Why the Muslims Misjudged Us

The biggest load of crap I have heard so far was from a Muslim spokesman on Chris Matthews' "Hardball." He said that European Christians were the aggressors historically and that Muslims only resorted to violence in "self-defense." Yeah, well, there are a lot of heads floating around the planet once impaled on spears which weren't exactly being carried by Christians. If you read descriptions of medieval Muslim warfare and atrocities, it sounds pretty similar to the current round of nastiness. Nothing new here in terms of barbarism from that part of the world.

Few in the Middle East have a clue about the nature, origins or history of democracy, a word that, along with its family (constitution, freedom and citizen ), has no history in the Arab vocabulary, or indeed any philological pedigree in any language other than Greek and Latin and their modern European offspring. Consensual government is not the norm of human politics but a rare and precious idea, not imposed or bequeathed but usually purchased with the blood of heroes and patriots, whether in classical Athens, revolutionary America or more recently Eastern Europe. Democracy's lifeblood is secularism and religious tolerance, coupled with free speech and economic liberty.
. . . democracy does not spring fully formed from the head of Zeus but rather is an epiphenomenon--the formal icing on a pre-existing cake of egalitarianism, economic opportunity, religious tolerance and constant self-criticism. The former cannot appear in the Muslim world until gallant men and women insist upon the latter--and therein demolish the antidemocratic and medieval forces of tribalism, authoritarian traditionalism and Islamic fundamentalism.
How much easier for nonvoters of the Arab world to vent frustration at the West, as if, in some Machiavellian plot, a democratic America, Israel and Europe have conspired to prevent Muslims from adopting the Western invention of democracy! Democracy is hardly a Western secret to be closely guarded and kept from the mujahideen. Islam is welcome to it, with the blessing and subsidy of the West. Yes, we must promote democracy abroad in the Muslim world; but only they, not we, can ensure its success.

Or, as I like to put it, It is not true that only America has the Constitution of the United States; it has been public since it was ratified, and before that. America, however, has a tradition of respect for the Constitution as the basis of our polity--and organizations such as FreeRepublic to promote that tradition. It does however also have the Democratic Party to subvert that tradition with lip service to a "living"--by which they mean nothing other than dead--document. . .

I just saw a poll on TV this morning taken in 11 Muslim countries (Arab and non-Arab) where 69% believed that Muslims and Arabs had nothing to do with 9/11 (a Jewish plot no doubt) and only 18% said they did. Moreover the countries with the highest percentage who disbelieved Muslims were responsible were Pakistan and Indonesia.

I don't see how we can ever make peace with these people as long as they are in such blatent denial of reality. There is no consensus on which to build a peace. All we can do is make them too afraid of us to try anything.

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