Some rather stunning Contradictions?

Submitted by Ron Thompson (United States), Dec 22, 2012 at 14:26

Starting with the title, which is certainly a statement of hope rather than fact, I must respectfully disagree with Dr. Pipes uncharacteristically optimistic conclusions, my dissent based on some surprising contradictions in the article.

It's difficult to see how "a unique barrage of threats facing the Jewish State" which "no country … perhaps in all history" has faced (I agree), should reasonably be expecting to peace with its murderous neighbors anytime soon. It also seems oddly misplaced to compare the potential death of Israel with the possible extinction of other political entities in the Middle East, none of whose entire populations would face physical extermination if their States suffered conquest, as the Jewish population certainly would.

Yes, Israelis have shown a "historically unprecedented (some would argue suicidal) willingness to compromise". But how does this square with the later (accurate) statement that "the Oslo process of 1993-2000 (and ever since) showed that compromise is not, in fact, a solution"? I agree with Pipes' immediately following sentence that "as in most conflicts, the end of conflict requires someone to lose and someone to win."

But, curiously, these two clear-eyed statements were preceded by several paragraphs and thoughts entirely contradictory to them. Such as "no state of hostilities goes on forever". Well, 1400 years (and counting) may not be "forever", but it's a pretty good span of time, and throughout this era the world of Islam has been at war with all its neighbors (and within itself). Misleadingly the Arab lands of Islam may have looked somewhat peaceful for the last couple of centuries before the mid-1900's due to Turkish Ottoman oppression of the Arab peoples even as the Ottoman empire itself entered its long decline as it was outpaced in every way by Europe, but this was only a 'peace' of exhaustion, while the mindset of imperialist Islam simmered and smoldered underneath.

Similarly, what grounds are there for saying that "Palestinians will realize that blind devotion to extremist and rigid ideologies leads to a dead-end"?? Don't the latest polls show an increasing allegiance among Palestinians to "resistance", that curious word which, properly decoded, means "resistance to any other result than the extermination of Israel and Jews from every inch of Palestine."

I'm sorry, but these and similar sentiments by Dr Pipes seem to show a kind of 'irrational rationalism', that is, what an intelligent, rational person would think about and hope for the eventual outcome of this dispute, but which seem very misplaced with regard to the overwhelmingly dominant Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic mindset.

Here's a suggestion for what might actually lead to the sensible goal of one side winning, as stated at the end of Dr Pipes piece, and in quite a few earlier articles. That is, and I know this will be shocking, and even taboo, but perhaps the goal should be, and maybe will have to be, the defeat of Islam.

By this, I do not mean the defeat of all the Muslim people, but of that ideology which turns otherwise ordinary people into intolerant, indiscriminately murderous fanatics.

It has been a thing of wonder to me that for years, and increasing in tempo, we hear from the clerics and spokesmen of Islam, official and self-appointed (as bin Laden was), 'Death to Israel', 'Death to the United States', 'Death to all things Western', 'Death to all infidels'.

And the remarkable response from all Respectable Opinion is ……… silence.

Just once I would like to hear some Head of state, or some respected opinion leader say, "could it be that our opponent in the combat with political terror is Islam itself, an ideology which drives its adherents crazy, and whose religious tenets are inseparable from an agenda of political, military and cultural supremacism?"

Just once I'd like to hear someone say in public to the women of Islam, "do you want to be forever slaves to men, or do you ever want to become free human beings of equal worth and dignity with them?"

Could we, as civilized people, at least have a DEBATE and DISCUSSION whether these, or many other similar statements and questions statement might be true and politically necessary to say?

When we have that debate, then I will believe that Israel, and oh, by the way, the United States, Europe, and the rest of the planet may be on the road to a lasting peace.

Ron Thompson

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