Commentary: Is the War on Terror a religious war?
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I have long maintained that religion is, in many respects, the scourge of humanity. For centuries man has been killing, maiming, wounding and persecuting one another in the name of their favorite God.
Today the world is in turmoil, much of it related to various tribes in various countries subscribing to different religions, or different aspects of the same religion. Much of it is cultural as are the religious beliefs that provide the backdrop for that culture.
In the United States the religious differences are stark. The Catholics hate the protestants, and the protestants hate the Catholics. Everyone, or so it seems, hates the Muslims and the Jews.
Just a few brief months ago thousands were protesting the construction of a Mosque a short distance from ground zero in New York City. As I write this, Republican representative Peter King of New York is holding congressional hearings on the possible radicalization of Muslims in America to the cause of al Qaeda, thus supporting the War on Terror and creating enemies next door to each of us.
The common denominator among the extreme fringes of religion is the denial of evolution and the elevation of creationism, which explains the existence of man, his universe, and etc. by a “magic moment” whereupon a mythical being who lives somewhere in the sky simply made everything in our universe in 7 days.
I recently saw the documentary Obsession, produced several years ago, and the film makes a compelling argument that God, or at least the belief in God, is the root of terror. The driving message of this documentary is that we are fighting a religious war against an enemy that seeks either our conversion or death and I cannot help but believe that to be true.
The actions of Islamic terrorist groups operating throughout the world are well known. Islamic terrorists have bombed and destroyed buildings, planes, and vehicles. During the last 20 years, Muslim terrorists have targeted and murdered tens of thousands of males and females, adults and children. All over the world, in Kenya, Algeria, Indonesia, Egypt, Iran, France, South America and America, Muslim terrorists have attacked and murdered those they felt were a threat to their aims.
…and let’s not forget the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
To be fair, commentator Curt Day presents the following challenge to the religious nature of the War on Terror:
…do not both sides say that you are either with us or with the enemy? So perhaps the best to describe the War On Terror is not as a nationalistic war or a religious war, but as a partisan war. Both sides use terrorism. The use of terrorism by the radical Islamic terrorists is obvious. But the standards we use to determine what is terrorism when evaluating our enemies are absent when it comes to judging the actions of the West. Israel’s attack on the infrastructure and civilians of both Lebanon and the Gaza Strip as well as our own unprovoked invasion and destruction of Iraq point to Western terrorism. We might feel uncomfortable with such a designation but terrorism is in the eye of the recipient, not the aggressor.
So the war is not purely a religious war. In fact, the war did not start as a religious war. So treating the War On Terror as a religious war can only be counterproductive and thus hurt our chances to win.
While I believe that religion equals terror in its most extreme form, the author of the piece clearly would disagree—but surely it is, in part, our nation’s religious lens that compels us to fight this war. It is unhealthy to target a particular group or belief as being responsible for all of the woes of the world.
Extremism surely is not limited to Muslims, or any single religious group. There are other sources of conflict, those based on money and power. Regardless, I think there is more than enough evidence to believe that religion is most certainly a key formative factor.
There is much happening in our world today, but we cannot and must not forget what is going on elsewhere. Please let us know what you think.
Editor’s Note: This was originally published on February 1, 2010. It has been updated and modified.
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I’m glad the comments are open because this is an important subject. I think religion is dangerous to everyone. They (the religious) preach love but practice hate. While I think they’re all bad Islam is the worst in the 21st Century.
Comments were inadvertently closed on this. They have been reopened. Sorry about that.
During WWI, while the troops huddled in the trenches, with enemy artillery exploding all around them, they used to ask each other: “If God be with us, who be against us?” That speaks volumes….
Confusing when everyone thinks God is on their side. The IRA thought God was on their side. Our side thought God was on our side during the American Revolution. The South thought God was on it’s side during the Civil War.
Certain things I just don’t trust anymore. Anyone that syas God is on his side is one of them. Politicians that vow to not raise taxes is another. And these idiots usually claim God is on their side.
IMO it’s the damn religious fundamentalists who screw things up for the rest of us. Religion really can be a scourge Mike, got to agree with you there.
I don’t have the knowledge to say whether Muslim or Christian or Jewish fundamentalists are the worst assholes. But it’s symptomatic of fundamentalists everywhere to be intolerant of other religions;yours is the one true religion.
I don’t know what the answer is. Maybe exposure to other religions. Hope that eventually Ahmed and Billy and Sol realize the other guy ain’t so bad after all. If they don’t kill each other first.
Excellent example of what the British thought of us way back in the day Tom.
I’m personally not religious, but I think religious zealotry is a symptom and not the underlying cause (i.e. the “scourge of humanity”). If think if a person is an assclown and is religious, this person will wrap him/herself up in the Bible/Koran/Tibetan Book of the Dead/whatever. I don’t think the world would necessarily be a more peaceful place without religion. JMHO.
I don’t want to underestimate the threat from al Qaeda and other Muslim terror groups, but I can’t help thinking the threat is exaggerated by American rightwing “Christian” Crusaders who are probably green with envy at the thought of a theocratic dictatorship. Their only quarrel is, they want that theocracy to be Christian rather than Muslim.
”…‘terrorist’ is what big strong armies call small, weak armies…” Ain’t that the truth. No doubt the British thought we were the terrorists back in the 1700s.
It is not a question of forcing democracy on anyone Holte. Make no mistake there is nothing altruistic about our presence in Afghanistan. We are there because we need to protect our own interests, both in the region and at home. It is a matter of security and has little to do with democracy, despite the spin. Like many who visit here I have seen war and hate it, but sometimes was is necessary and this is one of those times. Secondly, we are talking to the Taliban and to those tribal chieftains that we thing we might be able to co-opt. It is not just a matter of boots on the ground. This is a different kind of war and it has to fought differently. It is my clear understanding that is what is happening and from what I am able to glean the heat is going to be turned up in the next several months. This president is not one to mess around, despite what the disaffected Left might believe.
MIKE – I’m agreeing with you about the Taliban being a cretinous, lousy, good for nothing, women abusers, I could on and on about how bad they are for Afghanistan, but we did push a Democratic election on them, one of the few educated and corrupt men Karzai, hand picked to be president. We have encouraged democratic elections in Iraq too. Democracy is not the answer for these people, not yet. Leadership is what’s needed, whether elected or not.
Holte…It is not their turf. It belongs to the people, of the country and they do not represent the country. It is the antithesis of democracy and freedom. It is a pseudo-theocratic mix of brutal and greedy warlords who seek to demean women and all of those who believe in freedom of choice.
MIKE – No doubt the Taliban provided a safe haven for al Qaeda, but who are we to force democracy on anybody, to the Afghani people it is just a word, they have lived under warlords for many centuries and wore out many invaders for almost as long. The Taliban are almost stone age in their ways, but with modern weapons. I don’t believe the Taliban want to take over the world, perhaps al Qaeda does. They certainly hate us with a rare passion. Somewhere along the line somebody has got to sit down and talk with somebody, just like we did with the Viet-Cong and the British did with the IRA, the only alternative is a never-ending war.
Vigil it is clear that you know very little about al Qaeda, or you would not make such a statement. I don’t mean that in a disrespectful manner but I don’t have the time to launch into the history, past and present, of al Qaeda, the most dangerous threat to the world today. This is an army, complete with field manuals, standard operating procedures, per Diem, sick leave and vacation pay. While there are no doubt thugs amongst them, that could be said for any army.
As to the Taliban, we are fighting them because they are trying to re-establish themselves in Afghanistan, and that is a government that is neither friendly to the United States or to their own people. If allowed to seize power they would once again shelter al Qaeda and the latter doesn’t need another base of operations. Keep in mind that the Taliban do not always operate for reasons of power or any form of altruism. They are opportunists which is why we are preying on that very opportunism to make allies amongst them. Money and opportunity backed up by one of the best fighting forces in the world make strong persuaders.
Now I don’t expect you to believe a word of what I say here and I know there is no amount of evidence that I could show you, nor would there be any number of classes you could attend that would change your mind about al Qaeda, the Taliban, or Afghanistan in general, so I won’t be a bit disappointed if you call me names and question everything I say. Peace..
Holte, well said.
Osama bin Laden is on record saying that he’s trying to fix it up so that the USA bleeds itself out of 1st World status the same way the USSR was bled out. He says to Mullah Omar (Taliban) “Let’s you and he (Obama) fight”. OBL was smarter – by miles – than Bush. Hope he doesn’t turn out to be even marginally smarter than Barry. (Then we are in real trouble!)
I am not assuming. Mike. I am stating it. It’s a band of thugs led by a gang leader who was smarter than George Bush. (Again I am damning with faint praise.) The real question is, why are we fighting the Taliban?
VIGILANTE – The real question is, why are we fighting the Taliban? Perhaps it is because we are on their turf and they are fighting us.
To assume that al Qaeda is a “small, weak army” would be making a terrible mistake.
Beach you are absolutely correct. Terrorism, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. I also believe that weapons of mass destruction will be deployed sooner or later, not by us but by them….Then the Genie will be out of the box and hell will follow her…
Tee I don’t see a solution. Even if we withdrew all of our troops from the Middle East it would not mollify al Qaeda. They are committed.
I have enjoyed reading his work Vigil. I shall certainly invite him back as a “guest speaker.” Thanks for the great lead.
Holte I have long maintained that al Qaeda is the most dangerous, immediate threat, to the free world. Their mantra is all about hate and destruction. Their religion, interpreted to suit their purposes, supports and feeds their rage.
They certainly are the biggest threat, and financed by heroin and oil money. It’s not a religious thing, although they would like it to be.
But the standards we use to determine what is terrorism when evaluating our enemies are absent when it comes to judging the actions of the West. Israel’s attack on the infrastructure and civilians of both Lebanon and the Gaza Strip as well as our own unprovoked invasion and destruction of Iraq point to Western terrorism. We might feel uncomfortable with such a designation but terrorism is in the eye of the recipient, not the aggressor.
That right there is the crux of the matter. Until such a point of view becomes widespread we will repeat this cycle, only the names will change, until such time someone goes and drags the bigboys in causing the planet to get heavily nuked or someone releases a superbug or bugs that wipes out a good segement of humanity.
That was a great read…what’s the solution?
Mike, thank you for introducing Curt Day’s writing to your readers. I find him to be a clear-thinking blogger. At least he has clarified my thinking on several issues! I thought you would find him interesting because he’s well-schooled in Christian theology. Your readers should be impressed, too, because he has the stones to publish on Townhall, which is a well-known Republicant/Stalinist site. He publishes and then he debates them in comments, kind of like our hero, President Barack Obama, appearing before a group of Republicant congressmen.
MIKE – One of the dirty tricks used by the Republicans before the 2008 election, and since, was to call Obama a Muslim. It absolutely guaranteed them 99.9 percent of their base and they hoped it would swing independents and enough Democrats to win. Their accusations forced Obama to stand up and say he was a Christian, perhaps he is, but they made religion as issue. A tactic that failed.
In the Islamic world, religion is part of every day life, not just a Sunday morning service. I have seen and heard the call to prayers and I always found it very uncomfortable. So much control over so many, by so few.
What do the militants of Hamas want? Probably Palestine. What do the militants of Hezbollah want? Probably Lebanon. They were both elected into offices by refereed elections. What do the Taliban want? Afghanistan and maybe the Pakistan border lands, they don’t want to bother with elections, just power and the opportunity to run the multi-billion dollar opium/heroin trade.
What does al Qaeda want? With their legions of foreign fighters from all over the world, they want a holy war on the United States and its allies. They use religion as a “war-cry” and pack their ranks with disaffected young men, not stupid young men, it took a certain amount of sophistication and education to fly a 747 into the Twin Towers, the Glasgow, Scotland airport bombers were Doctors, MDs for gods sake, educated men, seduced into Jihad. Al Qaeda embed themselves in failed or failing states and move in. Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen have been used for training grounds.
Religion should not be an issue for the US when it comes to fighting al Qaeda, they are a stateless bunch of Islamic criminals who want to kill us. They want to be the champions for the Muslim world, and our heavy handed actions in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan has won them support. I agree with whoever wrote the above essay, the only way to prevail in the war against al Qaeda and other Islamic criminals is to keep religion out of it.