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Look to radical Islamic intentions

Reader comment on item: [Michael Smerconish and I Debate:] What Kind of Airport Profiling?

Submitted by Paul Rhoads (France), Oct 5, 2004 at 18:32

This is exactly the right approach. I support it fully.

But just as it is important to get beyond Arab looks to radical Islamic intentions, eventually a further step must also be taken--if not at airports in the West generally.

There is no doubt that most Muslims are not islamist extremist, but all Islamic extremist are Muslims. To say nothing of the tacit or partial agreement between most Muslims and aspects of Islamic extremism, as soon as we start having the courage to examine Islam with objectivity, as well as looking at the what we call the 'post 9/11 world' in light of Arab politics in the 20th century, and also the 19th, and right on back, even to Mohammed himself, we will come to see matters as the Islamists see them, namely that this is an aggressive war of Islam against Christianity. The situation that the West is now, to a very large extent, de-Christianized , is an obstacle which prevents our understanding the world situation with clarity. The ‘political correctness' which generates the more obvious obstacles to our understanding is itself ultimately a consequence of de-Christianisation.

What would be the consequences to Western action with regard, say, to airport security, of such a consciousness? One would hope that all Muslim organizations and individuals in America today are already the object of a proper degree of special attention. Europe, having lost hold of its Christian identity to a very great extent, is in a process of implosion which would spell eventual Islamic triumph there (or ‘here', since I write this from France). But the front line is Israel.

The Islamists do not care if the Jews are religious or not. Like Hitler they define Jews as 'Jews' in spite of them. The Jews must defend themselves, as Jews, whether they care to defend themselves in such a way or not. It will eventually become clear that the European, and American, situation is the same; it is, ultimately, Christianity that is under attack--or, as the case may be, de-Christianized or radicalized personal freedom. The ‘human person' as beloved child of God is the Jewish-Christian, or Western, specificity. For militant Islam, in its ultimate logic, a ‘man' is a jehadi suicide bomb and a ‘woman' is his chattel.

Paul Rhoads
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Reader comments (28) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
people and not what they bring? [24 words]sadieApr 18, 2010 19:47171435
No security at the airport [183 words]J.D.JabachinciskiNov 24, 2005 14:0028814
Profiling as Smeconish proposes is stupid [146 words]JoeOct 19, 2005 17:3827119
Statistically Accurate [50 words]CharlesAug 10, 2005 16:1724553
Statistically Accurate [11 words]LarianeJan 31, 2007 19:1224553
Profiling [100 words]David BerensJan 31, 2005 18:1920018
Stupid Is as Stupid Does [176 words]Rob RolandNov 11, 2004 13:4918239
Profitable Profiling [31 words]Diane KriegerOct 21, 2004 15:5917829
We need to cast off Political Correctness [135 words]Tom PensylOct 12, 2004 11:5117590
How about dogs? [68 words]Olivia M.Oct 11, 2004 23:2917583
Profiling as one tool [163 words]Marcos BerensteinOct 10, 2004 22:1617576
Profiling [81 words]M.WeinbergOct 10, 2004 10:0217574
Question: Sirhan Sirhan [98 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Alan BornsteinOct 8, 2004 12:5217561
A Bit More on Sirhan [16 words]Pro-Israeli DemocratJun 13, 2006 21:5017561
Government action or... inaction [63 words]Tom BurdonOct 6, 2004 18:0717551
Security while flying [170 words]Scott McilwaineOct 6, 2004 16:4417549
Nothing to Fear [14 words]markOct 6, 2004 16:4117548
Political correctness gone awry [77 words]JennyOct 6, 2004 12:1217543
An honor to die? [123 words]Menahem DunskyOct 6, 2004 10:3117542
May be too late [161 words]ChrisOct 6, 2004 10:3017541
Lessons from Israel? [39 words]David W. LincolnOct 5, 2004 21:1317536
What Kind of Airport Profiling Is Effective? [46 words]Peter RonaiOct 5, 2004 20:2117535
Look to radical Islamic intentions [375 words]Paul RhoadsOct 5, 2004 18:3217534
How can "ideological" profiling be accomplished? [62 words]L.Oct 5, 2004 17:5317533
Political correctness [122 words]Carol FischerOct 5, 2004 14:1717531
Thought Police [62 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Diane KriegerOct 5, 2004 13:1017529
What if everyone looks Middle eastern? [99 words]Nick WiesenfeldOct 5, 2004 12:2617528
Looking inside their minds [68 words]Max Hocutt Ph.D.Oct 5, 2004 12:1617527

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