LEADER TIMES WEEKEND RELIGION ARTICLE FOR
November 24, 2012 by William H. Scarle, Jr. 813-835-0129
The situation in the Middle East and in Israel in particular changes so quickly that it is almost imperative when saying anything to give a date for the statement. I am writing this on Monday, November 18. The facts will surely be somewhat different when you read this.
This is a religious column and I write with the understanding that the conflict in the Middle East is religious. It is not merely religious since Islam is an ideology that wraps religion, culture, and politics into a single bundle. Mohammed would never have said, as Jesus did, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Judeans. But, now my kingdom is from another place (Jn. 19:36).” Mohammed was a Bedouin bandit who built his following from Medina by raiding caravans and eventually defeated the city of Mecca from which his followers moved out to conquer the Middle East, North Africa and the world until they were stopped by a more powerful force.
The attacks on Israel that are taking place as I write are being carried on by Hamas, which is the expression of the Moslem Brotherhood in Gaza. This year Hamas has fired 1602 rockets into Israel at civilian targets with no regard for the lives of school children or people going about their normal lives. As of today in November the number of rockets and missiles fired is 1023. This will certainly have increased by the time you read this. There has not been a year since 2006 when rocket fire has not targeted Israel from Gaza.
The goals of the Moslem Brotherhood have always been clear. They want a Sharia state ruled by a caliphate, as was the Ottoman Empire, which encompasses the Middle East and eventually the entire world. It wants Israel destroyed and forgotten. It wants women demoted to the status of property and all other religions either subordinated to non-citizen status or eliminated. Sharia law is Islamic law. It is in effect in Saudi Arabia where al-Qaida was born.
The Moslem Brotherhood has recently taken over the government of Egypt. This means that the war against Israel is being waged by those who have an ideological link to Egypt. The difference between the Brotherhood and other sectors of Islamic jihad is that the Brotherhood has always been patient, working through the avenues available to them to maneuver their way into power rather than create unnecessary opposition.
Can you imagine a situation where 1600 rockets were fired into Texan from Mexico in a single month and the Mexican government telling the world community that the United States has no right to retaliate because Texas once belonged to Mexico and has no legitimate right to exist? I could expand the illustration but hesitate to do so because I would not want to cast any aspersions on Mexico. Israel has Gaza and Hamas. I’m sure they would be delighted to have Mexico on their southern border.
The situation is developing. However, we need to keep in mind that the Moslem Brotherhood is essentially a religious ideology, and in this case tolerance is no answer.
(Bill Scarle can be contacted at ravscarle@verizon.net).