A strong delusion seems to have overtaken many Africans and Christians in America. They don’t seem to be outraged by the actions of ISIS and other Islamic terrorist groups around the world. An African friend who has been only two years in America underscores my observation. She said the other day, “America has killed thousands and they are getting angry because two of their own were beheaded.”
That of course made me flip. I identify with the beheaded journalists because they were Americans and also because I still fancy myself as a journalist. Their deaths reminded me of former colleagues like Krees Imodibe of The Guardian who was killed in Liberia in the eighties.
So who has America killed? I asked my friend. “ In Iraq they killed thousands,” she said. I replied, “ America never set out to kill Iraqis. Iraqis were liberated from Saddam and there was collateral loss of lives.”
Whenever any country is in crisis they want America to intervene and afterwards the world complains about America’s military adventurism. Who is Ukraine looking up to for help now? Wouldn’t it be nice if America could help Nigeria defeat Boko Haram”
America has never been about empire-building. The world, including the Moslem world, owes her a debt of gratitude considering how much they have spent in blood and treasure to liberate or protect other countries. The world, as current events are currently proving, would be a much more dangerous place if America withdraws its influence from the world.
With regard to Iraq, Democrats, Republicans and world leaders believed the intelligence reports that said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Almost all the members of Congress voted for the invasion of Iraq. Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s leader, was not forthcoming with the truth about his possession of WMDs. With a post-9-11 mindset, George Bush believed Iraq posed a credible threat to America and wasn’t about to wait until America was attacked before responding. He also believed the people of Iraq were living under a brutal dictatorship and would benefit from America’s intervention. From the footage coming out of Iraq after America’s invasion, America was indeed welcomed as liberators by Iraqis. We all saw them take down the statue of Saddam and slap it around with their slippers.
Things started to go awry later, and Iraq began to unravel. That downward spiral was arrested by Bush authorising a surge of American combat troops and relative peace and order was established. And then America, under President Barak Obama, pulled out almost all of its troops from Iraq thereby fulfilling his campaign promise to do just that. America cheered. Well, almost all of them. They voted him into office twice fully aware he would end the war in Iraq. Americans reasoned, we tried Bush, the “cowboy,” so why not try a dove next, maybe the world would love us more. The charming new Black president promised the tide of hostilities towards America would recede during his presidency.
The world does not seem to be responding as predicted to the charm offensive. I remain hopeful that he will rise to the occasion and exceed expectations.
My newly arrived African friend has been listening to the kind of propaganda against America championed by the Left and that is why I provide the preceding overview. The default position of the American natives on the Left is: blame America first. They are not pleased with people like me who reject their negative portrayal of America. They are vehemently opposed to the use of military force to combat terrorism. They are the ones promoting ISIS’ justification for the beheading of Westerners —- what my friend, like many other Africans in America, is regurgitating.
But what does America have to do with Boko Haram’s reign of terror in Nigeria? And ISIS is not killing only Westerners. They are killing Christians and other Moslems. Why are Africans in America, many of whom are Christians not outraged by the mass killing of fellow Christians by ISIS?
The no-war-under-any-circumstances Leftist natives have not said how much punishment America deserves for its past sins. Should we just rollover and let ISIS takeover America and plant their flag in the White House as they have promised they would? At what point should America say “enough is enough” we have done enough penance, time to fight back?
Christian leaders in America and elsewhere are not doing enough to educate their flock about the threat of radical Islamic terrorism. They are doing church as usual. They have to be reminded there is a time for war and there is a time for peace, as the Book of Ecclesiastes says. Former Moslems and a few moderate Moslems are doing more to alert the world about the dangers of the radical Islamic ideology that fuels terrorism.
President Obama responds to polls, so Christians have a good chance of influencing his response to radical Islamic terrorism. If they keep quiet as they usually do, the Leftists would continue to drive his response.
