Wednesday, March 5

How do you even begin to wrap your brain around this?

There are some things that I've always assumed are universal desires that all moms share: We want healthy kids who will reach their full potential in life.

I've always thought these truths would transcend race, religion or culture even though they may look slightly different walked out in a remote village in Africa or as a Royal in Buckingham Palace. Still, I could picture moms around the globe having that same glint of hope that their children will use their life to help others, better the world around them or to simply show love where it is needed most.

I was wrong. And I didn't realize how naive and wrong I was until I read this article in The Wall Street Journal:

Zahara Maladan is an educated woman who edits a women's magazine in Lebanon. She is also a mother, who undoubtedly loves her son. She has ambitions for him, but they are different from those of most mothers in the West. She wants her son to become a suicide bomber.


I have been trying to write this post for several days because I just can't wrap my brain around those words, "She wants her son to become a suicide bomber."

As a mother, I can't even imagine that as my dream for my child. I can't fathom following a religion that would place such honor on the taking of life. And yet, "Ms. Maladan was quoted in the New York Times giving the following warning to her son: "if you're not going to follow the steps of the Islamic resistance martyrs, then I don't want you."



As a mom I'm horrified.

Now there is a new image of mothers urging their children to die, and then celebrating the martyrdom of their suicidal sons and daughters by distributing sweets and singing wedding songs. More and more young women -- some married with infant children -- are strapping bombs to their (sometimes pregnant) bellies, because they have been taught to love death rather than life

As an American, I'm outraged.

As more women and children are recruited by their mothers and their religious leaders to become suicide bombers, more women and children will be shot at -- some mistakenly. That too is part of the grand plan of our enemies. They want us to kill their civilians, who they also consider martyrs, because when we accidentally kill a civilian, they win in the court of public opinion. One Western diplomat called this the "harsh arithmetic of pain," whereby civilian casualties on both sides "play in their favor." Democracies lose, both politically and emotionally, when they kill civilians, even inadvertently. As Golda Meir once put it: "We can perhaps someday forgive you for killing our children, but we cannot forgive you for making us kill your children."

So how does the United States and other Western democracies protect and defend themselves against something so twisted? How do you counter a belief that is so fanatical that you are willing to sacrifice your own child---and in some homes, more than one child?

Neither she nor her son -- if he listens to his mother -- can be deterred from killing by the fear of being killed. They must be prevented from succeeding in their ghoulish quest for martyrdom. Prevention, however, carries a high risk of error. The woman walking toward the group of soldiers or civilians might well be an innocent civilian. A moment's hesitation may cost innocent lives. But a failure to hesitate may also have a price.


I'm sure it's a scenario that our forefathers could never have predicted. Ever. Yet, here we stand as a nation trying to traverse the new rules of engagement and trying to decipher an enemy that may look just like us.

Or like our children.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a mindset that is so foreign to freedom loving people who hold mankind in the utmost and highest regard.

The desire and willingness to die is the obvious reason why we will not win this jihad through talks and negotiations. They don't want to talk or negotiate.

As long as we sit back and pander to those who think we will get by with words and not strong actions we are going to become weaker security-wise and an easier target.

It's only time before this sick mindset seeps into the thinking of radicals here in America and they become brave enough to act. How many Americans will have to die on American soil (again) before we get serious about this?

Thank you so much for the heads up with this article.

Anonymous said...

This article left me speechless. I can't even begin to organize my thoughts into a coherent comment.

Anonymous said...

wow!!! so perfectly articulated... this puts into words my distrust of so many of our politicians... do they not realise that "giving up" on iraq is a death sentence to the personal freedoms of the everyday walking around american on american soil??? if we don't stand our ground and refuse to cow-tail to their fear tactics on their turf... they will see it as permission to come here and make us nervous to leave our own homes... it may take 1 month or 100 years but if you don't put the play ground bully in his place USING TERMS HE UNDERSTANDS he will think he rules the play yard and will do as he pleases. nice people understand talks and negotiations, these are not nice people, they can't be "talked" into playing nice.... we need to help the people of iraq who do not feel this way to feel safe enough to stand up to the violence that they live in fear of ..... not all muslims are this extream...

Anonymous said...

I can't even wrap my arms around the mindset of these mothers. All I can think to try to understand is how horrible must their daily lives and expectations for life be to have death be something to aspire to for themselves and/or their children?

And thank you so much for this blog. I am a self-admitted political idiot and I love coming to one unbiased place to read different posts and links to articles (however sad and disturbing) in hope to understand a little bit about what is going on in the nation and world.

The Gang's Momma! said...

Additionally, "giving up" on Iraq is a death sentence to those who are trapped by their religion and their culture that enslaves them into believing that being "right" is better than being alive. That dying for a cause that only propagates more death is most honorable above all.

As much as I hate what these women are doing (And I do, I absolutely do!), they too are victims of this mad race to rule the world. Of this "religion" that has values this fanaticism. I grieve for them. And for us as a nation if we forsake them and what we set out to do there.

Natalie said...

Tracy has a great point. These moms are in some ways no different than those of us who are "sold out" or "on fire" for Jesus Christ.

Of course, the difference is these moms have "sold out" and are "on fire" for a faith that places great value and honor on death/ martyrdom. They see this struggle as a jihad (holy war) and are willing to sacrifice everything for Islam.

These moms are not to be despised, but we should be on our faces praying for them.

Anonymous said...

everything in moderation, including religion.

 

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