The West will not deal effectively with Arab terrorism until it understands the Arab mindset. The Arabs are a proud people. They respect strength, even when used against them. They despise weakness. Their religion, Islam, regards Moslems as superior, does not grant equal rights to Christians or other unbelievers under Moslem rule, and it is the only religion that glorifies war against them. Jihad - depriving unbelievers of their land by military or demographic means and ruling it - is a religious goal. Globalist Western statesmen and business tycoons have helped Moslems in their wars with Christian opponents for several decades - mainly for economic reasons. Yet no Moslem can accept the idea of a world ruled by a group of non-Moslems, however powerful or rich. Islam can accept globalism only if the rulers would be Moslems.

To avoid this scenario, one must grasp that this mindset not only despises weakness, but also regards the concessions of unbelievers as weakness. They are exploited to further Islamic goals. They are not rewarded by gratitude. Caspar Weinberger became the father of Islamic terror on its present scale when, after the killing of 241 US marines in Beirut by Hafez Assad's terrorists in October 1983, he ordered the American troops to withdraw from Lebanon. He may well have realized that the Franco-Italian international force would consequently also withdraw and Lebanon would be occupied by Syria. But he had a big financial interest in Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia wanted this outcome. The entire Arab world viewed Weinberger's behavior as proof of American weakness. It responded by increasing its hostility to the United States and pressing for more concessions, often successfully. Arab terrorism received an immense boost. It had frightened a superpower into fleeing, producing important gains for Islam and destroying the Christian power structure in Lebanon. The tragedy is that the opposite result would have been achieved with few, if any, casualties by bombing Damascus to smithereens instead.

Let me say it again: Arab pride is manifested by contempt for weakness and regards concessions as a sign of weakness. This is one reason why Arabs call Israeli Jews, many of whom believe that concessions can buy them peace, "children of death." The false belief that concessions can buy Moslem goodwill is also widespread in the West, though they always yield only contempt for those offering them, encouraging terrorism and the spread of Islam. The West has not yet understood that terrorism against unbelievers is popular in Moslem states, despite the dancing in their streets after the 11th of September 2001. Nor do Western statesmen understand that the Moslems will despise them for offering concessions (at the expense of their own countries, other Christians or Israel) after Iraq is defeated, and Moslem terrorism will continue, believing Western culture decadent and Islam's goal of world hegemony a little closer.

Yohanan Ramati is Chairman of the Jerusalem Institute for Western Defense. The Institute has been quoting and/or translating from the Arab press, country by country, since the beginning of 1990. Its Monthly Digest also includes analyses and notes. For information about receiving the Monthly Digest of News from the Moslem World, write: Jerusalem Institute For Western Defense, P.O.Box 10610, Jerusalem 91103, Israel.

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