Monday April 1, 2013

I've Been Thinking:

Once again, al Qaeda fighters are trying to enter Timbuktu. The Mali army is repels al Qaeda, but even if the fighting temporarily dies down the conflict will continue for a long time.

Al Qaeda wants to control Timbuktu. Making the situation even more problematic is the fact that Timbuktu is controlled by the Mali government which is not Islamist. Timbuktu is controlled by Colonel Mamadou Mangara.

For centuries Timbuktu was the center of Islamic culture and learning. It is the repository for the greatest Islamic rare book library and manuscripts in the world. It was the seat of one of the greatest educational powers in Islamic history. The idea that it would be controlled by non radical, non al Qaeda type leadership is repugnant.

The government in Mali is a semi-democracy formed after two military coups that took place in 2012. The city has a population of about 54,000 people. But to al Qaeda the importance of controlling Timbuktu is not about numbers. It is about history.

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