I support Israel, not because of their Zionism or some connection to the Old Testament or a version of eschatology that peers into the unknown future, but because the world is at war with radicalized Islam, specifically the Sunni branch.
I think the main issue at the root of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is more connected to the global goals of a Sunni Islamic Caliphate than border issues, peace and violence stabilizing and economic matters. With not to much difficulty once can do an information search (wikipedia), and can read this basic information about the place the Sunni branch of Islam has in the whole subject.
The overarching connections to the longterm goals of Sunni Islam are often absent from assessments of the way forward for peace in the Levant. A goal that will not be solved without honesty and clarity about the rise of radical islam and the vision for an Islamic Caliphate.
Hamas’s refusal to recognize Israel as a state and the on-record commitments of many Arab groups in that region, particularly of the Sunni branch, is at the root of the battle for the future of a Jewish state that opposes these Islamic groups eventual goals.
Hamas, of the Sunni branch of Islam, was founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood whose motto, by the way, is: “Allah is our objective; the Qur’an is the Constitution; the Prophet is our leader; jihad is our way; death for the sake of Allah is our wish.” The Muslim Brotherhood’s goal, as stated by Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna is to reclaim Islam’s manifest destiny, an empire, stretching from Spain to Indonesia a renewed Ottoman Empire.
Hamas’s charter states it was founded to liberate Palestine, including modern-day Israel, from Israeli occupation and to establish an Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Ninety three percent of Palestinians are Muslim, the vast majority of whom are followers of the Sunni branch of Islam, with a small minority of Ahmadiyya. Palestinian Christians represent a significant minority of 6 percent, followed by much smaller religious communities, including Druze and Samaritans.
ISIS/IS/ISIL is also a Sunni branch of Islam that is currently steamrolling though Syria and Iraq and have formed the beachhead of their vision of an Islamic Caliphate, a rebirth of the Sunni Ottoman empire. Which if everyone remembers, at it’s zenith covered this much of the world.
My inclusion of IS is because they are the most recent and violent expression of radicalized Sunni extremism. They are gaining followers and funding as their brand of merciless hyper-fundamentalism captures the viral attention of hateful religious xenophobia. Front and center of this growth is young men and children who’ve been radicalized by an unholy fruit producing branch of Islam that is pumping out terrorists like rabbits. To blame this only on Western Nations is to neglect history, minimize the long list of terrorist acts, misrepresent the stated goals of many of these groups like Hamas. Hamas is a ‘sunni plant’ from Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood that states it’s expanding and displacing goals with no less force than IS.
If we want to stop the Israeli/Palestinian conflict than uproot and sever the ties of Palestinians to their radicalized, terrorist backed, funded and fought military actions and plans. That would do far more than showcasing and trumpeting moderate Islam, funding humanitarian needs and cutting aid to the ONE real ally we have in the region that actually practices democracy, mutual racial interrelations (not without tension) and religious freedom.
Point me to a Jerusalem in Sunni or Shia Islam?
Where is this moderate Islam that progressives speak of that isn’t located ‘in’ or should I say “under” a western country? Radicalism is held in-check by Western power more than inflamed. Radical Islam isn’t a rash that will go away if you don’t scratch it, it’s a cancer that is growing and has continued to proudly campaign on that vision. It may be a tumor on a healthier expression of Islam, that has corrupted large parts of it, or it has simply mutated it and there is no turning back without serious chemo-like aggressive destruction.
World War I finally resulted in the end of the Turkish/Ottoman advance into Western Europe. The reverberations of which still echo in our lifetime with the wars in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia regions of the world, where Islam is again at the center of much of these conflicts.
The majority of the Palestinians, 93 percent, are Sunni Muslims. Peace won’t come until they find leadership, practices and plans that reflect a peace-pursuing vision of the future and that won’t be found in the soil of radicalized Sunni Islam.
“Hamas or its military wing is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union, Jordan, Egypt, Australia and Japan. It is not considered a terrorist organization by Iran, Russia, Turkey, China, South Africa and many Arab nations.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
These issues are wrapped up with American interests and international safety of our allies and interests across the region and globe. Osama Bin Laden himself connected the matters of the denigration of the grand Ottoman empire after WWI to his rants about retaliation on the west and the payback for its role in the fragmenting of his idea of the great place of Islam. It’s all connected to a large geo-political web that has at it’s center the terrorist goals of radical Islam.
This is why we must continue to support Israel, not because of the biblical, historical connection but because of the geopolitical realities of our war against terror and radical Islam and it’s vision of the future.
Dear Eric,
Could you please help me understand how you arrived at the conclusion to conflate Hamas, ISIS, Sunni Islam, the Ottoman Empire? Feel free to use sources other than Wikipedia 🙂
Tracy asked Mark and I to throw out some articles based on our conversations about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict online. He wrote the lead piece, I responded. My article sums up my position. Hamas is a branch of polticialized and radicalized Sunni Islam. The roots of violence are undergirded by a clear agenda of displacement and eradication of Israel. It’s a shared and documented intent of reflected in the Hamas charter. These aren’t mysterious matters but common knowledge and Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist organization.
Skyler:
I’m not sure if you’ve read the Hamas Charter but it’s all listed in there in frightening, clear, unequivocal words of Islamic conquest.
Re: the Islamic Caliphate
Article Twenty-Two:
“You may speak as much as you want about regional and world wars. They were behind World War I, when they were able to destroy the Islamic Caliphate, making financial gains and controlling resources.”
Re: Peaceful Solutions, Initiatives and International Conferences:
“There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a
Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement. Abusing any part of Palestine is abuse directed against part of religion. Nationalism of the Islamic Resistance Movement is part of its religion. Its members have been fed on that. For the sake of hoisting the banner of Allah over their homeland they fight.”
Re: Vamquishing the Jew
Article Eight:
Allah is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of its wishes.
Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious. It needs all sincere efforts. It is a step that inevitably should be followed by other steps. The Movement is but one squadron that should be supported by more and more squadrons from this vast Arab and Islamic world, until the enemy is vanquished and Allah’s victory is realised.
The Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the links in the chain of the struggle against the Zionist invaders. It goes back to 1939, to the emergence of the martyr Izz al-Din al Kissam and his brethren the fighters, members of Moslem Brotherhood. It goes on to reach out and become one with another chain that includes the struggle of the Palestinians and Moslem Brotherhood in the 1948 war and the Jihad operations of the Moslem Brotherhood in 1968 and after.
Re: ISIS
Article Twenty-Three:
“The Islamic Resistance Movement views other Islamic movements with respect and appreciation. If it were at variance with them on one point or opinion, it is in agreement with them on other points and understandings. It considers these movements, if they reveal good intentions and dedication to Allah, that they fall into the category of those who are trying hard since they act within the Islamic circle.”
Eric,
I hope you do know that to say Sunni is to say something akin to Protestant. It certainly whitewashes the huge differences within a billion people. Also, you should brush up your history. The Ottoman Empire was defeated in large part by the Arab revolt in 1916-18 or Sunnis Arabs defeated Sunni Turks, which goes back to the larger point of thinking that all Sunnis are radical. Do you want to be judge as a protestant by Westboro or Christian Fundamentalism? You assessment of the largest branch of Islam is at best lacking. Much like the atheist Sam Harris does in his fear mongering, saying the world is a war with Sunni Islam begs the question having a war with a billion people as diverse as Turkey and Indonesia. Really? I would suggest brushing up your historical perspective with Karen Armstrong “Battle for God.” She outlines in great Historical details (not random wiki accounts) of the rise of fundamentalism in the monotheist religions. Also, to support Israel means what, supporting the existence of Israel, the current polices tot this Israeli government or any Israeli government.
My focus has been on “radicalized” Sunni Islam. If all the terrorist groups we were fighting were Baptist Protestant, I’d say radicalized Baptist Protestants.
I stand behind my historical points, the mocking of you and skyer aside. My information in the article comes from much more depth than mere references. Feel free to debate the facts or issues but lets not try to belittle one another.
Hamas (referenced in the charter quotes above) have stated their own historical connections to the Ottoman Empire issues. I referenced those, because I read the document/charter myself.
I support Israel, not because everything they do or have done but because they are our democratic ally in a sea of anti American countries and ideology.
Read Hamas’s written intentions against the “communist east and crusading west” for yourself. Read about “dealing with the Saturday people and then the Sunday people” and then tell me we are not at war.
But war is a multifaceted set of actions, fighting is one part. I support America not because I think every administration has done right, I’ve been extremely vocal in all the administrations on war matters.
I support America because I see no religious freedom in Islamic states.
Show me a Jerusalem in Sharia controlled states of the world?
Eric,
I follow the pain of Israel and think Amos Oz, who supports the current offensive but wonders why Likud does not engage the non-Hamas moderate elements in the Gaza Strip. Waiting until a war is not smart policy to finding peace, but good way to stay in power. Oz, of course, lives in Israel and has been working and and sweating with this issue. He has forgotten, just yesterday, more than you or I know. I did point to a historical fact of Arab revolt against Ottoman empire.
Radical jihadist Islamists are beheading children and journalists, kidnapping young girls and murdering their brothers and fathers, destroying historic Christian antiquities and ancient Christian communities and alternative Islamic sects.
I write about it and I’m chided for quoting Wikipedia and linking radicalized Sunni Islam to the events and mentioning Islamic dreams of a revived Ottoman Empire.
I’m still scratching my head over this…