[Atlanta Journal-Constitution] Ari Morgenstern - How can the Lebanese nation honor Samir Kuntar, a man who in the dead of night slaughtered virtually an entire family? Calls for the West to engage in increasing dialogue with the advocates of Islamic imperialism that dominate the Persian capital and much of the Arab world grow louder each day, but the Beirut rally welcoming Kuntar shows the fallacy of this position. The enemies of Israel wish to wipe that nation off the map and then, undoubtedly, move on to the next Western target. This conflict is rooted in the viewpoint held by some followers of Islam that those who worship God differently than they should be killed for their religious beliefs or submit to Islamic rule. Hizbullah's embrace of Kuntar is the practical application of Islamic imperialism's genocidal philosophy. History has shown that peace is achievable only when one side in a conflict is fully defeated or both sides make the conscious choice to at least begin to behave honorably. The West may not be perfect, but we seek peace and aspire to treat our enemies justly. Until certain portions of the Islamic world choose to regain some semblance of honor by rejecting rather than hailing the murderers in their midst, peace will remain beyond our grasp. We in the West can certainly discuss ideas for reaching a diplomatic solution to the conflict with Islamic imperialism, but it is presently a futile endeavor, as our existence and humanity are simply non-negotiable.
2008-07-25 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive