Showing posts with label jihad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jihad. Show all posts

Friday, November 21, 2014

WORK FOR PEACE, PREPARE FOR JIHAD

(originally written on the eleventh anniversary of 9/11)

by Michael Douglas Carlin

As we approach the eleventh anniversary of 9/11, the mosque close to Ground Zero is open. Muslims have just ended their fast of Ramadan. America has the hope that a kinder, gentler version of Islam will root out the radical jihadist form of Islam. Hope alone won't bring that vision to fruition. If Islampopulation.com is correct, then the Muslim population has topped 1.82 billion members. The estimates of radical Islamists vary, but even if they are only half of one percent of all Muslims, the number of "would be" suicide bombers is staggering. The total number of U.S. troops, including active and reserves, is around three million. That means that radical Muslims outnumber American troops three to one.

The threat of radical Islam isn't to be taken lightly. The United States must continue to maintain a strong military prepared to do what is necessary to repel any and all attacks on our soil or overseas. The political will to invade Afghanistan shortly after 9/11 was almost unanimous within America. The outpouring of sympathy was also nearly universal. Many fear the cross hairs of radical Islam, as the doctrine doesn't discriminate among Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, or any other religion when it comes to the doctrine of Jihad. All are to be killed or submit to Islam. Thankfully, not all Muslims have this view of their religion.

With the declaration of war by radical Islam on the United States comes a need to diffuse a dangerous situation. A kinder and gentler form of Islam could be just the answer.

I am acquainted with the Southern Philippines, which is front and center in the War on Terror. Nearly half a million Muslims occupy this poverty-stricken region. Recruitment is fertile, because the people there have nothing. Having nothing means having nothing to lose. Islamists consider this a valuable region, because they seek to recruit jihadists who don't fit the profile that our law enforcement has on its radar screens. The Civil Affairs Campaign waged by the U.S. Government and the Philippine Marines is having a significant impact in winning the hearts and minds of Muslims.

The true radicals still place a price on the lives of relief workers bringing aid to the region, who must travel with heavily armed escorts. It is very hard to see America as the enemy when medical treatment is brought in that saves the lives of children. As poverty gives way to self-sufficiency, the people there have something to lose, which helps them choose peace. We should never expect them to adopt our culture. In respecting their need to have their own culture, we can establish a relationship of mutual respect.

In poverty-stricken regions, this approach can be helpful when we are allowed to intercede. Most Muslim countries reject our help under any circumstances. Many of the most radical jihadists have never met an American and simply hate us, because they were taught to hate us. That leaves very few tools in the War on Terror. One proven technique is to empower women. Women have the ability to soften men's hearts to choose peace. A gender gap might help us empower women in the region.

China has been imposing a "one child rule" to curb the population growth. Population engineering has been responsible for the current female infanticide, as baby girls who are perceived as surplus are slaughtered. India also has a problem with female infanticide. This has caused a large gender imbalance in both countries. An underground railroad to transport abused women from Muslim lands to areas where women are in short supply and might enjoy a more empowered life could stem the tide of abuse. Just the threat of women leaving might be enough to inspire a major and positive shift in the rights of women in the Middle East.

A World Court that establishes basic human rights, including religious freedom, could also be a tool to create stability and bring radical jihadists to justice. Trading partners would need to recognize the Court as the final authority and allow it to charge any Global Citizen with war crimes when human rights are violated.

This would mean that America, too, would have to be subject to international laws. There are no guarantees that any of this would work against such a sworn enemy, but the futures of our children dictate that we must try. Those who have perished in the War on Terror gave their blood to further the cause of liberty. Peace is the goal but not at any price. We will always stand ready to do what is necessary to thwart the efforts of all of our enemies both foreign and domestic. We will also work tirelessly to further the cause of peace. We owe it to those who have nothing and have never met us to attempt to let them see our hearts and make the choice for peace.


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© 2014 Michael Douglas Carlin. All Rights Reserved.

Friday, October 24, 2014

READ

(originally written in 2012)

by Michael Douglas Carlin

 I admit that I am a nut. Somehow, I have come to believe in world peace.

Now as we enter the holiday season I am more convinced that peace is just around the corner. I have written before that, because I ride a motorcycle on the streets of Los Angeles, I see how the lines are drafted that allow me to ride in relative safety through dense traffic to get from starting point to ending point.

In 2007, I wrote A Prescription for Peace, that details the philosophy of a group of Knights, who give their time and resources to help those in need. This philosophy is what I believe will lead to world peace. Not everyone has received the book well. About two years ago, I received a telephone call from a relative asking me to remove the book from Amazon. He said that I was embarrassing him with his peers in the U.S. Army. He has served for over seven years now and seen two tours of combat duty in Iraq when it was at its worst. I have tremendous respect for him, and I probed deeper to know the source of his embarrassment.

He was promoted to Psychological Operations, and the word "peace" causes many in the military to roll their eyes. Having a relative who writes about world peace is simply something that is not understood in his group. I didn't take offense at the request but started asking questions. "Isn't it your job in Psychological Operations to market a kinder, gentler version of Islam to the Middle East?"

He didn't take that well. "We are warriors, not peacemakers, was his reply. I backed up a bit."

"Isn't Psychological Operations a branch of the military that attempts to influence without using bullets?" He agreed. "Aren't you using marketing methods to achieve that influence?" He agreed. "Isn't a kinder gentler version of Islam simply a matter of achieving the right message and getting it out in the Middle East?"

"Well, yes." He got it. I asked him what that message was, and he said he really didn't know. But I knew he was thinking about it.

About three months ago, he sent me a paper that he did for a marketing class in college. It was about marketing the right message in Afghanistan. There was a void in Afghanistan, because we had not found the right message. Our success there could turn on a dime with the right message, but we have, so far, been unable to discover what that message should be. But, one thing we know is that victory is simply a successful marketing campaign away.

About three weeks ago, he called to tell me that he had discovered the message. I listened with great curiosity. "Read the Koran." From the moment the words escaped his lips, I knew that he had discovered the marketing campaign that would change the world and bring peace to the Middle East. I thought about the Dark Ages of Christianity and the similarity to Islam. Of the six hundred million Muslims in the world, how many have "Read the Koran"? How many of the "would be" suicide bombers have "Read the Koran"?

Just as the Gutenberg Bible transformed Christianity into a democratic society, the Koran will allow people all over the world to become educated and read for themselves. "Read the Koran" isn't just the message for the Middle East; it is a message for the world. By all of us reading the Koran, we can gain an understanding of different cultures of different people. We can better understand our religions. We can receive an education that will provide us with the skills to cope better with what has become a complex global society. We will find a message of peace.

Literacy is one of the building blocks of democracy. Literacy is imperative if democracy is going to survive and thrive in the Middle East. Education improves lives. "Read the Koran" is education. Laws have meaning only if people can read and write. "Read the Koran" leads to law-abiding societies. "Read the Koran" is the message that many don't want the world to hear. "Read the Koran" is our path to peace. "Read the Bible" has led us to democracy. Read the classics leads us to discussions that elevate all of us. To touch every life on the planet, the message can be shortened to read. Reading has made such a difference in my life. Joining a faith-based movement and reading scripture led me to become educated in philosophy, and that transformed me. Reading is one of the keys to peace.

Reading is the foundation that makes all things possible in any peaceful society.



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© 2014 Michael Douglas Carlin. All Rights Reserved.