There is no better time than Christmas and the New Year to reflect upon the state of affairs of the minorities of the Middle East. No better time than for Muslims to think minorities and to realize that the worse situated the minorities are the worse we all are. Thomas Paine said it best, “The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection”. Let 2015 (1436 AH) be our brave year of reflection.
Consider this universal concept: If the minorities of Syria did not fear Islam, Assad would not be in power. Many of the minorities ignore that Assad feeds their fear by inventing fanatic Muslims (here, here, and here) just so his family remains in power in perpetuity. Compare this reality to the one existing in Lebanon: Does Samir Geagea or Walid Jumblatt or Nabih Beri fear Saad Hariri?
This is why Lebanon, with similar demographics, does not tolerate a terrorist like Assad.
Moreover, since Muslims represent the majority, it is incumbent upon us to facilitate an atmosphere of harmony. It is our responsibility to guarantee the minorities of the Middle East fear what we fear, celebrate what we celebrate, together and as one people of one region, and always based on mutual respect and freedom of religion.
When Islam first appeared outside Arabia, the Christian faith saw in it a fulfillment of God’s promise that He made to Ishmael (Abraham’s son). Muslims were viewed as the great nation rising (Genesis 21:12-13, 18) and were welcomed with open arms. Those attitudes changed because Islam could not tolerate the Christian faith, which led to The Crusades during medieval Europe.
Our tolerance remains elusive at best and deadly at its worst. To verify this truth, add how many Mosques there are per capita in Christendom as to how many Churches there are per capita in the lands of Islam. What better way to measure tolerance scientifically?
Here is some advice for the West to heed to think minorities in 2015:
- Political Correctness: How did we fare by calling the terror in Ft. Hood as workplace violence? Did PC labels stop the Boston Marathon terror and the countless attempts the public does not even know about? We must confront the danger of terror for what it is without making any apologies. This will go a long way to help the minorities of the Middle East know that America is on their side.
- The Future is in Moderate Islam: Any way we slice it, until we eradicate extreme Islam, the civilizational war will continue. Who will replace extreme Muslims but the moderates? The sooner we accept this notion, the faster we all reach our goals. Encourage and help the moderate Muslims to reach power instead of trying to give the Islamists the chance to moderate, or stand-by while terrorists like Assad, Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas destroy everything in their path.
- Trial and Error: We can land men on the moon and we can send the Voyager spacecraft into the farthest corners of our solar system, but we cannot come up with a sensible plan or policy to win the battle against extremism. Maybe it is time to ask NASA to run our foreign policy. The price is too steep to play a game of trial and error, especially for the minorities the subject of this Blog.
In 2015, think minorities. Their safety means the safety of the region.
Happy New Year
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