To Protect Western Civilization, Iran Must Be Stopped

Impact

Iran’s achievement of a nuclear weapon is not an option. The question is not if Iran will have a nuclear weapon, it is when. If Israel on their own cannot stop Iran’s advancement, then it is up to the U.S., Israel, and our allies to stop them.

 

This is NOT only about the survival of the state of Israel. This is about the preservation of Western religion and civilization and its most sacred and valued places.

 

Think about it: Israel is the keeper and protector of not only the most holy sites of Judaism but of Catholicism as well. The Jews’ most holy sites in Israel include the Four Holy Cities, Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberius, and Safed. Catholicism’s most holy sites in Israel include Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem, and GolgothaIsrael protects these sights because they have a respect for, and belief in, the freedom of religion, even within a Jewish state. In fact, Israel is also the fiduciary of one of Islam’s most sacred sites, the Dome of the Rock.

 

Radical Islamists including, but not limited to, the president of Iran have called for the destruction of Israel. Now Iran is building the instrumentalities to make good on those threats. The most extreme Muslims have sought to destroy the sacred places of religion they deem unholy or inferior to Islam.

 

Radical Muslims have a history of destroying and desecrating religious sights of other religions:

1948: The Arab Legion captured the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the site of numerous ancient synagogues and the Western Wall. After the capture, radical Muslims undertook to destroy, desecrate, and loot Jewish sites.

2001: Afghan Taliban Supreme Leader Mulla Mohammad Omar issued a decree ordering the destruction of all statues in Afghanistan including all pre-Islamic figures. As a result, the Taliban destroyed many ancient relics including a priceless Buddha dating back 2,000 years. The leader, when criticized, gave the following response, “all we are breaking are stones.”

2002: Palestinian Arab terrorists forced their way into the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. The terrorists occupied one of Catholicism’s most holy sites for 38 days. They used priests and nuns as human shields while taunting the Israelis to attack. Israeli forces stormed the Church and freed the hostages without causing damage to the Church. But the terrorists did the most damage to the Church, they urinated, defecated, and threw garbage throughout the Church.

 

Hitler sought the destruction of the Jews of Eastern Europe. He told the world of his intentions and then set out to accomplish his goal. He sacrificed millions of innocent people including his own to obtain his goal. Six million Jews were exterminated in World War II; in total, over 50 million people were killed in the fighting and millions of others were injured in the war.

 

Radical Islam seeks the destruction of Israel and the U.S. They make no secret of their intentions and are building the instrumentalities to make good on their threats. Do we learn from history or do we repeat it?

 

Radical Islam knows that if they destroy Israel, not only do they destroy the Jewish state but they also wipe out forever the most holy sites of Judaism and Catholicism as well. They know that our civility would prevent us from attacking their most holy site of Mecca, since the Saudis would stay neutral in any attack to prevent them from being destroyed. Once the most holy sites of the Western world are wiped off the face of the earth, they could never be replaced. Like Hitler, they are willing to sacrifice their people and treasure for religious zealotry and their ultimate and sick goals.

 

Europe could have stopped Hitler. But they ignored him and let him get so powerful that war became inevitable. 

 

Now is the time to stop Iran. We cannot let them make good on their threats. Not just for our own selfish interests but for the very survival of western religion, culture, and civilization. 

Bradley A. Blakeman served as deputy assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001-04. He is currently a professor of Politics and Public Policy at Georgetown University.