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ENOKIAN: Understanding will not fix the Middle East
By Lee Enokian
The Illinois Leader, IL
July 19 2005
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
OPINION - I can't understand the politically correct attitude toward
extremist Muslims and their terrorist acts.
Far too many Americans have forgotten where their loyalties belong
and chant the misguided mantra of "understanding" - if we just
understand the people of the Middle East better, peace would return.
As a person whose family is from that region, I can confidently state
that they're all wrong. Dead wrong.
Immense cultural differences separate the motivations of southwest
Asians from Europeans and Americans. Just for starters, don't confuse
ethnicity with national identity. A huge percentage of Americans of
Middle Eastern ethnicity do not identify their primary individual
awareness with citizenship.
Obtaining citizenship is merely a means to an end. That end is to
make money (often to send "home") and to transplant their culture.
Many immigrants simply don't assimilate. They raise their children
without an American identity.
Traditional dress, extreme facial hair and other indicators are only
cursory indicators of this point.
Being a former U.S. Army officer, I know the psyche of a people can
often be determined by the way they wage war.
Differing attitudes between European and Middle Eastern warfare has
been caused by their general reasons for territorial expansion. Aside
from Hitler and Stalin, Europeans sought to extend control over
foreign lands and the people tied to them. This generally results in
an increase in their tax base and a greater availability of trade
goods. In short, wars made one rich and more powerful.
Middle Eastern warfare has often been driven by religion and a
scarcity of resources. Wars are waged to extend control over
additional lands so a conquering people can exploit their resources.
Existing populations have generally been an unwanted nuisance.
Massacres and Genocides are not uncommon. This inherent predilection
for extreme violence mixed with acquired fundamentalist Islamic
teachings to produce a deadly environment.
Jihad is a widely accepted practice espoused by the Prophet Mohammed
in the Koran. Muslims are particularly dangerous because they believe
those who die in support of jihad go to heaven immediately. Many
extremists also believe that people who insult Allah or the Prophet
should be beheaded.
Am I painting the picture with an unrealistically broad brush? Nope.
Let us not forget that more Christians died for their faith during
the 20th Century than in any other. Most of the victims died at the
hands of Muslims.
My conservative patriotic fervor for traditional American values came
through a variety of sources. The most powerful is the realization
that my family would not exist if the United States had not taken us
in during our hour of need. My grandparents fled their homes in
Kharpert as Islamo-fascist Ottoman Turks slaughtered more than two
million ethnic Armenians and Assyrians for being Christian.
Attractive women and girls were frequently captured and forced into
the sexual slavery of Ottoman harems.
Few that didn't convert to Islam were spared.
Thank God for the United States and for the founding fathers that
paid for a Judeo-Christian tradition of freedom with their property,
blood and lives.
By Lee Enokian
The Illinois Leader, IL
July 19 2005
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
OPINION - I can't understand the politically correct attitude toward
extremist Muslims and their terrorist acts.
Far too many Americans have forgotten where their loyalties belong
and chant the misguided mantra of "understanding" - if we just
understand the people of the Middle East better, peace would return.
As a person whose family is from that region, I can confidently state
that they're all wrong. Dead wrong.
Immense cultural differences separate the motivations of southwest
Asians from Europeans and Americans. Just for starters, don't confuse
ethnicity with national identity. A huge percentage of Americans of
Middle Eastern ethnicity do not identify their primary individual
awareness with citizenship.
Obtaining citizenship is merely a means to an end. That end is to
make money (often to send "home") and to transplant their culture.
Many immigrants simply don't assimilate. They raise their children
without an American identity.
Traditional dress, extreme facial hair and other indicators are only
cursory indicators of this point.
Being a former U.S. Army officer, I know the psyche of a people can
often be determined by the way they wage war.
Differing attitudes between European and Middle Eastern warfare has
been caused by their general reasons for territorial expansion. Aside
from Hitler and Stalin, Europeans sought to extend control over
foreign lands and the people tied to them. This generally results in
an increase in their tax base and a greater availability of trade
goods. In short, wars made one rich and more powerful.
Middle Eastern warfare has often been driven by religion and a
scarcity of resources. Wars are waged to extend control over
additional lands so a conquering people can exploit their resources.
Existing populations have generally been an unwanted nuisance.
Massacres and Genocides are not uncommon. This inherent predilection
for extreme violence mixed with acquired fundamentalist Islamic
teachings to produce a deadly environment.
Jihad is a widely accepted practice espoused by the Prophet Mohammed
in the Koran. Muslims are particularly dangerous because they believe
those who die in support of jihad go to heaven immediately. Many
extremists also believe that people who insult Allah or the Prophet
should be beheaded.
Am I painting the picture with an unrealistically broad brush? Nope.
Let us not forget that more Christians died for their faith during
the 20th Century than in any other. Most of the victims died at the
hands of Muslims.
My conservative patriotic fervor for traditional American values came
through a variety of sources. The most powerful is the realization
that my family would not exist if the United States had not taken us
in during our hour of need. My grandparents fled their homes in
Kharpert as Islamo-fascist Ottoman Turks slaughtered more than two
million ethnic Armenians and Assyrians for being Christian.
Attractive women and girls were frequently captured and forced into
the sexual slavery of Ottoman harems.
Few that didn't convert to Islam were spared.
Thank God for the United States and for the founding fathers that
paid for a Judeo-Christian tradition of freedom with their property,
blood and lives.