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The West must not underestimate Islam's internal problems. (Keith Suter, 4/6/2004, Online Opinion)

It is important not to exaggerate the unity of the Islamic world. First, the Koran is not an easy book to read. It is unclear in about 20 per cent of the text. Even in Arabic - its official language - there are passages that modern scholars cannot work out. This helps explain the various different interpretations of it (such as "jihad"). [...]

Fourth, Islamic children want consumer goods. Hollywood makes the best dreams. Young people in most countries have similar tastes for pop music, clothes, and videos.

This thirst helped erode the power of the old men who ran the Soviet Union. I noticed on my trips behind the Iron Curtain that young people wanted Western goods. They may have been militarily loyal to Moscow but their hearts were in Hollywood and New York.

They wanted American fast food, jeans and soft drink. Revolutions go better with Coke.

The same process is happening now in the Islamic world. In Iran, for example, over half the population are aged under 18 - and they are tired of the old men who run the country. They want Western goods and services.

Finally, there is a great deal of resentment among people in the Islamic world that their life is a lot harsher than it is for those in the Western world. The Islamic world has a rapidly growing population (one of the duties of Muslims is to have many children and to raise them as Muslims).

But there are not the jobs for them. Young people have access to the media and so they can see from foreign programmes how well people live in Western countries.

You couldn't organize a successful society around Nazism in the long term; nor around Communism, nor can you around Islamicism. Reform is inevitable.

Posted by Orrin Judd at June 7, 2004 9:27 AM