Anyone who seriously wants to understand the nature of the struggle we are in against the Mohammedan Jihadists must read Milestones by Seyyid Qutb.

Written in 1964, while in prison for his affiliation with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, Milestones is the roadmap for an Islamic revivalist movement led by a vanguard following the ways of the unique Quranic Generation of the first followers of Islam.

The writings of Qutb greatly influenced Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri who was educated in theology by Qutb's younger brother.

In his preface to Milestones, Qutb notes the failings of democracy and of Marxism and declares, "It is essential for mankind to have new leadership!"

Qutb continues:

"The leadership of mankind by Western man is now on the decline, not because Western culture has become poor materially or because its economic and military power has become weak.  The period of the Western system has come to an end primarily because it is deprived of those life-giving values which enable it to be the leader of mankind.

"It is necessary for the new leadership to preserve and develop the material fruits of the creative genius of Europe, and also to provide mankind with such high ideals and values as have so far remained undiscovered by mankind, and which will also acquaint humanity with a way of life which is harmonious with human nature, which is positive and constructive, and which is practicable.

"Islam is the only system which possesses these values and this way of life."

For Qutb, Muslims have a mandate to take the mantle of leadership in the world.  The first step is a truly Muslim society in one nation and then, through Jihad, to spread the faith and abolish the Jahili systems which prevent people from hearing the call of Islam.

To Qutb, Western society, whether capitalist or marxist is the pinnacle of Jihiliyyah--the ignorance of divine guidance.

The Western Jihiliyyah, "...is based on rebellion against God's sovereignty on earth.  It transfers to man one of the greatest attributes of God, namely sovereignty, and makes some men lords over others.  It is now...takes the form of claiming that the right to create values, to legislate rules of collective behavior, and to choose and way of life rests with men, without regard to what God prescribed."

Jihiliyyah, the ignorance and rebellion against God results in, "the oppression of His creatures."

The implementation of Sharia law, submission to the Jizyah and dhimmitude free men from Jihili systems.

The revivalist movement of Mohammedan Jihadists is meant to free people, not oppress them.  To free them from the oppression of other men, and man made laws, customs, values and social mores.

But this system must take a concrete form in a Muslim country first for, "Only such a revivalist movement will eventually attain the status of world leadership..."

The way to world leadership and the end of Jihili oppression is through physical, violent, aggressive Jihad because, "those who have usurped the authority of God and are oppressing God's creatures are not going to give up their power merely through preaching; if it had been so, the task of establishing God's religion in the world would have been very easy for the Prophets of God!"  (Milestones Chapter 4)

Throughout Milestones, Qutb expresses no anger at America or the West for trangressions.  He sees the West as infected and overwhelmed by Jihiliyyah which makes the West the way it is.  And the people of West, still being God's creatures, are the victims of their own Jahili systems of oppression.

For Qutb and his intellectual heirs, the basis of Jihad is not a score settling, it is a movement of liberation first in dar al Islam, then everywhere else Jahili systems oppress man.

The "Why do they hate us?" meme is a myth, a fabrication of the post-modern world which refuses to accept that there are those who will not yield their principles however extreme, a contrivance of the post-modern world which has compromised so many of its prinicples for expedient gain, that it cannot comprehend a people unwilling to compromise.

The myth is a self defense mechanism to avoid the truth and hold out hope that some corrective action can be taken by the West to end the conflict.

But the writings of Qutb in Milestones, the road map of the Mohammedan Jihadist shows there can be no compromise between Islam and Jihiliyyah.

The road map presented by Qutb is not a list of grievances to be alleviated, but a  map to the salvation of mankind from itself.

The vanguard of the Mohammedan Jihad has arrived, and in their mind, they are helping us.
 

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