Introduction
Obsession is a 2005 documentary film exposing the radical views of extreme jihad activists against the western world. It uses several television extracts from Middle Eastern televisions (which are normally not broadcasted to the western world) to expose the views of the radical Muslims (Clarion Fund, 2011).
The movie has caused a stir in the western world, especially after thousands of copies were distributed in US dailies to inform Americans of the potential threat they face from radical Muslim activists. The movie seeks to incite people against western domination and advocates for Jihad as a strategy to do so. The movie also draws a lot of comparison to the views of radical Muslims and the views of the German Nazi movement, with an insight into how the western world has reacted to such extreme views (Clarion Fund, 2011).
This study exemplifies the main theme of the movie (the threat of radical Muslims against the western world) and warns that, the western world lives under constant threat from Muslim radical activists, and therefore western regimes should work towards eliminating this threat.
Islamic Threat
Obsession exposes the often known idea that, Islamic radical views are aimed at finishing western civilization through uncouth means. It is unclear why these Muslim radicals hold such extreme views about western civilization, but there is no doubt that, such groups do not seem to bear any indication of working towards a reasonable solution to their grievances.
In this regard, the film exposes how determined these radical Muslim groups are hell-bent on destroying the western world through terror (Clarion Fund, 2011). Their stand on the western world and its quest for global civilization seems stern and it is difficult to reason with such people.
From this analysis, it becomes apparently clear that, the western world ought to be very careful in the manner it deals with these radical groups because there seems to be no room for compromise for such extreme Islamic groups.
We can therefore see that, if the western world sits back and lets such radical Islamic groups exist, there is going to be a lot of bloodshed because such groups will carry out terrorist acts to try and eliminate western domination in the global map. This kind of situation manifests a ‘man-eat man concept’ and the only possible solution to eliminating this threat is eliminating the enemy.
Jihad
Obsession shows that Islamic radical groups are attempting to recruit people across the globe in the pretext that, they are fighting for a common cause, which is to protect Islam from western domination. They try to advance the fact that, westerners are anti-Islamic and out to finish the religion (Clarion Fund, 2011).
Jihad is used by such radical Muslim groups to advance their agenda, but as can be evidenced from history, jihad has never yielded any positive results. Moreover, the assertion that, westerners are out to destroy Muslims is a misconceived idea because all that the western governments have done, is to try and establish democracy in the Middle East (and its people are suffering as a result).
Jihad is therefore turning out to be some form of pretext for Muslim radical groups to make them seem like victims, but in real sense they are aggressors. It should therefore not be assumed that, these radical Muslim groups are out to save Islam because jihad allegedly calls for a holy fight when Islam is under threat.
Obviously, the western world has not been against Islam, in any manner, and therefore, the radical Islamic groups seem to be fighting for a personal agenda which is unjustified, even under jihad. The pretext that, the western world is out to finish Islam is therefore a ploy to hoodwink other sympathetic Muslims to support the cause of the radical Muslims because they are not victims, but aggressors who should be eliminated like any national enemy.
Personal Goals
From the obsession film, we see that, the radical Islamic groups being referred to, do not represent the majority view of Muslims. Moreover, it becomes apparently clear, at the beginning of the film that, the views expressed in the film are not of all Muslims, but rather of radical Muslim groups (Clarion Fund, 2011).
The views being advanced by the radical Muslim groups cannot therefore be said to be that of the larger Muslim community, but rather, of a few individuals. The views of Osama bin laden for example were largely perceived to be a misrepresentation of the beliefs of the entire Muslim community because they advocated for terror which is not part of Islamic teachings.
The threat posed by radical Muslim groups therefore amount to personal goals of certain radical individuals who hide under the pretext of Islam to wage terror on the western world. From this analysis, it is therefore important to eliminate this threat by eliminating these individuals and in doing so, the war should not be perceived as a war against the Muslim community, but rather, of radical elements in the Muslim community.
Conclusion
The documentary film, obsession, exposes the fact that, there exists radical Muslim elements in the society, who are waging a personal agenda under the pretext of jihad and Islam. Since such groups pose a threat to the western world, the entire global community should rise against such groups (including the Muslim community), since they are fighting a personal war, and pose a threat to not only the western world, but also humanity in general.
Reference
Clarion Fund. (2011). Radical Islam Activism. Web.