The Roots of Muslim Rage

The Atlantic Monthly ^ | September, 1990 | Bernard Lewis

[Torie]

Andrew Sullivan at his site (Andrewsullivan.com) recommended reading this article. So I did, and thought it worthwhile enough to bring to FR.

[onedoug]

After a thousand years of having languished under the Romans, The Holy Roman, the Ottoman and finally, British empires, someone (the Jews) finally built a dynamic society in "Palestine".

One might expect modern palestinians to be most teed-off at their leaders, not one of whom it seems, ever had a similar vision for the region, and who instead now rail at the world in perpetual victimhood about their "stolen" birthright, and who would as obviously destroy it, supposedly for its acheivement, without ever a mere thought as to how to ever build anything.

Witness all that Bin Laden might have done with all his riches for "his people", but to lead them into darkness.

[TheDon]

Everyone is trying to explain Muslim rage at the West, and the US. Few, if any, recognize that these Muslims live in totalitarian nations with strictly controlled education, news, and political speech. The question is not why Muslims are mad at us, but rather why the governments of these nations have portrayed us to their subjects in such a way as to make them mad at us.

[mgc1122]

Well said, Don. Also important to note are the lives of Americans lost in the last 4 'clashes' which involved our saving Muslim lives. If this is how we are repaid, f' em all.

[A Navy Vet]

Summary: They prefer to live in the dark ages, and hate and envy those who don't. Not good.

[Common Tator]

The separation of Church and state is only important when the church/state uses religion to justify war and offers religious rewards for dying in war. Religions who wage war nearly always offer an instant trip to heaven for those that die for the religious state. Religions that offer little on earth, must offer a lot in heaven. Otherwise the followers fall away. Few benefits now much later, is a hard sell if the people are allowed to think. There is a reason Muslims must pray 5 times a day.

Secondly those that have a better life must be described as servants of Satan, or the believers will leave the religion for the better life. War fever is requred to keep the faithful, faithful.

Wars are always about power and expansion of power. Religions whose people are not doing well, must make those that are doing well out to be evil. Otherwise their God is less powerful than the better offs God. They must attempt to bring the successful powers down or the bleak life afforded the followers of their God will be seen as a failure of their God. If they fail to destroy the more sucessful people, the religion eventually loses all or most all of its power. If they succeed their power will be much greater, for it will be used as proof their God gave them victory. Their followers will be reassured.

When people are willing to die for a cause, you must destroy the cause, or be distroyed by the cause.

Religious wars end when a Goliath slays a David with a single blow.It creates a shortage of Davids.

[neutrino]

Re: post #6

Great comment!

[norraad]

"My invisible friend in the sky is better than than your invisible friend in the sky"

Book of Invisible Wisdom

[Torie]

You have made a point, but actually some of the Muslim countries are quite rich, and still quite fundamentalist. And Hinduism exhibited no such belligerence, and it resided in one of the poorest and most miserable places on the planet until recently for a very long time.

[Travis McGee]

bttt

[stubernx98]

I wonder who is going to prevail? It sounds like there is no hope for a rational solution. It's us or them.

[Common Tator]

The question is not why Muslims are mad at us, but rather why the governments of these nations have portrayed us to their subjects in such a way as to make them mad at us.

Governments are overthrown all the time. Governments do not make People. People make governments. They adopt them and throw them away at will. Most governments are less than 60 years old.

Arafat, Fayd, and even the Eqyptian leadership would like to restrain the Muslim hate. King Fayd of Saudi Arabia is afraid the militant Muslims will over throw his government. Most Saudi Arabian citizens support the terrorists. They are bright educated and rich. They also hate us and would like to destory our culture. Palistinians watch CNN more than you do. They hate us. We do not have a leader problem. If we killed all the leaders they would just get new leaders. We have a 200 million follower problem.

When Russia no longer wanted a Czar they overthrew him. When Russia no longer wanted the Soviet Union, they overthrew that government too. In 1933 when Germans no longer wanted a Republic they overthrew it and brought in Hitler and his Natzis. We overthew British rule when it was the most powerful nation on earth. Nations keep leaders becuase they want them. Not the other way arould.

Nations always get the governments they want. You must get it through your head that some nations do not want freedom. Many people do not want freedom. The educated Germans of the 1930's wanted Hitler more than they wanted freedom.

We don't have a leader problem.. We have a follower problem.

If all we do is kill the leaders the followers will just get new leaders.

[Travis McGee]

bttt

[Travis McGee]

bttt

[untenured]

To this end we must strive to achieve a better appreciation of other religious and political cultures, through the study of their history, their literature, and their achievements.

Somehow, I knew it would come down to this.

[Non-Sequitur]

bump

[surfer]

It is going to be very bright very soon!

[mil-vet]

Do I give a liberal damn? Nope! I don't care WHAT excuse anyone comes up with, terrorism is like smallpox and must be eradicated in the same way. If one's god was worth a plugged nickel, said god would give one guidance regarding how to handle one's hate in a non-destructive manner, NOT tell one to go out and kill anyone with whom one doesn't agree. DUH!