Can you "defeat" an idea?

Submitted by Yoel Ben-Avraham, Sep 24, 2019 at 03:56

As someone who was 'forced' by circumstances to actively defend my country Israel, and who has four sons, all of which also have had to defend Israel actively - I would love to believe that "victory" is possible. Having lived in direct day-to-day contact with Arabs, especially Muslims, almost fifty years now, I question whether "defeat" is even possible. The root of the opposition to Israel's existence is so deeply connected to religious and cultural beliefs, to acquiesce to Israel's existence would require nothing less than a repudiation of the collective identity of the peoples who live here in the Middle East.
I know that Dr. Pipes sees some form of moderate Islam as the eventual solution. It is possible. My fear is that in a homogeneous society like the countries of the Middle East, any outward signs of moderation will quickly end in the deaths of those who espouse them.

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