p. 1060-1071

Did corruption in the Arab world stem directly from Western influences (via colonialism)? Many Egyptian critics felt that the government was moving away from traditional family values and Islamic morals and that that was the reason for its moral bankruptcy and ineffectualness. The West had poisoned them with ideas brought through centuries of contact and dominance in the region, when colonial powers dictated the use of resources and the political situation in the country. In an effort to return the Middle East to a position of power, hard-liners rejected the idea of a secular government, seeing Islamic traditions as fundamental to running a good government. The most out-spoken critic in Egypt was Sayyid Qutb, whose experience in Egypt and America convinced him of the danger of Western influences on a Muslim state. As this Guardian article notes, his ideas of jihad, even against other, "westernized" Muslim leaders, lives on today in the ideology of Al Qaida. The author makes a point at the end of the article which illustrates the influence Qutb has today: though America was attacked by bin Laden and seems the primary target for Middle Eastern terrorist groups, they are rather seeking to expose and get rid of the corrupting influence in their own countries; their main goal is to bring Saudia Arabic, for instance, back into the strictly Islamic fold.