Jewish World Review April 28, 2003 / 26 Nisan, 5763
Bill O'Reilly
No pain, no gain?
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
So let me get this straight. We know that for 25 years Saddam
Hussein tortured, murdered and brutalized his people. Then in three weeks,
coalition forces removed him and his thug pals from power. Then, a few days
later, thousands of Iraqis took to the streets and beat themselves silly in
a bloody display that made slasher flicks look tame.
Do I have this right?
Now you might think that these self-abusers would take a few
days off from pain. How about a spring break from physical abuse? After
suffering so long through the horrors of Saddam, why not relax a bit and
smell the sand dunes? I understand that the display was done in the name of
religion, but I think any deity would cut his devotees some slack here.
Taking the torture chamber to the streets so soon after the brutal dictator
was deposed might be seen as, well, somewhat nuts.
And therein lies the problem. The United States is faced with a
situation whereby it is trying to reason with people who believe that the
Rolling Stones had it nailed when they recorded "Let it Bleed." The Bush
administration wants to convince fundamentalist fanatics that Thomas
Jefferson and James Madison are the way to go. But unless the new Bill of
Iraqi Rights contains provisions whereby you have the right to pulverize
yourself with a hammer, things may get dicey.
The New York Daily News ran a front-page photo of hundreds of
bloody guys running around the town of Karbala. They were Shiite Muslims
marking the anniversary of the death of the Prophet Muhammed's grandson in
the 7th century. In addition to beating themselves silly, many of the
demonstrators loudly demanded that the Americans leave immediately so they
can impose more such celebrations on the entire country.
The tragedy is that most Iraqis think that kind of display is as
loony as most Westerners do. But the adamancy and irrationality of
fundamentalist Islam is so intimidating that the majority of clear-thinking
Muslims are fearful of speaking out. Thus, the fundamentalists can and have
imposed a system of government that brutalizes people in the name of
religion. The Taliban did this, and so did the mullahs of Iran.
The United States and Britain cannot allow this to happen in
Iraq. Fundamentalist Islam is the enemy of human rights. It is a danger to
the world and the primary reason the USA was attacked on 9-11. Even in the
politically correct world in which we live, all decent people should be
outraged that governments exist where women are treated as dogs and people
of other faiths are considered infidels to be killed with impunity.
Where is the worldwide outcry against fundamentalist Islam? Why
is this violent culture deemed an acceptable form of behavior? Most Muslims
are not fundamentalists but are being demonized because of this fanatical
sect. That is unfair and unjust; it would be like saying David Koresh is the
poster boy for Christianity. But moderate Muslims must lead the charge
against the fanatics because non-Muslims are far too frightened to do so.
It should be clear to everyone by now that the entire world is
threatened by the likes of Osama Bin Laden and his followers. There is no
discussion here. These people will use any weapon they get their hands on to
kill little kids and everyone else they see as not following the true path.
The United States is going to have to confront the bloody faces
in Karbala sooner or later. If the Bush administration does not, they will
turn Iraq into another Taliban operation by using murder and terror. These
people are worse than Saddam Hussein, whose tyrannical regime was tied down
inside a poor country.
Fundamentalist Islam is a worldwide threat that cannot be
reasoned with. Freedom of religion does not include the imposition of brutal
methods to regulate a barbaric code of conduct. America did indeed free the
Iraqi people from terror, but another kind of terror is lined up to step
right in. It had better be dealt with quickly.
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JWR contributor Bill O'Reilly is host of the
Fox News show, "The O'Reilly Factor," and author
of the new book, "The No-Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America" Comments by clicking here.
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03/31/03: Yes, you're entitled to your uninformed opinion
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05/06/02: Hide the children
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03/04/02: Promoting the general welfare
02/25/02: Who's responsible?
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02/04/02: Back room deals
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01/21/02: The Fairness Doctrine
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12/10/01: The black challenge
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11/26/01: Waiting in the Bushes
11/19/01: The sign of the Cross
11/09/01: Hollyweird strikes back
11/06/01: The fear factor
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10/15/01: Peace, but no quiet
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04/16/01: The fleecing of America
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03/07/01: All that's left in America
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02/06/01: How the Clintons do it
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01/17/01: Sifting Ashcroft's record
© 2001 Creators Syndicate
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