It could be worse
Reader comment on item: The End of American Jewry's Golden Era

Submitted by Kenneth Besig (Israel), Apr 27, 2004 at 06:46

I would begin my comments by pointing out a rather interesting fact that over the past twelve months, far fewer Israelis have been murdered by Islamic/Arab terrorists than the number of Saudi Arabians who have been killed by Islamic/Arab terrorists.

Indeed, since the Kingdom of Saud is pretty circumspect regarding bad publicity like this, the chances are that the numbers of Saudis dying at the hands of Islamic/Arab terrorists is two or three times what the official figures speak of. I suggest that this fact supports and reinforces the comments made by Mr. Pipes regarding the possible confrontation between the American Jewish Community and it's extremist Islamic/Arab American counterpart. While the American experience and the Saudi reality cannot be considered directly comparable, one of course is a democracy with legal checks and balances and the other a brutal dictatorship which routinely denies it's citizens any sort of legitimate legal recourse, there are certain similarities in their reactions to terrorism. Plainly both countries were taken by surprise by the intensity of the hatred these terrorists have towards them. They were also taken aback by the sophistication and cunning that their terrorist opposition employs.

However both countries have made a strategic decision, much like Israel, that these terrorists are no longer simply criminals, they are that too, but their terrorist actions are really a war as well, and must be addressed as such. The American Jewish Community has good reason from long years of experience to believe that the American government will act to protect them and promote their interests as Americans while carrying on the fight against Islamic/Arab terrorism. The Americans, the Saudis, in fact the entire international community is now fully cognizant of the dangers posed to them by Islamic/Arab terrorism and thus they are now in a position to successfully confront these killers. There will still be terrorist outrages and successes, and yet slowly but surely the war is being brought to the terrorists on their own ground, and I believe that the West will emerge victorious.

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