Can We Talk? (War with Islam; Islam Incompatible with Democracy)

National Review Online ^ | 29 November 2006 | Andrew C. McCarthy

[Spiff]

Laura Ingraham read this excellent piece on the air this morning. I had to post it as it sums things up very well. We never desired a war with Islam, nor do we want it, but war with Islam is upon us. Jihad has been declared against America and our attempts to "democratize" Islamic, terrorist-supporting nations will not only fail, but fail badly. We seem to lack the will to crush our enemies anymore and Islam is not the enemy with which to make that deadly mistake.

[Austin Willard Wright]

The whole premise is wrong. Islamic fundamentlists don't reject "democracy" at all. They love it because they seem to win ever election including those in Iran (Maliki/Sadr) and Hamasistan.

[L98Fiero]

"Jihad has been declared against America and our attempts to "democratize" Islamic, terrorist-supporting nations will not only fail, but fail badly."

Three years ago I would have told you you were nuts. Now, I'm not so sure. I have come to learn that where Islam is practiced, Islam tends to rule, vote or no vote.

My fears are that the people will quickly vote themselves right out of a democracy or vote exactly how the Imams tell them, with Imams pretty much ruling by proxy.

Hope I'm wrong.

[Prokopton]

If only our "leaders" could understand the simple truths elucidated in this well written article.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

They [American people] want Islamic terrorists and their state sponsors crushed.

If only it were so. I fear that only 10% of our population really understands the problem and agrees with this.

[karnage]

It's a good piece.

[Wings-n-Wind]

4 Later...

[micho]

Excellent article. It is true. Well, President Bush described the Muslim religion just after the attacks of 9/11 as the "religion of peace".

I wonder what he thinks of it now. Or does he prefer not to.

[Rockiette]

Very good article, one thing I hope will be emphasized is that Muslims are not monolithic, they are divided against each other so we should play up that hatred that Sunnis and Shiites have for one another. "Divide and conquer" might come in handy and point out that these mutts can't even get along with fellow Muslims, why should we try to accomodate their murderous aims?

[3AngelaD]

I think Muslims have shown they are incapable of establishing, maintaining and participating in democracy. The ones who are here are just counting the days til they can overthrow ours, and are more than happy to use our tolerance, our technology and our open societies to further their goal, until they are in a position to destroy it. We handed it to them on a platter in Iraq, and look what we got. THEY JUST DON'T GET IT, and never will. Western society went through a Renaissance and reformation, and had years of Enlightenment thinking to fall back on in creating democracy. Islam hasn't even gotten to the Renaissance part yet, and is unlikely to ever develop the mindset that would bring about the creation of or abiility to participate in a democracy. Our obligation is to get serious about defending ourselves and our way of life.

[sarasota]

McCarthy nails it.

[Killborn]

IF we just went in there, kill all the bad guys and left, some other a-hole will take over. Nation building is essential to maintaining our security. Because we left Afghanistan after they kicked the Soviets out, hell we even let them kill each other to "thin out the herd", OBL got his personal playground to concoct his atrocities. Even if 99% of the people are bashing their brains out, 1% will find a way to get back at the great or little Satan. The "Fortress America" and "letthemkilleachother" mentality ignores facts on the ground and recent history.

Not ot mention the whole article is flawed because it rests upon the DSM's image of Iraq and not the truth but that's another issue.

[Rocko]

Bumpitttt.

[larryjohnson]

"wildly sucessful" ?

[GBA]

It will be interesting to see what it will take for the average American to understand what the author is saying. The islamists have never stopped their jihad, but we frequently stop paying attention, as if it will go away if we just stop looking at it. It won't. There is a bad (crescent) moon risin' and at some point we won't be able to ignore it any longer.

[kalee]

bttt

[George W. Bush]

To the contrary, Bush-administration officials — notwithstanding goo-gobs of evidence that terrorists have used the freedoms of Western democracies, including our own, the better to plot mass murder — have conned themselves into believing that democracy, not decisive force, is the key to conquering this enemy.

The delusion of Wilsonian do-gooding. Bush should never have listened to this kind of thinking.

Democratizing such cultures — in anything we would recognize as “democracy” — is the work of generations. It is a cultural phenomenon. It is not accomplished by elections and facile constitution writing … especially, constitutions that shun Madisonian democracy for the State Department’s preferred establishment of Islam and its adhesive sharia law as the state religion. Elections, in fact, play to the strengths of Islamic terrorists.

Exactly so. We imposed democracy on Japan forcefully after gelding the emperor. We made it clear to Germany there would be no return to fascism or a Kaiser. But in Iraq, we ignored the problems Turkey has faced for decades and flippantly enshrined the enemy of liberty and human rights, Islam, in their constitution which actually reduced their freedoms and civil rights with the result that women and Christians are victimized by the Islamists on a legal basis.

Great find, Spiff.

[secretagent]

They haven’t refused to democratize because the Federalist Papers are not yet out in Arabic. They decline because their leaders have freely chosen to decline. They see us as the mortal enemy of the life they believe Allah commands. Their demurral is wrong, but it is principled, not ignorant. And we insult them by suggesting otherwise.

Bush talks about the "soft racism" of those who say that some people are not ready for democracy.

But perhaps he thus insults many in the Middle East, perhaps a huge majority, when he implies that they don't want what they already have.

[roses of sharon]

Yes, a very easy article to write and feels good, as is populism and cynicism as a whole, but produces nothing as usual.

[CAP811]

Hope I'm wrong.

You're not wrong......I wish you were.