We Need To Learn The History of Islamic Radicals
By Thomas D. Segel (09/03/07)
Harlingen, Texas, September 1, 2007: It is fast approaching one year since Abu Dawood, an al Qaeda commander in Afghanistan announced preparations were complete for the American Hiroshima, a major attack on this country. He also urged Muslims living in the United States to leave without further warning. His announcement included a statement that the al Qaeda operatives who will launch the attack are awaiting final orders. They remain in place throughout the country. Many are masquerading as Christians and have adopted Christian names.
There is really nothing new in such a report. Time and time again Islamic radicals have announced that they are at war with western civilization and will destroy the United States. What is difficult to understand is why those with liberal or left leaning political beliefs do not believe what the enemy keeps telling them. For some strange reason, those with a “progressive” mindset seem to feel these threats are over stated and that common sense, understanding and rational discourse will solve all problems. In other words, using their progressive approach, all will be well and everybody will live in peaceful coexistence.
It is clear to political observers that these advocates of harmony have spent little time examining what is taking place across Europe and even less time learning the history of Muslims or the Islamic belief in their expansion and domination of the entire world. Westerners should learn these things and understand that Muslims have held a deep hatred of “Crusaders” for more than 1000 years.
Many believe the heart of heated feelings on all sides of the issue is the Holy City of Jerusalem. Muslims invaded the city in 1076 and murdered almost every man, woman and child within its walls. From that point on any Christian wanting to pay a pilgrimage to the Holy Land faced great difficulties, including kidnapping for ransom, paying tributes, and death.
After being called upon for help, Pope Urban II proclaimed a war against Muslims so that Jerusalem could be regained for the Christian faith. Those who volunteered wore red crosses on their tunics and the fight against Muslims was considered a Holy War. The Crusades were born.
In 1099 Jerusalem fell to the Crusaders in a battle that Muslims later claimed took the lives of 70,000 people. Those whose lives were spared were forced to collect all the bodies and dispose of them outside the gates of the city.
War between Muslims and Crusaders continued for the next 200 years. In all, eight separate crusades were assembled to free the holy lands. Victories and defeats were traded back and forth, with only the first and third crusades being considered successful. The initial purpose of the crusades was to liberate Jerusalem, but that city was never to remain free for any extended period of time.
With the war in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989 Islamic radial belief grew, bringing in Muslims from all over the world to fight with the Mujahidin. The final withdrawal of the Soviet Union only served to reinforce their belief that they would dominate and succeed in any prolonged battle. The radicals now inflicting terror upon the coalition forces and the people of Iraq grew out of those Mujahidin forces. It should also be noted that they use the invasion by modern day “crusaders” as a rallying cry to increase their fighting strength.
It is difficult for western minds to understand that Islamic radicals are motivated by what they consider to be divine command. They truly believe God is sending them upon their missions. This makes compromise or coexistence impossible. Their non-western thinking also makes understanding their views and objectives extremely difficult.
The Institute for Contemporary Affairs published the goals of al Qaeda and Islamic radicals in June of 2005. According to their own statements and postings on Islamic websites, the first targets are “All the main Arab and Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, the gulf countries, Jordan, Egypt, and Syria. The second stage includes surrounding states - Turkey, Chechnya, the Islamic republics of the former USSR, western China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and North Africa. The final stage is to spread their version of Islam all over the world.”
Into this mix must be added the fate of all non-believers, particularly “crusaders” and western infidels, but not excluding moderate Muslims. All must convert to the beliefs of the radical Islamists or die.
There must be some way to get those of the left to learn this historic message of western hatred and make them aware of the radical Islamic mindset. To date, nobody has been able to get this message accepted by those who would withdraw our forces in defeat. This attitude is almost incomprehensible to those now seriously engaged in the battle. It is particularly baffling to those Americans who already know that less than 20 Islamists can take the lives of more than 3,000 people. If that small band of terrorists could not see the evil of their actions, how can thousands more be expected to change their way of thinking about the world? They won’t ever change…and we can never accept their philosophy of life.
Semper Fidelis,
Tom Segel
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