolt against their own regencies for the ills prevailing in their society.

This is a well known strategy of oppressive and exploitative domestic regimes to redirect the attention of their suffering populations against external enemies and in this case western imperialists are quite visible in the Arab world’s destruction. It should also be mentioned that the Arab oppressive, anti-democratic regimes are also allies of the imperialists whether the Saudi Arabians or Egyptians or the others and it is a curious situation that Arab allies of imperialism are also patronising Arab Islamic militancy against imperial western societies to safeguard their domestic regimes. This is one part of the story that ISIS and other Jihadist Arab Muslim groups are neither short of funds nor of arms because their own feudal monarchical tyrannical regimes are acting as their patron-in-chief. The other part of the picture is quite clear that policies pursued by imperialist capitalist countries for the ‘management of the Arab countries’ for maximisation of profits are solely responsible for the situation which exists in Islamic-Arab societies.

America-led NATO armed forces have destabilised the whole Arab world beginning with war against Iraq or Libya or Syria or support to military allies like Egypt. The policy of regime change through military intervention followed in the name of ‘global war against terrorism’ has created an anarchic situation in Arab societies and imperialists cannot absolve themselves of this responsibility of destroying the established Arab states and paving the way for anarchy in a situation of vacuum created by wars against terrorism.

Tony Blair, the former British prime minister and an active participant in ‘War against Terrorism’ in Arab countries has cheeks to observe in an interview to Sunday Times (England) on March 28, 2016 that “many millions of Muslims held a view point that is fundamentally incompatible with the modern world” ie, western value system. He further said that the “(IS) does not seek dialogue but dominance. It cannot therefore be contained. It has to be defeated.” Tony Blair, like other imperialists believes in ‘military solution’ to the problem. “We must build military capability able to confront and defeat the terrorists whenever they try to hold territory.” Tony Blair and other American led capitalist countries are promoting the interests of “military industrial” ruling classes who by selling arms not only accumulate profits but have also led to spilling of blood in the area of conflict because bullets of the imperialists are responded by the bullets of the Islamists.

Tony Blair’s argument of ‘cultural incompatibility’ between Islamic terrorists and civilised westerners is racist and as spelt out by American writer Samuel Huntington who had warned that the new century will witness “clash of civilisations” and the fault lines are between religions like Islam (Arab) and Christianity (Western). This ‘racist’ approach of the western white population gets translated into attitudes towards “local Muslim population” who are settled for generations in all major European countries like England, France, Belgium, Germany et al of late, the distance between local white and Muslim populations has increased and a situation of Muslim ghettoisation exists in European countries. Muslims have their own mosques in European and North American countries; however it has not led either to integration of communities or respect for plural religious identities in Europe.

If the already ‘Muslim’ population is alienated in European societies where whites think the Muslims are ‘others’, the growing influx of refugees from destabilised Syria or Turkey or Greece et al has sharpened white versus Muslim cleavages and conflicts. It is not an accident that Republic Party contender Trump in the United States in his election campaign has been targeting Muslims as ‘enemies’ and spreading hatred against Muslims. Historically, colonial Europe not only colonised the Arab countries, even Muslims from European colonies also got settled in the metropolis and Algerians, Tunisians, Moroccans et al are found in erstwhile European colonisers like France and Turkish population is very viable in Germany. Europe is at its ‘wits end’ in its response to ‘the influx of Muslim refugees’ at a time when European capitalism is in deep crisis and European Union, the club of European capitalism, is struggling to maintain its unity because its members like England is in deep crisis and is wanting to get out of the Union. European economy is not at all showing any signs of recovery and at such a time when industry is not growing, employment is shrinking and Muslims are considered by the white as ‘job grabbers’ and hence an object of hatred.

The only industry in Europe and America which is profitable is ‘arms export industry’ and the war in Syria supposedly against ISIS is proving quite profitable for America and European arms exporters. A disturbed war ravaged Arab world is profitable for crisis ridden capitalism of the imperialists and hence war against ISIS by western imperialists is likely to continue because longer the war greater will be profits for arms exporting capitalist countries. Tony Blair’s military solution to crush Islamic fundamentalists is a profitable proposition and if terrorist attacks take place in European societies, the greater is the demand for military solution. The western imperialists do not want to be reminded that they along with their reactionary anti-democratic Arab regimes are solely responsible for the prevalence of social discontent and social strife in Arab countries.          

The fratricidal war between Shias and Sunnis has also created a situation for foreign intervention in the internal affairs of the Arab states. Syria is a battle ground not only between ISIS and Assad, the Syrian leader but also American imperialists and their Wahabi Saudi Arab state which wants ‘regime change’ in Syria. The Americans want the ISIS to keep the pot boiling till Americans succeed in their policy of ‘regime change’ in Syria. The upshot of above description is if on one hand Islamic fundamentalists and Jihadi groups are responsible for turmoil in the Arab world and terrorism in Europe, on the other, imperialists have sown the seeds of social discord in the Arab world to safeguard their interests and of their allies like Saudis or Egyptians or others.