The Indonesian Crystal Ball

Alternative Column: My first home away from home was in Oakland, a couple blocks away from Oakland Tech High School. Oakland Tech was the home of Huey P. Newton, co-founder of The Black Panther Party.
Oakland was in transition at that time. There were still plenty of intact families. Most of the kids were civil and respectful. But leaders of the so-called Black Community were busy capitalizing on a sense of envy and victim-hood. White suburbanites were seen speeding through town on their way to their luxurious neighborhoods leaving the dusty industrial scene of Oakland.
The victims of, what was called, capitalist or white oppression were ripe for conversion. The Panthers ran efficient charity enterprises such as free breakfast before school and daycare programs. There was no lack of propaganda at these events and the parents, or parent (as was increasingly the case) were grateful for the help. The Panthers were popular among those who fell for the line that their lot in life was somebody else's fault.
A familiar scenario is taking place all over the world. In Indonesia, a “robust democracy,” where minority cultures and religions have been protected by the government in the past, radical Islam is making rapid inroads. This is not happening through violent overthrow, it is happening through changing public opinion and the vote.
After the fall of autocrat Suharto in 1998, local provinces were less connected to the central government in order to prevent the rise of another dictator. Saudi Arabia began spending hundreds of millions of dollars on mosques and schools there, as they have all over the world. It is estimated that Saudi Arabia has spent $100 to $200 billion exporting fanatical Wahhabism to poorer, and more moderate Muslim nations.
In the province of Aceh, where the tsunami was so devastating, caning is now common for alcohol possession, adultery, and homosexuality. Sharia now forms the basis for law in Aceh. A Pew Research study found that 73 percent Indonesian Muslims now favor Sharia principles nationwide.
Democratic and Republican statists will undoubtedly suggest education and social programs to combat Wahhabist expansion here. I see this tactic as ineffective and even playing into the hands of the radicals. As these programs are expanded, the money to fund them is drained from productive sectors that would be far more apt to lift up the poor from the state of helplessness that leaves them vulnerable to Sunni influence. The problem in Indonesia is not Saudi influence. It is not Wahhabism. It is in the fact that Indonesia is a “robust democracy.” If the disadvantaged people in Indonesia were not handed the power to steal from others through the vote, the radicals would have been busy advocating something unattainable.
In Oakland, the idea of armed revolution was appealing to a culture based on tantrums and Audie Murphy movies. Thankfully, The Panthers' violent rhetoric was rejected. But the rhetoric of class struggle and racism has worked. California will be crushed by a lack of innovators and risk takers as they flee to lower tax areas. The people The Panthers promised to help will be the ones left with nothing.
The war on terror is a tantrum and our foreign policy based on a mythological idea that one nation can control the world will impoverish us while creating more enemies. It will open the door to radical Islam. Our grandchildren will attend segregated schools and learn to chant “Allahu Akbar!”
The politicians and the generals will puff out their chests and talk tough. The national news will teach us to do the same. Watch Indonesia. Due to the foolishness of American voters, it is our future.
Any opinions on this column are welcome at 4selfgovernment@gmail.com or through a letter to the editor. The blog is updated almost daily at www.alternativebyfritz.com. Try it. You’ll like it.