Al-Jazeera Columnist To London: "You Deserved It. Now Bend Over Again."

Perennial terrorist apologist Soumayya Gannoushi is reprising her favorite "the khafirs made them do it" plaint once again for Osama bin Laden's favorite "news" outlet, al-Jazeera. Gannoushi, a London professor, has never met a terrorist (at least a Muslim terrorist) with whom she can't empathize:

What propels them to deviate from the mainstream body of Muslims and embrace a perverse interpretation that justifies the slaughter of innocent civilians?

Are they really deviating from the mainstream body of Muslims? Condemnations of brave jihadi babyhunters are few coming from the supposedly civilized Muslim world, greatly outnumbered by excuses and cheers (remember the Palestinians ululating with joy on September 11?). One suspects that the cries against terrorism from Islam are pro forma, and only heartfelt when fellow Muslims are the victims. The Muslim council of Britain spends a great deal of time and energy propagating views like Gannoushi's, and very little time encouraging its members to go out of their way to help authorities with their investigation.

I, however, prefer to do as Marx did and turn history from its head back on its feet. History is the generator of ideology not vice versa. Rather than explain, ideology is itself in need of explaining.

Soumayya is confused. The relationship between history and ideology is not a simple cause and effect question, it's more accurately described with the proverbial riddle, "which came first, the chicken or the egg?". In the case of Muslim terrorists, it's been seen that they will eagerly practice brutality with or without "provocation", and any slender reed is enough to justify in their minds an act such as, say, blowing up Olympic athletes. Historians rarely pull the pins out of grenades, but ideologues often do.

That these men were radicalised by the stormy political events that unfolded before their eyes on TV screens and brought home to them the scenes of death, misery and destruction in Falluja, Baghdad, Jenin and Gaza is undeniable.

It's only undeniable if you discount the propaganda being spewed in the mosques and on the webpages of alleged "news" organizations like al-Jazeera. And if you discount the influence of people like Gannoushi, who are telling them that they bear no guilt for their murderous behavior.