Funferal

Islamic fundamentalism

There’s a fascinating essay in the New Yorker concerning Islamic fundamentalism and the terrorist attacks in Spain. It seems to confirm a suspicion I had – that the attacks on Spain were not so much related to the war in Iraq, as to the driving out of the Muslims by Ferdinand and Isabella 500 years ago. A quote:

One of the most sobering pieces of information to come out of the investigation of the March 11th bombings is that the planning for the attacks may have begun nearly a year before 9/11.

The term Al Andalus (“the Arabic name for the portion of Spain that fell to Muslim armies after the invasion by the Berber general Tariq ibn Ziyad in 711”) is widely used, and Osama bin Laden himself is quoted as saying:

This is truly not a short-term war. It has also claimed the life of a second Irish citizen in Saudi Arabia, with the death of Tony Higgins, the brother of Galway poet Rita Ann Higgins. Not that this is a time for provincialism, but it is somehow striking to hear of the death of someone who grew up less than 500 yards from my home.