Israel Hayom
07 September '11
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=445
The recent monstrous slaughter of 80 Norwegians by the demented neo-Nazi psychopath Anders Breivik is being exploited by the far-Left and Muslim groups to suppress legitimate condemnation or designation of extremist Islamic behavior as evil, even accusing critics of inciting mass murder.
But this is hardly a new phenomenon. Can you recollect having recently engaged in a serious discussion in which the word evil was mentioned? Unlikely, because employing such a term today would be considered politically incorrect and likely to lead to accusations of bias or bigotry. During World War II, defining Nazis as evil was never in dispute. This does not imply that the Allies were perfect. The Versailles settlement was unjust. Mistakes were made and there were undoubtedly degenerates in our ranks who committed crimes. And we were certainly conscious of the moral shortcomings of our Soviet allies.
But we unequivocally recognized that the Nazis represented evil incarnate and we were willing to stake our lives in the battle against the forces of darkness which sought to undermine freedom and civilization.
Over the past half century, as post-modernism enveloped the new Europe, conflicts became increasingly viewed from the perspective of moral equivalency. Today, it is considered bigoted to define religious or nationalist crimes as evil.
This change in outlook was linked to the erosion of Judeo-Christian values, which, while admittedly more frequently breached than implemented, did in the past at least provide a moral framework in which to distinguish between right and wrong.
It is no coincidence that Christianity in Europe has declined dramatically, with more Muslims praying at mosques in the U.K. than Anglicans attending churches. Christian beliefs have been replaced by secularism and some churches have themselves adopted post-modernist concepts.
In contrast, in the U.S., where religion continues to occupy a dominant role, morality remains relevant and politicians are obliged to frame their policies in a manner perceived to be ethical. In this climate, many liberals have abdicated from the battle against the new totalitarian threat. They fail to acknowledge that the radical elements dominating the Muslim world today represent no less a threat to western civilization than the Nazis in the 1930s. Even Anti-Defamation League chief Abe Foxman accuses those who regard Islam as an existential threat to the West of promoting “hysteria” and “ideological Islamophobia”.
The threat posed by radical Islam is probably best understood by posing a few questions: Do Islamic leaders and activists promote moderation or do they, at best, stand aside and avoid condemning the jihadists? Do most share the goal of imposing Shariah law throughout the world? Endorse freedom of worship? Protest against the violence and murder directed at critics of their prophet or Islam? Seek to curb the violent passions which incite hatred and extremism in their mosques, media outlets and schools?
It may not be politically correct to say, but the sad reality is that aside from a minority of courageous moderate Muslims -- primarily living in non-Muslim communities -- the majority, at best, remain passive in relation to outrages committed by Islamic extremists.
Indeed, it is indisputable that Muslim Arabs overwhelmingly subscribe to the naked evil radiating from the venomous genocidal statements of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hezbollah and Hamas, which leave nothing to the imagination. The ruling elites in today’s Islamic Arab world are also unlikely to provide acceptable responses to such questions. And, alas, the utterly misnamed “Arab Spring” has merely resulted in a surge of extremist Islamic fundamentalist power in the region.
It is not only Palestinian adherents to the Hamas Charter who unashamedly endorse the murder of Jews and boast that they will never forgo the goal of destroying the Jewish state. The Palestinian Authority is more circumspect in statements designed for Western consumption. But the recent Palestinian Center for Public Opinion poll demonstrated that the vast majority of Palestinians remain committed to our destruction. Eighty percent responded that it was the duty of Muslims to participate in jihad to eradicate Israel, and 73% endorsed the Hamas Charter quoting from the Hadith, a call from the Prophet Mohammed to kill all Jews. Their media glorifies mothers of suicide bombers honoring children who murder Israeli civilians in order to gain entry to paradise. These “martyrs” are sanctified by all Palestinian Authority state instrumentalities, the mosques, the media and the educational system.
We should be highlighting the contrasting societal responses to evil acts from terrorists in democratic countries and Islamic fundamentalist regimes. Critics of Islam in Western countries do not hold street parties and hand out sweets to children to celebrate the death of innocent Muslims killed in the war against terror. Nor do they erect statues or name football teams to commemorate the perpetrators of such actions. But in the wake of the carnage following every successful suicide bombing attack on Israeli civilians, that is precisely what happens in the Palestinian street. Yet those condemning societies which behave in such a barbaric and evil manner are frequently accused of Islamophobia and racism.
It is rational, not “racist,” to deem such behavior evil. Prior to Nazi indoctrination, Germany was considered the most cultured European nation. Since the defeat of Hitler and the implementation of a normal educational curriculum, the evil instilled by the Nazis has been neutralized and Germans have reverted to a decent nation.
The Palestinians are considered the most talented of all Arabs. Provide them with humanitarian leaders and an enlightened education to replace the hatred and culture of death with which their youngsters are being brainwashed and Palestinians and Israelis could jointly create a magnificent region of peaceful coexistence and creativity. But, for now, that is a distant dream.
Our failure to proclaim that there is still no credible Palestinian peace partner contributes to the global climate of opinion in which our adversaries relegate us to pariah status. Even acclaimed Israeli writer Amos Oz trivializes the moral aspect to the conflict, warning of a “violent uncompromising self-righteousness … the curse of our generation.” He denies that the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation is a clash between right and wrong, insisting that it is rather “a tragic clash between right and right … and often a clash between wrong and wrong.”
Instead of exposing the criminality and evil of the Palestinian regimes, we bury our heads in the sand pleading for a renewal of ritual negotiations with those committed to our demise, which invariably culminate with “we give and they take,” and which the Palestinians exploit in order to dismember us in stages.
The time has come to behave rationally, evaluate the evidence, exercise moral judgment and act accordingly. Fleeing from reality and submerging ourselves in a delusional Alice in Wonderland environment is highly tempting. But it may incur a heavy price from our children, who will ultimately be obliged to confront the existential threat emanating from the evil surrounding them.
ileibler@netvision.net.il
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