Didn’t they know this kind of thing would happen if they pulled completely out of Iraq? That’s what I ask when I see images of Christians and other minorities stranded on mountain tops as they try to flee ISIS’ barbarism. I often marvel: How did I get to be smarter than the high and mighty natives in positions of power?
Actually, anybody with native African intelligence untainted by political correctness and liberalism would have foreseen what is unfolding now in the Middle East. Any person of average intelligence from my village or even the deepest jungles of Africa knows what happens when your adversaries perceive you are war- weary and want to cut and run from a war.
My village used to be a regional super-power of some sort and it was to their advantage that others in the region regard them with dread. It is not for nothing that their “war dance” used to feature real human heads acquired in battle.
The enemies of humanity are doing the war dance and featuring real live human heads while the West and the rest of the world are doing the waltz.
When I hear the natives here say things like “ the American people are war-weary,” I want to say: The war has not even started and you are already telegraphing to the whole world that you are war-weary? Isn’t that the surest way to invite attacks on your allies and your nation?
And how does it help for President Barack Obama to go to Moslem land and tell them America is no longer a Christian nation.
The Western media and the Western governments like to go out of their way not to offend Moslem sensibilities . They want to win the hearts and minds of the Arab street, they claim, but all they have won is time for Islamic-driven terrorism to grow and spread worldwide.
After the 9-11 attacks I remember some friends saying: I am so proud to be African and dark-skinned. I shared their sentiments. We were glad we could not be mistaken for Arabs or Moslems and therefore, would not be victims of any backlash. In Africa, we might be poor and stricken with Aids but we are still noble, we don’t engage in such crimes against humanity, we are not barbarians.
I didn’t even think then that Nigerian Moslems were capable of engaging in terrorism. The underwear bomber shook that perception, but did not completely erase it. It’s been hard for me to believe that Boko Haram terrorists are Nigerians.
Smugness about our African/Christian nobility did not last long. We soon discovered that many American natives had a disturbing blame-America-first take on the terrorist attacks and were actually apologists for Islam and its adherents. Blame the media and college professors for this.
Islamophobia soon displaced racism as the worst thing one could be accused of. Islam was promoted as a religion of peace while America’s foreign policy was blamed for provoking the attacks (by supporting Israel and subjecting Moslem to humiliating interventions in the past). Some even reached far back and invoked the Crusades as a reason for the 9-11 attacks.
Many started to think they were less likely to be screened at the airport if they were Moslem. Some celebrities actually declared that Fundamental Christians (many Africans are) and American soldiers are just as malevolent as the terrorists. Rather than assert the superiority of Western ideals and the goodness of America, these “negative natives” started asking these kinds of questions : What did we do wrong? Why do they hate us? What can we do to win them over?
We don’t engage in this kind of self-flagellation where I come from. You attack us, we are coming after you, simple.
I started to wonder whether the quest to understand the terrorists would become a national obsession when the Koran and other Islamic books and items started popping up in bookstores. Harvard university defended its decision to allow a student (related to Osama bin Laden) deliver a commencement speech on ”Jihad.”
The anti-war protests undermined the chances of the United States achieving significant success in the theatres of the 9-11-driven wars. My own take: it does not matter whether you oppose the war or not. If the U.S should not have gone into Iraq then her responsibility to ensure it does not degenerate into chaos is even greater. In Collin Powell speak, If you break it, you own it —- and must fix it.
I believe the 9-11 attacks gravely damaged the psyche of many American natives and they need counseling. I would be glad to serve as a Counselor and/or a Consultant. I will start by pointing out to them that Nigeria’s foreign policy is not responsible for Boko Haram’s atrocities.
It is time for churches, individual Christians and all good people of the world to speak up for Iraqi Christians and all others facing genocide or persecution.
My prayers go out for the one Iraqi Christian family that I know.
