Fanatical Islamists constitute a Deja Vu

Submitted by Dr. Jack Lawson (United States), May 25, 2017 at 08:03

I have followed with interest your debate with Sherman on 'Israeli Victory'. In many ways, your argument (with which I agree) is a deja vu from the Second World War. And here I wish to expand the debate.

The Western democracies have been here before when confronted with the bushido doctrine of the Japanese. My father was involved in the conflict in the Far East. He witnessed first hand, as did his many comrades, the suicidal fanaticism of the Japanese military, from Banzai charges to kamikazes and explosive-laden satchel-carrying individuals. Honour after death.

As an historian you will know how the Japanese militarists refused any move towards a negotiated settlement or surrender. They were certain that the bushido/samurai spirit could ultimately defeat the soft West. Even when warned about the ultimate weapon derived from the Manhattan Project, they scoffed. Only when the US struck decisively on Hiroshima and Nagasaki did they have reason to rethink their position. I see the West stuck on the horns of a dilemma. Liberal-minded politicians in Europe are hoping to win over the Muslim population within EU borders with tolerance and material comforts.

They simply cannot believe that there can be human beings who think differently about the world and human society--even after suffering at the hands of Nazi aggression and Japanese expansionism in the East. And they forget--as do the Americans--of what it took to bring both Nazi ideology and Bushido philosophy to an end. If Britain and the US had tried to deal with each act of Japanese aggression as discrete incidents (Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Singapore et al), where would the world be now?

Back to your Israel Victory argument, to date Israel is addressing discrete attacks--or 'cutting the grass' as some ME Forum writers have put it. And this is a microcosm of what the West is doing with the ongoing onslaught of jihadists--the latest being Manchester. Even if, as some pundits put it, only 1% of Muslims are radicalised, that still amounts to an army of more than 15 million willing suicide bombers. And with their kill ratio always being much greater than their attrition rate....well, it shouldn't take a genius to figure out that they will eventually grind the West down unless more decisive action and preventative measures are taken now. And I don't see that happening.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".