Dershowizt Op-Ed: Woshippers of Death

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03-03-2008
AdamG

Dershowizt Op-Ed: Woshippers of Death

The following op-ed, Worshippers of death, written by Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz, was published in the Wall Street Journal on March 3, 2008.

Zahra Maladan is an educated woman who edits a women's magazine in Lebanon. She is also a mother, who undoubtedly loves her son. She has ambitions for him, but they are different from those of most mothers in the West. She wants her son to become a suicide bomber.

At the recent funeral for the assassinated Hezbollah terrorist Imad Moughnaya -- the mass murderer responsible for killing 241 marines in 1983 and more than 100 women, children and men in Buenos Aires in 1992 and 1994 -- Ms. Maladan was quoted in the New York Times giving the following warning to her son: "if you're not going to follow the steps of the Islamic resistance martyrs, then I don't want you."

Complete text at
http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2008...dershowitz.php
03-03-2008
JJackson

We all have aspirations for our children but

she seems a little harsh to me. If my daughters decides against theoretical physics - and the fact she is currently enrolled in an English Lit. BA doesn't bode well - I will mask my disappointment and continue to talk to her.
03-03-2008
Cavguy

I liked a quip found in the "OIF Alphabet" slideshow:

"Nothing says you love God quite like strapping explosives to yourself and blowing up a crowd of civilians and kids." (IIRC)
03-04-2008
William F. Owen

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamG

Zahra Maladan is an educated woman who edits a women's magazine in Lebanon. She is also a mother, who undoubtedly loves her son. She has ambitions for him, but they are different from those of most mothers in the West. She wants her son to become a suicide bomber.

At the recent funeral for the assassinated Hezbollah terrorist Imad Moughnaya -- the mass murderer responsible for killing 241 marines in 1983 and more than 100 women, children and men in Buenos Aires in 1992 and 1994 -- Ms. Maladan was quoted in the New York Times giving the following warning to her son: "if you're not going to follow the steps of the Islamic resistance martyrs, then I don't want you."

I don't find this surprising at all. Everyday normal Arab extremism, that is far more common and widespread in the Middle East, than Europeans of Americans ever want to admit. This is normal. This is how these people think. This is Hezbollah, who are just like the Khmer Rouge, or the Klu-Klux-Klan.
03-05-2008
Ron Humphrey

The biggest problem I see with that

Quote:

Originally Posted by William F. Owen

I don't find this surprising at all. Everyday normal Arab extremism, that is far more common and widespread in the Middle East, than Europeans of Americans ever want to admit. This is normal. This is how these people think. This is Hezbollah, who are just like the Khmer Rouge, or the Klu-Klux-Klan.

From a defense perspective is that it's a dang bit harder to predict or get ahead of the attacks of those who don't care anymore about their own skin the they do that of their victims At least their personal wish to survive helps to catch a lot of our wacko's
03-08-2008
Ironhorse

Ah yes. The old "we love death" trick.

Clearly, for many of these folks the only option is to give them what they want. The nuance is in delivering it at stand-off distances.

Radiation therapy at the cancer, coupled with generations of gentle chemotherapy on the host to eventually allow the values that treasure life to change the cultural mix somewhat, is really the only path towards a cure. If we can call it that. We will be dealing with the symptoms of this disease for a long time. For ever, really, just a question of degrees.

Nicely written piece, same old ugly news.

Odd how 10 years ago we were seeing that hopeless poverty was the root enabler for recruting these folks. Now it is seen to be much more fashionable in the middle and upper classes.
03-09-2008
Ron Humphrey

Well Said,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

Odd how 10 years ago we were seeing that hopeless poverty was the root enabler for recruiting these folks. Now it is seen to be much more fashionable in the middle and upper classes.

Probably has a little to do with a lack of expectation management when it comes to things like entitlement.

Although I'm not really sure thats changed all that much in a loooooooong time.

Not to mention not always easy to get one's hands on the "tricks" of the trade without a little something called funds:wry: