It is easy to criticize others

The letter writers who are so critical of the situation in Iraq appear to have the attitude “What I believe is absolutely right and any who have a different opinion are wrong.” There is never a rational presentation of the overall strategic circumstances and any policy of how to handle the fundamentalist Islam attack on Christians and Jews. They propose that we should just “walk away.” We have historical experience to show that when we for the most part just ignored the “pinpricks” over many years the attacks increased in intensity, culminating in 9/11.

This “rightness” attitude has been a dominate aspect of religion from the beginning of time. During the centuries of the Inquisition the Jews were persecuted unmercifully throughout Europe. Also, the execution of heretics was widespread. The heretics’ only crime was to have an opinion different than that of the controlling authority where he/she lived. Catholics were heretics in Protestant communities and Protestants were heretics in Catholic communities. There were, however, many people in those times who had a tolerant attitude for diverse opinion (Erasmus is a notable example).

Today there is generally a tolerant attitude for diversity of religious beliefs. The more devout may believe that those who do not share their views will not go to heaven but they don’t feel a need to kill them. Islam Fundamentalists, on the other hand, seem to think that it is a “duty” to kill infidels – those who do not share their faith. How are we to deal with that? We should note that the majority of Muslims are tolerant and will live in peace with their non-Muslim neighbors. It is the radical fundamentalists who we must be concerned with.

For once I would like to see one of the critics make a reasoned argument against the current policies and a proposal going forward of what should be done. And the arguments must be reasonable – eliminating Israel is not a viable option. And the sectarian violence that occurs almost daily in Iraq should make it very clear that just walking away is not a good choice.

Glen Holzhausen