| Preface: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse |
1. A man with a crown on a white horse brandishing a bow - FALSE RELIGION
2. A helmeted warrior on a red armored horse wielding a mighty sword - WAR
3. An emaciated man on a black horse clasping a pair of scales - FAMINE
4. A skeleton man on a pale green horse clutching a sickle - DISEASE EPIDEMICS / UNIVERSAL CHAOS
False Religions or ideologies led by false messiahs or prophets under the guise of Nationalism, Communism, and Fascism have all led to war, famine and eventual disease epidemics and universal chaos. With all the disastrous world events before our eyes, surely, it is not hard to imagine the four horsemen galloping onwards one after the other! Are we near or in the actual beginning of the end of times?
Certainly, there is very little understanding of the fatal threat to western civilization that comes from radical Islam. Radical Islam in Afghanistan, Iraq and in and around Israel are all dedicated to the total eradication of the nation of Israel, mainly backed by Iran, a theocratic nation that espouses radical Shiite Islam. BUT many western nations separate all three conflicts as failures in US Foreign Policies. Is this analysis accurate?
The religion of Islam (Arabic =”submission” to Allah) which is 1400 years old, started with Muhammad who claimed he received visions beginning in AD 610. He died in AD 632 and in his dying farewell to his followers was reported to have said: I was ordered to fight all men until they say, “There is no god but Allah!”
By the end of the 7th century, his followers had spread out from the Arabian Peninsula, conquering territories and forcing people to convert to their new religion from North Africa to Persia and the Byzantine Empire. The followers have been described by historians as “a people who love death more than life…. their outlook is one and they share a unity of purpose for which they are willing to die… throughout the centuries, have shown an incredible zeal to spread their religion around the globe.”
One hundred years after Muhammad’s death, they were defeated near Paris… and were to remain in Spain for centuries… resurging to repeatedly clash with the Catholics and Orthodox …managed to spread Islam into the Holy Land and other areas for which Pope Urban II called on Europeans to launch crusades to recover the Holy Land that took two centuries of conflict. The Muslim leader Saladin drove out the crusaders out of Jerusalem and vowed in January 1189, “I shall cross this sea to their islands to pursue them until there remains no one on the face of the earth who does not acknowledge Allah.”
In the 16th and 17th centuries on two other occasions, Islamic forces took control of Belgium and Hungary but were later repulsed.
(NOTE: All the above-mentioned periods of expansion happened before the United States even existed so the conflict between Islam and the West could hardly be blamed on the U.S. foreign policy.)
In the 19th Century, the Ottoman Empire was in decline, enabling European powers to dominate parts of the Middle East. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI the British and French controlled many regions.
After WWII the area saw the birth of Arab nationalism, which pushed the colonial powers out of the region. The United States of America which now has become a world power became more involved in the region particularly in backing the new nation of Israel.
The successful Iranian Revolt of 1979 against the pro-Western Shah of Iran was a major turning point and admittedly a critical failure of US Foreign policy at the time of President Carter. By the forces of the radical Islam, Iran became a theocratic state giving real power in the hands of the clerics. This influence has grown throughout the region leading to: ”an arc of extremism” from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean. During the Iranian revolution Ayatollah Khomeini pledged, “We will export our revolution throughout the world…until the calls ‘there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah ‘ are echoed all over the world.”
The Americans only woke up to the reality of radical Islam with the attacks of September 11, 2001, perpetrated by the Al Qaeda radical Islam organization. Their leader Osama bin Ladin proclaimed his motivation for the attack, “I was ordered to fight the people until they say there is no god but Allah and his prophet Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”
| Reactions |
One school of thought claims the attacks were simply the latest rounds in the ongoing centuries-old clash of civilization between the worlds of Islam and Christendom. The other school of thought, sadly, by academicians, journalists, writers and retired diplomats explain that the attacks were a misguided response to America’s arrogant and self-serving foreign policy by isolated extremist groups with violent interpretation of Islam that admittedly has little to do with the true spirit and teachings of this religion.
This second view is flawed for a number of reasons. It is not just the U.S. that has suffered attacks. There have been bombings in Bombay, India (second largest Islamic community), Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia (the largest Muslim population in the world), Beslan School in Russia, Madrid and London. They have attacked all around the world based on the same ideology. Recently, British and American anti-terrorists broke up a plot to blow up transatlantic flights that if success- ful could have been more devastating than 9/11! Such a plot cannot simply be interpreted as “a misguided response to American arrogance.” Western nations continue their failure to see the universal threat as each government and citizenry mostly isolate the different conflicts from one another failing miserably to recognize them as part of the historical continuum that began 14 centuries ago! |
| Terrorism Defined Again |
In a recent videotape, Al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda #2 leader declared: The mujahedeen "are a people who do not sleep under oppression and who do not abandon our revenge until our chests have been healed of those who have aggressed against us." He goes on to say: “that the U.S. military casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq indicate that the mujahedeen is still strong, attacking, seeking martyrdom, advancing and injuring you on a daily basis with Allah's help."
On the tape, al-Zawahiri calls the leader of the Roman Catholic Church an "impostor" whose religion "is made of myths, like the Trinity, crucifixion, sacrifice and the original sin. This impostor, Benedict, reminds us of another impostor, his predecessor [Pope] Urban II from the 11th century in Clermont, France, who urged the people of Europe to kill the Muslims and launched the crusades…he went beyond his way to defame us, [but] we will respond to his insult with kindness."
(Note: Pope Benedict XVI quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor who said: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”)
Al-Zawahiri also criticized the UN: "Rise, O Muslim nation, to defend your land and your honors from the crusaders' aggression who are now hiding behind the masks of the United Nations…. Nothing will protect you but a jihadi popular war that will be led by the mujahedeen."
Al-Zawahiri closes his message by cautioning Muslims to reject governments that do not accept Sharia or Islamic law, and others that cooperate with the United States, particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq. |
| The Questions, The Answers |
There are answers to relevant questions that will further clarify the universality of the threats we have faced and will be facing continually:
1. When did the threat to us start?
Many will say September 11, 2001. The answer as far as the United State is concerned is 1979, 22 years prior to Septem- ber 2001, with the following attacks on us:
* Iran Embassy Hostages, 1979;
* Beirut, Lebanon Embassy 1983;
* Beirut, Lebanon Marine Barracks 1983;
* Lockerbie, Scotland Pan-Am flight to New York 1988;
* First New York World Trade Center attack 1993;
* Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Khobar Towers Military complex 1996;
* Nairobi, Kenya US Embassy 1998;
* Dares Salaam, Tanzania US Embassy 1998;
* Aden, Yemen USS Cole 2000;
* New York World Trade Center 2001;
* Pentagon 2001.
Note that during the period from 1981 to 2001 there were 7,581terrorist attacks worldwide. (http://www.af.mil/bios/alpha.asp?alpha=C)
2. Who attacked and why were we attacked?
In each case, radical Muslims carried out the attacks on the US. Each attack is attributed to the envy of our freedom-loving nature, of our premiere position in the world and our sustained economic growth and success. Note that such attacks were all unprovoked during the different U. S. administrations of Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton and Bush 2. Go back and review the above-mentioned historical background that explains the deeper religious reasons.
The Iraq War has been foremost in our minds because of continuing loss of many lives among our troops and Iraqis alike. Whether it was not wise to have invaded Iraq is no longer the question. The question now is how best we can fight radical Islamists who have taken the fight to the extreme as expected. The radical Muslims fully know what is riding on this war, and therefore are completely committed to winning, at any cost. We better know it too and be likewise committed to winning at any cost. The war in Iraq is not separated from the war in terror all over the world. We are facing the same radical Islamists!
3.Can we afford to lose the war in terror?
We cannot even think of losing this war. If we lose this war, we would no longer be the premier country in the world. No country especially those who hate the US for what ever reason would no longer be afraid of us nor even listen to us in future world affairs whether we are right or wrong. Those nations who may ideologically support us, may cower under fear of reprisals by these vicious enemies if they win. Who would trade or deal with us if in every turn they are threatened by the radical Islamists to do so? Our national production and income from exports and imports and our very own way of life may face oblivion. If we are defeated, no other nation can survive. We are everyone’s first and last tiers of defense in this imminent world dominance by radical Islam.
Radical Muslim violence will run rampant and unchecked. If the U.S. can't stop the radical Muslims now, how could anyone else? Unless we now recognize the fatal consequences of losing the war in terror, we will find ourselves in the worst situation fighting them in the near or far future. We have to put our minds and efforts together now if we want to win sooner or later! We cannot allow Islamic faith run by radicals that would mean loss of freedoms of expression, religion, press and equal human rights between men and women.
If we are united, there is no way that we can lose. If we continue to be divided, there is no way that we can win! We have to face drastic changes. We may have to willingly give up some of our civil rights temporarily or face losing everything permanently! We cannot remain politically correct always insuring an honorable war like banning harsh interrogation practices in time of war with this kind of vicious enemies we are facing. While we piously check and disagree on what can be done the politically correct ways to prevent future attacks and loss of our lives, the enemies persist to wantonly kidnap, mutilate, torture and kill. They behead their victims in public view on international TV for all to see that they mean business. And their business is to kill as many as they can whoever and wherever they can!
4. Can we doubt the severe consequences of terrorism?
“In June 2001, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted a senior level war game examining the security challenges of a biological attack on the American homeland. The premise was the appearance of a case of smallpox in Oklahoma City, rapidly spreading throughout the country. Among the lessons learned from the exercise: threats to vital security interests, massive civilian casualties, breakdown in essential institutions, violation of democratic processes, civil disorder, loss of confidence in government and reduced U.S. strategic flexibility abroad.” (www.homelansecurity.org.). Can we truly afford to remain doubtful or nonchalant about the consequences of losing this war in terror? |
| Concluding Statements |
How often we forget that in the eyes of the radical Islamists, we are all infidels! - all the western nations especially the U.S, all the modern nations of the world, the U. N., all Christians and all Jews - every person or entity or group that does not believe that there is but “one god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.“
As a nation we cannot give the impression to the enemy that we are divided. Fully understanding that we have a common enemy that can be defeated by being united, then united we must be! We cannot afford to lose this war in terror.
When we come to the polls this election day - let us be sure we retain or vote for individuals who understand the war in terror and know how best to protect our government and citizenry!
As an important aside: North Korean strongman Jong Il, a Buddhist or atheist and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, a Christian or atheist both professed anti-americans - will be surprised too late to realize like everyone else that they too are infidels and will not be tolerated too long by the radical Islamists, if they don’t eventually embrace Islam as the religion of the world! |
For any questions or comments, you can send an email to Orlando S. Cuasay at ocuasay@comcast.net.
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