Bill Whittle has written some really good things, most of which will soon be released in book form (buy it!). His two latest essays, Strength, clarify some of the reasons this war on jihadis must be seen to conclusion. He talks about the cultural imperatives of Islam, and the mentality of the enemy we face:
Honor and shame trump everything in that world. A pithy sentence, eh? So instead, think about what it would take for you to kill your own daughter with a knife, with your bare hands, because she was seen in the company of a man not her husband or a relative? Think about that. Think long and hard. What kind of hatred and shame could drive a human being to do such a thing? What kind of pressures does that society bring to bear on an individual to make him capable of that? How different is their view of women, of family, of honor and shame? What would it take for you to murder your daughter with a knife, or a knotted cord–with your own two hands and against her pleading, her protestations, and her begging for her life? If your response wasn?t “there is nothing that could make me do that,” then stop reading right here and get the hell off my property.
Honor? More like “I better do something or the neighbors will begin to talk.” And the thing Americans have difficulty in realizing is that the neighbors will talk! And they will expect someone to kill his own daughter. And liberals seem to think this is okay. “Who are we to judge their culture?”
How many young girls have been killed by their fathers in this country for getting pregnant? I’m not talking about simply being seen in public with a male. I mean pregnant. This was a mark of shame for many years, although the “shame” part of that is overblown in retrospect. People went on with their lives. I’m sure some father somewhere probably did murder his daughter in that situation. In this country and our culture, he would have been prosecuted, and probably convicted. In the Islamic culture, he is expected to act this way.
This is who we would like to see prevail?
>>This is who we would like to see prevail?
Hell, no! But now you’re starting to sound like you’re advocating straight-up genocide. I know you don’t mean that, of course… Please elaborate.
Comment by Bogey — May 25, 2004 @ 12:09 pm
My issue is that people will judge our actions more harshly than those of people who feel life is this cheap. The value system in the US has evolved from assimilation of values from every culture that has ever immigrated here. Personally, I think our culture, whatever weaknesses it may have, is far better than any other on earth. Playing moral equivalence is a logical impossibility when we’re comparing our thoughts and actions to those of someone with a completely different set of values.
Comment by Bunker — May 25, 2004 @ 12:36 pm