When Islam Breaks Down (Long but interesting)

City Journal ^ | Spring, 2004 | Theodore Dalrymple

[Alamo-Girl]

Well said, Ronzo! Thank you so much for the ping!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for your excellent reply!

I doubt if the Islamic extremists have read America right. The American public is slow to anger and quick to forgive and forget but will never surrender to a single strike.

For instance, IMHO, the terrorists would have to take out an entire city in the US for the US to destroy 300,000 men, women and children of theirs in a counter strike. OTOH, I believe our response would be exponential - so if they took out a city the size of Houston by a biochem WMD, we'd probably level multiple cities. I believe even John Kerry would respond in this fashion.

[Cronos]

A reminder to my brethern, remember our real enemy...

[Kolokotronis]

"A reminder to my brethern, remember our real enemy..."

Never fear, my friend. But you know, it is vital that all of us know and more importantly understand the history, both secular and religious, of the Middle East and the Balkans and to use that knowledge dispassionately to our advantage in the present battle. The collective historical memory and present experience of the Christian East has much to teach us about the enemy, much which has been ignored thus far. Parts of the Christian East in the Balkans, in nearly living memory, fought off and overthrew an Islamic tyranny and even today are presented with armed, aggressive Islamists burning churches and monasteries while Western Christian troops stand by and watch. We know who the enemy is. If some of us still take pride in what known members of our families did in battles against Islam on May 29, 1453 and in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, its impossible that we should forget who we are fighting still in the twenty-first.