by Sujit Das
Crayton (1983, pp. 33-41), by using Kohut’s concepts to guide his argument, suggested the psychology of narcissism as a framework for understanding terrorist behavior. According to Crayton, the two key narcissistic dynamics are a grandiose sense of self and “idealized parental imago” (The thinking goes like this – “If I cannot be perfect, at least I am in a relationship with something perfect”). Young adolescents are plastic in their political orientation and open to indoctrination. With regard to the effect of groups, he argues that the narcissistically vulnerable persons are drawn to charismatic leaders and that some groups are held together by a shared grandiose sense of self. As others have posited, he suggested that narcissistic rage is what prompts an aggressive response to perceived injustice. Crayton’s views are supported by Pearlstein. By using a Freudian analysis of the self and the narcissistic personality, Pearlstein eruditely applied the psychological concept of narcissism to terrorists and concluded (cited Burum, 2004, p. 19) that narcissism is the “most complete and thus most intellectually satisfying theory” for explaining terrorism.
Some researchers suggested “narcissistic rage” as the primary drive for terrorist aggression. As children, the nascent terrorists are deeply traumatized; they have suffered chronic physical abuse and emotional humiliation. This creates a profound sense of fear and personal vulnerability that becomes central to their self-concept. To eliminate this fear and to create a more tolerable self-image, such individuals feel the need to “kill off” their view of themselves as victims. They buttress their own self-esteem by devaluing others. The result of this devaluation of others muffles their internal voice of reason and morality. Furthermore, whatever sense of “esteem” has developed in that process is extraordinarily fragile, which makes the individual particularly vulnerable to any slights, insults or ideas that threaten to smash the pretense of self-worth (Akhtar, 1999, pp. 350-5). This is narcissistic injury. Crayton (1983, pp. 37-8) wrote, “ As a specific manifestation of narcissistic rage, terrorism occurs in the context of narcissistic injury,” For Crayton, terrorism is an attempt to acquire or maintain power or control by threats. Those individuals with a damaged self-concept have failed to integrate the good and bad parts of the self, which are instead split into the “me” and the “not me.” They need an outside enemy to blame for their own inadequacies and weaknesses.
7.3.2: Muhammad’s Narcissism as the Driving Force of Islamic Terrorism
– Strong Evidences
There is no shortage of evidence that narcissism is the primary driving force of Islamic terrorism. Muslims’ thought process exactly reflects the distorted thought process of their Narcissist Prophet as if their Prophet is talking through them. Deep down, there is unhealthy envy and paranoia which force them to decompensate and act out in a violent manner. Muslim terrorists are in a constant state of deficient narcissistic supply. They want to bring “down to their level” (by destroying it) the object of their pathological envy, the cause of their seething frustration, and the symbol of their dull achievements; it is always incommensurate with their inflated self-image. They seek omnipotence through murder, control through violence, prestige, fame and celebrity by defying figures of authorities, challenging them, and humbling them. They attribute evil and corruption to their enemies and foes.
When members of al-Qaeda, Islamic jihad, al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, and Hamas were asked why they were killing the non-Muslims, they said, “Islam. We are following Muhammad’s orders” (Winn, 2004, letter to the reader). Habis al Saoub quoted in his Arabic document, entitled A Martyr’s will (Spencer, 2003, p. 23), “ The Prophet Muhammad’s seventh-century assertion that abandoning the cause of jihad is a disgraceful act tantamount to leaving the Islamic religion ”. Mahmood Ghazi, Pakistan’s Minister for Religious Affairs, openly supported Kashmir jihad stating that it was “ in accordance with the teachings of Prophet Muhammad” (Spencer, 2003, p. 45). This is how Muhammad is directly responsible for today’s Islamic terrorist attacks.
When Muhammad killed his opponents he justified it by Allah’s name, “Allah made me victorious with terror”. After 9/11 attack, Laden claimed that the terrorist attack was in defense of own people and was the will of Allah (Lachkar, 2008, p. 30). He called the Muslims, “ to comply with God’s order to kill the Americans and plunder their money, whenever and wherever they find them” (Bjorgo, 2005, p. 59). It was as if Laden was the new messenger of Allah, only relaying the commands of Allah which were justified with verses from the Qur’an. Both Muhammad’s and Laden’s distorted thinking pattern is mirrored in this quote from Brigadier S.K. Malik’s (Pakistani Army) controversial book, The Qur’anic Concept of War (2008, p. 57), “ We see that, on all the occasions when God wishes to impose His will upon His enemies, He chooses to do so by casting terror into their hearts ”.
During 1995, The Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA) commented in a press release, “ Everyone should know that the killing, massacring, slaughtering, expulsion, burning, taking of captives that we do, these are sacrifices for the sake of Allah ” (Cook, 2005, p. 171). Where from these destructive thoughts are coming? This is what Muhammad had convinced the Muslims in the Qur’an.
Say: Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds . (Q: 6.162)
GIA collapsed in 1998 and the dissidents formed a new terrorist group – Jama’a al-Salaffiya. Its first communiqué tells the tale, “[Those who] grasp the tails of cattle, are satisfied with farming, and [if you] have left Jihad, then God will cause humiliation to overtake you that will not leave you until you return to your religion ” (Cook, 2005, p. 120). Who is uttering these words? It is not the terrorists, but the ghost of Muhammad is talking through them. Muhammad had no experience with agricultural production. His livelihood was totally dependent upon raids and plunder. According to Bukhari (3.39.514), Allah had a great disdain for agriculture and agricultural implements.
A pan-Arab daily newspaper published an article on February 23, 1998, where some advice was given to all Muslims and a Qur’anic verse was cited. The advice was, “ The ruling of killing Americans and their allies whether civilian or military is incumbent upon every Muslim who is able and in whichever country is easiest for him ” (Cook, 2005, p. 175), and the relevant verse was, “And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah… ” (Q: 2.193)
The words “Allah wishes” and “sacrifices for the sake of Allah” need particular attention. No God had revealed the Qur’anic verses; it was the narcissistic wishes of Muhammad in the form of divine revelation. Muhammad had never sacrificed any worldly pleasure for the sake of Allah, his followers did it for him during his lifetime and present day Muslims are still doing it. Malik (2008, pp. 59, 60) wrote, “ Terror struck in the hearts of the enemies is not only a means, it is the end in itself … Terror is not a means of imposing decision upon the enemy; it is the decision we wish to impose upon him. ”.
Where did Malik get such destructive ideas? He was simply repeating Muhammad’s words. Did not Muhammad say in his Qur’an (8.12), “ I will instill terror into the hearts of disbelievers”? Malik continued, “ It [terror] can be instilled only if the opponent’s faith is destroyed. Psychological dislocation is temporary, spiritual dislocation is permanent … to instill terror into the hearts of the enemy, it is essential, in the ultimate analysis, to dislocate his faith ” .
Did Muhammad not use the sword to convert pagans into his faith? Malik’s advice of “dislocating the spiritual faith of the enemy” originates from Muhammad. Did Christ ever say; “Know that paradise is under the sword”? Did Confucius ever say; “I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers”? Did Buddha ever tell his followers to behead the non-Buddhists in war and slice off their fingertips? Did Adi Shankara kill people and steal their wives? Did Mahavira Jain promote killing in the name of God? Had anyone of them ever asked the followers to collect booty and share it with him and God? Muhammad made all those statemen
ts and more. In fact, no founder of a major world religion has ever resembled Muhammad. No other Prophet grew rich stealing the property of innocents. No one else kept a harem, or assassinated poets, or was a child molester or mass-murderer, or had promoted slavery. Hate is the basic tenet of Islam and violence is the conclusion.
The terrorist leaders or the planners of a suicide attack never offer their own children as martyr. When a suggestion was made to one such planner; the planner, Sheikh Yassin replied smartly, “We do not choose the martyrs to die. Allah chooses them.” (Richardson, 2006, p. 158). Yassin was echoing Muhammad’s words,
Allah has purchased from the believers their selves and possessions, and for them is Paradise. They fight in the Way of Allah, slay, and are slain. (Q: 9.111)
The simple fact is that an advocate of suicide bombing will never put his neck where his mouth is. Why he does not do the suicide mission by himself and take the first opportunity to enter paradise? No one has ever seen an Islamic cleric or one of his relatives strapping on a bomb and detonating it to receive the divine reward of a trip to paradise, yet they enjoin others to do so. Muhammad encouraged martyrdom but never fought a battle where his life would be in danger.
Muhammad was megalomaniac. The Muslim terrorist leaders are equally megalomaniac. As a fine example, I quote a passage from Abdullah Ocalan (the founder and leader of Kurdistan Workers’ Party, also known as the People’s Liberation Army of Kurdistan). He said in a press conference with the Turkish Daily Newspaper in December 1998 (Hunsicker, 2006, p. 41), “ Everyone should take note of the way I live, what I do and what I don’t do. The way I eat, the way I think, my orders and even my inactivity should be carefully studied. There will be lessons to be learned from several generations because Apo [Ocalan -“Apo” means uncle] is a great teacher ”.
Turkish journalists who had interviewed Ocalan came back with the impression of a “megalomaniac” and “sick” man who has no respect for or understanding of the “superior values of European civilization”. Ocalan underlined his personal hunger for absolute power at the helm of the organization in a 1991 party publication (Hunsicker, 2006, p. 41), “ I establish a thousand relationships every day and destroy a thousand political, organizational, emotional and ideological relationships. No one is indispensable for me. Especially if there is anyone who eyes the chairmanship of the PKK, I will not hesitate to eradicate them. I will not hesitate in doing away with people ”.
Barkey & Fuller (1998, p. 40) describe him as, “ [He is] secretive, withdrawn, suspicious, and lacking in self-confidence. He does not like group discussion; his close associates reportedly seem uncomfortable around him. He does not treat others as equals and he often demeans his subordinates in front of others, demands self-confessions from his lieutenants, and keeps his distance from nearly everyone ”
Ocalan is mentally sick like Muhammad because he had inherited the mental disorder of Muhammad. He is a Narcissist himself. To the Narcissist, there are only friends or foes – either for or against their vision. There is no middle ground.
Muhammad’s Qur’an is full of statements about how evil the Jews are and how the Muslims must fight the Jews until they are subjugated, which I have already discussed in details in previous chapters. Could grievances of the Palestinians such as “the Evil Jews violently and unjustly took away our land” originate from such apparently unrelated statements in the Qur’an? According to Palestinians; the Jews are something like bloodthirsty sadistic monsters. This creation of paranoia that has its roots in the paranoia created toward Jews in the Qur’an going back to Muhammad himself. This is called “evil gene delusion”. This is the delusion that if a group of people did something wrong a thousand years ago, that means their modern day descendents are evil as well. The Nazis assumed that all non-Aryans were inferior and evil due to their genes. Muhammad’s paranoia as reflected in the Qur’an is transferred through generations of the believing Muslims. They hate the Jews mainly because they believe that Jewish tribes betrayed Muhammad and that therefore the Jewish descendents of those tribes and all other Jews are treacherous as well. Today, the twenty-first century nuclear Prophet of Islam, the Hitler of Middle East, suffers from the same delusion. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the clown President of Iran took the Jews hating one step further. He is desperate to obtain a nuclear weapon. If he gets, he will use it against Israel within no time. This is his goal and he made it very clear. He said it literally that he wants to destroy Israel – “wiped off the face of the map” (Cohen, 2007, p. 9). Lastly, a quote from Sina,
Muslims, as a whole, by virtue of taking on the life of Muhammad, leave behind their own, forsaking their humanity and to a large degree, their individuality. As they come to inhabit the narcissistic bubble universe of their prophet, and to the extent that they follow his examples, they become extensions of him. Muslims are twigs from the tree of Islam and the root of that tree is Muhammad. They share his character, his attitude and his mindset. You could say each Muslim is a mini Muhammad of a sort. (Sina, 2008, p. 4).
7.3.3: Intersect Terrorism: “Narcissism of minor differences”
Intersect violence between major sects of Islam i.e., Shiaa, Sunni, Ahmadiyya, Kurd, Ismaili, etc, occurs in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, Lebanon, Algeria and elsewhere. Often sectarian conflict leads to a violent civil war. This can be explained by Freud’s theory “Narcissism of minor differences”. Freud undertook a clinical study of group aggression, and concluded, “ It is precisely the minor difference in people who are otherwise alike that form the basis of feelings of strangeness and hostility between them ” (Ignatieff, 1998, p. 48). Narcissism of minor difference is not an individual behavior; rather it is implicated as a group behavior.
This term “Narcissism of minor differences” describes the manner in which negative feelings of a group are sometimes directed at people who resemble them, while the group takes pride from the “small differences” that distinguish the group from the other (Lyon, 2006, p. 11). This dynamic is the critical factor underpinning the Muslims’ sudden outbreak of intersect violence that we often see in various Muslim countries. The religious rituals of every sect have minor differences from other sects, and each sect believes that they are practicing the real Islam. As a result, these “minor differences” between sects are transformed to major conflict amongst them. It is narcissistic because narcissism implies a focus on the self and a disregard or “devaluation” for the circumstance, interests and rights of others. Moreover, narcissism also asserts that outsiders have no understanding or place within the boundaries of one’s own group.
Intersect narcissistic hate is too much in Islam. The violent Shiaa-Sunni conflict in Pakistan and Iraq shows that there are virtually no sanctuaries left – neither home, nor mosque or the hospital or even the graveyard; and being innocent is not the issue. Just “being” is enough – being Shiaa or Sunni. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, an outlawed Sunni group has been responsible for murders of untold Shiaas (Pearl, 2003, p. 74). Let alone Shiaa and Sunni sectarian violence; now two different schools of thought of Sunni sect, Barelvi or Deobandi clash violently against each other. Not surprising, most of the civil wars are raged amongst Muslims and a majority of the world’s refugees spill out from the Islamic countries. From 1975 to 1990, the Lebanese civil war cost at least 150,000 lives. Most of them belonging to Palestinians which is more than ten times as many deaths as Israel has inflicted in fifty years of combat (Manji, 2004, p. 140). The eight year long Iran-Iraq war caused death of likely more than one million people and property loss of US$ 1.19 trillion. In the genocide of Bangladeshis during ’71 war, three million people were slaughtered, a quarter million women were raped and many babies were burned alive (Bhattacharyya, 1987, pp. 119, 186). More than ten million refugees had to flee to the safety of neighboring India to escape the brutality of the marauding soldiers from Pakistan. In Darfur alone, violent deaths are close to one million. The common Muslim thinking (Ignatieff, 1998, p. 59) is like this
– “It is not the desire to be the master in your own house, but the conviction that only people like yourself deserve to be in the house”.
7.3.3.1: The Root Cause of Intersect “Narcissism of Minor Differences”
Intersect narcissistic violence in Islam started during Muhammad’s lifetime. The Narcissism of minor differences what we are seeing today amongst the Muslims is the direct consequences of Muhammad’s narcissism, or more precisely Muhammad’s narcissistic paranoid delusion and lust for power.
Paranoia is an unhealthy thought process which is heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Muhammad had a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives were interpreted as malevolent and hence he called for the destruction of rival mosques. He suspected, without sufficient basis, that others were trying to exploit, harm, or deceive him.
Muhammad ordered the destruction of an opposition mosque at Dhu Awan during April 631 after accusing its builders of being unjust. He sent a band of Muslims to destroy the freshly constructed mosque by burning it down (Tabari: IX.61). Muhammad concocted the story that he suspected that the builders of the “Mosque of Dissent” were planning to assassinate him. This was paranoid delusion of Muhammad. Allah promptly sent down verses justifying the destruction.