ISIS, Al-Nusra and Western Civilization

Submitted by Michael S (United States), May 2, 2016 at 14:06

Hi, Charles

I'm not sure about the broad philosophical aspects of all this; but I believe you're right about Islamist extremism continuing even after the (unlikely, in my opinion) soon demise of ISIS. To whit,

"Matthew Henman, head of IHS Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre, said... that the Nusra Front has transformed itself into one of the world's most dangerous terrorist organizations. The British researchers predicted that it will eventually replace ISIS as the most dangerous Islamic terrorist organization in the world."

-- http://debka.com/newsupdatepopup/16150/IHS-Jane-s-2-150-people-killed-by-ISIS-in-first-three-months-of-2016

Al-Nusra is listed as a terrorist group by Iran, Turkey, the UAE and Saudi Arabia (former regime); but the new Saudi regime probably covertly supports them -- as does Qatar more openly. There is also a free flow of men, money and materiel between Al-Nusra and other so-called "moderate" militias that are supported by the US and others. Only Russia, Syria, Iran and Hizbullah have given them serious opposition.

cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Nusra_Front

You went on to say,

"...we seem to have forgotten what makes Western, pluralistic, secular, democratic society superior to all other forms of governance."

I see that you have used three words to describe Western society, perhaps making it seem as though we are a sturdy, three-legged milking stool. In reality, we weren't derived from any "pluralistic", "secular" or "democratic" founding event or culture. Our mother culture was sixteenth-century Tudor England, a bubbling cauldron of egotistic, bloody monarchies and religious extremists; and from kindred cauldrons in Thirty-Years-War Germany and the "Divine Right" French monarch. Our "secularism" consists of dogmatic atheists trying to surreptitiously oust Christianity and Judaism, "Muslim Brotherhood"-style, to impose a dictatorship of their own. "Democracy" has been bought and sold lately; with fewer and fewer people feeling their voice is actually being heard. As for "pluralism", I suppose that means opening the floodgates to Mexican drug lords, Islamic "refugees" and the like. We haven't derived our culture from some sort of "pluralistic" root, some "United Pluralistic Mother Country". Instead, we derived from a tryrannical system that we didn't like very much, and opened the doors to others. Ultimately, "pluralism" means being overwhelmed by the world around us, and disappearing as a distinct people.

Ultimately, Western Civilization derives from two roots: (1) the secular (actually polytheistic) Roman Empire, and (2) Torah. The history of Western Civilization is a dynamic tension between the two. In the end, we can choose the Pagan route, and suffer the same fate as the old Roman Empire suffered, or we can choose to follow Torah -- either as Jews or as Christians or as something else. While we halt between these two opinions (as in the days of Ahab and Elijah), the Muslims are waiting in the wings to devour our flesh and leave us with the bleached bones of Torah -- which is to say, with Islam. I don't guarantee them any sort of success in this; this is just the way I see things at the moment.

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