The Foreign Service Journal, April 2008

hijacked by that same ideology. The appeal of Islamism to potential adherents is every bit as great today as was that of Marxist theory in the last century. Its slogan, “Islam is the solution,” promises a similar utopian future — if not in this world, then certainly the next. And, as communist revolutionaries in the past depended on the USSR, the Islamist movement relies heavily upon the enormous financial and ideological support provided from oil-rich Saudi Arabia and its neighboring states — or, in the case of Shiite Islamism, by Iran. In considering the scope of religious extremism in the Islamic world, it appears that perhaps 10 to 15 percent of the world’s Muslims currently share the militant Islamist views that underlie Osama bin Laden’s radical vision — which translates into 130 million to 200 million people worldwide. Yet, with the exception of the Pakistani al- Mawdudi, most leading ideologues of Islamic fundamen- talism are Arab writers and, to this day, most radical Muslim leaders in countries as diverse as Tanzania and Indonesia are of Arab descent. Wahhabi proselytizers are feverishly seeking to graft their intolerant version of Islam onto local, native cultures throughout the Muslim world. The results can be seen from Indonesia to Pakistan and Nigeria, where local Muslims — radicalized by Wahhabi money and influence — commit the most brutal acts, slaughtering thousands in the name of religion, including local Christians, Western tourists and even fellow Muslims who do not share their radical views. It is imperative that we reverse the dynamics of this vicious cycle of radicalization, and instead create a virtu- ous cycle of counter-extremism throughout the Muslim world. The Rahmatan lil Alamin Network enables the LibForAll Foundation to conduct programs that reach far beyond Indonesia. For example, in February 2007 — when Western media and governments were condemning Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust- denial conference in Tehran and bemoaning the lack of a similar response in the Muslim world —LibForAll quick- ly organized an historic religious summit in Bali, where participants rejected the evils of Holocaust denial and F O C U S A P R I L 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 39