Originally, I had thought that soundly defeating the Islamic terrorists militarily would be sufficient, but there is no way that that can ever happen. Victory is not possible under the present circumstances. How do you know where they are? How do you know who they are? Muslim children are taught from birth to hate Jews and anyone who is not Muslim. They are taught that to die for their religion is the only sure way to get to heaven. No matter how many are destroyed, there will be others to take their place. They don’t see what they are doing as committing murder; they see it as destroying Satan. The anti-war crowd is correct in one respect: Our battle with Islam is just increasing their resolve and their numbers. Does this mean that America and her allies must quit trying? Definitely not! To relax our resistance would mean certain annihilation. By their Muslim creed, they must convert or destroy non-Muslims. Period! We have to battle Muslim terrorists wherever we find them or they will destroy us.
Today’s war is a continuation of the battle that started in the seventh century and is different from any war ever fought. In WWI and WWII the free world was fighting individuals with an ego that sought dominance of the world to satisfy their greed. When the individuals and their power structures were eradicated, the threat ended. In the present situation there is no one individual, no one organization that can be destroyed; their motivation is totally different. In spite of what our leaders might say, this is a religious war, in effect, a continuation of the Crusades.
All the proposed measures for containment of the situation are mere Band-Aids. Appeasement has never, ever worked! If profiling were adopted, terrorists would start using children, women, and little old ladies to perform their activities. Internment is virtually impossible. And most absurd is the call for a cease-fire. How do you have a cease-fire with a terrorist group?
For the sake of brevity, let’s use the Muslim term for non-believers: Infidel. Muslims have fought Infidels for 1,400 years. There have been periods of great activity and periods of dormancy. Since the time of Mohammed, Islam has killed over 125 million people in their quest for domination. If they are soundly defeated militarily now, that will not be the end. They have been defeated before and have arisen to fight again. If they are militarily defeated now, at some future time, another strong Muslim leader will arise and the conflict will repeat. So military defeat is not a permanent solution; it is also just a Band-Aid.
A permanent solution requires analyzing the reasons for the conflict. Both sides have characteristics that are repulsive to the other side. Let’s try to look at why the Muslims hate the Infidels. Jews have always been very materialistic. Even in Old Testament days this was true. Because of this, many groups in the world, not just Muslims, believe that the main goal of the Jews is domination of the world. Christianity has disregarded many of the teachings of Jesus Christ, thinking that the world has changed and they must change with it. The freedom of the West has resulted in many things that are extremely repulsive to Muslims: feminism, homosexuality, abortion, drugs, alcohol, pedophilia, indiscriminate sex, sexual promiscuity, adultery, euthanasia, and gambling to name a few. Jesus would not have accepted these things and no doubt is perturbed that many of his followers have succumbed.
Mohammed is surely wincing as he sees what his organization has become. He fought back in the 7th century against what he considered evil, but he would certainly not condone the wonton killing practiced by many of his followers today. Severing a head is not just punishment for materialism. Muslim terrorists believe that their religion gives them justification for any act, however gross. Muslims, both terrorists and non-terrorists, see the qualities of the Infidels corrupting their world, their beliefs and think that they must eliminate the Infidels to protect themselves. Their religious beliefs lack a concept of love and brotherhood.
The only permanent solution is the change of both sides from within; the changes cannot come from outside. On the Islamic side there are Muslim individuals from Middle Eastern countries that are talking loudly about these changes. Some are women and sadly, some of these women are lesbian which only compounds the problem rather than relieves it. Hopefully, the Christians and Jews are pondering what they might do to change themselves because of the fear the terrorists have produced. Could it be that this whole affair is good for both sides? Could it be that there is a Higher Power at work here?
This war will not end permanently until both sides have enlightenment. Both sides must realize their weaknesses and make the necessary corrections. Both sides must learn to understand their differences and accept the differences of the opponent. Love may be too syrupy for most but that is what is called for. Your thinking right now is: “But that is not possible; it is purely make-believe, too flowery.” It is possible but it is a long, long, long way off and it will require much work. We can start right now!
What must be done in the interim? America and her allies cannot weaken. We must fight wherever and whenever we have to. We must avoid the Band-Aid solutions. We must destroy whatever we can of the terrorist structure. But at the same time, we must hold a prayer for deeper understanding among all peoples. This long-term solution will be the only lasting solution. That solution may seem far-fetched and unrealistic but it is the only hope for the world.
