"Freedom of thought, community and faith, civil equality, and the rights of due process, are meaningless unless they are universally valid. They are also non-negotiable. As Salman Rushdie himself said shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, the things that the jihadists are against -- 'freedom of speech, a multi-party political system, universal adult suffrage, accountable government, Jews, homosexuals, women's rights, pluralism, secularism, short skirts, dancing, beardlessness, evolution theory, sex … even the short skirts and dancing … are worth dying for.' Rushdie's maxim holds true all the more in light of Theo van Gogh's murder. The viciousness of our enemies -- and they are our enemies -- remains undiminished. We liberals had better find the courage not to be intimidated." - Daniel Koffler, a junior at Yale.I truly believe this is something that conservatives completely mis-understand about liberals. They think we somehow support Islamic theocrats. Nothing could be further from the truth. At the core of a liberal is the belief in freedom, but freedom for all, not just white Christians.
I don't believe that invading, conquering, occupying, and killing Muslims is going to get them to start treating their women better, or suddenly throw open the doors to a democracy. Changing a culture takes time; a lot of it. The way you do it is through example and communication. People do not naturally want to live under the heal of a dictatorship, and they will rise up to oppose it. History is rife with examples.
Iran is a perfect example. It's controlled by the Islamic mullahs, with an iron fist. The citizens of Iran, particularly young people, are fighting to change the system there. We need to support them in every way possible, but if we send in our military, nationalistic pride will turn it into another Iraq style bloodbath. Give it time. Reason will win out over insanity.
When was the last time America went to war against a nation of whites? Hmmm....
2 comments:
more thoughtful comments and they are appreciated. while true that many of the world's oppressed do long for a better way of life, how can we spread democracy through communication to isolated communities that are not allowed to hear from the outside world? and further, how do offer them an axample of how to live in freedom when our own culture is so out of whack? the world probably doesn't want to emulate our culture of greed and violence anymore than we want to emulate their regimes of outright oppression. instead, we hide our own problems behind a wall of supposed democracy when in fact, we are just letting ourselves get screwed by the corporate interests who are becoming the world leaders by apathy and default.
kg
Hi Ken,
Of course you make excellent points. The answer to any communications problem is technology. The internet is the catalyst. China has gone to great lengths to prevent their citizens from accessing western material. Information is the greatest weapon, and people will always find a way to access it. I've even seen blogs from Iraqis.
The world is getting smaller, and when oppressed people truly see that it's possible to be free, they can topple empires.
You're right, there is a difference in the dream of the United States and the reality of the United States. We have to be optimistic. Communications will bring us through this dark time as well.
Think about it. Fifty years ago, nobody would have heard of an Enron style implosion. Today, information is saturating us. We just need to hear it and respond to it.
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