The apostles of “the war of civilizations” eagerly await the U.S. decision on whether or not to seek the death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for his part in the April 2013 bombing at the Boston Marathon.
With Dzhokhar silenced forever, assumptive motivations for his terrorism will be in the hands of a government eager to justify its hegemonic goals in the Middle East. His Islamic self will be enough to continue the perception that all Muslims are dangerous, and that Muslims within America are especially dangerous because they look just like ‘us’. He will be used as further proof that Islam is a uniquely violent religion. Islamophobics and supporters of "anti-Muslim hate groups" such as Robert Spencer and Michelle Geller must be ecstatic at the thought silencing Mr. Tsarnaev.
No investigation of his real motives and drives will be possible. Social, family, political, psychological elements, as seen by Dzhokhar himself, will be unavailable for investigation. Scientific investigation will cease and the simplistic justification for his actions, as an act of Muslim terrorism, will perpetuate the simplistic, monolithic perception of the violent Muslim.
Whether the administration is Democrat or Republican—it doesn’t matter. The public expression of American foreign policy (not the financial explanation) is driven by a need to remain the singular force for ‘good’, i.e. the one nation capable of ‘saving the world for Democracy’…the modern White Man’s Burden that justifies our selective support of regimes that agree to our economic and political control. The fact is that democracy is not paramount. Salafist, dictatorial, democratic, Socialist—it doesn’t matter, as long as they conform. They will be rewarded with financial, military, and political support. The alternative is to ‘be against us’ in the ‘war on terror’ which invites active opposition ranging from false propaganda and economic warfare, to military interventions, both overt and covert.
Let Dzhokhar live. We then have the possibility of to further our understanding of his violence, and help move this world toward more peaceful tomorrows.
January 23, 2014 by Bruce Wallace, 121Contact
