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The Islamic State: Obama follows Ws lead

by Frank Kafmann! Se"tember 1#! $%1&
'ew (ork ) There is a residal anti)*+hristian West,
dimension to the -.slim* narrati/e in many "arts of the
world! inclding among a great many .slims en0oying
the -freedoms* and social benefits garanteed residents in
Western -democratic* lands1
.any arge that the elemental roots of this -againstness*
are endemic! wo/en into the /ery fiber of the religion
itself1 Many brilliant writers de/ote the fll force
of their genis to establishing this line of reasoning1 I
belie/e it wold be wise for .slims engage this debate
and make the case otherwise1
2t there is mch on the other hand to sggest that these
anti*+hristian West* im"lses are 3ite nrelated to Islam!
and are tied rather to geo"olitical history both recent and ancient1 This /iew recommends that anti)*+hristian West*
im"lses fond in -.slim* sector narrati/es are not religios at all! bt rather "lain old seclar! economic! military!
geo"olitical greed! betrayal! o""ression! and abse dri/en rage that gets dra"ed in a sick and demented "er/ersion of the
religios genis that calls "on "eo"le to be com"assionate! re"entfl! and mercifl1
4 -side)by)side* "rism for analysis can hel"1 For e5am"le! I am a .slim! 4'6 47SO I ha""en to resent what I "ercei/e to
be the arrogance and militarism of the -+hristian West* in my lands for as long as I can remember1 Or I am a +hristian!
4'6 47SO I hate it when "eo"le blow " mothers sho""ing for dia"ers claiming to do so in the name of 4llah1 This -side
by side* herism is not a call for com"artmentali8ed! schi8o"hrenic mind games1 The 4'6 47SO shold integrate these
twinned identities and commitments1 I hate bombing mothers! 29+4:S9 I am +hristian1 I hate -the W9ST* meddling in
my lands 29+4:S9 I am .slim1
It is 4S +hristians! and 4S .slims that we end " with "oints of /iew that tem"t s away from the most elegant and
"eacefl "arts of or own religions teachings1 That is normal1 2t sddenly conflict becomes se/ere! and we find orsel/es
standing in the same room with "eo"le whose e5tremism! militancy and rabid ways of being in the world are not or own1
In fact they are a horror! a shame! and an embarrassment1 There are "lenty of otherwise "leasant 4merican -+hristians* with
mild! dis"leased generali8ed emotions against -all .slims1* 2t wold they stand "rod "on hearing -Oh I see! yo hold
the /iews of the Westboro 2a"tist +hrch*; 7ikewise the world is fll of .slims with mild! dis"leased generali8ed
emotions against the entire -West1* 2t again do these "eo"le nod ha""ily "on hearing! -Oh I see! yo hold the same /iews
as al)<aeda1*
We try to li/e with and sort ot or natral rage and the intensity of emotions as or "eo"le are /iolated and slain1 We try to
blend "ro"er degrees of righteosness! defense of -or own!* and defense for the weak and hel"less! with a longing for
"eace! for ideals co)"ros"erity! and for rights and dignity for all1 These efforts combine "olitical otlooks to create o"inion
and e/entally "olicy1 4t this moment we ha/e ended " with a :S President in error1
It is tragic indeed that President Obama has chosen to strt! chest ot in com"lete lock ste" with his own fa/orite straw man!
President 2sh 0nior1 The rhetoric and now the "olicy arising ot of the Obama)+ameron weakness and im"atience has
reslted in "olicy that re"eats "recisely the original Ira3 in/asion mistake1
The key to recogni8ing this lies in gras"ing how the im"act of the IS resembles in all ways the im"act of the =)11 attack on
'ew (ork and Washington! 61+1
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The Islamic State: Obama follows Ws lead
by Frank Kafmann! Se"tember 1#! $%1&
9/ery so often! the embodiment of widely held! resentment! hatred! and discontent reaches sch e5treme and abhorrent
manifestations that the soft narrati/e of conflict and resentment can no longer hold1 >ardened di/isions melt! and the chance
for solidarity arises1 Sch was the case when the :S was bombed on Se"tember 11! $%%11
Prior to that attack! -hating* 4merica was de riger1 4ll "o/erty and sffering in the world! es"ecially all "o/erty and
sffering in the .iddle 9ast was 4mericas falt1 In 0st the same way that the gy s"eeding by in his ?agar is -a bastard1*
This foolish way of seeing things is bilt sadly into a certain "art of hman natre1 'o amont of reasoning can hel" a fool
see otherwise1 2t e/ery so often something ha""ens to crack the hardened! inherited! self)debilitating resentments1 The gy
in the ?agars 11 year old son drowns trying to sa/e his little friend at cam"1 Sddenly hes not -a bastard* anymore! no
matter what kind of car he dri/es1
That is 0st what ha""ened in the weeks and months following =)111 There was an nimaginably golden moment for the
-+hristian West* and -the .slim world* to forge a dee" bond and solidarity! transcending the resentments that arise from
or tragic history1 9/eryone lo/ed 4merica and 4mericans in this moment1 .slims es"ecially were an5ios to be hel"fl
to 4merica becase the "er"etrators of =)11 sed the name of Islam in their heinos /iolence1 In short the anti)*+hristian*
West narrati/e had sddenly become too gly1 It had gone too far1 2t instead of sei8ing this "recios historical moment!
President W @or whoe/er are the athors of constant warA in/aded Ira3 and set in motion the era of 4mericas most
"reci"itos moral decline! followed by grotes3e and far)reaching global instability1
These -Islamic State* moments and theater of "re and /ile barbarism gi/e s in all ways the same o""ortnity as was
offered and "rom"tly blown by President W1 The anti -West* narrati/e likewise has become too gly! it has gone too far1
The need to reclaim and clearly define Islams "eace is far more "ressing in "ractically e/ery 3arter than the need to hate
-the West1* The e/il of the IS is creating a chance for solidarity 0st as the =)11 tragedy had1
The "roblem "osed by the IS is far more "rofond for Syria! Ira3 and the srronding nations of the region1 The /ast array
of -Islams* in the /icinity! from Trkey to Krdistan! from Syria to Ira3 to Iran all ha/e a des"erate stake in denying the IS
any claim to Islam! and any endring hold1
Why then is it for Obamas 4merica and +amerons 9ngland to charge in like (osemite Sam and -sa/e the day* by adding
war! destrction! and killing in the region; The IS already is the target for a slew of armies and resistance forces1 George
Friedman of Stratfor fond the "erfect trn of "hrase to describe 4mericas military hel"lessness! -The :nited
States cannot win the game of small mosaic tiles that is emerging in Syria and Ira31 4n 4merican inter/ention at this
microsco"ic le/el can only fail1*
4merica @and 9nglandA has e/ery right to be acti/e in efforts to destroy the IS1 4s Freedman says! -There is no reason not to
bomb the Islamic StateBs forces and leaders1 They certainly deser/e it1* 2t can we not learn from a mistake so clear! so
destrcti/e! and so recent at least once ; The rhetoric and now "olicy of President Obama @together with the same re"lsi/e
chest)thm"ing from the :KA "erfectly re"eats the "rofondly disr"ti/e and destrcti/e errors of President W when he had
then lost the worlds sym"athies "ost =)111 Sholdnt we think for a moment e/ery now and then! and occasionally "ass "
on the chance to be dead wrong once in a while;