Israel's former intelligence chief understands what is happening. From the Herald Sun, with thanks to all who sent this in:
Israel's former intelligence chief Shabtai Shavit says the war with Hezbollah is a "clash of civilisations", but no wedge can be driven between Iran and Syria....Shabtai Shavit: Basically, yes, that is what it means. The good news, I suppose, is that the strategic perception of the region by the moderate Arab leaders and their European counterparts as well as the US has shifted to finally seeing the truth of the matter.
This is not a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah over a piece of land on the Israeli-Lebanese border. Rather, it goes deep down to the core of the conflict that exists between Western societies and fundamentalist Islam.
As politically incorrect as it might be to say, let’s face it: This is a clash of civilizations. Or, as some euphemize it, a fight between the forces of order and disorder.
One side does not accept the idea of coexistence but believes it has been ordained by God Almighty to make the rest of the world Islamic — or to eliminate it. Whenever I say this, it sounds like I'm describing medieval times. Unfortunately, it is the real story.
Read it all.
Though the author has termed this as a clash of Western Societies and fundamentalist Islam, it actually is a clash between ALL non-Islamic Societies and Islamic societies. Aside from this minor quibble, this is a well written article.
Yay! Now there are 2 Israelis that get it. I felt so lonely till now.
Razdan,
Great point!!! The strategy must be worldwide, non-muslim alliance against Islam. Many reasons. Not the least of which is getting through to the ultra-Liberal Western "elites" in positions of leadership in the West (particularly academia and media). The PC garbage of the "West" and Christianity as the root of all evil through colonization, etc. (White guilt) has prevent the righteous backlash against Islam. If these stupid, decadent elites can be made to understand that BILLIONS of poor, dark non-Muslims are suffering, MAYBE these idiots will understand.
Jews in Israel "appear" too European and Christian to the ignorant elites. Therefore, white guilt holds that they deserve to be hammered by those who appear darker and non-Christian. Interestingly, in my 6 months in Israel and Egypt, I notice more dark faces in Israel (Middle Eastern Jewry). Jews came from persecution throughout the Muslim world and turned the Ottoman backwater into a first world country. Once it became a country worth living, the Muslims, out of jealousy, went nuts about the "poor" Palestinians (who were not a true national people prior to the backlash against Jewish Immigration and nationhood).
Anyway, we must quit making this the West vs. Islam. This is the non-Muslim world vs. Islam. In fact, most of the non-Muslim world is far darker and far poorer than the hateful, bigoted Muslims.
Why is it all the people who now "get it" about Islam are not in any position to effect any action. Seems all these folks talking about the true enemy used to be high government officials but obviously did not "get it" untill they were out of office. Another good example is the ex-CIA guy Woolsey who now "gets it" but is not part of the government and has no clout.
"Israel's former intelligence chief Shabtai Shavit says the war with Hezbollah is a "clash of civilisations"
- from article
"No, that would require two civilizations".
- Tim Blair
Good one, Mike_W!
Like a poster at LGF said, we have war on every continent because muslims live in our midst.
Do you not think this was their intent? To migrate and conquer the whole world?
/Invasion of the Body Snatchers
I must defer to General Shavit's reading of the geopolitical situation, but it is not clear to me that he entirely "gets it" about the nature of his adversaries. If you look closely at his conclusion, it appears that his views are rather close to those of moderate Muslim Stephen Schwartz at the neocon WeeklyStandard:
________
Shavit: There are three different kinds of Muslim fanaticism.
First, the fanaticism that comes from the school of Osama bin Laden, a worldwide terrorist network.
The second kind is state terrorism — the Iranians.
The third, regrettably, is the fanaticism of the Wahabis. They are the smartest because they spread their anti-West message peacefully all over the world through spending huge amounts of money building schools and mosques.
________
What General Shavit does not seem to affirm is that jihad is deeply rooted in Islam itself. He seems to see the problem as a problem of interpretation of Islam: the "school of Osama bin Laden", or the Wahhabi sect, or the Iranian revolutionaries. What he seems not to grasp is that there is fundamentally one kind of Muslim fanaticism, the imperative in Qur'an, hadith, sira and in the history of Islamic thinking on them to subjugate the world of unbelief.
You're right.
I'm all alone again! :(
At last the truth of what this war is all about is coming out.
This also from the Herald Sun
Religious leaders go head to head
Mark Dunn
July 26, 2006 12:00am
A WAR of words of almost biblical proportions has broken out between Australia's most senior Catholic and a Muslim leader.
Islamic Information and Services Network president Abu Hamza, of Coburg, wants the Bible banned because it incites violence.
He called Archbishop George Pell a "clown" for his comments this year that the Koran was full of "invocations to violence".
Mr Hamza told his followers the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, was full of murder and seemed to condone rape.
Dr Pell replied from the Vatican this week: "I am not sure how much Mr Hamza's comments improve the situation, but there are no teachings of Jesus, unlike Mohammed, which advocate violence against followers of other religions."
In the sermon, Mr Hamza told his assembly that the Bible's Old Testament said rape was punishable only by demands for financial compensation of "50 silver pieces" and marriage. He said Dr Pell should be ashamed of his ignorant attack on Islam.
Dr Pell has twice in recent times made comments on Islam and extremism, saying he found numerous examples of violence in the Koran.
"In my own reading of the Koran, I began to note down invocations to violence; there are so many of them, however, that I abandoned this exercise after 50 or 60 or 70 pages," he told a Catholic audience in the US in May.
Mr Hamza said: "He said something that has made the Muslims very angry. This ignorant man does not know Christianity, let alone Islam."
Mr Hamza, at times shouting during the taped sermon, said the Bible was filled with lechery and drunkenness and he would not want his enemies, let alone his children, to read certain parts of it.
One of the Islamic Information Service's stated objectives is to promote dialogue between religious faiths, and Mr Hamza challenged Dr Pell to debate whether Christianity or Islam more readily incited terrorism.