Why do you kill, Zaid?
Jürgen Todenhöfer
From the epilogue of "Why do you kill, Zaid?"
Jürgen Todenhöfer has summed up what he has learned through his reading and on his travels in 10 theses. These are not scientific theses, but a completely personal view of the situation. He has attempted to appreciate the events of the last 200 years in the Middle East from the viewpoint of a Muslim for once, and not from the perspective of a Westerner.
The author’s theses are very compressed and highly consolidated. They contain a density of facts without which it would be difficult to even understand the conflict between East and West, let alone solve it.
The theses contain generalizations, and the author draws particular attention to the problems they raise. When he talks of “the West”, he is primarily referring to the political administrations of major western countries. There are western countries that have never been guilty of colonialism or neocolonialism. And there have been, and still are, numerous people in the West who have at all times fought ardently for the fair treatment of Muslims.
The term “the Muslim world” is also a generalization that does not actually do justice to the diversity of Islamic countries. Nevertheless, it is used to highlight the major faultlines in relations between East and West in a way that can be understood. And despite many exceptions in individual countries, the fact that a deep-seated conflict exists between the “West” and the “Muslim world” can unfortunately not be denied.
Jürgen Todenhöfer’s theses will provoke stark criticism. He is hopeful that the ensuing discussion will serve to clarify many issues. It is time for us to open our eyes. Our present policy approach toward the Muslim world has no future.