I reprint below a piece entitled "Islamic Imperialism" written by Willie Paterson, an ardent Christian supporter of Israel. We owe a great deal to the courageous and steadfast support of our Christian friends and I am delighted to welcome them to SOLAR PLEXUS.
There have been critics from within the Jewish community claiming that progressive Zionists should shun the support derived from Christian groups. The reasons they advance include the purported "rightwing" political stance of such groups or alleged religious agendas underlying such support. Sometimes, I suspect it is simply a visceral dislike of the religiosity displayed by some of the more vocal of the Christian evangelical churches.
I don't find any of this convincing. I disagree mildly and sometimes profoundly with the views of many Jewish Zionists, but recognise that were I to insist that every supporter of Israel share my world-view I would find myself confined to a small and ineffectual coalition of fellow conformists. Thus we should welcome every supporter except where their actions or words are so ethical dubious or dangerous to clearly disqualify them. I certainly don't find this amongst the Christians I have been in contact with.
That does not mean that I necessarily agree with everything that our ally and friend, Willie Paterson, has written. I am not sure, for instance, that every more towards improving ecumenical relationships is a covert strategy for undermining the West, though we should not be naive about such matters. The main issue is how to differentiate and combat political Islam while not lapsing into irrational Islamophobia.
While readers ponder this, they may also consider the "Quote du Jour" representing leftwing thought within Israel and outside. This position was discussed more fully in my previous post "Liberal heart, neocon brain" and seems considerably more naive and dangerous than most writings coming from the Christian Zionist camp.
These are issues we should discuss further on this blog. But in the meantime, here is Willie Paterson's article after very minor editing:
Islamic Imperialism.
“The United States and the West cannot win the war against radical Islam merely with the most sophisticated military strategies. Winning requires understanding the role of shari'a and the Muslim Brotherhood in developing a global ideological and political movement supported by a parallel "Islamic" financial system to exploit and undermine Western economies and markets. This movement is the foundation and the major funding source for the political, economic, and military initiatives of the global Islamic movement.” (FrontPage Magazine.com, 14 June 2008).
The Western world underestimates the power of radical Islam. In the political arena Islam are either over-represented demographically or use it as a platform to foster radicalism. A case in point is the Israeli Parliament which because of its democratic nature has Arab representatives in the Knesset, some of whom abuse those democratic privilegies to advance their radical ideas. Pressure is building up on the South African Parliament to abolish certain religious holidays which are dear to the Christian Community.
In the financial market the Islamic demand is for segregated services. Most mainstream banks in the Western World have an Islamic Banking department. Does that mean that any religion has the right to their own brand of banking. If not, for what reason does a minority group have that right or is it just another instrument towards the dream to establish a caliphate.
On the religious front ecumenical relations are fostered in the name of peace. This is contrary to the Koran which only acknowledges Islam as a religion. Religious leaders should study these covert agendas more closely.
The SA human rights delegation to Israel should also be monitored carefully. Consisting of strong Muslim influence, this delegation could be hijacked to portray their particular views. It is so that every peaceful avenue must be exhausted to solve political issues, but we must be aware of hidden agendas.
And this is not cynicism, we have to see the world as it is. We are caught in the crossfire of a fierce ideological war.
It is time for the Western world to take note of the often perceived small, but highly successful steps towards Sharia law or a world of Dar al Islaam.
Willie Paterson
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