Islam and America

By Jan McDaniel | 07/15/09

It should now be clear that we are facing a mood and a movement far transcending the level of issues and policies and the governments that pursue them. This is no less than a clash of civilizations—that perhaps irrational but surely historic reaction of an ancient rival against our Judeo-Christian heritage, our secular present, and the worldwide expansion of both. It is crucially important that we on our side should not be provoked into... read more »

Ali Sistani and Iran

By Jan McDaniel | 07/13/09

Reuel Marc Gerecht notes that the most respected Iranian cleric may live in Iraq. And is a supporter of democracy, not theocracy. More support for the idea of Iraq the Model—the idea behind the removal of Saddam Hussein and making democracy an option in the Middle East. Despite cynical predictions from the American and European left, it continues to have a ripple effect. In an otherwise admirable long piece, Gerecht includes this... read more »

America in Iraq

By Jan McDaniel | 07/12/09

Ali Allawi, former Iraqi cabinet member, writing in the Chronicle of Higher Education:  Over the past 30 years, the divisions within Islam have triggered paroxysms of violence. Sectarian, ethnic, and racial hatreds have trumped the ideal of Islamic unity. The Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, and the internecine struggle that accompanied the withdrawal of the Soviets from Afghanistan, are a few such examples.   In post-Saddam Iraq,... read more »

Defining Patriotism

By Jan McDaniel | 07/11/09

Patriot:  “A person who loves, supports and defends his country.”  American Heritage Dictionary   Patriots disagree with one another about what their country should do.  There was a time when, if you wore a gray uniform, it was patriotic to kill other Americans who wore the blue uniform.  The definition of patriotism changes over time and I wonder what the definition is now.   Let’s assume... read more »

Lawfare and Megan Meier

By Jan McDaniel | 07/09/09

Rich Swier recently wrote about the phenomenon of lawfare.  To understand how this concept is being used in the struggle between traditional Islam and the West, see libel tourism.  Islamists intent on suppressing efforts to criticize Islam have good reason to cheer H.R. 1966, which has not been voted on.      H.R. 1966 of the 111th session of Congress is titled “Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention... read more »

Islam and Democracy

By Jan McDaniel | 07/08/09

Power must be shared to be exercised. The manner and extent of power sharing is the subject of a large portion of human history. And a large portion of that history is concerned with the sharing of power between religious and secular authorities. Iran and Turkey are writing the latest chapter in the story of power sharing between Islamic and secular authorities.  The majority in Turkey are demanding more religious content in... read more »

Ethically Disarmed

By Jan McDaniel | 07/07/09

There is a chasm between Americans on the subject of ethics.  On one side are those who feel we have lost the right to discriminate between ideologies that are acceptable in America and those that do not qualify.  On the other side are those who feel we must always exercise this discrimination if we are to retain our national identity and our ability to defend ourselves.  An exchange I recently had with a friend shed some... read more »

Correlation Between Events in Iraq and Iran?

By Jan McDaniel | 07/07/09

hich brings me to a question that I think deserves to be asked: Did the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein regime, and the subsequent holding of competitive elections in which many rival Iraqi Shiite parties took part, have any germinal influence on the astonishing events in Iran? Certainly when I interviewed Sayeed Khomeini in Qum some years ago, where he spoke openly about "the liberation of Iraq," he seemed to hope and believe that the... read more »

Reciprocity and Superiority

By Jan McDaniel | 07/06/09

There are Israelis to the right of Netanyahu who demand reciprocity of citizenship.  If no Israeli Jew can be an equal citizen of a new Muslim-dominated Palestinian state, then no Muslim resident of Israel can be an equal citizen of a Jewish Israel.  It is typical of the double standards that are applied to Judaism and Islam that Israelis are violently criticized for this stance and Palestinians are not.      Russian... read more »

In the Trench

By Jan McDaniel | 07/05/09

Recent reports about Larry Franklin, AIPAC, Steve Rosen and Keith Wasserman remind me of the importance of the big picture.  When you find that allies are not angels, remember who is in the trench with you.    In 2007, Ray Robison published one of the least heralded books of that year, Both In One Trench.  It was the first analysis of the captured Iraqi documents on the relationship between Saddam and al Qaeda. ... read more »