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As Iran Goes, So Goes Militant Islam

Reader comment on item: Iran in Crisis

Submitted by Chris (United States), Jul 23, 2002 at 12:48

My goodness, Dr. Pipes. This has to be the first article in quite a long time in which you and others see the light at the end of a very dark tunnel of Militant Islam, and that that it is waning. September 11th, to me, is not the beginning of the war, it is the denouement, if you will. The fact that Bin Laden had to sneak people into the US country to spread his warped message (with a little assistance from Saddam) tells me that he does not have the blanket support of a majority of the Muslim world.

I just don't understand why no one in the media with a few exceptions can see that Militant Islam is just another name for a cult. A human being's first instinct is to survive. Once he has been brainwashed to forget that instinct, that's where you get at least four Arab pilots willing to kill others in the name of Allah, or what have you; that's how you get suicide bombings. And Saddam is behind all this. He realized that he could not win in a conventional war with the US, so he had to use guerrilla tactics. Using Bin Laden as a sympathetic symbol, Saddam conducted his campaign of terror against US citizens around the world.

As for Iran, When the Islamic Revolution came about in 1979, Jimmy Carter was not ready to deal with an American failure. But 23 years later, a generation has grown up with a mix of repression and limited freedom, and the Iranian people are choosing freedom. It is not the people, it is the government, that we as Americans are against. I grew up hearing the phrase "The Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." When Iranians rise up against their government, and they will, maybe, too the rest of the Arab world will see that they cannot miss out on this opportunity.


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Reader comments (30) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
President Ahmadinejad [34 words]Sanam GhoddoussiAug 29, 2005 18:5625183
Mind your race [72 words]AhuraNov 24, 2004 09:4518576
Secularism v. Theocracy [149 words]Sanam GhoddoussiMar 9, 2004 15:5314139
Chris you say that as if Iranians are Arabs! [42 words]Some GuyAug 7, 2003 11:3910471
How many Zaraostrians are there in Iran anyway? [16 words]Some GuyAug 7, 2003 11:3310470
Fascism, Communism and Militant Islam [226 words]Gabriel GrossoJan 3, 2003 09:035448
In response to A. Kaffir's comment [83 words]Nima VokshoriNov 10, 2002 19:353765
Return to the Zoroastrian Roots [105 words]A. KaffirAug 4, 2002 15:441629
A Ray of Hope [122 words]Arlene SwartzmanJul 30, 2002 15:361507
Correct analysis by Dr. Pipes [23 words]Mike HarariJul 28, 2002 03:211459
A comfortable spot somewhere between [68 words]Melvin A. FechterJul 25, 2002 19:431436
A glimmer of hope? [62 words]Rick SteenoJul 24, 2002 23:221428
Dr. Pipes is correct on Iran [122 words]The chafing discontent of millionsJul 24, 2002 19:511426
Plenty of false dawns before [223 words]PatrickJul 24, 2002 11:561419
Ascent/Descent [157 words]David VosbikianJul 24, 2002 09:231415
Democrats vs fundamentalists vs militants in Iran? [260 words]Adam BurczykJul 23, 2002 21:021409
Deluded [200 words]EklektosJul 23, 2002 20:211408
We still have a long journey ahead [102 words]HabibJul 23, 2002 18:541406
What the Free World can do to fight Militant Islam [82 words]N. KhanJul 23, 2002 17:491404
Refreshing look at Iran's evolution [83 words]Debbie Wallis LandauJul 23, 2002 16:331402
What about the other Islamic tyrannies? [226 words]LB DeyoJul 23, 2002 13:191399
Where's Bani-Sadr when they need him? [63 words]Gilbert SchwartzJul 23, 2002 13:181398
Prejudice vs. Truth [160 words]Radwan Abu-IssaJul 23, 2002 13:001396
As Iran Goes, So Goes Militant Islam [322 words]ChrisJul 23, 2002 12:481395
Iran's aid to the Palestinians [157 words]Lila B. ReismanJul 23, 2002 11:471394
IRAN Has Nowhere To Hide [80 words]Glenn KlotzJul 23, 2002 11:381393
Is It 1989 All Over Again? [116 words]PeterJul 23, 2002 11:071392
Aha! [120 words]P KrenkelJul 23, 2002 09:261391
Dare to Hope? [92 words]Margery FeinsteinJul 23, 2002 08:431390
Democracy and Islam [253 words]WalterJul 23, 2002 07:271389

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