Impact of Iraqi defeat on Islam

WorldNetDaily.Com ^ | Posted: April 17, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern

[Bobby777]

Islamic militant Abdullah Azzam boasted to a crowd of American Muslims in 1988, "After [the defeat of the USSR in] Afghanistan, nothing is impossible for us anymore. There are no superpowers ... what matters is the willpower that springs from our religious belief."

El Sayyid Nosair, the man charged with killing Rabbi Meir Kahane, wrote, "We have to thoroughly demoralize the enemies of God by means of destroying and blowing up the towers that constitute the pillars of their civilization, such as the high buildings of which they are so proud."

This is the thinking behind the creation of the al-Qaida terrorist organization. It was this Muslim conviction that led straight to the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

For those who understand the Muslim mind, any sign of weakness – any hint that the U.S. lacks resolve to defend itself – will only inspire more lethal attacks on our shores.

This is just the opposite of the usual "liberal wisdom" that says we must not incite "the Arab street." They would have us hesitate, negotiate, placate but in no way irritate the Muslim world for fear we will create more ill will toward us.

It is true that there are a certain risks to the bold moves the United States and the coalition have taken. But there were no alternatives. We did not directly provoke the attacks on 9-11. And if we failed to boldly respond, it would not have prevented more attacks, but rather encouraged them.

It is very important to understand how the average Muslim thinks. The Koran teaches him that the Muslim warrior will be invincible when he fights in a holy war or jihad. They believe that it is a sacred duty to fight and recover any Muslim land that is taken by the infidel. This is especially true of territory that contains Muslim holy places like Jerusalem.

They believe that the Middle East is the heart of their world. Any incursion into that territory by Western forces is considered a new invasion of the "Judeo-Christian Crusaders" – no matter what reason we give.

This is why there is no possible acceptance of the state of Israel. And this is why there are such bizarre responses to the U.S.-led overthrow of the brutal Saddam Hussein regime and the liberation of the Iraqi people.

Islam creates such a 'machismo' type of pride, that Muslims will do all kinds of irrational things to avenge its wounds. There is no way for the Western mind to understand the depths of anguish and humiliation Muslims feel because of Western defeats of their armies.

The humiliation Israel's military victories have inflicted on them is unbearable. And now the two rapid victories the United States has achieved over Afghanistan and Iraq have compounded the sense of humiliation.

Even Israeli generals have conceded that the defeat of Iraq, one of the most powerful Muslim armies in the Middle East, by only three divisions in 22 days with only 100 casualties is amazing. Some Israeli generals say it surpasses their 1967 victory in the Six Day War.

All of this is reflected in quotes from Muslims in various Middle Eastern countries.

Saddam Hussein has killed more Arabs and other Muslims in three decades than have the wars involving Israel and the United States combined. The atrocities uncovered by coalition forces as they swept through Iraq are inconsequential to the Arab "street" when measured against the blow struck to Arab pride by the lightning defeat of what had previously been the most powerful military machine in the Arab world.

Aljazeera.net wrote:

The Arab world was in shock and denial on Thursday after Baghdad fell almost without a fight, bringing to an end President Saddam Hussein's 24-year rule. Many felt let down by demise of a figure who had represented a rare source of Arab defiance of American power – others were more shocked by his own people's failure to defend or mourn him, and saw it as a warning to other unelected Arab rulers.

A schoolteacher in Sanaa, Yemen, said, "I still cannot believe that the Americans entered Baghdad this easily. If a deal was struck with Saddam, then that proves that he staked his people and the hopes of all Arabs in order to survive."

A Jordanian Engineer, Samir Ezzat, was very bitter over the images of Baghdad's fall he saw taking place live on the Al-Jazeera TV Network. He lamented, "Once more the Arabs have been humiliated and deceived like the crushing defeat we faced during the 1967 war with Israel, despite the thunderous promises of victory [Egyptian President Gamal] Nasser made."

In the hundreds of interviews of Muslims throughout the Islamic world, one thing came across loud and clear. It was much more important to them that the Iraqis defeat the U.S.-UK infidel invaders than it was for a ruthless tyrant to be removed and the horribly oppressed Muslim brothers of Iraq liberated.

To me, there is something very sick about a religion that produces such an attitude. Their "macho"-type pride and their hatred of Israel and the West seems to overrule even common wisdom that would be in their own best interest.

It is worth noting that Israel sat out both Persian Gulf War I and II. But the Arab world can overlook all that and somehow see Israel's hand in their humiliation. In an article entitled, "I Am An Arab" in Dar al Hayat this week, author Jihad al Khazen writes, "Iraq is now ruled by the representative of the Jewish Institute For National Security Affairs."

And the Muslim escape from reason plunges onward, in spite of the facts to the contrary.

[KC_Conspirator]

Even Israeli generals have conceded that the defeat of Iraq, one of the most powerful Muslim armies in the Middle East, by only three divisions in 22 days with only 100 casualties is amazing. Some Israeli generals say it surpasses their 1967 victory in the Six Day War.

That is absolutely amazing if you stop to think about it.

[SAJ]

As Moshe Dayan once remarked, on being praised for his success in the Yom Kippur and 7 Days' wars:

'I just did my duty. Of course, it helps if one can arrange to fight Arabs.'

[SAJ]

For '7', pls read '6'.

Sheesh, and apologies.

[Bobby777]

The American military was built to meet and defeat the Soviet machine ... it is the best-equipped and best-trained military on the planet ... Thank God ...

But the world will have to pick up the slack ... there are many forces loose in our world today and they're not just after America and Israel ... China has some real issues with the potential of nuclear war by India / Pakistan near their Western border and North Korea vs. South Korea / Japan on their Eastern border, for starters ...

[The Great Satan]

Isn't it about time these people gave it up and became Christians, like everyone else?

[Bobby777]

makes one wonder why they start so many wars ... the prophecy by God in Genesis regarding Ishmael and his descendents has certainly come true ...

[Bobby777]

some believe, that during the Tribulation, a great number of Arabs, far greater than today, may become believers in Christ ... because of the reconciliation between Jacob and Esau in Genesis 33, among other passages saying different things ...

[Straight Vermonter]

Maybe China should have considered that before it gave the bomb to Pakistan who in turn gave it to North Korea.

[Straight Vermonter]

Is it not incredible that with all of the oil wealth the middle east has, with all of the military hardware they have purchased, that they seem incapable of fielding a credible military?

I heard on the radio this mornign that the Russians are excited about the outcome of the war. They think countries all over the world that purchased Soviet equipment will now see that it is hopelessly outdated and buy up to date Russian equipment.

Once bitten, twice shy? Naaaah!

[azhenfud]

"We have to thoroughly demoralize the enemies of God by means of destroying and blowing up the towers that constitute the pillars of their civilization, such as the high buildings of which they are so proud."

And our brave troops couldn't fire on THEIR sacred(?) buildings, even in self defense. Proves the duplicity of which these morons exist.

[RWG]

We did not directly provoke the attacks on 9-11...bill clinton did through indiscriminate bombing of aspirin factories, leaving soldiers without equipment to die for nothing, and being more interested in a fat chick than bin laden.

[Dark Wing]

FYI

[fporretto]

We hold ourselves to a far higher standard than savages who see the killing of "infidels" as a religious duty. In some ways, it's an impossible standard. But it speaks well of the Untied States that we try.

I continue to maintain that Islam is not a religion, but a program of world conquest for totalitarian ends, tricked out in some theological decorations. Muslims' idea of the world is bipartite: the House of Islam (submission) versus the House of War. One guess which one we fall into.

The non-Islamic world will reluctantly accept this, given time. But it might take the Islamicization of a couple of European countries, complete with shari'a courts and executions for homosexuality or adultery, to bring the point all the way home.

Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit The Palace Of Reason:
http://palaceofreason.com

[Nick Danger]

Is it not incredible that with all of the oil wealth the middle east has, with all of the military hardware they have purchased, that they seem incapable of fielding a credible military?

It's the autocratic nature of their regimes. That's also what holds back their economies. Exactly the same thing happened in the Soviet Union.

The first thing autocrats want to do is control the flow of information. So they restrict things like the Internet, satellite dishes, even copiers and fax machines. That makes it hard to organize dissent, but it seriously impedes the flow of commerce.

The second thing they do is stomp the initiative out of people. There are some Mullahs in Kut who have just decided to take over the place and become little dictators. They published a bunch of rules on the wall of the mosque. One of the first rules was, "If something happens, don't do anything. Wait for guidance from the mullahs." There is autocracy in a nutshell.

You end up with a military, an economy, in fact an entire society where nobody thinks they can do anything without permission, but where the lines of communication with the permission-granters are severely restricted. It's a recipe for stagnation, ineffectiveness, and an inability to exploit opportunity. Such a thing will always lose in any struggle against a free society where initiative is rewarded and where information flows are fast, redundant, and two-way.

Any Arabs who think that the Message of Iraq is that "they need a bigger dictator with a bigger army" are totally missing it.

[Schnucki]

Their "macho"-type pride and their hatred of Israel and the West seems to overrule even common wisdom that would be in their own best interest.

I think this is called "cognitive dissonance."

[wayoverontheright]

There is no way for the Western mind to understand the depths of anguish and humiliation Muslims feel because of Western defeats of their armies.

Victor Davis Hanson talks about the role humiliation has played throughout history in ending conflict in general and terrorism in particular. Don't be surprised if we turn around years from now and realize that terror was indeed eradicated by the combination of humiliation and the end to American weakness in its response to 9-11.

[roses of sharon]

Exactly.

And their "intellectuals", media, Dr.s, Professors, continue to spew this doctrine to the Arab street. All the while stating to Western media, that, "the Arab street has bad preceptions because of US foreign policy". Nonsense.

The people are being lied to and brainwashed everyday, and for the last zillion years!

It is blackmail, pure and simple. They threaten us with the "Arab Street", along with suicide bombings, which are instigated by the Arab leaders, media, and "intellectuals".

Queen Noor is on a book tour now, doing exactly that, with the flowery language of peace. She claims her husband was crushed with every death in war, (of course she never speaks of the holy war that the Arab's have waged against Israel since it's inception).

And she is never asked the hard questions about her husbands decisions on the Palestinians.

Altho she did let slip that democracy is impossible with Arabs, and of couse added, "OUR people have different ways of doing things, you know, consensus building".

She speaks as a QUEEN, for the late KING, and claims to speak for the little people she RULES.

[JasonC]

Yes it is. But a quibble with the article. We had a little over 100 KIA, but the term "casualties" includes wounded. We had about 400 WIA. The Brits had some too. The overall casualties were probably 600-750. That is remarkable enough, there is no reason to whittle it down to 100.