Not long after being horrified by the pictures of PLO Arabs holding up body parts of our soldiers who were killed yesterday in Gaza, we have been subjected to news of the barbaric murder of an American civilian in Iraq, at the hands of more Islamic terrorists.
Al-Qaeda’s leader in Iraq beheaded an American civilian and vowed more killings in revenge for the “Satanic degradation” of Iraqi prisoners, an Islamist Web site said on Tuesday.
A poor quality videotape on the site showed a man dressed in orange overalls sitting bound on a white plastic chair in a bare room, then knelt on the floor with five masked men behind him.
“My name is Nick Berg, my father’s name is Michael… I have a brother and sister, David and Sarah,” said the bound man, adding he was from Philadelphia.
One of the masked men read a statement urging Muslims to seek revenge after pictures were published of Iraqi prisoners being abused by U.S. troops at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.
“Nation of Islam, is there any excuse left to sit idly by? And how can free Muslims sleep soundly as they see Islam being slaughtered, honour bleeding, photographs of shame and reports of Satanic degradation of the people of Islam, men and women, in Abu Ghraib prison?” the statement said.
The masked men then pushed the 26-year-old American to the floor and shouted “God is greatest” above his screams as one of them sawed his head off with a large knife then held it aloft for the camera.
Charles has a more vivid description of what these animals did to Nick, as well as links to the video showing the act. I refuse to watch it; what possible justification would I have for watching such an obscenity? I do not need to actually see what they did to realize that we are dealing with some of the most brutal and evil people who have ever existed.
Yesterday, Imshin expressed the following noble sentiments:
When we have an idea in our head, we often close our eyes and ears to anything that doesnít coincide with this idea. We already know. We donít need any further input.
I know I do this. I may try not to, but I do. Bish finds this tendency of mine extremely infuriating. I think the trick is to try and be aware that this is happening and then there is a possibility that we will manage to open ourselves to other ideas.
I know this doesnít happen just to me. It happens to other people too.
If, for instance, I am discussing what anti-Zionism means to an Israeli, and you are a caring person, who is very concerned about Palestinian rights, you might not be able to hear what I am saying at all. This might happen if, for instance, all the time that you are listening, a little voice inside your head is shouting ìBut what about the injustice to the Palestinians? But what about the injustice to the Palestinians? But what about the injustice to the Palestinians?î and so you are not able to hear my words, above the racket the little voice is making.
Maybe I am not talking about the Palestinians right now. Maybe I am saying something that is not about the Palestinians that is worth listening to. Maybe I am saying something that will help you understand why Israelis do things that they do. Things are usually not black and white, after all.
Maybe, even if you donít change the idea you have in your head as a result, hearing another point of view, without immediately judging, can enrich you and to some extent deepen your insight into the situation.
And then, when I come to listen to what you have to say, knowing that you have listened to me, really listened, maybe even with some compassion, it will be easier for me to open my heart to your point of view, as well.
So this is what I am going to do ñ I am going to make an effort to be better at listening to other points of view, and I am going to try to be more aware of when I am shutting things out with the little voice shouting in my head. This is very difficult, because I find many things I read and hear extremely threatening. And then fear arises, followed by anger and defensiveness.
I fully agree. However, some things are black and white. No matter how much I open myself up to understanding other points of view, I will never understand the point of view of these murderers.
The world has to wake up and realize that attempting to understand these people with our Western, Judeo-Christian mindset, is an exercise in futility. These people belong to a totally different culture.
A culture that values death more than life.
A culture that sees compromise as weakness, and force as strength.
A culture that sees the desire to live as weakness, and the desire to die as strength.
A culture that sees itself as the only valid way of life, to the exclusion of all others.
A culture that justifies all kinds of atrocities in the name of Allah.
A culture that is holding the world ransom.
How should the world respond to these people?
The answer is NOT to try and understand the “root causes” of their actions.
The answer is NOT to constantly attack the one country in the world that has been dealing with this phenomenom since its inception.
The answer is NOT to attack the men and women who are putting their lives on the line to ensure that these people do not get their way.
The answer is to fight these murderers with all your might – or, to invoke the Powell doctrine (before he himself forgot it) – use overwhelming force.
Show them that killing us carries an extremely heavy price.
Show them that we will not tolerate their blatant disregard for human life.
Show them that we will not be defeated.
This is what living in Israel for over three years has taught me.
1 thought on “Enough is Enough”
I hope that Nick Berg’s family doesn’t hear the gruesome details that are being published and broadcast all over the world! My heart goes out to them!
Comments are closed.