Last week, Iranian-born Islamic State (ISIS) operatives carried out the first known terrorist attack in Iran that was not conducted by elements of the Iranian government against its own people. President Trump condemned the violence, but he also added “We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote.”
The comment was quickly condemned in certain sectors of the media. Vox said the statement “eschews any moral or ethical high ground, let alone humanity.” The Daily Mail called it “a diplomatic pouch full of Schadenfreude.”
It may be difficult to suppress schadenfreude over Iran’s falling victim to the particular brand of asymmetrical warfare it developed and then exported to the world. But hope is a better sentiment. Schadenfreude might feel good for a few minutes, but instead we should hope that the Iranian people will pause in their mourning to reflect on the situation in ways their leaders seem incapable of doing. For instance, showing zero self-awareness, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blamed the attacks on “terror sponsoring despots.” Iran’s terror proxy Hezbollah cited evidence of an “international, destructive plan.”
We should hope that the Iranian people are struck with a collective epiphany: the grief they are currently experiencing has been inflicted by their government and its proxies upon Americans, Westerners and Jews since 1979 when Ruhollah Khomeini declared himself “Supreme Leader.”
Ali Khamenei, the current “Supreme Leader,” downplayed the ISIS attacks as “fireworks.” He predicted that they will “have no effect on Iran,” and declared them “too small to affect the will of the Iranian nation and its officials.” Interestingly, he didn’t mention the Iranian people.
The delicious if bitter irony to these “fireworks” in which five men and one woman simultaneously attacked the Iranian parliament and the shrine of Khomeini, was underscored by their use of suicide bombs (Khomeini being the inventor of suicide terrorism).
Between 1945 and 1979, there were no documented uses of suicide attacks anywhere in the world. The Japanese Kamikazes disappeared after World War II, but shortly after the Iranian Revolution, suicide terrorism first appeared when Khomeini’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) facilitated a suicide attack against the Iraqi embassy in Lebanon in 1981. Iran turned Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley into the cradle of suicide terrorism, where it was passed on to the Palestinian terrorist groups, the PKK and others.
But Khomeini did more than bring suicide terrorism to the world. He turned it into a commodity.
Months into the Iran-Iraq war, before the Iraqi embassy bombing, Khomeini began using children as combatants. On October 30, 1980 a child warrior named Hossein Famideh allegedly crawled beneath an Iraqi tank and exploded a grenade, thwarting the Iraqi advance. Khomeini used the 13-year-old Famideh as a role model and built a culture of suicide terrorism. Soon a monument to Famideh was erected, and the boy’s likeness was everywhere, on book bags, murals, posters, and stamps, along with Khomeini’s invitation to follow Famideh’s lead and “drink the nectar of martyrdom.”
Islam is not monolithic. Like other religions, there are variations among sects and practitioners. But there can be no doubt that the version Khomeini foisted upon Iran is the enemy of the world. Khomeini’s Islam is the official Islam of Iran, and he has been very clear about it for a very long time. In 1942 he wrote:
“Those who know nothing of Islam pretend that Islam councils against war. Those [who say this] are witless. Islam says: kill the unbelievers just as they would kill you all!…Islam says: kill them, put them to the sword!…Islam says: Kill in the service of Allah those who may want to kill you!…Islam says: Whatever good there is exists thanks to the sword and in the shadow of the sword! People cannot be made obedient except with the sword! The sword is the key to Paradise, which can be opened only for Holy Warriors!”
This version of Islam has brought Iran and the world to the current predicament.
Iranian government officials blame the US for the attack, making it even more difficult to feel their pain. But this is to be expected, and we should not let our contempt for the government spill over to the Iranian people. Iran also blamed the US for the November 13, 2015 ISIS attacks in Paris. Khomeini even blamed the US for the siege of the grand mosque in Mecca on November 20, 1979. Juhayman al-Utaybi and his followers, conducted that attack, but Khomeini blamed the “Great Satan” and stirred anti-American uprisings across the Muslim world.
So when Iranian ISIS suicide bombers targeted Khomeini’s shrine, it was surely meant to send a message. Americans should resist indulging in pleasure over the tables turned.
Americans, including the president, aren’t the only ones indulging. Joshua Davidovich at The Times of Israel observed that Israeli reaction to the attacks “vacillated drunkenly in the large gap between snot-nosed schadenfreude over a country that supports terror and genuine horror and concern.” It’s hard to be magnanimous to those who want us dead, and it’s difficult to shake the impression of Iranian chickens coming home to roost, but schadenfreude will fade and concern will win out.
Back to hope. After 9/11, the Iranian regime cried crocodile tears for the dead while harboring bin Laden’s family and other Al-Qaeda members, allegedly under “house arrest.” But the people of Iran broke out in spontaneous demonstrations against Al-Qaeda, complete with home-made American flags and chants of “Death to the Terrorists” replacing the regime’s preferred “Death to America.” So threatened were the Mullahs, in fact, that the Basij was reportedly sent to attack protesters on the next night and police disbursed crowds thereby preventing more demonstrations.
Now, like so many of the victims of Iranian-sponsored terrorism from Buenos Aires to Beirut and everywhere in between, the Iranian citizenry is engaged in the gruesome aftermath of a terrorist attack. After they have picked up pieces of human flesh from the 17 fatalities and cleaned up the mess, but before they rebuild what was destroyed, let’s hope the Iranian people are overwhelmed by a wave of empathy for the suffering of thousands of victims of Iran’s reign of terror.
And let’s resist the tendency to indulge in schadenfreude. Rather than dwelling on the miserable symbolism in the attack, Americans and all victims of Iranian terrorism should instead show how we retain our humanity even against enemies who have abandoned theirs.
A.J. Caschetta is a Shillman-Ginsburg fellow at the Middle East Forum and a senior lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Stan Lee says
Yes, President Trump condemns the violence in Iran and the violence Iran’s fanatical Muslim leaders perpetrate in any other world location where Iran’s agents can sew chaos.
President Trump is under fire by the leftists in the U.S., masquerading as the Democrat Party. If they had their way, they would dispense with all national sovereignty, and erase all national borders, not only in the USA, but in every land espousing democratic political processes.
The choices are: 1. Resist and defeat the agents of “one World government”, and the alternative: 2. Submit and act like it is not any contention at all. In addition, while either of the two contentions play out, there remains the eternal beast of Islam which means to swallow the world without regard to any contentions in pursuit of any democratic methods.
jack grandville says
Those comments are obviously personal, whereas Donald Trump’s comments were made as the President of the U.S.A. — a vastly different thing altogether — and, assuming any basic intelligence on the part of his detractors, they have recognized that ‘small’ difference. But in today’s world, perhaps even that is a bit too much to expect???
Terry says
Khomeini being the inventor of suicide terrorism. Between 1945 and 1979, there were no documented uses of suicide attacks anywhere in the world.
Quotes from the article.
I do not know if Khomenini is or is not the investor of suicide bombings. However, the last statement is incorrect.
The PLO (now known as the PA) and Syria (and Iraq) (and Egypt under Nasser) ALL used suicide bombers against Israel, targeting civilians. Buses; restaurants; schools; kibbutzes etc were favorite targets,.
Skylar says
It is not incorrect, Terry. The first Palestinian suicide bombing is generally recognized to be the July 6, 1989 bombing of Bus #405 in Kiryat Yearim, Israel. 16 were killed. This came coincidentally on the day Khomeini was buried 🙂 .
Terry says
I could not give a defecation less about the Iranian people- their “moderates” are just about as much anti-Israel and anti-US as their hardliners.
I would love to see ISIS and Al queida go and do lots of bombings in the Hezbollah ( a branch of both Lebanon and the Lebanese military and Iran and Syria) areas of Lebanon and in Iran. And bomb their missile/rocket factories; naval bases, etc.
They deserve it.
Aaron says
Actually, Terry most everyday Iranians are quite supportive of the U.S.
Terry says
Really????? Most Iranians are supportive of the US?
And then, who are the people -as per the pictures, videos, etc- “thousands’ screaming ‘ DEATH TO AMERICA”, ” DEATH TO ISRAEL”, etc. etc.
I forgot the number-per-centage, but it is quite high-of those Iranians born after the Shah was thrown under the bus by Carter. These – know nothing -reality speaking-other than the ayatollahs and their hysterical anti American, anti Israel anti anything that isn’t their brand of Islam.
I still could not care less if many more ISIS and/or al queida attacks in Iran-and the Hezbollah controlled areas of Lebanon (probably much of the country-as the Lebanese military and Hezbollah are supposed to be joined at the hip. AND OBAMA GAVE THEM ( NOT SOLD, GAVE) SOME $100 MILLION IN ADVANCED WEPONS.
And, they are trying to kiss and make up with Hamas, another very pro-American, pro freedom group (sarc).
Guest says
So Itan was attacked by a different terrorist group… Why should I care?
Gres says
With all respect Robert,but it’s very bad and stupid move to blame Iran on creation of ISIS “Iranian-born Islamic State”,everybody knows who created Al Qaeda and ISIS,also everybody knows who are fighting against ISIS in Syria – it’s Iranian backed Hezbollah! I’m not trying to whitewash Iranian or ANY other i’slamic barbarity,but you need to get your facts straight !!!
Finbar says
With all respect Gres, you need to read straight. It says “Iranian-born Islamic State (ISIS) operatives” — get it? They were members of ISIS who were born in Iran.
Terry says
The main (probably only) reason that Iran & Hezbollah are fighting against ISIS is, they are different sects of Islam.
One is Shit and the other Sunni. If ISIS was the same sect as Iran, Iran & Hezbollah would join with them.
Lon Spector says
Believe it or not. Iran is a future “good guy” of the region. It will devide into two countries.
One country will be called Meda. Everything old is new again.
commonsense says
The author avers that Islam is not monolithic. But the differences between its main branches, Sunni and Shi’ite, are small, despite the animus that both groups have for each other. The Qur’an, ahadith, and Sira are canonical for both, and both groups uphold the principle of al-wala w’al bara. JIhad is an offshoot of the latter, and both groups acknowledge its primacy, as well as the necessity to place the world under Shari’a. Caschettta is simply wrong.
commonsense says
Erratum: Sorry, I misspelled Caschetta.
Paul F Austin says
This was a wonderful article full of factual information and detail for those unaware of the historical facts pertaining to Iran in the last thirty years or so.p, and the madness of “Islamic thought”! (Despicable!)
On the question of SO! ( so, sew, sow).
The article was headed “As Ye Reap……”. Please speak to the editorial staff – if they exist- and point out that the headline is TOTALLY opposite to what it should be. It ought to read – “As Ye Sow…….(So shall Ye reap!). Even in this world of advanced farming techniques farmers still need to put seed in the ground, allow it to grow, and THEN reap! The headline does not do justice to the writer, who surely must be cringing when and if he looks at it.