by
Frank Salvato
A friend of mine said recently, “We shouldn’t even
be there. Let them kill each other. I mean, that would solve the problem.
Right?” I thought about that statement as I read the news coming out of
the Gaza Strip. As Hamas and al-Fatah literally battle to the death for
supremacy in their region, it is crucial that we take the time – right now
– to understand what it is they’re fighting about. The truth is our lives
depend on it.
To look at the situations in Iraq and Gaza as
separate conflicts is to view them in a naïve and overly simplistic way.
True, the battles taking place in Gaza are more akin to a civil war, if in
fact a civil war can take place without a recognized country to govern.
And the battles taking place in Iraq are almost completely instigated at
the hands of al Qaeda terrorists hell-bent on creating chaos with violence
while destroying any chance of democracy in that nation. But what the less
visionary among us are deficient in understanding and neglectful or
deceitful in not addressing is the reason they are fighting, their goal,
their end-game.
Many anti-war activists and members of the
American Fifth Column insist that the reason radical Islamist terrorists –
insurgents or militants as they like to call them – have taken to jihad
against the United States and the West is because of the encroachment of
our culture into the 7th Century Middle Eastern culture in which they
exist. They point to
Osama bin Laden’s 1996 fatwa against the
US and the West citing the presence of Western military personnel and
installations as the catalyst for al Qaeda’s Islamofascist aggression.
While these points may very well be the
justification used by the cadre of terrorist organizations originating
throughout the Middle East for attacks against the West, it doesn’t
explain their propensity for Arab on Arab, Muslim on Muslim violence. It
doesn’t explain the original catalyst for the conflict between Sunni and
Shi’ite Muslims and it certainly doesn’t address the Islamofascists’
goals.
The specifics surrounding the original cause for
conflict between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims
are disputed by both camps. But both factions concede that it stems from a
disagreement over the direct succession to Mohammed, to the Caliph. This
subject requires more space than can be afforded here. What can be
addressed here is the “end-game.”
That Islamofascist aggression advanced through
the use of terrorism is taking place around the world against members of
every faith other than Islam is a testimony to the fact that
radical fundamentalist Islamists are engaged in an intentional conflict of
global conquest. Terrorist attacks in the name of Islam have taken place
in Israel, Iraq, Lebanon, Spain, Britain, Indonesia, Thailand, the
Philippines, Somalia, Algeria, Sudan, South America and the United States
– to cite a short list – against, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and
even conformist and non-fundamentalist Islamists.
When one examines the facts and logistics of
Islamofascist aggression – both in history and modern times – it is hard
to argue that the basis for this aggression is Western influence on the
Islamic culture. If this were the sole reason for Islamofascist aggression
there would be no excuse for attacks in the name of Islam on the Hindus or
Buddhists or in any nation that doesn’t embrace Western values such as
Thailand, Somalia or most of Indonesia. Yet, the slaughter of innocents in
the name of Islam does take place against these people and in these
non-Westernized regions.
By acknowledging these facts – and they are
indisputable – we can dismiss the argument that the US and the West have
brought the wrath of Islamofascism upon ourselves, which is the basis for
the argument used by the anti-war movement, the American Fifth Column and
disingenuous and opportunistic politicians.
What, then, is the catalyst for Islamofascist
aggression and what could be so powerful as to produce legions of suicide
bombers and those willing to die, without reservation, for their cause?
While the many elements of this subject are
complex, together they indicate an overall agenda that is not.
In almost every declaration and action of the
Islamofascist, from Osama bin Laden to Hassan Nasrallah, Ayman al Zawahri
to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the goal is the same: the successful establishment
of a global Islamic state – or Caliphate – ruled under Sharia Law. This
notion is not a supposition on my part. Rather, it is an accurate
observation, based on understanding and acknowledging the actions taken
and the words used by each of these fascist leaders (note the correct
usage of the word
fascist).
In his
1996 fatwa, Osama bin Laden proclaimed:
“. . .O you horses (soldiers) of Allah ride and
march on. This is the time of hardship so be tough. And know that your
gathering and co-operation in order to liberate the sanctities of Islam is
the right step toward unifying the word of the Ummah under the banner of
‘No God but Allah’. . .Our Lord, shatter their gathering, divide them
among themselves, shaken the earth under their feet and give us control
over them. . .”
It should be noted that to bin Laden, the
Ummah is considered a figurative nation comprised of all Muslims and
all Islamic nations.
In
2000 bin Laden declared:
“. . .Afghanistan is the only country in the
world that has the Shari'ah. Therefore, it is compulsory upon Muslims all
over the world to help Afghanistan. And to make hijra to this land,
because it is from this land that we will dispatch our armies to smash all
kuffar all over the world.”
In October of 2005, during
his address to the United Nations,
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said:
“From the beginning of time, humanity has longed
for the day when justice, peace, equality and compassion envelop the
world.”
And in a
speech to Friday prayer leaders he said:
“Our revolution’s main mission is to pave the way
for the reappearance of the 12th Imam, the Mahdi.”
It should be noted here that Ahmadinejad believes
– as do most Shi’ites – that
the 12th Imam (or Muhammad al-Mahdi),
according to their interpretation of the Quran, will bring “peace and
justice on earth” by establishing Islam throughout the world. This
equivalent of the “second coming” would take place when the world has
fallen into chaos and civil war emerges between the human race for no
reason.
If we are to take the leaders of the
Islamofascist movement at their word – and the leaders of the United
States and the West have been delinquent in accepting the declarations of
fascists in the past, so much so that world war has ensued – we can only
surmise that the battles taking place between Sunni and Shi’ite factions
in Iraq, Gaza and elsewhere in the world are for dominance in what they
perceive as an inevitable global Islamic Caliphate.
It is crucial that the United States government –
and all the governments of the West – dispense with the political
infighting that currently holds hostage national unity and the collective
will, so we can defend ourselves from the inevitable full-scale
confrontation with an emboldened and strengthening Islamofascist movement.
The first step to achieving this unity is an
honest, comprehensive understanding of the enemy.
The education to achieve that end must begin immediately.
Make no mistake. We are essentially re-visiting
the ominous days of 1938. It took everything that the freedom loving
people of the world could muster to vanquish evil then. This time we may
not be so lucky. This time the forces of evil will have nuclear
capability.
Related Reading:
Osama bin Laden’s 1996 Fatwa
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/terrorism/international/fatwa_
1996.html
The Summary of the Sunni-Shi’ite Conflict
http://www.basicsproject.org/terrorism/history.htm#Sunni-Shiite_Conflict
Fascist: Merriam-Webster
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/fascist
"The Pious Caliphate Will
Start From Afghanistan": Is al-Qaeda's Long-Held Afghan Strategy Now
Unfolding?
http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=
2369732
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Speech to the UN
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2005/iran-050918-irna02.htm
Understanding Ahmadinejad: ThreatsWatch
http://analysis.threatswatch.org/2005/11/understanding-ahmadinejad/
The 12th Imam: Reappearance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12th_Imam#Reappearance
Basics Project: Terrorism
http://www.basicsproject.org/terrorism/terrorism.htm
Frank Salvato is the managing editor for
The New Media Journal. He serves at the Executive
Director of the
Basics Project, a non-profit, non-partisan, 501(C)(3)
research and education initiative. His organization, Basics Project, is
partnered in producing the first-ever national symposium series on the
threat of radical Islamist terrorism. His pieces have been recognized by
the House International Relations Committee and the Japan Center for
Conflict. His pieces are regularly featured in over 100 publications both
nationally and internationally. He has appeared on The O’Reilly Factor. He
hosts NMJ Radio airing on BlogTalkRadio and heard around the world on
NetTalkWorld global talk radio. He is a regular guest on The Right Balance
with Greg Allen on the Accent Radio Network and The Captain’s America on
the World Internet Radio Network, heard in Camp Victory, Iraq, as well as
numerous radio shows coast to coast. Mr. Salvato is available for public
speaking engagements. He can be contacted at
newmediajournal@comcast.net.
New Media Alliance
Television
The opinions expressed in
this column represent those of the author and do not necessarily reflect
the opinions, views, or philosophy of TheRealityCheck.org
