[Zhang Fei]

Syria enjoys the distinction of being the only country in the Mid East, apart from Israel, that is run by non-Muslims. The article explains the ways in which Alawites are not only non-Muslim (except for propaganda purposes), but in practice actively opposed to the Muslim faith, whether Sunni or Shiite.

[Diogenesis]

And hence, Obama supports Islam as he promised
-— even if it includes al Qaeda.

[alloysteel]

Secular versus theocracy. Until relatively recently, the country of Turkey had managed to suppress the radical Islamic factions, and ran a country that, by Middle East standards, was pretty much a viable state.

But once the Jihadists get in control, they tend to excesses not seen in Western countries since the effective end of feudalism. For the fanatics, there are three distinct classes - the Noble Islamic Gentlemen, the imams and ayatollahs, and the dhimmi, plus another form of “monkey-people”, the kufir or infidels, somehow subhuman and subject only to slaughter.

It is an error to term this conflict with the Islamic Jihadists as a “war on Terror”. The name of the enemy is the Jihadists, and they have already unilaterally declared war on the rest of humanity. “Anti-Jihadist” has become the new countervailing force in the world.

With the relatively fading influence of Communism, the spectre of Islam as propagated by the Jihadist faction has loomed much larger in the affairs of mankind, and threatens human dignity and wisdom in ways that lead back to some kind of Dark Ages.

[BO Stinkss]

Thanks for posting. This sheds new light for me.

[JimRed]

No good guys in that fight. Arm both sides and let them kill each other off.

[skinkinthegrass]

!