The Muslim Ban

While serving in the IDF I was leading a patrol in an Arab village in Judea and Samaria. Suddenly from the nearby Mukhtar's home a loudspeaker wailed an age-old timeless message to the populace...."Death to the Jews". We surrounded the house preparing to enter. Without warning a storm of stones from every direction rained down upon us and shouts of "Allah Akbar" punctured the air. The Arab residents were out on the balconies and rooftops shrieking and whistling. The perfect ambush! As we prepared to rush the house and silence the threatening message, a Jeep pulled up beside the front gate and out jumped member(s) of the Shin Bet (Israel's FBI) who had apparently decided to chaperone us...phew!

Since the Mukhtar's house afforded some cover from the the screaming mob, we burst through the door and were greeted by an unbelievable sight. The Mukhtar was smiling and on the lounge table were cups of sweet tea with nana (a Moroccan mint herb). While we savoured this traditional brew the Shin Bet unit huddled with the mukhtar and was provided with a list of potential terrorism threats from within the area. The Mukhtar was "arrested" and taken to HQ for "questioning". Needless to say he was released and given a heroic welcome  home by some of the villagers. That folks, is one example of how homeland security and the war against terror operates. 

The stunned silence out of Israel that greeted Trump's Muslim ban (and that's what it is) speaks louder than all the combined total of articles published on this subject. No comment from Israeli government members and the two main opposition parties. It matters not whether 50% of Americans support this ban (let's face it, voters in the US have not covered themselves in glory for a decade or two), it matters only that most of the Muslim world sees it as a slight on their culture. Within the context of keeping America safe this ban added thousands of Jihadists to a list of imminent dangers in a volatile world. What is unfathomable, is why the Trump administration did not add a country like North Korea to the list of banned countries. Perhaps they could have exempted threatened Muslim minorities in Iraq, Syria and Iran (like the Kurds) from this ban. What is even more incomprehensible is the public swagger that accompanied this order. The follow up of palpable leaking by the US intelligence agencies to the news media does not surprise me....not in the least.

The Islamic world is imploding. This is a simple truth and the result of some Muslim countries and communities who are unable to compete economically in a changing world. Sunni muslims are battling Shiites. Secular Muslims are at war with their religious sects. The so-called Arab nation states are unravelling. The logical conclusion is to let nature take its course. This order, regardless of one's personal beliefs has strengthened the dark forces lurking in the shadows and added a Christian twist to the narrative. The damage has been done and it's only a matter of time until the consequences of this mistake are felt. It wont be pleasant.

I like to pretend that I'm a tough guy. It's kind of an admission of defeat if I have to ask for help - or even kindness. But if it doesn't come, at some point I snap and demand it - Mary Parker

It's easy to be a tough guy when no one's going to come knocking on your door -  Pete Hamill