August 2006
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August 18th, 2006
Religious Insanity
Peace has broken out in Lebanon (at least temporarily) and American Evangelical Christians couldn't be more
disappointed. Evangelicals had gotten quite excited about the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. (a conflict many in the
Arab world refer to simply as "The Sixth War Against Israel") As the crisis escalated, it became more and more
likely that Israel would find itself at war with the whole of the Muslim world. (Iran and Syria in particular)
It seemed as if the invasion of Lebanon might have been the start of what Evangelicals had long been waiting for,
World War Three! Many Evangelicals were certain that Israel had launched the long-prophesied conflict whose
decisive battle would be fought at Armagaeddon. (The hill of Meddigo outside of Jerusalem) Armagaeddon is the
place where it is said that Jesus himself will come back to earth in order to kick Satan's ass.
The thought of catastrophic war in the holy land makes Evangelicals drool with aniticipation. "Great tribulation" is a
pre-condition of their long awaited doomsday. The Evangelical Church teaches that the end of the world is coming,
and soon. While the rest of us bask in the glow of a nuclear holocaust, Evangelicals believe that they will be
magically beamed up to heaven in a miracle they call "the rapture." (A concept derived from creative interpretation
of John's book of Revelations) In the meantime, there's no need to worry about global warming, the African
AIDS crisis or any other worldly problems. To hell with the planet.
With Hezbollah's pyrrhic victory over the IDF, bloodthirsty Evangelical Christians realized that doomsday may yet
be a while away. How disappointing the IDF's retreat must have been for them after believing that the death of us all
was so close at hand. However, they've come up with an alternate way to get to the end of the world. This new path
to apocalypse involves a combination of Islamic holidays and Persian bravado.
There is an Islamic holy day known as Laylat Al-Isra wa Al-Miraj, the night journey and ascension. This holiday falls
on the night of August 22nd. (27 Rajab on the Islamic Calendar) It is written that on this night, The Prophet
rode Buraq (a winged-horse) from Mecca to the farthest mosque at Al-Aqsa. (the golden dome on the Jerusalem skyline)
Upon reaching Al-Aqsa, the Prophet rode up into heaven to speak with Allah, and to pray with Abraham, Moses and
Jesus. The ascent to heaven was accompanied by beams of brilliant light that illuminated all of Jerusalem.
Iranian President Ahmadinejad has told the United Nations that the world will learn of Iran's nuclear program on
August 22nd. Ahmadinejad's choice of this date seems arbitrary until you consider his alleged religious
insanity combined with the story of the night journey and ascension. Evangelicals and Neo-Conservatives alike have
suggested that Ahmadinejad chose this date so that Al-Aqsa could again be bathed in heavenly light on the night
of Al-Miraj. This time however, the brilliant lights would come not from heaven, but from the detonation of an
Iranian nuclear bomb. Another pre-condition of the Evangelical doomsday is that the Jewish temple must be rebuilt.
For this to happen, the Al-Aqsa mosque must first be torn down. I suppose that a nuclear strike on Jerusalem would
do the trick. (Is irradiated ground holy enough to be suitable for temple construction?)
Either way, an Iranian attack on Israel would certainly bring the world war that Evangelicals long for. That said,
I seriously doubt that Iran's leadership is suicidal enough to undertake such action. This story just seems like
more fear-mongering, building up the idea of an unstable Persian bogeyman. It helps to make the eventual case for
war against Tehran. Washington planned that long ago.
The Evangelical church opposes peace in the Middle East. (unless it is brokered by the Anti-Christ) Their excitement
in the wake of this latest war stands against everything that Jesus taught. Religious insanity has taken over America.
About 20% of the US population belongs to what is essentially a doomsday cult. They believe that foreign policy should
be guided by church doctrine. The world's problems are being ignored as Evangelicals believe that their salvation can
only come through the destruction of the planet. Perhaps they are not so different from their perceived enemies.
How disappointed they will be to find themselves burning with the rest of us if the bombs ever do go off.
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August 7th, 2006
First Water War?
Israel and Lebanon have been at war for nearly a month now. This conflict has gotten particularly ugly, so ugly
that its consequences may be felt for generations. Israel has committed war crimes as it indiscriminately bombs
Lebanese civilians. Based upon its actions, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) should be classified as a terrorist
organization. Hezbollah (already well-known as a terrorist organization) has responded by firing hundreds of rockets
into residential parts of Israel, murdering Israeli civilians. Israel (and Washington) has accused Iran and Syria
of supplying and funding Hezbollah. The Arab world has accused the West of encouraging Israel as it commits gross
violations of international law. This is a significant conflict that threatens to escalate into a region-wide war.
Perhaps this is the beginning of World War Three. God help us all. Shame on both sides.
On that note, shame on the Government of Canada for its unconditional support of Israel. Prime Minister
Stephen Harper and Foreign Minister Peter MacKay made it clear that we would not join the rest of the planet in
calling for a ceasefire. Harper referred to Israel's bombing of Lebanese civilians as "measured." This sort
of rhetoric is a radical departure from Canadian values. Rather than urging diplomacy, the Canadian Government
has encouraged Israel as it commits crimes against humanity. I wish to say that the position of the Government
of Canada does not represent that of the majority of Canadians. We should not take sides in this conflict, we
should call for the killing to stop.
Back on topic, the most significant part of this war is what the commentators in North America are not saying:
Hezbollah is winning. Hezbollah has held off the mighty IDF on the battlefield and won a massive victory in the
court of public opinion. The IDF, once perceived as invincible, has been unable to defeat a local militia.
Israel has taken significant casualties. This battle has been raging for almost a month and Israel has not been
able to win any significant victories. Israel has shown itself to be much more vulnerable than in the past.
Imagine the significance of this to jihadis from Nouakchott to Jakarta.
Why would Israel launch this unnecessary war? Israel claims that its initial "incursions" were in response to
the kidnapping of two of their soldiers. Hezbollah was probably looking for a prisoner trade; Israel's all out attack
seems quite heavy-handed. Israel claims that its attacks on Lebanon are in self-defence, but that doesn't make sense.
Getting bogged down in a guerrilla war against a fanatic enemy can only make you less secure. Ask the Americans
about the stability of Iraq. It seems as if Israel was looking for an excuse to attack Lebanon, and the soldier's
kidnapping provided it. The invasion had obviously been planned for quite some time. You can't launch a ground war
without some significant pre-planning. Israel's targets are not simply Hezbollah strong-holds and rocket launch
sites, they are all of Southern Lebanon's critical infrastructure, not to mention half of Beirut.
Looking back eighteen months, there is a clear sequence of events that made Israel's invasion of Lebanon
possible. First there is the assassination of Rafik Hariri in February of 2005. Syria was widely blamed for
Hariri's death. Public anger led to the Cedar Revolution. The Lebanese people took to the streets to demand
political reform, and an end to the Syrian occupation of their country. In April 2005 Syria withdrew its forces
from Lebanon. Before this, 14,000 Syrian troops had been stationed in Lebanon. (Syria had claimed that it occupied
militarily weak Lebanon in order to deter an Israeli invasion) In June of 2005, Lebanon's Parliamentary Election
brought to power a coalition of inexperienced anti-Syrian politicians. The absence of a leader of Hariri's stature
created a power vacuum. This vacuum was filled by Hezbollah, now Lebanon's de-facto armed forces. Without a
Syrian military presence, without a strong government, Lebanon was weaker than ever. One year later our
present conflict begins.
What is Israel's motivation in launching this war? At present, the IDF is laying waste to Southern Lebanon, making it
virtually uninhabitable. It is hard to imagine the country being rebuilt any time soon. Infrastructure can be bombed,
but it is unlikely that Hezbollah will be defeated. Maybe that doesn't matter. Perhaps Israel's goal is simply to push
the Lebanese out of Southern Lebanon. Why would they do this? Excuses of self-defence or pre-emptive action to
stop terrorist regimes or other standard pre-texts aside, it is a fact that all wars are about resources. What resources
are in Lebanon? The CIA's Lebanon page refers to Lebanon as a "water-surplus state in a water-deficit region."
The CIA's Israel page says "limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints."
I found this map on the website of a Lebanese Hydrological Survey. It kinda makes you wonder. In the past armies
fought for farmland or gold or oil. Perhaps we are seeing the first of the many water wars to come. I could be wrong,
but it does seem to be a more fitting explanation for Israel's disproportionate response to what was otherwise a
routine kidnapping.