Here's a synopsis of discussions some of us in Denver had with our guest of last week, French filmmaker Pierre Rehov, based on his lifetime of personal experience with Muslims. Editor's Note: Delta Mike 67 is a foreign policy wonk who writes under his Vietnam War military handle. Additional perspectives on Rehov's 8/14 Denver film screening are provided here by View from a Height blogger Joshua Sharf. A starkly contrasting take on his documentary, "Suicide Killers," came from this sarcastic New York Times review of its brief theater run last year. Now for Delta Mike's Q & A summary:
Q: What is the difference in the moral structure between Islam and the West?
A: We are all used to societies with a Judeo-Christian tradition. This means the 10 Commandments are buried in there somewhere, even if one considers him or herself not a person of faith. But this isn’t true in Islam. In Islam, anything that furthers Islam is moral. Sorry, but this is literally a Qu’ranic license for disinformation. We must remember this when Islamic congressmen swear on the Qu’ran to uphold the Constitution of the United States, or when Islamic leaders swear at congressional hearings that they have no ties with terrorism.
We must also recognize that the reference points that determine the differences between good and evil are also completely different. Imams preach murder and mayhem against fellow human beings that do not believe. This is considered good!
The biggest gap of course is sexuality, where free expression is forbidden and vicious misogyny prevails. Ruthless separation of the sexes is the norm. Marriage is arranged by the families. Before a young man can marry, he must have a career, own a home and pay a substantial dowry to the father of the bride. For thousands of young men in Islamic countries, marriage and any gratification on this earth seems hopelessly out of reach. It’s no wonder that the promises of Paradise for the suicide bomber are explicitly described and readily believed: the 72 virgins and other carnal delights.
Q: What is the difference between a “Moderate” and a “Radical” Muslim?
A: first of all, understand that ALL Muslims believe that every religion other than Islam is a lie, and that eventually Islam will prevail around the world. If you don’t believe that, you are apostate.
The Moderate is willing to live a normal life and to wait for the end times Jihad in the same way a Christian awaits the second coming of Christ or the Jew awaits the coming of the Messiah. The Radical, however, is convinced the end times are NOW! The attacks such as 9/11 against symbols of Western power were (and will be) to CONVINCE THE MODERATES THAT NOW IS THE TIME FOR “END TIMES JIHAD”! Rehov estimates that possibly 20% of moderate Muslims have been radicalized. This means about 200 million additional Jihadis. Right after the 9/11 attacks, Muslim women in Morocco and France started wearing the veil, something most had never done before!
Q: The Progressives believe if we’d just abandon Israel to the Arabs we could finally live in peace. After all, isn’t this all basically a territorial dispute?
A: To properly answer this question, one needs to look into modern Islamic apocalyptic predictions[1]. A key element in many of these apocalyptic visions is the destruction of Israel, leading to Muslim control over Jerusalem, which then becomes the seat of the Caliphate. This paves the way for the cataclysmic war with the West, from the ashes of which will emerge a world dominated by Islam. Thus, to think that the destruction of Israel would bring peace is absolutely not true. What it would do is fulfill one more step of the apocalyptic predictions and energize the whole Muslim world to proceed to the next step!
In the meantime, the Islamists pose as a persecuted minority, wrapping their murderous ideology in the cloak of religion and howl discrimination or religious persecution if anyone objects to their preaching “death to the Jews, death to America”! They have skillfully exploited the weaknesses of our Democracy and use our freedoms to destroy us.
Interestingly enough, Israeli society itself is divided on this issue. The Israeli left wing, like the American Progressives, actually believes a “Land for Peace” deal might bring peace and allow a continuance of living the good comfortable life. After all, with a pretty wife, a new apartment and a new Lexus, the last thing one would want to do is don the brown uniform and head for the territories. Unfortunately, the left wing Jews seem to be ignoring Islamic theology like everyone else. They are also choosing to learn nothing from the August 2005 abandonment of Gaza, which was the most recent “Land for Peace” fiasco.
Q: The Progressives believe if we’d just accommodate the Muslims, be nice to them, they will reciprocate, settle down and become just like the Methodists down the street. After all, isn’t all they want is the comfortable life just like we do?
A: To quote from the Muslim Brotherhood: “The Ikwhan (The Muslim Brotherhood) must understand that all their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging their miserable house by the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and Allah’s religion is made victorious over all religions.”[2] So much for Muslim peaceful assimilation! It should be added that Hamas and Hezbollah are both offshoots of the original Muslim Brotherhood, which drew strength from the Nazis during WW II.
To think that the Muslims will mellow out and want to enjoy life as we do in the West is like trying to feed a lion grass. It ignores the fact that most Muslims consider our way of life disgusting and corrupt. They think they need to destroy our way of life “for our own good”. To continually accommodate Islamic demands is to surrender our traditional liberties piecemeal. Though most Progressives consider “tolerance” the greatest virtue, how will they feel when they are told they can no longer allow their wives to go outside the home unaccompanied or unveiled? How will they react when all civil authority resides in the local Mosque?
Pierre Rehov related a story of his childhood. He was raised in a French ruled country that was turned over to the Islamics when he was 10 years old. A neighbor knocked on the door and said to his Father: “here’s $200 for your house”. “What are you talking about? This is my house!” his Father replied. “Look”, his Muslim neighbor replied, “if you don’t go, I will come back with my brothers and cousins and kick you out. And we will kill your wife and family! So go now!” So the family packed up and fled, going to live with their grand parents in Paris until the family could re-establish itself! If a local Mosque ruled in Highlands Ranch Colorado, does anyone believe the traditional rule of law and property rights would still exist? What would you do if Muslims knocked on your door with a similar offer?
Another interesting story was how our guest “discovered” he was a Jew. As a boy, he asked his father the meaning of the following slogan that was scrawled on walls everywhere:
Français au bateau // French to the boats
Arabs au château // Arabs to the palaces
Juifs au couteau // Jews to the knife
His father had to explain painfully that the last line was meant for them!
Another aspect to consider: Islam divides the world into two halves: the Dar al-Islam (world of Islam) and the Dar-al-Harb (world of war). Wherever an Islamic sets his foot in Dar-al-Harb becomes Dar-al-Islam! He is then admonished to fight until Islam prevails! Obviously, this is another theological barrier to the assimilation so blithely anticipated by the Progressives.
Q: The Progressives try to give the Islamists a pass on the way they treat women. “Once they’re exposed to our ways, they’ll leave it behind!” they assert.
A: Oh really! Again, a painful ignorance of Islamic ideology is showing. In Islam, men’s bodies are created by God. But a woman’s body is created by Satan to tempt mankind. Any attraction a man feels for a woman is Satan’s work! A woman’s body belongs to her father or her husband if she’s married. Therefore the man is responsible for her behavior and must preserve his family honor. This is why women must not be allowed out of the house, or if they are, to be wrapped in a burka and escorted by a family member. Sad stories of honor killings of young women by their fathers, brothers or husbands are all too frequent! The idea that women could ever be equal with men is incomprehensible!
[1] See “Contemporary Muslim Apocalyptic Literature” by David Cook, Syracuse University Press 2005 ISBN 0-8156-3058-1
[2] Investors Business Daily “A Muslim ‘Mafia’ “ Aug 15, 2007, page A12