Import jQuery

And in this corner, the Party of Allah

Regarding the month-old war between the state of Israel and the Hizballah (Arabic for "Party of Allah") militant group, there's a lot of confusion in the West.

First, let's not fool ourselves. This is absolutely a war about religion. Hizballah is fighting in the name of their god, Allah. Israel is asserting its right to exist, basing that assertion on the fact it's been the only Jewish homeland for some 3000 years, in addition to it being home to Jerusalem, Judaism's holiest city.

A good, pro-peace world

In modern times, it's trendy to be anti-war, especially anti-religious war. Hey, peace is good, right? So war, then, is wrong. A very black-and-white view of things. And religion, to some, is nothing but a cause of wars.

Add to this the great humanitarian world and politically correct everything, and war immediately becomes this terrible bane of humanity: civilians get killed, things get destroyed. We devolve ourselves by giving into our animalistic, violent tendancies.

And wouldn't you know it, those things are generally true. War is bad.

An exception to the rule

There is one caveat, one thing the world at large often fails to see in its shortsighted black-and-white take on war: war against evil. War against evil is a predicament for peace lovers. We peace lovers are torn between not killing anyone (humanitarianism and all that, that war itself is evil, etc.) and the fact that we will be overrun by evils greater than war, if no action taken.

"Wars of defense are OK!", yells some shortsighted peace lover. While that would work in some cases, often times inaction in the face of evil is, by itself, a great evil. Imagine the United States doing nothing during Nazi Germany's terrible aggression in Europe, or the United Nations doing nothing to stop the genocide going on in Africa. Inaction can be immoral, too.

After being provoked by the Hizballah militant group, the state of Israel went on the offensive. They now are occupying a good portion of southern Lebanon, where Hizballah used to fire rockets down into northern Israel. Hizballah supporters will be quick to point out: many hundreds of Lebanese civilians have been killed during this Israeli offensive.

Buildings were destroyed, roads, bridges, and infrastructure all taken out, yes, but most of all the civilians. The bleeding heart world looks at the civilians casualties. The death of the hundreds of civilians, that is priority #1 for the world. And rightfully so, human life is precious and ought to be considered above all else.

Looking at civilian losses only?

Looking at human life here, civilians in particular, it's no wonder there are some in the world that wonder what the hell Israel is doing. All that loss of civilian life, dear Lord what is going on?! That can't be right to kill so many people. When looked at from this perspective, Israel is the evil one, and Hizballah is merely a freedom fighter group.

But are we so shortsighted to look at losses only? Is there no look at the reasoning behind the war? No look at the motives between the sides? Is our spectrum so limited that civilian losses is the sole arbiter of who's right and who's wrong? After all, if it were, Nazi Germany would easily have been the "good guy" in WW2, given that far more of Nazi Germany's civilians died than any other nation's civilians; especially the huge Allied bombings of German cities that had, on some cities, dropped nearly 1 bomb for ever 2 German civilians.

But in the end, those bombings were justified. Despite the horrible loss of life--civilian life--, the world looks back fondly of the Allies who fought off Nazi Germany and its heralded anti-Semitism. Why have such bombings been justified? The massive losses of life, why has history given them the OK? The answer, in retrospect, is simple and obvious: Nazi Germany was evil. It was so evil, in fact, that it was far better to kill their civilians and bring about the end the war, than to let Nazi Germany be. The goal was simply to destroy everything Nazi in order to bring about a lasting peace, where we wouldn't have to worry about Nazi Germany anymore.

Israel's situation

The situation in Israel is similar, but fortunately on a smaller scale. Israel has an opponent that is clearly evil. Anyone denying the evil nature of Hizballah's ideologies--which includes the genocide of all Jews in Israel, all in the name of Allah--is blinded by some zealotry, probably religious. We have a clearly evil war group in Hizballah. And the other side, Israel, is so convinced of their opponent's evil nature, they have a plain, straightforward goal: destroy everything Hizballah.

To put it plainly on the table for you, Israel's war against Hizballah is a war against pure evil. Pure evil. Evil on par with Nazi Germany; in fact, Hizballah's position on the Jewish people is quite similar to that of Nazi's Germany's: both are anti-Jewish, both are inspired by a belief that their identity gives them the authority to kill Jews, both adhere to the idea that killing Jews is a final solution for the world's problems.

If fighting an evil enemy weren't enough, Israel did something greater than even the Allies did: rather than purposefully kill civilians en masse through bombings, Israel dropped leaflets, broadcast over radio and television airwaves, did pretty much everything they could to warn Lebanese civilians to leave the areas planned for war. They did this because their goal isn't to kill Lebanese civilians, but rather, destroy the evil group that is Hizballah.

The world's faulty moral compass

Despite all this, modern world morality is so cloudy, we can't even tell right from wrong anymore; in a case so clear as Israel versus Hizballah, in the world there is only confusion. As far as I can recall, the world at large hasn't made a single good moral decision in my lifetime. It seems almost everything the UN does nowadays is influenced by morally confused European nations or zealous Islamic fundamentalists. This is the reason you see that body passing piece after piece of legislation against Israel and the United States.

Such morality is one with no real basis or guideline. The modern world generally bases its moral decisions--arbitrarily choosing the "good guy" and the "bad guy"--based on which side lost more civilians. Excuse my simpleton language, but that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Because one side has more civilian deaths than another side, we should assume the side with fewer deaths is the good guy? What a joke the moral compass of the world has degraded to. War is evil, unethical, yeah, but we've let this fact limit our ability to think through the whole situation by stopping at the act of war itself. We need to look beyond this and onto the motives and causes, only then can we say who's right and wrong, and what needs to be done.

The UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, recently condemned Israel's "disproportionate use of force". Yes, Mr. Annan, the loss of life is terrible, civilian loss of life in particular, but in the face of evil, it is better to destroy evil than to let it fester and grow, better for a lasting, longer peace. And the last time I checked, wars were won when one side applied a "disproportionate amount of force" to the other side. Let's not be so shortsighted this time; let's not let this evil fester and put down more roots than it already has. Letting evil grow by forcing temporary peace may be good for our generation--the recently announced ceasfire may hold for a few months--but for a lasting peace, one that lasts through our children's generation and beyond, evil must be overcome. Evil must lose.

16 comments:

  1. rangev, I say the Party of Allah because that is what the word Hizballah literally means in Arabic.

    I'm glad you don't support them though, and recognize their evil. Nice to see some Muslims don't stand for this crap.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What about all the civilians, women and children killed in palestine? Are they pure evil too for defending their existence? Or is it only israel's existence that's worth defending??

    You claim this land for religious reasons, so do muslims. What makes Israel right all along and muslims wrong??

    Muslims lived in this land for hundreds of years, what makes it yours not theirs??

    I don't justify any civilian killings nor kidnapping-even if it were done by who call themselves muslims-, neither do I approve Hizbollah's policies. Even the german civilians could have benn spared. Or perhaps you may tell me how many civilians were killed by Saladin when he retreived Jerusalim?? That's is how true muslims fight.

    There are many more questions without answers. Yet even though we all know the answers, we just keep twisting the facts. Or perhaps it's just a point of view. No matter what, righteousness needs power. If today is yours, wait till tomorrow.

    BTW:
    Arab muslims are also sons of Sam. So what anti-semitism do you keep talking about?!!

    A muslim, waiting for redemption.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What about the civilians killed in Palestine? Same as the civilians killed anywhere else: a tragedy that must be avoided if at all possible.

    You bring up Salah al-Din. That's a nice red herring; if only modern Islamic militants were so merciful! Instead, modern Islamic militants kidnap and murder civilians, press, military, hell, anyone they can get their hands on, by slicing their throats and distributing the gory video over the internet. All in the name of your god. Shame on them, and shame on you for pointing the finger at others while your own religion is being hijacked by extremists that openly call for the genocide of Jews in Israel. That's not godly at all, not righteous, by any person's measure of righteousness.

    That is why I say Hizballah is simple evil. They have an evil agenda and evil ideologies. They need to be defeated, if not for the world's sake, then at least for Islam's sake.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You say "modern Islamic militants kidnap and murder civilians", and I told you we DON'T endorse such actions. This has nothing to do with islam even if the people who commit these actions call themselves worriors of GOD. Yes, shame on them, but not us. You should see a difference.

    Look at the dark ages of christinity. When we in Andalus -Spain at the moment- had fountains, and paved roads, christians in all over Euorope were buying pieces of heaven from their priests. The church was killing anyone that opposes it, accusing them with blasphemy. Many more crimes committed in the name of God and christ, while both has nothing to do with any of them. These days are considered dark ages for islam where almost all our states and scientists have fallen. Islam was built on science and knowledge.

    Islamic countries DO NOT represent islam. Our leaders has other things to think of and most of them don't even rule by islam. Don't blame me for their actions.

    Niether should you blame us for terrorist groups like Alqaida or hizbolla, or whatever these idiots call themselves. They are evil indeed whatever they say about themselves. Yet evil is fighting evil. Them more America kills in our citizens in Iraq and afghanestan, them more terrorism there will be in the world, not vice versa. America is fighting terror yet by its actions terror grows. Terrorism is only a symptom of a diseased nation. Look at europe mid 70s, or the Japanese terrorist gruops in the 90s. God!! How quickly we forget.

    Terror is not islamic. It's a worldwide trade and a professions. Claiming that they fight for God is only an excuse, no more. And those who fight in Iraq or lebanon, or wherever they are, are NOT mujahedeen if they kill civilians no matter what. Perhaps that's why they don't win usually.

    And you say shame on me for pointing at you?? Heh, If you were righteous, why didn't you answer any of my questions?? Why didn't you justify Israeli actions in palestine. Or do little children "Armed to the teeth" with rocks make a threat to your precious existence.

    I encourage you to read the true Islam rather than watching some of those who claim it.

    BTW:
    1- Maybe our relegion got hijacked by idiots after 1400 years of light and knowledge. Jews worshipped the golden statue after less than a month of moses departure? BIG question mark.

    2- You didn't call me Anti-semite. Why?? I'm indeed surprised. What is your definition of anti-semitism??

    3- Hizbollah are Shitti, Not Sonna. Do you know any difference between these two major groups before you start criticising our religion?

    A Muslim, waiting for redemption.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Islamic countries DO NOT represent islam.

    My friend, I'm glad you don't endorse the beheadings, kidnappings, etc. But unfortunately, most Islamic theocracies do endorse them. And because they are the majority, they are the vocal piece, they are in the news everyday, because of these things, they do represent Islam to the rest of the world. The are the figurehead of Islam, just as the Roman Catholic Church of the Middle Ages was the figurehead of Christianity during that time.

    I'm glad to have at least one moderate Muslim here on my blog (recent blog posts have had more than 3 Muslims, all of whom either defend Hizballah, Hamas, Al Aqsa, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or would at least excuse their actions); frankly, you're in the minority. You guys who are in the minority need to take back control of your religion from the evil folks that are using your religion and your god to do evil things. It will put an eternal black-eye on your religion, just as the Crusades and the Inquisition has forever stained the face of Christianity.

    Unfortunately, people in my religion let those terrible things go on. Not everyone supported such acts, but only a minority, and the minority wasn't vocal, just as the modern Islamic minority is not vocal like the majority is.

    If you truely are in the minority and you do not agree with the 20 some Islamic theocracies and their evil ideologies, good! Blessings on you for not falling into such hatred. Then, my post--which is one Hizballah and their evil intentions--has little to do with you.

    To answer your questions:

    #1. What does that have to do with anything? Yes, Jews and Christians and Muslims all have strayed from time to time. Did you know almost all of Jewish Scripture (which is also part of Christian Scripture) is concerned with Israel rebelling against God? Almost all of the prophet-writings are concerned with this.

    But to focus on Jews or Christians is a red herring. Yes, both groups have made mistakes in the past, Christians in particular. But right now, modern day, Islam is making the big mistakes as evidenced by the wars going on in the Middle East.

    #2. Listen, I called Hizballah's ideologies anti-semitic. I should've been more specific: Hizballah's ideologies are anti-Jewish. I'm not calling every Muslim anti-Jewish, of course not. So don't take the slam on Hizballah so personal, I'm not here to condemn every Muslim.

    #3: Shitti and Sonna? I've never heard of those. Perhaps you're talking about Shi'ite and Sunni? Yeah, I know the difference. An interesting point here is that for the first time in well over a thousand years, Sunni gorups like Al Queida are actually supporting Shi'ite groups like Hizballah. Even though the two factions have been enemies for years, they are now uniting against the "greater evil" of the United States and Israel. I find that fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm glad to that you were a rational guy in your speech. Recognizing that these people represent islam only vocally may put some relieve to my frustration. I heard that crap over a thousand times. People all over the world won't even take the effort to see the difference between terrorist gruops -mostly created by america in the cold war era-, and true islam. It's just that we are so tired from how people look to muslims, forgetting what you said that every religion followers had their mistakes whatever their intentions were. Yet most people blame any muslim for everything. Did you know that the first to get hurt by violence in america after 11/9 was an arab christian?? He wasn't even a muslim for God's sake!!

    Yes, we may be a minority at the moment, but our prophet told us about these dark days. And he told us that there will be light again. We are all working for such a moment. It's easy to suggest to take control. And it's easier to ask... How?? :)

    I wasn't by the way attcking or putting focu on anyone. I'm just showing you there is nothing wrong with islam. There is a big difference between Islam itself, and what some of those who claim it do. Just like jewdism and christinity. Yes they may have a higher voice today, but who is giving them the microphones, and putting the spotlights on them?? Don't you read politics?? Ever heard about what politicians call "Moses' staff"??

    Islam is not making any mistakes. What was I talking about all the time?!! That's exactly the point. Who is making the mistakes mister?? Not islam, and if you still can't see what I'm talking about, then what a waste!!

    And don't be upset with the anti-semitism. It's just been a gum in the mouthes of many people. So boring that I get sick when I hear it. Nice again to see that you don't hate every muslim for what a bunch of people do!!

    And remember that -as you said- even your govenment makes big mistakes. Killing civilians is not to be justified no matter what. And Israel has a big role in the wars in middle east, not ust muslims. Israeli hands too are in the blood of the innocent for years. And that's a major cause of hatered between the most muslim people and anything jewish. Does this represent your religion?? Do you believe that muslims are like dogs as most people say about the jews??

    About the Shitti, or shi'ite, or whatever is the english spelling. Actually the true arabic pronunciation is "Shiaa". And again you ask about the uniting between Sunna -or sunni- and Shi'ite?? Don't you read between the lines here?? It's not about religion I told you. Even if it were, it's all wrong. I don't know about shi'ite, but the so called sunni groups sure don't represent me. I'm a sunni by the way.

    Well, It's dark ages for all of us that's for sure. And it won't go away by itself. Yet, trust me. True aware muslims -and I don't mean another group calling itself "true muslims" :) - are growing, and we won't let this to continue.

    NB.
    Shi'ite are not really muslims. They fought us years ago and still. They even say many things wrong about God himself. They believe in Mohammad -peace be upon him- in a very different way than us. You even may not call them muslims at all, no matter what they say. The "Sunni" word is derived form "Sunna". Which means "The prophet's way". We do everything just like our prophet tought us, and again not everybody claiming to be a sunni is.

    Did you know that I'm still an apprentice in islam. We study our religion for years beside any other scientific study or profession. Islam encourages knowledge far more than any one outside it would imagine. What you see on tv is "Lack of knowledge syndrome"

    May God deliver us all...

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1. Judah, I am a Muslim and as a Muslim I beleive that all humans are created equal. We are all children of the same parents (Adam and Eve), then how can one group of people claim to be morally superior to the other. This is something you Jews dont agree with. And therein lies the main problem.
    "One million Arabs are not worth a Jewish fingernail."
    ~ Rabbi Ya'acov Perin in his eulogy at the funeral of Dr. Baruch Goldstein (Cited in the New York Times, 1994-02-28)

    "Our race is the Master Race. We are divine gods on this planet. We are as different from the inferior races as they are from insects. In fact, compared to our race, other races are beasts and animals, cattle at best. Other races are considered as human excrement. Our destiny is to rule over the inferior races. Our earthly kingdom will be ruled by our leader with a rod of iron. The masses will lick our feet and serve us as our slaves."
    — Israeli Prime Minister Menechem Begin

    "Israeli lives are worth more than Palestinian ones."
    Ehud Olmert 2006-06-23

    2. The most disturbing thing is the declaration by the Jewish Rabbanical Council that in times of war, there is no such thing as innocents!!
    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3283720,00.html

    It is probably this philosophy that gives you the right to do "Gods work" by massacring civilians enjoying a party on the beach in Gaza, denying aid to war affected civilians in Lebanon, dropping bombs on convoys of villagers fleeing from Israeli shelling, on residential neighborhoods in the capital of Beirut and throughout Lebanon, on hospitals, on power plants, on food production and storage, on ports, on civilian airports, on bridges, on roads, on every piece of infrastructure on which civilized life depends!!

    I wonder what would have been the reaction of your Jewish controlled media had such a statement been made by a single Muslim scholar.

    3. Your right to exist does not automatically give the Palestinian people the right to perish, whose land you have been occupying, whose villages you destroyed and replaced with Israeli ones, who have been forced to spent their lives as refugees in their own homeland, whose democratically elected government officials you arrest and whom you deny much needed aid. Oh, and need I mention the 20 percent of Palestinians living inside Israel being treated as second class citizens. The list can go on and on.

    4. Israel dropped leaflets telling people to leave southern Lebanon. Oh my, how humanitarian!! Israel orders all the villagers to clear out. It then destroys their homes and murders the fleeing villagers. That way there is no one to come back and nothing to which to return, making it easier for Israel to grab the territory, just as Israel has been stealing Palestine from the Palestinians. But when you started suffering many casualties and losing the war, you decided to accept a UN peace resolution. I wonder what would have happened if you succeeded in your attempts. You would have probably occuped Lebanon just like you did in 1982.

    5. Hezbollah was created in response to the illegal Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Its purpose was to drive out Israel from Lebanon, which it succeeded after Israeli withdrawal in 2000. Whats more, throughout Hezbollahs nascent history, it has never attacked Israeli mainland, an ability it proved to have. It has always attacked the invading Israeli forces which continued to occupy Shebaa farms despite its pullout in 2000. Since then, Israel has always been planning to get back at Hezbollah, and according to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh, the war against Hezbollah was a "planned operation coordinated ahead of time with the Bush administration". Whats more, "evil" Hezbollah also provides social services such as orphanages and medical care. It has also taken the responsibility of rebuilding Lebanon after the Israeli incursion.

    6. Why are you worried about UN member nations placing resolutions against Israel. You dont give a damn of them anyway. Despite accepting a ceasefire in Lebanon, Israel had the nerve to raid Baalbek. Ask yourself which country tops the list of UN violations. Its Israel in case you dont know! More often than not, these resolutions are going to be vetoed by your friend and ally before they get passed.


    Its no wonder then, more than 50% of the people in a EU poll believe Israel as the biggest threat to world peace.
    You call Hezbollah evil, but please also acknowledge the source of this evil, Israel!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Asian Dude,

    You can pick apart quotes and string together things said by various Jewish leaders--I looked up some of them up only to find most of them to be complete fabrications strung along by Islamic chain emails and pro-Islamic websites--but even still, it does not change the fact that Hizballah is evil; a point you don't seem to dispute, sadly.

    Israel's purpose is not to kill all Palestinian civilians, you know that as well as I do. No one's really claiming this, because it's apparent they could've if that was their intent. Instead, their goal is simple: defense of Israel. For the war against the evil group Hizballah, that means destroying or disarming that whacko group.

    Take the other side: the suicide bombers, Hamas, Hizballah, Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigade. Their goal is also clear: kill as many Israelis as possibly, including civilians. We know this to be true because they blow themselves up in Israeli buses, restaurants, pizza parlors, hotels, anywhere there's a gathering of Israelis. Let's face it, Israel's real crime is that they exist: an educated, Westernized democracy smack in the middle of 23 Islamic theocracies. In reality, that's the motivating factor here.

    That's a big difference--what a difference!--my friend. A big difference between good and evil. I'm sorry to say, the extremists in your religion are evil. Blaming that evil on Israel is only excusing and encouraging the extremist militants that now own your religion and are making the world a worse place to live.

    ReplyDelete
  9. "Hizballah has never attacked Israeli mainland"

    Oh, my! What fairy tale world you live in! Maybe it's just the "Jewish controlled media" influencing me (jeez, that sounds very Nazi-like!), but if I recall right, there were some 4000 rockets that hit the Israel during the past month and a half, killing some 200 Israeli civilians? And going back for the last 10 years or so, launched how many rockets on the mainland of Israel?

    And you claim Hizballah was started in order to defend against Israel? Now you have deluded yourself beyond even what Hizballah would have you believe! Go to Wikipedia -- or better yet, go to Hizballah's website: you'll see their intentions are clear: removal of all Jews from Israel, complete destruction of the state of Israel, and eventual removal of all Jews from the planet. A Hitler-esque grandiose plan if I've ever heard one!

    Do you really believe all this? I find it hard to grasp such an illogical, confusion of ideas that leads one to such a dark world view.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is the type of western rhetoric that we are all tired of hearing, "defense of Israel". Unfortunately your military planners dont know the difference between innocent civilians and military targets.
    Ask yourself one simple question, why do these militant outfits target civilians. Simple! Because Israel does so! Israel has no regard for civilian life. How can you claim its ok to kill civilians and when your civilians get killed, raise a hue and cry. Hypocrisy!!
    http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0801/p09s02-coop.html
    I guess his website sums up my response to all your comments.
    When will you ever understand the reason for the conflict, its the occupation of Palestinian land. I say it again, Israels right to exist does not mean "driving others from their homes". This dark view of the world is given to us by the actions of israel. Remember, actions speak louder than words.

    ReplyDelete
  11. "Hezbollah has never attacked Israeli mainland"..Oops my mistake. What I meant is it has never attacked Israeli mainland prior to this conflict (an ability which it has proved to have during this conflict).

    ReplyDelete
  12. There is a difference between Hizbollah and Lebanon. Therefore the Israeli attack on that country is at least partly wrong. And I don't know what country you people are from, but if someone took a bit from the middle of it and gave it to Arabs to have a holy land I guess you would be a little irritated about it.
    And I didn't even said anything about religion: http://siderite.blogspot.com/2006/05/religion-sucks.html

    ReplyDelete
  13. That's right, we agree, there is a difference between Hizballah and Lebanon: one is an evil group, the other is a country that has let the devil live among its ranks, join the government, and go unpunished for anything it does; it essentially lives above any Lebanese law.

    Lebanon made a pact with the devil and has now paid dearly for it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have been reading different books and attempting to understand why there is so much hate between the followers of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. We all have the same God, the God of Abraham. How can people that worship and believe in the same God, have such a wide range of beliefs? How can everyone believe in a God of love and understanding, and hate the neighbor who believes in the same God as you? What happened to turn the religion of love into a religion of hate? I haven't been able to find anything that explains where the hate began. We are all going to be judged by the same God. Jesus said, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Millions of Christians, Jews, and Muslims are going to stand in judgement and because of the hate of their fellow men, are going to be found unsuitable for Paradise. What a shame!

    ReplyDelete

Appending "You might like" to each post.