Just going through the stacks at the local public library is always an opportunity for thought experiments. Or thought linking if you want to call it that. The first book I took notice of is " A God Who Hates" by Wafa Sultan. Wafa blew the world away when she told the ugly truth about Islam right there on al-Jazeera TV back in 2006.
In her 2009 book "A God Who hates" Wafa makes use of the story of the Ogre on the Mountain to illustrate her own life experience of growing up iin a small village for decades living a life of fear.
There was once a strong and inquisitive young man who loved to travel. In his thirst for knowledge , he moved from place to place and traveled from town to town, drinking in wisdom and recording everything thing that happened to him.
Eventually, he came to a beautiful village slumbering at the foot of a mountain surrounded on all sides by green hills where gentle winds blew intermittently, delighting the mind and and refreshing the heart. In this beautiful place, he was shocked to see the inhabitants of this village were sad. They moved sluggishly dragging their feet. To him they appeared no more then moving phantoms, without body or soul. The sight of these phantoms terrified him. he became determined to discover what made them so and set off to see a fabled wise man who lived alone, in a hut, cut off from the village and its inhabitants.
When he met the wise man, he asked what secret lay behind the great paradox. He asked why these people lived in a state of subjugation and dejection in a village where everything would seem to suggest that the people would be blessed with happiness and well-being. The sage came out of of his hut and pointed toward the top of the mountain. "Look at that peak. An enormous ogre sits up there From where he sits, he raves and shrieks, filling people's hearts with fear by threatening to gobble them up them up if they leave their homes or do any kind of work at all. The people, terrorized by his shrieks, can live only by stealth. Only their survival instinct keeps them going. They steal out like mice in secret to gather enough to keep body and soul together. they live day by day, waiting impatiently for the moment of their death. Their fear of this ogre has sapped their intellect and depleted their physical powers, reducing them to despair and hopelessness."
the young thought for a while and said, "I'm going to the top of the mountain. I will talk to this ogre and ask what makes him threaten and frighten these people. I will ask him why he wants to prevent them from leading their lives in peace and safety."
"Go to the top of the mountain? No sane person would risk his life by daring to meet the ogre. I implore you not to do it for the sake of your life, young man! But the young man would not be dissuaded. He was determined to do what he believed had to be done. And so, with slow but sure steps, he started on his way to the peak.
When the young man reached the peak, the ogre did, indeed large at first; however, what he found as he walked on astonished him. The closer he got, the smaller the ogre became. By the time he arrived he found that this great ogre who terrorized many was smaller than his littlest finger. The young man flattened his hand, held out his palm, and the tiny ogre jumped into it.
"Who are you?" the young man asked.
"I am Fear," the ogre replied.
"Fear of what?" the young man asked.
"That depends on who you are. How each person sees me depends on how he imagines me. Some people fear illness, and they see me as disease. Others fear poverty, so they see me as poverty. Others fear authority, so they see authority in me. Some fear injustice, other fear wild beasts or storms, so that's how I appear to them. He who fears water sees me as a torrent, he who fears war perceives me in an army, ammunition, and suchlike."
"But why do they see you as bigger then you really are?"
"To each person I appear as big as his fear. And as long as they refuse to approach and confront me they will never know my true size."
For a real life example one only has to look at the story of the town of Azzan in Yemen.
The National : The police station in Azzan has been turned into the regional headquarters of Ansar Al Sharia, which is affiliated with Al Qaeda, to coordinate attacks and expansion opportunities, said Abdullah Baotha, who escaped Azzab last fall, and current residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Residents are forced to comply with Sharia. Most music is forbidden in public areas, with only Islamic songs with voices and drums given as an alternative.
Shop owners are told to grow their beards the length of a fist. Women are not allowed to work and those who need to leave their homes must be covered in a burqa at all times. Curriculum in schools focuses mainly on Islamic law and Quranic preaching.
“Televisions or magazines are not allowed. We know nothing of what happens around us,” said Mr Baotha. “People are scared but cannot express their fear.” He said hundreds of residents succeeded in leaving the district, but thousands remain.
Security forces have been replaced with veiled militants who are stationed at checkpoints throughout the district. The militants roam the streets and occupy every building that used to house a government institution.
Foreign fighters see Azzan as a safe haven. Anwar Al Awlaqi, the Yemeni-American cleric killed in a US drone attack in September, made the district a hideout for three months last year. Residents said at least 200 foreign fighters live in the district and train Yemeni militants. Fighters from Saudi Arabia and Somalia can frequently be seen roaming the area.
Located in the heart of southern Yemen, Azzan is near the oil and gas pipelines of Bahlaf, the country’s most lucrative investment.
Its mountainous terrain makes it hard for government forces to attack from the ground.
“We understand that residents of Azzan are suffering, and the government has them among its top priorities. We have not forgotten them,” said Ali Obaid, the spokesperson of the Yemen Military Committee.
The closest government military presence is in Ataq, the capital of Shabwa, where hundreds of security forces are stationed.
“Al Qaeda has been using Azzan as a stronghold for nearly a year now. They are in control of everything, and residents there are given the choice to obey orders or leave the district,” said a senior security official in Ataq, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Azzan is the launch pad for their attacks. It’s their strategic homeland.”
So what Dr. Sultan has written about and what is taking place (not only in the town of Azzan but wherever Islam takes hold) is the key element of fear.
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