Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

The Algerian Hostage crisis witnessed the deaths of many innocent workers and it is known that at least seven Japanese nationals were killed. The likely figure will probably rise to ten Japanese nationals being killed in this tragic terrorist incident because three individuals are still deemed to be missing. Therefore, it is essential that the Japanese government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should question the actions of so-called friends of Japan. This applies to how their collective actions in Libya and other nations, is creating a breeding ground for Islamist terrorism and Salafi indoctrination.

Of course, the mainstream media in Japan on the whole, just like in the West and Gulf, is not exactly known for digging deep when it comes to international relations and taking dangerous policies to task. Despite this, the Japanese people need to know why their nationals were killed and why you have so much instability in North Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and parts of the Balkans.

Japan for far too long appears to follow the Washington line even when it is detrimental to this nation. This applies to funding many economic operations after outside nations create mass instability in nations which include Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and an array of others. Therefore, it is imperative that Japan’s foreign policy changes direction in order to distance itself with the foreign policies of so-called friends, which keep on creating new nightmares throughout a vast geographical region.

It should be remembered that Japan supports many international institutions which are involved in “the goodness of humanity.” For example, Japan supports the United Nations heavily in order to create mechanisms to tackle serious issues throughout the world. Japan is involved in alleviating poverty throughout the world, providing greater educational opportunities and other vital areas like health. Sadly, this reality is often overlooked because Japan adopts a “quietist policy” but this nation is doing its upmost to help internationally.

However, while Japan is playing by the rules too many powerful nations are not abiding by international law. This notably applies to America, France, the United Kingdom, Turkey and many nations in the Gulf. After all, the Islamist switch is being “turned on” and “turned off” when power mechanisms enable this – while at other times the Islamist terrorist switch then turns on the “hands that fed it to grow.”

America, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations and international players turned on the Islamist terrorist switch in Afghanistan over 40 years ago. Alongside the support of Islamist terrorism came enormous funding of Islamist indoctrination throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The upshot of this was the destruction of the last vestiges of Buddhism, many pogroms against Shia Muslims, stoning women to death for adultery and the demise of all central institutions. This policy which was supported in the 1980s and 1990s created a breeding ground for Islamist terrorists, Islamist movements which hate diversity and ultimately helped in creating blowback with regards to September 11 and the destabilization of Pakistan. Therefore, this reality meant that the “Islamist switch” couldn’t be turned off because former allies are now fighting each other and clearly the 40 year policy of meddling is a disaster for Afghanistan and Pakistan respectively. Also, terrorist shockwaves have also been felt in India because of the policies of Pakistan.

Similarly, the destabilization of Libya meant that NATO powers, nations in the Gulf, mercenaries, Islamist terrorist organizations, internal insurgents, covert operatives and an array of other forces all united together in order to overthrow the Gaddafi government. The upshot of this is that Islamist terrorists have destabilized northern Mali and now Libya is yet another failed state, whereby central institutions have no power mechanisms to control the nation state. Alongside this, black African Islam in Mali is being threatened by Salafi Islamists and Sufi shrines and monuments have been destroyed in Libya and Mali.

Syria faces the same “axis of evil” whereby the same players will use any means possible in order to destabilize a sovereign nation given any opportunity. Of course, the repercussions of this can also be felt in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. Likewise, Turkey should worry because the Pakistan blowback reality is clear for all to see. Therefore, Salafists may desire to crush Muslim diversity in Turkey in the future if they manage to win in Syria. Ironically, the survival of secular Syria is in the interest of Muslim diversity in Turkey because Islamists will not stop at national borders that they don’t recognize.

Japan therefore must distance itself from the foreign policy objectives of nations which keep on creating new convulsions. The Japanese government needs to ask itself one simple question – this applies to was terrorism a threat to Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria prior to America, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, the United Kingdom and other nations in the Gulf – began to meddle in these nations? After all, many Japanese nationals have just been killed because of the dangerous policies of their so-called friends. Therefore, surely Japan wants to seek real answers to why terrorism continues to flourish once their so-called friends keep on destabilizing nations and creating “a terrorist paradise.”

The above story was written by Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker.
leejay@moderntokyotimes.com