25 June 2007

Some Food for Thought

It's been a deadly week in Iraq as the Army prosecutes its operation to rid the Diyala Province of al Qaeda in Iraq insurgents. On our way back from lunch today we saw two separate plumes of smoke and the Medevac choppers moving at top speed to get where they are needed.

I am anxious to return home and separate myself from the news for a week or two in order to balance out the last 5 months of death and destruction. Speaking of going home, I am a step closer as time requires my efforts in double-checking the change over list and briefing for my replacement.

I read this article last week and would like to put some of the pieces out for you to read, think about, and maybe even pass it on. The article is written by Melvin Rhodes and can be found in the Good News periodical.

Here's the link to the entire article:
http://www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn62/worldwar.htm

Has World War III Already Begun?

What's behind the call by Iran's new president for the United States and Israel to be wiped off the face of the earth? Are Western nations blind to the growing threat from radical Islam?

by Melvin Rhodes

"On Oct. 26, in advance of Jerusalem Day—instituted by Iran 's religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 to express the Muslim world's ambition to "liberate" Jerusalem — Iran 's new president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for the complete annihilation of the nation of Israel.
...Not only did President Ahmadinejad promise the annihilation of Israel, he also assured his followers that the world would also soon be rid of the United States and Britain.
...Threat to the West
A little over 25 years ago America was first confronted with militant Islam when the pro-Western shah of Iran was overthrown and U.S. embassy personnel there were taken hostage for 444 days by followers of the late Ayatollah Khomeini. The theocratic Islamic Republic of Iran was established in 1979 and has been a thorn in the side of the United States ever since.
It has also helped spread radical Islam and aided militant terrorist groups in repeatedly attacking Israel . Present at the "World Without Zionism" (meaning "without Israel ") conference at which President Ahmadinejad made these comments were representatives of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Society for the Defense of the Palestinian Nation, three terrorist organizations. Also present were members of the Islamic Students Union and hundreds of other students.
What makes this verbal attack particularly frightening is that Iran is, in the estimation of many national intelligence agencies, working on developing nuclear weapons in flagrant defiance of international law...When it has nuclear arms, Iran could easily use them against Israel , only 500 miles away at its closest point. ( Iran could also target American bases and oil supplies throughout the Middle East .) No wonder that former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for immediate action to be taken against Iran before the possibility of a nuclear attack on his country.

...Short memories and long memories
Most people in Western countries like the United States and Britain have very short memories. Many people sincerely believe that the threat from Islamic terrorism is due to the actions of the Bush administration, when the immediate problem goes back decades and the roots of these difficulties go back thousands of years.
While the West may have a short memory, this is not the case in the Middle East, where some Muslims trace their own family history back to the time of the prophet Muhammad in the seventh century. Memories of the European Crusades against the Islamic world almost 1,000 years ago are often invoked to justify fears of the modern state of Israel today.
Notice how far the Iranian president went back in this section of his speech: "In this historical war, the situation at the fronts has changed many times. During some periods, the Muslims were the victors and were very active, and looked forward, and the World of Arrogance was in retreat. Unfortunately, in the past 300 years, the Islamic world has been in retreat vis-à-vis the World of Arrogance . . .
"During the period of the last 100 years, the walls of the world of Islam were destroyed and the World of Arrogance turned the regime occupying Jerusalem into a bridge for its dominance over the Islamic world . . . This occupying country [ Israel ] is in fact a front of the World of Arrogance in the heart of the Islamic world. They have in fact built a bastion [ Israel ] from which they can expand their rule to the entire Islamic world."
When Mr. Ahmadinejad refers to "the situation at the fronts" changing many times, he is referring to the 1,400-year history of the recurring conflict between Islam and Christendom.
This is a perspective on history that is not shared by people in the West who in the last 40 years have increasingly embraced idyllic multiculturalism. The basic theory behind this ideal is that all peoples are basically the same and that all people, no matter what their religion or culture, can live peaceably side by side.
History does not support this idea, particularly where Islam and Christianity are concerned. These two civilizations have clashed repeatedly, starting in the years immediately after the death of the founder of Islam, Muhammad, in 632. As the new religion spread across the Middle East and North Africa, it came into conflict with both the Sassanid Persian Empire and the Christian empire of Byzantium , the eastern division of the Roman Empire.
These were the two superpowers of their day. Both suffered defeat at the hands of Muhammad's forces within a few years of his death. Eventually, both fell as the Islamic empire expanded.
...A new period of conflict
Waves of conflict followed by periods of peace have been the norm between these two religions. Europe today can hardly be called Christian, but its secular values are, if anything, even more offensive to the Islamic world, and a major clash seems inevitable.
Indeed, it is already taking place. Britain and Spain have experienced devastating terrorist bombings by Islamic radicals within the last two years. In October and November, cities across France suffered three weeks of nightly riots by young, mostly Muslim immigrants who are unable to reconcile their religion with the values of secular French society. The Islamic element has been downplayed in the media, which is dominated by multiculturalists who cannot seem to face what is really happening.
When the Iranian president refers to the "World of Arrogance" he is primarily speaking of the United States. But his references to historical events centuries ago, events that predate the existence of the United States as a country, show that in his mind the United States is simply a continuation of the European Christian powers that sent the Crusaders to the land of Islam almost 1,000 years ago. "

The world is polarizing. Today we see an Islam v non-Islam conflict on a low boil growing stronger. The Muslims have immigrated to every country possible, procreated with reckless abandon in order to out number the non-Muslim population, hold nations hostage if anyone dares speak out against Islam, and will eventually position themselves to offer surrender to the rest of the world.

In Islam, surrender is offered before warfare where the recipient chooses to convert to Islam, pay heavy fines for the rest of their life, or die defending their religion.

We can no longer deny the threat of Islam looming on the horizon. In our country, we will have to eventually choose sides and defend ourselves, once again, for the freedoms that make our country so great.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

WOW THAT IS ALOT TO CHEW. WE SIT HERE AND HEAR THE MEDIA, OUR COWORKERS AND FRIENDS BLAST WHAT IS GOING ON WITH NO REGARD FOR THE BIG PICTURE. AS FAR AS THEY ARE CONCERNED IT IS ALL FOR OIL. wE WILL ALL BE SHOCKED WHEN WE REALIZE WHAT THE LONG TEARM RESULTS OF WHAT YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE ARE DOING OVER THERE. THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO AND FOR PUTTING IT OUT THERE FOR US!