4 - 10 October 2001
Issue No.554
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 4 - 10 October 2001 Issue No.554 |
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Mountain master
A Spanish journalist with whom I recently met asked my opinion on the possibility of peace in these troubled days, I affirmed, simply and without irony, that the secrets of peace were love, conscience and justice.
Some might say that these are merely words, daydreams that have no bearing upon reality. In truth, if one had predicted the attacks on Washington and New York even a few weeks before they took place, one would have been accused of word-mongering and daydreaming, too. Yet if such nightmares are capable of turning into reality overnight, why wouldn't morally committed dreams, too? I would say they too can be realised.
As for the figure of Bin Laden, all I can say is that he reminds me of an infamous character in Arab history, Sheikh Al-Jabal (Master of the Mountain), one of the leaders of the Assassins whose history is well documented. They lived in isolation in the hills and spread terror throughout the Islamic world. And that, to my mind, is what the Saudi dissident, living in isolation in the hills of Afghanistan and masterminding terror operations, has been doing and will continue to do.
He is the Master of the Mountain for our times.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
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