Are we witnessing the triumph of our interests over our values? Also, the red line that we warned to impose upon the government of Syria was ignored when chemical weapons were used to kill thousands of its innocent citizens and our president and Congress refused to act. We did not match our deeds to our words, became the laughing stock of nations and are viewed as having a big mouth and no trousers. This may confirm the Byzantine doctrine that “Politics is the art of the possible.” However to sacrifice our values because they are not in harmony with our interests is difficult to swallow. Let me quote the words of John Adams of 1841 (he is one of the writers of the American Constitution and one of its earliest presidents). John Adams said “Democracy never lasts long, it soon exhausts and murders itself; there was never Democracy yet that did not commit suicide.”
Now we are worked up against ISIS (or ISIL) when Americans, Brits and French saw their citizens beheaded and put on social media and YouTube for the whole world to see. Naturally those in the West became disgusted with this unspeakable barbaric savage violence and, demanded revenge. A coalition of nations was assembled to deal with ISIL’s mindless brutality. Three issues come to my mind:
1- ISIL has no values; it uses the latest of technology to achieve its goals. It wants the world to go back 1400 years while using the latest in human inventions to display, terrorize and instill fear in the masses. Its displays of beheading employ imaging techniques seen only in Hollywood productions, its ways to terrorize and recruit psychopaths from allover the world are second to none and its methods to instill fear in the hearts of many prove to be extremely effective. One asks: is violence becoming the hallmark of Islam? I know many Muslim friends who would never approve of these acts; are they afraid to rise up and renounce these atrocities committed in the name of their religion?
2- A cursory examination of the coalition assembled by America, makes me wonder whether we really mean what we say. The unity of the West is understandable in the face of this threatening violence and regression. However, the seriousness of the Arab participants is highly questionable. Participants represent monarchies who on the one hand finance these criminals and on the other fear for themselves. Take Saudi Arabia the motherland of Wahhabi and the Sunni traditions that ISIL claims to promote against the Shiite beliefs that Saudi Arabia abhors. Also, the beheading is rampant in the Saudi Kingdom, albeit it is undertaken by seasoned professionals schooled in using sharp swords. They consider beheading a serious swift undertaking, the /images of which are not displayed for everyone to see.
3- We have to ask ourselves: do we want peace in the world? Do we want continued progress and innovation? Are we really serious when we say that we want to leave our planet in a better shape for future generations, or we are selfish bunch who knows what it takes to accomplish our noble mission, but only do what is in our immediate self-interests? I am troubled by what is happening around the world. More and more we are defining each other based upon our religions which we inherited from our parents. The Middle East became the field of the intolerant religious fanatics in Syria, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, a reluctant and more religious Turkey, the medieval monarchies and the ultraorthodox Jews in Israel. The so called moderates become radicalized when they attract maniac psychopaths who render the race between the various factions of humans to become defined by who is capable to commit even more brutal barbaric acts.
I dream of the day when people of all religious beliefs stand up together to this looming violent regression and tackle the world’s real problems that threaten the only planet that we have. Let us assert the values of modern education, attention to public health, efficiency, free trade and travel as well as our celebration of our diversity.
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Prof. Lotfy Basta, MD, FRCP, FRCPE, FACP, FACC, FCCP, FAHA