Needed: An Ideological Offensive

Submitted by Prof. Paul Eidelberg (Israel), Sep 26, 2006 at 18:42

The hypersensitivity of Muslims or Arabs to aspersions of their prophet Muhammad is not merely a result of piety. Muslims have exaggerated ideas of their world–historical significance; indeed, they are notorious for their overweening pride. The West indulges this conceit, and not only because of the West's dependence on the oil resources of the Persian Gulf. Also operative is cultural relativism, which has eroded the West's confidence as the pinnacle of civilization.

Be this as it may, notice the double standards and duplicity of Muslim clerics who demand Pope Benedict XVI apologize for his unflattering reference to Muhammad: Did these clerics ever apologize for 9/11? With all due respect to the Pontiff, neither an apology nor an invitation to engage in dialogue is in order—as if theological differences can be resolved through discussion. Surely the Pope knows that Islam has ever been at war with the non-Muslim world in general and with Western civilization in particular.

Since America is the only solid bastion of Western civilization, the United States should go on the offensive against its most dangerous enemy, totalitarian Islam.

To begin with, let it be noted that every Islamic regime stands in violation of the United Nations Charter, more precisely, Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which declares, "Everyone has the right to take part in the Government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives."

Accordingly, a movement should be initiated in America to purge the UN of those member states whose governmental system inherently contradicts that democratic article. Freedom House reports that of the 192 states composing the UN General Assembly, 89 are "free" or liberal democracies, while 30 other member states are "partly free." If these 119 states were to establish a new United Nations, the shockwave would overwhelm Islamdom.

Short of this admittedly far-fetched proposal, Islamic states should be challenged: "Either conform to the democratic principles of the UN Charter or face expulsion." As an object lesson, Iran should be expelled from the UN in view of its genocidal threat to "wipe Israel off the map." If the UN had good reasons to expel South Africa, it certainly has good reasons to expel Iran.

If it be granted that Islam is at war with the West, then, instead of engaging in an orgy of analyses of Islam, let us go on the offensive, and the place to begin is in New York, in the United Nations. There is the place to tell Islamic states: "Shape up or ship out!"

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