by Victor Davis Hanson<\/p>\n
National Review Online<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cY<\/strong>ou will find that the Jews were behind all the civil strife in this world. The Jews are behind the suffering of the nations.\u201d<\/p>\n When and where did that venom come from?<\/p>\n This last May \u2014 and out of the hateful mouth of a prominent Palestinian cleric, Sheik Ibrahim Mudeiris. He was broadcast on a Palestinian Authority station.<\/p>\n The televised Sheik finished with an even more frightening thought: \u201cThe day will come when everything will be relieved of the Jews \u2014 even the stones and trees which were harmed by them\u2026The stones and trees will want the Muslims to finish off every Jew.\u201d<\/p>\n Nothing could be clearer than that promise of another holocaust \u2014 and promised explicitly on state-run Palestinian television, a public megaphone of the Palestinian Authority, itself the beneficiary of past and apparently promised future American financial aid.<\/p>\n Still, don\u2019t hold your breath that the passive\/aggressive sheik is about to lead a pan-Islamic army a few miles across the border to \u201cfinish off every Jew,\u201d since he might then end up like Sheik Ahmed Yassin, whose threats of death earned him instead an early paradise.<\/p>\n Throughout this war we have an understandable, if ethnocentric, habit of ignoring what our enemies actually say. Instead we chatter on, don\u2019t listen, and in self-absorbed fashion impart our own motives for their hatred. We live on the principles of the Enlightenment and so worship our god Reason, thus assuming that even our adversaries accept such rational protocols as their own.<\/p>\n So they talk on and on of beheading, suicide bombing, another holocaust, and blowing thousands of us up, while we snooze, now and again waking in the midst of a war to regurgitate Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, flushed Korans, the abusive Patriot Act, and the latest quip of Donald Rumsfeld.<\/p>\n But again keep quiet, and listen to radical Islam.<\/p>\n Take the August 4 declaration of al Qaeda\u2019s second in command, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri. He promises even \u201cmore destruction\u201d for London, and tells us precisely why.<\/p>\n Many in the West assume that those mass murders were payback for the United Kingdom\u2019s presence in Iraq, even though its troops are mostly confined to non-Wahhabi areas in the south.<\/p>\n But no, the Dr. instead lists a number of grievances beyond Iraq that justify his terrorist cadres murdering innocents. One complaint, for example, is \u201cStopping the robbing of our oil and resources.\u201d<\/p>\n Examine that gripe carefully.<\/p>\n Oil is now at record highs. I just filled up with regular gas at $2.89 on a California interstate. It costs the Middle East about $3-4 a barrel to pump petroleum that was discovered, developed, and marketed for the Gulf autocracies through hated Western expertise \u2014 and is now selling at over $60. Despite Zawahiri\u2019s rants, billions of poor the world over are being price gouged to enrich a Muslim world flush with petrodollars.<\/p>\n And some of those obscene profits have ended up in coffers of Zawahiri himself. Indeed, his al Qaeda blackmailers depend on recycled petrodollars from Gulf State sheikdoms. Nothing either he or bin Laden has ever done themselves warrants the type of cash that flowed into al Qaeda\u2019s banks \u2014 a con operation that extorted oil dollars from autocratic price gougers who in turn got their revenues largely from inventive and productive Indians, Chinese, and Westerners.<\/p>\n Zawahiri next went on to cite, \u201cStopping your support for the corrupt and corrupting leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n Did the terrorist Dr. read the text of Condoleezza Rice\u2019s June 20 address in Cairo? There she rightly repudiated past American realpolitik that blinked at Arab dictatorships, and then prodded Arab governments to democratize?<\/p>\n Or maybe it was precisely that fresh support for democracy that grieves Zawahiri?<\/p>\n For clarification of al Qaeda\u2019s ideas about democracy, we can turn to Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, the spiritual leader of the terrorists in Iraq. He recently warned that, \u201cWe have declared a fierce war on this evil principle of democracy and those who follow this wrong ideology.\u201d<\/p>\n That pathological hatred of democracy was also amplified in the latest al Qaeda video of August 10: \u201cDemocracy, human rights, and freedom are all but hollow illusions, with which they tranquilize inhabitants.\u201d<\/p>\n Western critics of America\u2019s attempt to introduce democratic reconstruction in Iraq should ask why al Qaeda is so furious at the effort. The answer is clear: Radical Islam can no longer blame the United States for propping up dictators, but instead is terrified that there is a third choice \u2014 the people\u2019s freedom \u2014 between creepy strongmen and even creepier pre-modern theocrats.<\/p>\n But back again to the good Dr. Zawahiri, who had still more complaints beyond oil and corrupt leaders that explain why he, of course, plans on more murdering of Westerners.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you have you seen, O Americans, in New York and Washington and the losses you are having in Afghanistan and Iraq, in spite of all the media blackout, are only the losses of the initial clashes.\u201d<\/p>\n And we know precisely what were our perceived pre-September 11 wrongs that caused \u201cNew York and Washington\u201d since Dr Zawahiri\u2019s boss, bin Laden himself, spelled them out in a 1998 fatwa.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ruling to kill the Americans and their allies \u2014 civilians and military \u2014 is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque [Mecca] from their grip.\u201d<\/p>\n Note that bin Laden omits any reference to American efforts to save Muslim Kuwait (a war in which in vain he also volunteered to fight against Saddam Hussein), to save Balkan Muslims (which his own mujahadeen had failed utterly to do), or to stop the Soviet killing of Afghan Muslims (a war in which his resistance counted on American arms to save his fellow Muslims).<\/p>\n The constant theme of this envious and insecure motor mouth? Americans saved Muslims, while bin Laden\u2019s minions talked big, but couldn\u2019t do much against much stronger Baathist Iraqis, godless Soviets, and nationalist Serbs.<\/p>\n September 11 was the promised answer to bin Laden\u2019s fatwa. Later when America withdrew all troops from the land of Mecca, his death promises increased rather than ceased.<\/p>\n Remember that Dr. Zawahiri lists both Afghanistan (his former headquarters) and Iraq in the same breath as reasons for his attacks to come. We in our civil discord tend to distinguish the two theaters; al Qaeda in its unity does not.<\/p>\n So as we try to assess the causes of Islamists\u2019 venom toward the West, it seems wiser to listen to what they say rather than what we say they say.<\/p>\n If we would do that, we would conclude that the hatred of radical Islam is fed by envy, frustration, and pride \u2014 and thus existential: They despise Americans for who we are.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why al Qaeda must constantly find new grievances, whether the West Bank, Israel itself, Jews, oil prices, troops in Saudi Arabia, Oil-for-Food, Afghanistan, or Iraq.<\/p>\n Indeed, the latest two-hour training video is little more than cut-and-paste from the Michael Moore Left and hand-me-downs from Euro anti-globalist radicals. Thus America, al Qaeda assures us, \u201cseeks to ravage the entire globe for the interest\u2026of corporate companies,\u201d and so kills the sons of Islam \u201cin Palestine, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Indonesia, the Caucuses, and elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Apparently about three billion Europeans, Asians, Russians, and Indians have been picking on poor suicide bombers and terrorists, who, in fact, are incognito environmentalists bent on stopping corporate exploitation of Mother Earth.<\/p>\n Yet there is one and only one legitimate objection of the crackpot radical Islamists that rings true: We in the West don\u2019t listen to them when they promise us our deaths.<\/p>\n We should. They are yelling as loud as they can to tell us something that we don\u2019t really want to hear.<\/p>\n \u00a92005 Victor Davis Hanson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The words of radical Islam speak for themselves. by Victor Davis Hanson National Review Online \u201cYou will find that the Jews were behind all the civil strife in this world. The Jews are behind the suffering of the nations.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[786],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p466Sb-17m","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4756,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/when-should-we-stop-supporting-israel\/","url_meta":{"origin":4300,"position":0},"title":"When Should We Stop Supporting Israel?","author":"victorhanson","date":"March 28, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by Victor Davis Hanson Private Papers The recent assassination of Sheik Saruman raises among some Americans the question\u2014at what point should we reconsider our rather blanket support for the Israelis and show a more even-handed attitude toward the Palestinians? The answer, it seems to me, should be assessed in cultural,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "March 2004"","block_context":{"text":"March 2004","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/archives\/2004\/march-2004\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5507,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/the-stink\/","url_meta":{"origin":4300,"position":1},"title":"The Stink","author":"victorhanson","date":"February 18, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"What makes the worst lies in the Middle East acceptable? by Bruce S. Thornton Private Papers Remember Big Daddy in the movie\u00a0Cat on Hot Tin Roof? He kept walking around complaining about the \u201cstink of mendacity\u201d emanating from his dysfunctional family. I know how he feels, for every day the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bruce S. Thornton"","block_context":{"text":"Bruce S. Thornton","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/bruce-s-thornton\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5248,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/suicidal-tendencies-in-the-west\/","url_meta":{"origin":4300,"position":2},"title":"Suicidal Tendencies in the West","author":"victorhanson","date":"May 18, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Tolerance unreciprocated leaves the West vulnerable. by Bruce S. Thornton Private Papers Last week riots broke out in Afghanistan and Pakistan over an unfounded rumor, irresponsibly published by\u00a0Newsweek\u00a0magazine, that an American interrogator had flushed a Koran down the toilet. In response, the administration has been anxiously assuring the Muslim world\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bruce S. Thornton"","block_context":{"text":"Bruce S. Thornton","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/bruce-s-thornton\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":545,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/romney-and-the-palestinian-culture-of-destruction\/","url_meta":{"origin":4300,"position":3},"title":"Romney and the Palestinian Culture of Destruction","author":"victorhanson","date":"August 1, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bruce Thornton Frontpage Magazine Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is under attack for speaking an important truth about the Arab-Israeli conflict. At a fundraiser in Jerusalem on Monday, Romney made the obvious, even banal, point about the economic disparity between nations. Speaking of Israel and the Palestinian-run West Bank,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Palestine"","block_context":{"text":"Palestine","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/the-middle-east\/palestine\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8141,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/the-real-scandals-of-the-paris-march\/","url_meta":{"origin":4300,"position":4},"title":"The Real Scandals of the Paris March","author":"victorhanson","date":"January 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bruce S. Thornton \/\/ FrontPage Magazine Commentators on both the left and the right are slamming President Obama for missing the march in Paris last Sunday. Even a stalwart courtier like CNN\u2019s Jake Tapper sniffed that he was \u201cashamed\u201d that the U.S. was represented by an ambassador\u2013\u2013one, by the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The World"","block_context":{"text":"The World","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/abbas.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7637,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/moral-equivalence-moral-idiocy\/","url_meta":{"origin":4300,"position":5},"title":"Moral Equivalence, Moral Idiocy","author":"victorhanson","date":"July 8, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bruce Thornton \/\/ FrontPage Magazine Scenes all too familiar from the Arab conflict with Israel have followed the murder last Wednesday of a 16-year-old Palestinian, Mohammed Abu Khdeir. 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