Patience will not work -- Saddamism is the norm
Reader comment on item: Pipes calls war a success

Submitted by Robert D. Klimek (United States), Apr 3, 2006 at 12:01

Daniel Pipes wrote: "We have to be very cautious about pushing a process before the people of the area are really quite ready for it -- until they've gone beyond what I call the "totalitarian temptation," so that they have a more balanced, moderate view of the world than they do at this time."

Islam itself, in all its different schools, is totalitarian by definition. As long as Islam is enshrined in the Iraqi Constitution, and as long as Islamic indoctination is practiced in the madrassas and even the public schools of the region, there is absolutely no chance of anyone's forming a "balanced, moderate view of the world." Islam tolerates nothing but Islam. Every pious school child in the region is another budding Saddam Hussein.

Democracy requires more than just elections. It requires a populace that takes responsibility for its own welfare, that tolerates cultural and religious differences, that respects compromise for the common good, and that respects the airing of contrary views. Islam forbids all of these things. Indeed, Islam promotes insulation from other cultures and (especially) religions, a perpetual culture of wounded victimhood, aggressive persecution of minoities, and death for contrary thinkers.

Totalitarian dictators, like Saddam, most often maintain their grip on power by deflecting blame for local problems onto foreigners and foreign cultures. The Islamic world view of perpetual victimhood plays perfectly into this scheme of dictatorial dominance. And the Islamic fatalism and habits of submission drilled into every Muslim brain creates a population ready and willing to be so dominated.

I believe that the "long run" is not a friend to Mr. Pipes' hopes and expectations for the region. Rather, in the long run, democracy is destined to fail in the face of the immutable Islamic totalitarian mindset.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.