So, as I am wont to do, I was devouring my newspapers at St. Elmo’s (the best coffee shop in Alexandria- come visit!) and ran across this article by Reuel Marc Gerecht (Israel’s New Islamist Neighborhood) that blew me away. It was even a topic of conversation with a few of my friends. Not because it discussed Israel (which is a topic near and dear to my heart), but because of the thought processes it engendered about the more global situation.
Gerecht is a former diplomat, former associate at the American Enterprise Institute, and a neoconservative. One of his more interesting beliefs is that there could be no Thomas Jefferson if there was no Martin Luther.
He notes that the Islamist Wave that is the undercurrent in the Arab Spring means that Israel will not be coming to peace terms with the other nations in the Middle East soon. (That is disconcerting to me, but not so if it means that the recognition that Israel shall exist now and tomorrow is not part of any agreement.) He believes that Israel has decades to go before Arab and Iranian Islamicists accept it. But, that is not what hit me between the eyes.
No, he stated that the internal tug of war that obtains between the search for authenticity and the love of modernity needs to be attenuated before there will be accommodation with Israel. I think he narrowed his point too much- I think that the Islamic terrorists will only cease to be a threat to everyone when the battle between modernity and “the Islamic realm that never was” is put to bed. (To some degree, this is exactly the problems the Republican Party must address- the battle between those who want the “America that never was” and the America as it really is and has always been.)
He used the terms “the molten core of Palestinian identity is more Islamic than it is anything else”. The same case can be made for AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb), Al Qaeda (in Afghanistan and Pakistan), and Al Qaeda in Yemen.
These groups all believe- no, they know- that peace is predicated upon surrendering the rights to their land and their religion (that never existed quite the way they recall it) from the Age of the Caliphs (those that immediately succeeded Muhammed) to the rules of modern life. It requires them to put away their definition of the Quran and the fundamentals of their faith. Modernity sweeps away their children; it (and democracy) renders Man- and not the Prophet (or the Supreme Being)- as the principal agent of history.
Democracy could bring these Islamists to power in Jordan, in Morocco, in Syria, in Libya- because many folks are traditional religious folks. But, the populace does not want the secular dictators they upend to be replaced by religious ones.
Even in Iran, which was converted from a secular dictatorship to religious autocrats, had to withstand (it’s still not clear it’s over) a democratic revolution against the mullahs. The population – but not the mullahs- does not self-identify with Palestinians, and seems to enjoy the concept of rapprochement with the West.
It speaks volumes to us- those who want an end to this reign of terror, this reign of Islamic marauders attacking civilian populations- as to how best to provide an alternative that leads to peace.
I’ve often thought that there will never be a coming to peace on this issue, simply because of the dichotomy between the ancient beliefs and the reality of the modern world. It is fascinating to watch…and listen to the comments around me about it. Thanks for sharing this Roy…
Oh, Cathy, I know they just released a new Wizard of Oz movie today, but I stopped believing in fairy tales long ago. The problem is not just the Middle East- but the denizens who have migrated and wish to create havoc in the rest of the world…
Thanks for the visit and the comment. I’m honored by your presence.
Roy, sadly I feel that there will never be peace in the Middle East in our lifetimes. There are too many fires burning, to much misunderstood hate and religion and politics are almost one and the same. Peace and power don’t seem to mix well together. Old men want peace, old men can lay down their arms and live with their neighbors but younger men no longer listen to old men.
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I fear, Chef William, that we are no longer talking solely about the Middle East. There are battles in Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Somalia, Algeria, Niger….
All because of those Islamic reactionaries who believe that they have the right to impose their religious beliefs upon everyone else. (I could add they are no different than Christian reactionaries and Jewish reactionaries…)