"More importantly, it was American and Britain who drew first blood".
I am constantly amazed at both the liberals and Islams ignorance of history. US foreign policy is responsible ...blah, blah blah; European colonialization is responsible...blah, blah, blah.
Unfortunately, Islamic terrorism existed long before Israel even became a state, and even before America became a nation. What's disgusting about the Left and their excuses for Muslim anger is that they have no historical perspective about these so-called grievances. Islam's anger with the West didn't just start in the last century...and it certainly didn't have anything to do with oil, Israel or our foreign policy. From its founding, Islam has been an expansionist ideology. For all the whining we hear about the humiliation they suffered over their deconstructed Ottoman Empire, it was they who helped perpetuate its collapse.
The Ottoman empire was in shambles to begin with because of tribal warfare...but to make things worse, it was the Ottoman Turks who decided it was in their interest to side with Germany in WWI. What became of Islam's empire was no different than what became of the empires of Germany and Austria/Hungary, as those empires were also carved up because of their aggression. If we were to extend liberal-logic further, one could say that Hitler actually had some justifications for his acts prior to WWI since the Treaty of Versailles was extremely punitive on Germany. But I guarantee you won't hear a liberal defending Hitler.
Ironically, with all the excuses given for Islam's hatred of the West and especially the USA, it was the USA who led the way in arguing for Arab independence following WWII; and for all of Europe's consternation of US imperialism infringing on the Mid-East, it was Europe who helped create the very divisions that exists today. From the Balfour Declaration and San Remo to various partition plans, Europe was the center for Mid-East reorganization. While the League of Nations and the victors of WWI did take special interest in the crumbling Ottoman Empire, instituting mandates to be governed by Britain and France, the Muslims of this region have no one to blame but themselves. This was a group of people who were engaged in the worst holocaust against indigenous people outside of that which occurred in Germany during WWII.
From the Christian Assyrians to the Armenians to the Greeks, Slavs and Jews, Muslims had been ethnically cleansing what was Asia Minor of non-Muslims for centuries, continuing through WWI and even into WWII. As this threat continued to encroach further into the "soft underbelly of Europe," the victors of WWI finally decided it was time to put a stop to this 2nd Jihad, which had not only killed millions of people, but was continuing to threaten Europe...again. And I say again, because Islam had been attempting its conquest of Europe since their first incursions into S.France from as early as 732...to their eventual sacking of Byzantine in 1453. What Muslims (and liberals) seem to forget about the Crusades, is that they were a reaction to Islam's expansion into Christian Holy Land...reaching deep into the Balkans and threatening France and Spain.
Yes, Muslims can bitch and moan, and play the perpetual victim of European colonization...and Leftists can defend them and help make excuses for this hatred and anger to help ease their guilt; but remember that it was Islam who initiated this reaction by their own aggressions that went unchecked for centuries...including their further alliances with Hitler in WWII. Ironically, one of these alliances was that of the Albanian Muslims with Hitler, who, after annexing Kosovo to be part of the Albanian/Axis puppet state, allowed Muslims to commit gross artrocities against other indigenous people of the region...including murdering and driving the Serbs out of Kosovo.
Even before the creation of Israel, the Axis-alliance with Bosnian Muslims was leading to another Holocaust against the Jews in this region. And this was an ideological alliance that both Muslims and Hitler shared in their hatred of Jews, with an agreement that if Hitler won the war, he would further cleanse Palestine of all Jews. As a result of these alliances, Muslims from all over the Balkan's (Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, etc) were allowed to further perpetuate their dominance in this region, which has continued in conflict until today.
Islam is a religion, that within its first 100 years, conquered more land and people than the Romans did in their storied history. Amazingly, liberals seem to only have a short historical memory when it comes aggression and retribution. Even today, far away from the Mid-East, Muslims are at war (and have been) with other indigenous people (and Christians) in regions such as Indonesia, Sudan, Philippines, Somalia, Chechnya, the Balkans...and now London, etc. The question isn't what "our" policies have done to incite such hatred and anger; it's what has Islam done to inspire such hatred and anger; a belief that the World is theirs for the taking. What's worse, is the liberal attitude that looks to jusitfy this ideology by searching for "root-causes"...while ignoring Islam's bloody history.
And here's some irony about Islam's hatred for the Great Satan. For all the abuse America takes from these ingrates, it was America who led the way in pressuring Europe to recognize Arab independence after WWII...it was "our" foreign policy that helped free them. The Atlantic Charter, which proposed giving power to the people to determine their own governments was one of the first steps in moving the Mid-East away from their former mandates and colonial heritage, which started in Europe. It was Europe...and even the UN, who were the major architects in planning the fate of Mid-East statehood even after WWII (e.g., UN Res. 181). Sadly, todays liberal-socialists who are governing Europe, continue to operate under this misplaced guilt, that they must give special accomodation and reconpence to Muslims for Europe's past behavior; unfortunately, they also continue to ignore Islam's past...at their own peril. Liberal guilt is literally digging their own graves.
The irony here, is that unlike Europe, it was American foreign policy that recognized Egypt's right to nationalize the Suez Canal...despite the fact that both France and Britain had purchased those rights earlier and financed its construction. The same can be said for oil production in these lands, which were also expropriated after Western nations invested millions of dollars in these infrastructures and technology (since these people didn't have the skill to do it). Sure, America also had it's own interest in this region, but those interests only became relevant when again, some Muslim nations decided to side with the enemies of humanity (USSR) during the Cold War. We don't have to steal anyone's oil since we are more than willing to pay for it. For all Islam's complaints about oppression, it has been their leaders that have sided with some of the worst tyrants throughout history.
From the Muslim secessionist movement in India (Pakistan) to financial and military aid during the Cold War and support in the Gulf War, Americans have naively stood with Muslims and defended them against aggressor nations and persons. In our own naivety and ignorance, we have even supported Muslims against Christians, whether it was the Muslim secessionist movement in Kosovo and the Balkans...or stopping such Christian movements from occurring in Indonesia/East Timor. Heck, after a decade of complete appeasement, with financial and military aid going to Muslim governments that we knew were also committing atrocities against minority populations (Turkey, Albania/Balkans and Indonesia)...we still got attacked on 9/11.
One other thing to remember about these partition plans following the World Wars, is that many of them were actually necessary to thwart continuing tribal and religious differences. The truth is, Muslims not only have a problem living with non-Muslims...they have a problem living amongst themselves. The reasons for the creation of these artifical boundaries in the Mid-East, was to protect Muslims from other Muslims...ala, the Sunnis and Shi'ites. One of the biggest hoaxes perpetrated by the Left is their reporting of Israeli violence against the Palestinians, when their own Arab brethren have committed far worse atrocities against them...and vica-versa. The reason the Palestinians can't find a home is because they not only refused assimilation with their neighbors, they often sought revolution within their host country. The number-one killer of Muslims, are Muslims...and Saddam was right up there at the top.
From a historical perspective, America has a very short history with the Mid-East. And on many of those occasions, this relationship was one of support...whether it was our leadership in their independence, support for them against Soviet encroachment and aggression...or even against other Muslims like Saddam. Yet, today, we are not only called the Great Satan by these same people, we are blamed for the origins of much of these problems by those who were the original architects....Europe. The fact that the Left has not only re-wrote the history books but has perpetuated this lie in defense of terrorism makes these people as dangerous as those who are attacking us.
"It is rejection of U.S. and British policies in the Middle East, not Islam, that has promoted terrorism against America"
Wrong answer. Read Bin Laden's Fatwah. It IS being done in the name of Islam.
