Today on the Dennis Prager Show Dennis spoke with the author of a book titled The enemy at Home. His name is Dinesh D'Souza. The premise of his book is that radical Islamists are using the decadence and immorality of American culture as a great recruitment tool. That indeed WE are responsible to some extent for the hatred they have for us. This was hard to swallow at first. My gut reaction is always to defend my country and those who seem to have an IRRATIONAL hatred for it and its citizens. Most people here in this country are good decent people. I hate the decadence and immorality as much as a devout Muslim does, but I don't want to KILL people. (Well, ok maybe sometimes when I hear about a little child being sexually abused I may feel a little like that...) But Mr. D'Souza went on and he was VERY persuasive.
Dennis brought up the same points I did. He said that he feels that the radical Islamists don't just hate the immorality they see taking place here in the U.S. they hate our liberty and freedom as a culture generally. He insisted. Even if we lived like Puritans, they would still want to kill us NO? Mr. D'Sousa was very forthright. He said yes, they, the most radical, WOULD indeed still want to kill/destroy us. But, they would be powerless because most of the Muslim world would not see the great need to punish a people who clearly (although in their minds mistakenly serving the "wrong" God) are living GOOD lives.
Mr. D'Sousa went on to say that one reason that there is this great upsurge of willing participants in Jihad against "the great satan" aka the U.S., is that we seem to be most willingly reinforcing that very image! We reinforce all the negative stereotypes they have about us as the Infidels and therefore spur on hatred in the hearts of moderate Muslims who normally wouldn't ever consider fighting or dying - they just want to live their lives like everybody else.
But, Dennis asked why the specific hatred of the U.S.? Why not say, Sweden? The western Europeans are FAR more secular and farther along the path of godlessness than we here in America are. Are they not? True. Mr. D'Sousa explains. But because America is the main source of all things "modern" and "fashionable" in pop culture, because we set the tone for the world as it were, we therefore become a bigger target than the Europeans who have completely rid themselves of God altogether. This made sense to me.
I do know that violence and hatred are taught to the Palestinians at a very young age. I do know that generally the Arab Islamic culture is one that tends to be more aggressive and violent than the Christian culture I have been raised in and am a part of now. But it does seem likely that our own failures to live up to a Godly standard of living here in the U.S. have only added fuel to that spark of hatred that may lie in another man's heart for us. The more I study, read and pray, the more I come to realize that politics and geo-political maneuvering are NOT the solution to the U.S's problems. We need to look in the mirror! Not that we deserved 911!! No way! Not that we deserve to have our good citizens tortured and beheaded! That can NEVER be justified! But, on a completely spiritual level, completely spiritual, we may be just reaping what we've sown.
This requires prayer sacrifice and most of all reparation for our collective sins as a nation. Have we become so arrogant, so self-absorbed and preoccupied with material success that we fail to see the plank in our own eye? Here is where the liberals in this country are on to something although they pursue the wrong sins. They are always the ones first to criticize this country. In fact, it often angers me how they seem to never have any pride in their country at all! But, at least they are using a critical eye and not turning a blind one. They may be critical of different things than I. I am sure we would part ways most definitely on what constitutes our greatest "national sins"!! (abortion, rejection of God, sexual perversions, etc) (they would say - supporting Israel, war in Iraq, world economic domination, etc.) But , as my husband has said - "Kris, you can always learn something, take something positive away from, any person you meet or know. Even if it is a person you don't like or it is a negative experience you've had. There is ALWAYS something to be gained and learned from another human being." One smart hubby eh? And he's right.
I learned a lot from listening to the Dennis Prager show today. I always do. It's the greatest source of knowledge and inspiration on the radio today. (and yes I'm aware of Catholic radio like Relevant Radio but they are lacking in many ways...) To Dennis, Mr. D'Sousa, and all the America hating liberals out there I say thank you! I've learned a lot. I'm re-thinking Islam.
Dennis's website: http://www.dennisprager.com/ To balance these thoughts dennis has also written a great article at townhall.com which I encourage you to read here - it gives the ugly facts that I more typically associate with the state of Islam today... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2006/08/29/just_a_reminder_about_who_and_why_we_are_fighting
Mr. D'Sousa's website: http://www.dineshdsousa.com/
A quotes from Bishop Fulton Sheen: " ...our world conditions are determined by the way we live rather than by politics."
"Nations too can get in the habit of denying that their trials, the hatred of other nations, and their insecurity may be related to their moral failings. It is too superficial a justification for any nation to blame another for its crises."
"A nation may do wrong; if so, it must make up for it in some kind of penance and atonement and reparation. We can do wrong as a nation; we are not all innocent lambs. While it may be true that other nations have done far greater wrong, the way to peace is not to point out their villainy. Rather it is humbly to admit our failures and make expiation for them. The world is the way it is because you are the way you are and I am the way I am."
