Charisma
I wrote this poem after mulling over a lecture on Saudi Arabia delivered by Clive Leatherdale, and the rise of the Wahhabi ideology with its doctrine of austerity and intolerance.
The Wahhabi’s are the fools who believe that the oil beneath their feet was put there by god as a reward for their piety and zeal.
A curse upon them all.
The imbecile who started it and set up the House of Suad was one of those dark eyed, handsome men, with flashing eyes, the gift oi the tongue and a lust for power.
A curse upon him.
The legacy of his good looks, fine oratory, eloquent words and charismatic performance can be seen in every bomb blast, ripped flesh, hatred filled eyes and idealistically driven madman.
A curse upon them all.
They do not need insurance in Saudi because everything that happens is the will of Allah. That is probably why most of the Muslim world live in poverty and squalor while the atheists thrive.
Charisma is a threat to us all. We give ourselves up to its indoctrination.
A curse upon charisma.
Charisma
It is the charismatic charmers
Who we should fear
With their heavenly looks
And flashing eyes.
They are eloquent
With visions
And have the oratory
To excite.
It is the charismatic dreamers
Who rouse us
To take up arms
In the cause.
They leave us with slaughtered friends
And rubble,
Misery and terror
And pave the way
To hell.
It is the charismatic passion
That betrays us
Every time
With visions of paradise
Built on sands
Of power.
Beware charisma –
It speaks
Words of vitriol
Spun in gold
And silk
That are easy
On the ear.
Charisma is a disease.
Opher 22.2.2016
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Yet this Country panders to them, the Queen entertains them, personal friends with them – there are no morals none at all.
It has always been thus.
More focus is needed on the corruption of the Saudi Royal Family.
We’re in bed with them because of strategy in the Middle East. But they are the chief cause of the problem. It’s disgusting.
Yes they are, they have been behind them all along and the West does nothing.
You’re right.
The Wahhabi extremist interpretation of Islam was espoused in the 2nd half of the 19th century. Nothing to do with oil which was discovered by the British in the 1930s. The only connection is that Islam is a creationist religion so from that comes the belief that everything stems from a creator. The oil wealth is the foundation of the rich ruling elite in Saudi Arabia (there is much poverty, are drug problems & crime also in Saudi Arabia contrary to the common public perception) and it is likely to be the cause of its downfall since the wealth has not been distributed equally or fairly within the country. There is a lot of dissent and unrest there. The world is gradually becoming less dependent on oil from Saudi Arabia for energy usage hence the drop in price & the Saudis have little else in the way of manufacturing or services to offer the world. So far as the question of dealing with Saudi Arabia is concerned, we have to accept that it is not for use to dictate how independent countries run their affairs. We did that within the former British Empire often with disastrous consequences. History shows that trying to impose Western ideology on foreign states does not work successfully. It is preferable that such a state is an ally rather than an enemy so at least we have some influence over them.
Thanks for that Bede. That is valuable info.
My information is that it is Saudi and Iran who are fuelling a lot of what is going on in the region. There is a clash of ideologies.
It is a moot point as to when a country should intervene. For me I put my faith in the UN and their charter. The rights of human beings are encompassed in that document. If Saudi (or individuals from Saudi) are fuelling terrorism or majorly transgressing human rights then they need dealing with. I’m not saying that should be militarily. But at present we are close allies with a regine that is pernicious. I take your point about allies and influence but ……
I also take the point about previous disastrous interference. In my view it should come from the UN and with the backing of the Arab League. The Arab League has been extremely useless up until now. They need to get their act together. What ISIS scum are doing needs stopping. They need wiping out.
I took my quote about oil being god given from a lecture by Clive Leatherhead.
What we should be doing is curtailing the preaching of extremist interpretations of Islam such as Wahhabism sponsored largely by Saudi Arabia in schools and mosques in the UK. The UK authorities have been reluctant to act in this area. One of the worst exponents is described as a good friend of Jeremy Corbyn, which does not bode well for public harmony if by some fluke he ever became the political leader of the UK.
Too true. I wholeheartedly agree – use the law to prevent all hate crime. We should keep all religion out of schools. To have our children indoctrinated with extremism is plain daft. The Tories are increasing this through their academy and free school policy.
The Tories are tearing themselves apart – Corbyn is looking more and more viable by the day. That’s reflected in the polls. We’ll see.
He needs to sort out some of his views and friendships. But most of what he says makes sense to me.
Maybe Corbyn is looking more viable to you but not to many others. He appears to hold an unrealistic, idealistic view of the world and the power-brokers who control it. He would be a complete disaster as a Prime Minister but I can’t see Labour allowing him to remain until 2020 since they have no chance of winning an election with him as leader. It would be a bigger defeat than Michael Foot’s loss. There has been a problem between Saudi Arabia and Iran since about 1979 after the Shah was overthrown. The Saudis believe the Iranian regime are deliberately stirring up trouble in SA and neighbouring countries. Since the demise of Iraq, Iran is the most powerful military force in the Middle East after Israel & clearly SA are intimidated by that threat. I don’t have any faith in the UN to solve world problems. Look at what happened in Yugoslavia & Rwanda. The UN is an expensive luxury which in reality is powerless. Incidentally Saudi Arabia hold the chair on the UN Commission of Human Rights which is ironic since human rights are severally limited in Saudi Arabia. Who is Clive Leatherhead? Does he originate from near Dorking?
We’ll see about Corbyn won’t we. I think he appeals to more than you think.
I’m an idealistic pragmatist. I think he has that pragmatism too. I can see that he is not everybody’s cup of tea.
Most people find the Tories despicable. They’d prefer to elect dog turds.
Should be an interesting election.
The bitterness between Iran and Saudi is a big factor in what is going on.
I know the UN is presently toothless and has been ineffective. That is not surprising given the way it is deprived of funds and support. It’s ethos is brilliant. I would like to see a global government based on that philosophy. It would bring harmony, peace and an end to the environmental destruction and population nightmare. One day it will happen. I am an idealistic visionary! If we don’t reach for the stars we won’t tread on the planets!
Clive Leatherhead was a social historian specialising in the Middle East. He was a lecturer on the Marco Polo – may come from Dorking?
Hm… Is it the charisma or what the person does with it? (Playing devil’s advocate here. 😀 )
I’m sure charisma works in both ways – for good and evil. I suppose what I am saying is that we need to beware of being taken in by the person and not the content and outcome of what they are proposing.
Very true. You’d think that would be a given, wouldn’t you? But I’m beginning to think that most people don’t think critically.
I think Trump proves that for many people the content and outcome is secondary to the charisma.
Ya think? rolls eyes… Sheeple. That’s all most of them are. They think with their out-of-control feelings and not with their mind.
Chemical not electrical!