Green Flag of War
Why is it that Islam has resorted to terrorism as a means of war or politics? The spread of Islam has always been in the sphere of military conquest. Her sudden and decisive rise in the 7th century would suddenly launch Islam as the Middle Eastern and Medieval force to reckon with. Consolidating her hold in Arabia, Islam would spread by military campaign into present day Iraq, Syria, Iran and Egypt. From there the green flag of Islam would spread over North Africa and into Spain in the West and from Iran into India in the East. Always by military conquest her expansion would remain unchecked until suffering military defeat in France by the Germanic Franks and by Roman Byzantine armies in present day Turkey.
The history of Islam is the history of war. The Hellenistic world of North Africa and the Middle East could not stop her advance and once conquered by military force couldn't do much except abide by the rules of the victor. As the Bedouin tribes of Islam conquered the Greek speaking world of North Africa she would come to inherit much of the ancient knowledge of the Classical World from astrology to mathematics to architecture. Islam did not tolerate Helene culture for long and thus all manuscripts written in the ancient tongue of Koine Greek were either to be translated into the Arabic language or face being destroyed by the religious zealots of Mohammed.
As time marched forward, Islam would come under the sword of barbaric peoples themselves by Seljuk Turks of Central Asia and the Mongols of the Orient. The Turkic peoples eventually would find Islam to their liking and would embrace it as any good barbarian would for in the holy book of the Koran murder, rape and pillaging were codified and embraced as virtue. The Mongols, however, were not so enlightened. Islam had brushed up against the East through Central Asia along the ancient silk road and encountered their worst nightmare. The Mongol invasions devastated Islam in the East, slaughtering the Moslem peoples in Central Asia and putting whole cities to the sword. Massive genocide was visited upon the Islamic world as the Mongols conquered Central Asia and with their conquering armies consumed all of Persia, and eventually sacked Baghdad wiping out the Medieval Islamic Abbasid empire forever.
As the Mongols settled in the for the long haul, they too would find Islam an acceptable religion and would themselves be converted to the Mohammedan faith. The Mongol empire in the Middle East through military conquest absorbed what was left of the Moslem religion and would lend her tenacious mentality to the Seljuk tribes who would eventually be the last rising star of the Umma in the form of the Ottoman Turks. The Ottomans were considered to be the Caliph, or successor to Mohammed, and were the standard-bearers of all things Moslem. They would come to vanquish Islam's ancient enemy, the Byzantines, by invading the Balkans and sacking that ancient and medieval city of Constantinople. The year was 1453.
Since the Fall of Byzantium, Islam has petrified into its current state of affairs. Even though it found glory at the expense of Eastern Orthodox Christianity by conquering Constantinople, she would lose Andalusia as Spain came under Catholic Christian rulership. Shortly thereafter, the New World would be discovered by Christian Europe and the rise of America would become the preeminent event of world history for 500 years. World War One which began in 1914 finally broke the brittle Ottoman Empire into petty disparate states into which we see the present "modern" Middle East today. Turkish revolutionaries ultimately abolished the Ottoman Sultanate in 1924 and no single entity has represented Islam as the Caliph since.
Islam spread by means of military campaigns not by enlightened self-interest. Her influence is commensurate with her battlefield victories. However, since 1453 Islam has not been able to keep up with Occidental nor Oriental military tactics, arms and strategy. She has been on the losing end of military campaigns waged against her and thus has seen her influence wane. So inept are her armies, she couldn't even defeat the pitiful little state of Israel when the Jew himself finally rose up to create a nation-state after World War II not seen in history since 70 AD. Thus, terrorism is now the preferred method of advancing the cause of Islam not just against the West but throughout the world from Southern Russia to India to Africa and all points in-between.
Terrorism is politics by other means. Fastened to the Islamic religion which preaches the cult of death, it has become the terror of our times. How far will Islam reach and how low will its adherents stoop to accomplish its goals is anyone's guess. She wages terror against the world and the world will have to make a historical decision which will not be pleasant to those who live and die under the green flag of Islam.
The history of Islam is the history of war. The Hellenistic world of North Africa and the Middle East could not stop her advance and once conquered by military force couldn't do much except abide by the rules of the victor. As the Bedouin tribes of Islam conquered the Greek speaking world of North Africa she would come to inherit much of the ancient knowledge of the Classical World from astrology to mathematics to architecture. Islam did not tolerate Helene culture for long and thus all manuscripts written in the ancient tongue of Koine Greek were either to be translated into the Arabic language or face being destroyed by the religious zealots of Mohammed.
As time marched forward, Islam would come under the sword of barbaric peoples themselves by Seljuk Turks of Central Asia and the Mongols of the Orient. The Turkic peoples eventually would find Islam to their liking and would embrace it as any good barbarian would for in the holy book of the Koran murder, rape and pillaging were codified and embraced as virtue. The Mongols, however, were not so enlightened. Islam had brushed up against the East through Central Asia along the ancient silk road and encountered their worst nightmare. The Mongol invasions devastated Islam in the East, slaughtering the Moslem peoples in Central Asia and putting whole cities to the sword. Massive genocide was visited upon the Islamic world as the Mongols conquered Central Asia and with their conquering armies consumed all of Persia, and eventually sacked Baghdad wiping out the Medieval Islamic Abbasid empire forever.
As the Mongols settled in the for the long haul, they too would find Islam an acceptable religion and would themselves be converted to the Mohammedan faith. The Mongol empire in the Middle East through military conquest absorbed what was left of the Moslem religion and would lend her tenacious mentality to the Seljuk tribes who would eventually be the last rising star of the Umma in the form of the Ottoman Turks. The Ottomans were considered to be the Caliph, or successor to Mohammed, and were the standard-bearers of all things Moslem. They would come to vanquish Islam's ancient enemy, the Byzantines, by invading the Balkans and sacking that ancient and medieval city of Constantinople. The year was 1453.
Since the Fall of Byzantium, Islam has petrified into its current state of affairs. Even though it found glory at the expense of Eastern Orthodox Christianity by conquering Constantinople, she would lose Andalusia as Spain came under Catholic Christian rulership. Shortly thereafter, the New World would be discovered by Christian Europe and the rise of America would become the preeminent event of world history for 500 years. World War One which began in 1914 finally broke the brittle Ottoman Empire into petty disparate states into which we see the present "modern" Middle East today. Turkish revolutionaries ultimately abolished the Ottoman Sultanate in 1924 and no single entity has represented Islam as the Caliph since.
Islam spread by means of military campaigns not by enlightened self-interest. Her influence is commensurate with her battlefield victories. However, since 1453 Islam has not been able to keep up with Occidental nor Oriental military tactics, arms and strategy. She has been on the losing end of military campaigns waged against her and thus has seen her influence wane. So inept are her armies, she couldn't even defeat the pitiful little state of Israel when the Jew himself finally rose up to create a nation-state after World War II not seen in history since 70 AD. Thus, terrorism is now the preferred method of advancing the cause of Islam not just against the West but throughout the world from Southern Russia to India to Africa and all points in-between.
Terrorism is politics by other means. Fastened to the Islamic religion which preaches the cult of death, it has become the terror of our times. How far will Islam reach and how low will its adherents stoop to accomplish its goals is anyone's guess. She wages terror against the world and the world will have to make a historical decision which will not be pleasant to those who live and die under the green flag of Islam.
posted by Bruce R. McConnell | 8:56 PM
2 Comments:
The history of any religion is a history of warfare. And "War is a continuation of politics by other means", not just terrorism.
Violence has always been used to spread ideology. Ideology has always been used to serve power. You do the math.
But I'm sure you probably already know this.
Stop drinking the Kool-Aid.
I thank you for your comments.
Well, where do I begin? I don't necessarily disagree with anything you have stated other than I really don't drink Kool-Aid. Prefer caffeinated drinks such as Coke, Coffee and Tea.
Although, I would raise this one point with you. Christianity has not had a history of warfare as a means to spread the Gospel of Salvation.
The Catholic Church fastened to the State whether it being in the form of monarchy or some oligarchal organization may indeed by violent and would have to be recognized by most Christians that indeed this is not "Christianity" as preached by the Apostle Paul.
That being said, You surely will acknowlegde that Islam on the other hand has indeed been spread by WAR not by peaceful and enlightened EVANGELISM.
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