It seems clear that the solution to the never-ending violence in Iraq is political rather than military. But I’m becoming increasingly convinced that the only solution is spiritual.
The violence is simply reemerging from a nearly 1,400-year-old war between two radical elements of Islam: the Shiites and Sunnis. While Saddam Hussein reined over a brutal dictatorship—I’m in no way condoning him—he did serve to keep both sides from killing each other.
And, ironically, the reason for Islamic violence against the west is also spiritual: to wipe out the infidelity they believe threatens their faith.
Will only a change of heart—on all sides—stem the violence?Why does al Qaeda hate the west?
What are your thoughts?
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April 11, 2007 at 09:46
My understanding is that, while Hussein did keep an iron grip over civil disorder, he encouraged sectarian divisions. As I understand the situation, the Baathists (Saddam’s political party) were primarily Sunni, and heavily discriminated against Shi’ites during Saddam’s reign.
April 11, 2007 at 10:57
I do believe that the war in Iraq (both the civil and the US war) are spiritual. For the first time in history, we are seeing that the fall of society and the causes of war are spiritual by nature. We differ in the way governments run countries and the representation of their faiths.
Democracy to the Muslim is blasphemy, since they only want to be ruled by their God and teachings. Freedom is a venom to their very veins. Whereas “US Christians” see self sacrifice and killing of one self for their God as outrageous and condemned (and rightly so). We differ in the way we see society and culture. The US is looked as the enemy for pushing their “democracy” on Muslim culture. We see them as radicals for pushing their aggressive and dominating culture on their people and condemn them for it.
Note: (These thoughts are speaking specifically to “Radical Muslims” in Iraq and some other countries. Like all faiths, some differ greatly in some of their fundamental beliefs).
April 12, 2007 at 11:19
This is not a battle of ideologies (democracy vs. communism). This is a battle of theologies (Christianity vs. Islam). It doesn’t matter that the West doesn’t see it that way.
We, as Western civilization may attempt to see it as “this vs. that” or “war against terrorism” etc. But the Muslim extremists don’t see it that way. They see it as Islam vs. the rest of the world – particularly Christianity and Judaism.
April 13, 2007 at 17:37
The Iraq War is a sad thing to watch. I have a good friend who is there right now and I have heard what it is truly like. Most of the people want to live in peace, but a handful of radical leaders want Islamic law and nothing else.
These few radical leaders do not want democracy, because that promotes education and education is the biggest enemy to Islam. I am not saying that all followers of Islam are uneducated, but those who are uneducated are easier to influence and channel. The uneducated are more moldable to the liking of radicals. This happens with any ideology.
Unfortunately, regardless, of what happens, there will NEVER be true peace in the Middle East. The Bible teels us that. Jews and Christians trace their roots back to Isaac and Muslims trace their roots back to Ishmael. The differences in opinion between Jews/Christians and Muslims starts here.
The interesting thing in all of this is the commonality among these religions despite their vast differences. You can see in many Muslim families today the characteristics and dynamics of ancient Hebrew families.
I pray for Muslims all of the time, but at the same time realizing that the world that we live in is never going to be the “Let’s all get together and have a Coke and a smile” environment that secular progressives so fervently strive for. It only makes sense that secular progressives strive for “peace” so hard, because without the hope of God, then peace on earth is the noblest calling. However, Jews, Christians and Muslims know that there will never be world peace until eschatological events take place.
As Christians we should strive to live in peace as much as we can, but at the same time remembering that this planet is not our home. There will not be complete peace until Christ returns and claims His own.
Hope my chatter makes some sense
April 16, 2007 at 13:08
This is NOT a war of Islam vs. Christianity. No Christian could participate in such a war, nor could a Muslim who read ALL of the Qu’ran as a whole. Further, there are Christians I fear would be just as brutal and ruthless as al-Zarkawi if they only had the position to get away with it.
Getting back to Iraq. Hussein al-Takriti ran a secular national socialist government, based on a series of clans who are mostly Sunni by tradition. Among those who “disappeared” under his rule were women high school students who wore head scarves. The U.S. marched in militarily with no significant allies for our professed aims—there simply were no liberal democratic political forces in Iraq to turn things over to, so we got into supervising endless rounds of carnage between political parties carrying a Shia Muslim banner, Sunni armies, some foreign, some home-grown, Baathists, and anyone else who saw a chance to make something off the violence.
Spiritual solution? Iraqis used to live in mixed neighborhoods and now draw away in fear of each other. If there is some way to bring them back to living peacefully side by side, that would be good. I think it might require a third political force, home-grown, not under American sponsorship, and it would have to militarily suppress all the militias currently dominating the scene.