Who's Afraid of Benazir Bhutto?

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Who's Afraid of Benazir Bhutto?

Posted Dec 27th 2007 4:00PM by Dinesh D'Souza
Filed under: Breaking News, Islamic Radicals, Dictators

In my book The Enemy at Home I quoted Benazir Bhutto saying, "Within the Muslim world, there is a reaction against the sexual overtones that come across in American mass culture. America is viewed through this prism as an immoral society." This was one of the most astute explanations of why the propaganda of the radical Muslims has been so successful in recruiting traditional Muslims to the anti-American cause.

Bhutto's words were echoed also by the West's leading historian of Islam, Bernard Lewis. Reviewing what he calls "the standard litany of American offenses recited in the lands of Islam," Lewis ends with this one. "Yet the most powerful accusation of all is the degeneracy and debauchery of the American way of life." Many Americans, both on the right and the left, don't want to hear this message. And so we have been subjected to the same tired nonsense about how the radical Muslims are against freedom, oppose the Iraq invasion, blah, blah, blah.

Yes, the radical Muslims are upset about Iraq, but that's because Iraq is a pro-American Muslim democracy. Such a thing has not previously existed in the Middle East. It provides a startling alternative to the two kinds of tyranny that are widespread in the region: Islamic tyranny of the Iran variety, and secular tyranny such as we find with Musharraf in Pakistan, Mubarak in Egypt, Abdullah in Jordan, Assad in Syria, and in the Gulf Kingdoms.

Who doesn't want democracy to succeed in the Muslim world? Not counting the cultural left in America, there are two groups that are working overtime to subvert the democratic idea. The first is our enemies, namely the radical Muslims. These Bin Laden types would have an obvious incentive to kill Benazir Bhutto, and not surprisingly Musharraf has accused them of being the perpetrators of Bhutto's assassination. If Musharraf is right, the radicals did it in order to subvert the January election, destabilize Musharraf, and sow the seeds of chaos from which an extremist takeover becomes possible. This would be a nightmare prospect for the United States.

A second possibility is that Musharraf is himself behind the murder. After all, there is a second group that doesn't want democracy to work for Muslims. These are the secular despots who are allied with the United States. These thugs appeal for U.S. support basically by saying, "We are corrupt goons, but what is the alternative? Would you rather have the Bin Laden guys in power?" And typically the Americans heave a sigh and continue supporting what is perceived as the lesser evil.

Although Musharraf is no friend of democracy, and is hardly above wiping out one of the main opposition leaders, in this case it seems rather unlikely that he would be the culprit. The reason is that Musharraf runs the obvious risk that he would be blamed for the assassination, and now there are rioting crowds in Pakistan who are pointing the finger precisely in his direction. Also Musharraf gains from national stability, which has in the past allowed him to repel his opponents both from the democratic camp (such as Nawaz Sharif and Bhutto) as well as the Islamic radicals who sometimes use the language of democracy but seek to establish a Taliban-style government in Islamabad.

Who, then, is most likely behind the Bhutto assassination? Somewhere, I suspect, the Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders are smiling, having done it again through the mechanism of their suicide squads. And once again America is in a very awkward situation, having no choice now but to support Musharraf while quietly preparing for the possibility that his reign may come to an abrupt end.

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Reader Comments ( Page 5 of 14)

Previous 15 Comments | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

61. I don't agree with you that Iraq is a pro American democracy but I do agree that many in this country and in Europe overlook the atrocious record of the Islamic dominated countries while excoriated the United States and Israel over relatively much less serious infractions mainly produced by the duress of the very countries whose outrageous behavior is justified. This lewis carrol view of the world has become the predominant canon in the universities of the west with "scholars" such as Noam Chomsky spearheading the the armies of mushheaded victims of Islamic Stockholm syndrome. Some of the more mainstream advocates of this lunacy, such as Jimmy Carter, have given weight to these ideas which have now become so much part of the histroical lexicon that no amount of evidence to the contrary will convince these poor souls. This mountain of disinformation has become the justification for Julius Streicher style antisemism hiding in the guise of antizionism and has become stadard fare in arab occupied Columbia University and other heretofore institutions of higher learning.

eric at 10:57AM on Dec 28th 2007

62. "Perhaps it isn't about the cultural left not wanting democracy to win, but simply admitting the awful truth about the lack of prospect for it (something the cultural right isn't doing)."

Good point, LorMarie

The US destroyed one of the secular Islamist governments when it removed Saddam Hussein from power. Bad as he was, his secular government kept warring factions at bay.

So, for islamic nations, what appears to work is either Strongmen leaders with secular overtones OR theocracies of Islamics

Linda at 10:52AM on Dec 28th 2007

63. Mustafa, if you actually read the BJS report, you would know that it stated that blacks were more likely to be the victims of drug related homicide perpetrated by other blacks. There is nothing in those statistics that says blacks commit the majority of all crimes. If you were an educated person, you would have seen the recent reports that blacks are more likely to be jailed for crimes than their white criminal counterparts. I don't expect people like you to actually read information, you simply want to reiterate your racist view and ignorance, and are looking for just about any forum in which to do this. I thank you for your comments, however. It is good that there are people like you around to make the rest of us look so much smarter.
I also presume that you know little about Benazir Bhutto's assassination as you would have mentioned the tragedy first in your comments. Politically and socially, this murder will, no doubt, affect relations between Pakistan and the United States regardless of religion. Let us hope that the nation regains stability as soon as possible.

Lana at 7:33PM on Dec 28th 2007

64. Rita...

You really should stick to christianity and not international relations.

Did you know that Saddam was America's best friend in the 80's? Oh yeah, we loved the guy. We provided him with money, weapons, even chemical weapons to use against Iran... you know... the nation we tried to made like Iraq till they booted our appointed leader. Also, know how Saddam originally planned on getting Kuwait? Annexation. Saddam was going to pull out the british occupation map and the lines drawn after ww2 and say, 'See? Kuwait was Iraqi territory.' And they would have depended on American diplomatic support and the threat of war. And then Saddam decided on a faster method, and asked what we'd do if he just invaded Kuwait now and backed it up with the dog and pony show later.

Our response? We don't care. But we did care, with Saudi Arabia started screaming hysterically that Iraq was going to get them. And so, with threats of another OPEC embargo and promises that if Saddam invaded the Saudi's he'd control the world's oil supply, we betrayed a long standing alliance with Saddam and booted his army out of Kuwait.

Now, did Al Quida probably kill Bhutto? Sure. Is it a tradegy that she was assassinated? Of course. Is it surprising? Not really. And did she know and accept that her actions would probably get her killed? Absolutely. But she did it anyway, because for real change to happen there is always risk that some one will kill you for it. Bhutto knew it. Socrates knew it. Even Jesus knew it. But the change was so important that it was worth it.

And the fact that so much rage is directed against the government shows that Musharrif has reached the tipping point. He's held on to power at all costs that now the country is ripping itself apart. Occam's Razor cuts in favor of the extremists... but do you see her supporters burning mosques and attacked the massadas? No. They're turning on the government because it is the most blatant and untrustworthy target for their rage and pain. And the most statesman thing that Musharrif can do, right now, is recognize that and promise to resign from Pakistani politics.

We will only see how the chaos will resolve.

Somber at 11:03AM on Dec 28th 2007

65. Ed Thompson is a Bumbling stumbling old man, who can't complete a sentence without stammering,
Edwards is a Narcissist, Hucabee & Romney are the
American Taliban.. Radical insane Fundamentalists.

Chandler Yergin at 3:02PM on Dec 28th 2007

66. Richard,
Again, you are in the same boat rowing up stream astheist. You know not of what you speak. When it comes to the difference I as a Christian have no agenda except to let those who want it know of the love of JESUS CHRIST. Muslim's are our to kill period and they have no love for their own people less loan there country or anything that pertains to them. Rita

Rita at 11:15AM on Dec 28th 2007

67. Oh, go bomb an abortion clinic.

a born atheist at 11:22AM on Dec 28th 2007

68. Why do Christians such as Rita choose to live in such a fantasy world of ignorance? To say that Islam and Christianity have nothing in common just betrays her ignorance.

Rita, check this out:

Islam is predicated on the belief that there is but one God, Allah, the Creator of the universe and of humankind. Mercy and compassion are his principal qualities.

The first and most essential element in Islamic theology is the doctrine of God (Allah). True belief demands an uncompromising monotheism.
Muhammad accused Christians of being polytheists because of their belief in the Trinity, thus they view Jesus as simply a prophet, not the Son of God.

Angels are frequently mentioned in the Qur'an as God's messengers who exercise a potent influence on both the life of humans and the life of the universe. Angels are said to act as intermediaries asking God to forgive the offenses of believers. At the time of death, the souls of humans are received by angels (St. Peter?) who have kept a record of their actions (guardian angels?) and will witness for or against them on the Day of Judgment.

One of the central doctrines of Islamic faith is belief in all of God's revealed messages, which now consist of four books: Torah, Psalms, Gospels, and Qur'an. These four Books are to be regarded as Holy Scriptures, even though the three Books preceding the Qur'an include certain human imperfections.

To all peoples and in all ages, God sent prophets or messengers to proclaim the Oneness of God and to warn humanity of the future judgment.
The Qur'an mentions many by name. Most are Old Testament figures (Adam, Enoch, Noah, Lot, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Elijah, Elisha, David, Solomon, Job, Jonah, Ezra.) Three are from the New Testament (Zacharias, John, Jesus.) Adam is regarded by Muslims as the first prophet sent by God, so Muhammad is the 'seal of the prophets' through whom God reveals His eternal message in its definitive form.

The Last Day, or the final Day of Judgment, occupies a very important place in Qur'an and in the Hadith. The vivid description of the events leading up to the Last Day and the elaborate portrayal of the final judgment are very similar to the book of Revelation.

Islamic doctrine associates the coming of 'The Guided One'(Mahdi) with signs that foreshadow the Last Day. Some Sunni Muslims believe that an individual from the family of the Prophet Muhammad will appear and reign for seven years to make the religion of Islam triumphant throughout the world before the end comes. Most Sunni scholars, however, identify this Messianic figure with the prophet Jesus. Muslims believe that on the Last Day, the graves will be open, the dead will resurrect, and a judgment will be pronounced on every individual according to his or her deeds.

Crap, Rita, I could go on and on listing the identical aspects of Christianity and Islam. But what's the point? People like you will simply continue believing whatever faerie tale suits your arrested development and personal fantasies of a "perfect" life.

Dennison at 11:28AM on Dec 28th 2007

69. Rita:

Just a little criticism:

The only muslims you hear about on the news are generally the extremist kind, who are murderers and maimers with their suicide bombs and roadside bombs.

I want to caution you about thinking that ALL muslims are like those people. They are not.

Go on some muslim websites that are based on peace and love for their fellow humans. they exist.

Here's a couple of sites:

http://www.nuradeen.com/reflections/LightLovePeaceOfIslam1.htm

http://www.islamicamagazine.com/Online-Analysis/Christian-Scholars-Support-Peace.html

If the majority of muslims are the "book" and the smaller group of extremists are the "cover"

You are judging the book by its cover.

I know you are better than that.

Linda at 11:29AM on Dec 28th 2007

70. Somber,
Please do not confuse what our government decides to do or not to do since we put them there. Yes, Somber I am quite aware of who put who in office. Although I do not aqree with what our goverment does or does not do, the fact remains that a woman who only wanted the best for her country was murdered by war factoring muslims. That has nothing to do with how I believe or that is how any life should go. My point is that there are very few Christians in our goverment along with no Christians in the war factoring third world countries period. Rita

Rita at 11:31AM on Dec 28th 2007

71. Rita:

Here's another:

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071012/29671_Muslim_Peace_Call_to_Christians_Welcomed.htm

Both the bible and the koran are basically devotional books that call for obedience to "god".

Linda at 11:33AM on Dec 28th 2007

72. I'll repeat myself.

Atheists tend to know more about religions than the believers do, which usually explains their atheism.

Paul at 11:34AM on Dec 28th 2007

73. Sorry, I didn't copy is correctly:

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071012/29671_Muslim_Peace_Call_to_Christians_Welcomed.htm

Linda at 11:34AM on Dec 28th 2007

74. Why we must understand and acknowledge Muslims:

"At a level of 1.2 billion, they represent about 22% of the world's population. They are the second largest religion in the world. Only Christianity is larger, with 33% of the world's inhabitants.

Islam is growing about 2.9% per year. This is faster than the total world population which increases about 2.3% annually. It is thus attracting a progressively larger percentage of the world's population."

http://www.religioustolerance.org/isl_numb.htm

The "knee-jerk" response by ignorant people will only serve to worsen the strife going on in the middle east and south asia.

The intelligent thing to do is research the Islam religion, read the Koran, try to learn about these folks.

Kind of like DD's blog is a place for christians and non-believers to communicate and maybe understand each other a little better than before.

Linda at 11:40AM on Dec 28th 2007

75. Dennison,
You're are with out a doubt right up there with rest of your friends in that boat rowing up stream. Why being atheists should or would you care. I know of no kind muslins only the ones who want to kill, Linda, I understand there always people who kill for reasons unrealated to what this blog is about. However, this has to do with the death of a intelligent, stately women who wanted to bring her country into the 21st century. There has always been war in those third world countries and it will continue as the Bible has stated due to man's inhumanity to man. If at any point in time you think that the angels where put here for just a purpose to war you are very mistaken. God has angels here on earth that protect us everyday. Satan also has he so called angels of destruction here doing their best. So far, they are doing a bang up job. As long as we have a nation divided we will continue to have these horrible events going on in this world. That's what keeps me hanging on cause I can hardly wait until the end of this one and the beginning of the new one. IN CHRIST. Rita

Rita at 11:47AM on Dec 28th 2007

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Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.