A Response To: The Weapon of Martyrdom
By Jim Hoagland
Sunday, December 26, 2004; Page B07
Editorial Link: Here
My Response:
Ask any expert what is the most stable Islamic country in the region and the one most ripe for democracy and you will most likely get the answer...Iran.
I suggest you read a little history as to how they got there. You can start with their overthrow of a corrupt "western" government and the implementation of a theocracy based on their religion; the ONLY thing that cut across the various tribal cultures and groups. They had grown tired of having one form of "enlightened" government after another thrust upon them by outside forces that inevitably ended up in totalitarian control or corruption or both. The installed governments rarely addressed their religion and culture and certainly did not help to reduce the divide between tribes or corruption.
Mohammed and Islam have always been the ONLY thing in the region to do just that and when he did it with the religion of Islam, he succeeded in spades and gave them a feeling of self-control and a belief in something larger than themselves.
Iran used the unifying nature of religion, through force, to stabilize a country. We may not like the method used, but we cannot discount the effectiveness. I again refer you to history to provide a reference to how the west went through the exact same process...over hundreds of years as opposed to tens. Christian domination, enlightenment and the renaissance was the path used to end tribal affiliations and create the modern democratic nation state.
I'm not sure how we can expect cultures that have not EARNED democracy to both understand it or embrace it. It is our own arrogance and hubris that allows us to think that we present such a great example of how one should live (and many in the world think THAT is up for discussion) that we think they will just drop THOUSANDS of years of history and culture and embrace something completely alien to their way of life.
Contrary to what you seem to be writing about we are not fighting evil, we are fighting an insurgent enemy that is willing to employ the most effective tactic and weapon it has in its arsenal to defeat us. This weapon and tactic runs counter to our belief in the sanctity of life (maybe) and so we get wrapped around the axle about HOW they fight instead of WHY. And, as for our belief in the sanctity of life, I suggest you ask yourself what the difference is between dying from a plane hitting a building or a smart bomb. Violent death at the hands of something you cannot control is just that - death at the hands of another, no matter the delivery system.
You are misleading your readers and perpetuating a stereotype that only contributes to our collective ignorance of our enemy and the challenges we face. Until we know and understand our enemy, we will continue to win the battles while losing the war. Please read some history on the rise of Islam, the rise of modern Iran and then try to actually listen to what Osama Bin Laden is saying. We may not like his tactics, but ignoring his reasoning is no way to defeat him. You all to casually dismiss the fact that many, if not most, of the suicide bombers are men and women who do it for what they believe in and because they feel they have nothing to lose.
I ask you, how many Americans would be willing to do the same for two cars, reality television, and good stock options?
By Jim Hoagland
Sunday, December 26, 2004; Page B07
Editorial Link: Here
My Response:
Ask any expert what is the most stable Islamic country in the region and the one most ripe for democracy and you will most likely get the answer...Iran.
I suggest you read a little history as to how they got there. You can start with their overthrow of a corrupt "western" government and the implementation of a theocracy based on their religion; the ONLY thing that cut across the various tribal cultures and groups. They had grown tired of having one form of "enlightened" government after another thrust upon them by outside forces that inevitably ended up in totalitarian control or corruption or both. The installed governments rarely addressed their religion and culture and certainly did not help to reduce the divide between tribes or corruption.
Mohammed and Islam have always been the ONLY thing in the region to do just that and when he did it with the religion of Islam, he succeeded in spades and gave them a feeling of self-control and a belief in something larger than themselves.
Iran used the unifying nature of religion, through force, to stabilize a country. We may not like the method used, but we cannot discount the effectiveness. I again refer you to history to provide a reference to how the west went through the exact same process...over hundreds of years as opposed to tens. Christian domination, enlightenment and the renaissance was the path used to end tribal affiliations and create the modern democratic nation state.
I'm not sure how we can expect cultures that have not EARNED democracy to both understand it or embrace it. It is our own arrogance and hubris that allows us to think that we present such a great example of how one should live (and many in the world think THAT is up for discussion) that we think they will just drop THOUSANDS of years of history and culture and embrace something completely alien to their way of life.
Contrary to what you seem to be writing about we are not fighting evil, we are fighting an insurgent enemy that is willing to employ the most effective tactic and weapon it has in its arsenal to defeat us. This weapon and tactic runs counter to our belief in the sanctity of life (maybe) and so we get wrapped around the axle about HOW they fight instead of WHY. And, as for our belief in the sanctity of life, I suggest you ask yourself what the difference is between dying from a plane hitting a building or a smart bomb. Violent death at the hands of something you cannot control is just that - death at the hands of another, no matter the delivery system.
You are misleading your readers and perpetuating a stereotype that only contributes to our collective ignorance of our enemy and the challenges we face. Until we know and understand our enemy, we will continue to win the battles while losing the war. Please read some history on the rise of Islam, the rise of modern Iran and then try to actually listen to what Osama Bin Laden is saying. We may not like his tactics, but ignoring his reasoning is no way to defeat him. You all to casually dismiss the fact that many, if not most, of the suicide bombers are men and women who do it for what they believe in and because they feel they have nothing to lose.
I ask you, how many Americans would be willing to do the same for two cars, reality television, and good stock options?
posted by Mike at 11:15 AM
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