Interesting insight into the War on Terror
Paul Shelby Lewis
 
On April 24th, Dinesh D'Souza, former Reagan Administration policy analyst and author of What's so Great about America, What's so great about Christianity, and Illiberal Education, was the featured lecturer at the 2008 Veritas Lecture Series held at Southern Evangelical Seminary.  In the course of his lecture and the Q&A session he discussed the "War on Terror" and the "Culture War" in America, and how the two relate to one another.
 
Now, I must say from the outset that his position probably shocked a few in the audience; a group that was likely expecting an impassioned defense of the need to reach Muslims for Christ and the need of the government to continue its fight against radical Islam.  But, while these points were given a brief defense, D'Souza argued that an entirely new approach is needed in order to begin making significant inroads in the "War on Terror."  The goal, he said, should not be simply the killing of radical Muslims, but rather driving a wedge between traditional Islam and its radicals. 
 
Why should we seek to drive a wedge between these two groups?  After all, aren't radical Muslims simply the product of traditional Islam being carried to its logical conclusions?  The answer to the second question is both yes and no, D'Souza argued.  Certainly, verses can be taken from the Koran to encourage killing in the name of Allah, and this is exactly the tactic used by radical Muslims to appeal to traditional Muslims.  But we also have to deal with the fact that "sword" verses can be found in the Old Testament.  Why, then, has Islam become a religion most known for its adherents strapping bombs to their chests, while Christianity and Judaism have not?  D'Souza's answer:  Religious differences are not necessarily the justification (or at least the only justification) used by radical Muslims for attacking western societies.  Why?
 
First of all, specifically with regard to the United States, D'Souza argued that it is simply not the case that Muslims look west and see a Christian nation.  If you listen carefully to their sermons, you will see that quite the contrary is the case; Islam sees the United States as a pagan, godless society that is a threat to their traditional values.  When Muslims across the globe are given a picture of America, it is usually an America that supports gay marriage as an equal right, pornography as a form of free speech, prostitution as a right to work, and education that gives contraceptives to teenagers.  When such "values" are brought into their own culture, Muslims quite predictably put up their defenses.  In a blog that addresses this point, he stated, "[Muslims abhor] the tenets of modern liberalism.  And by equating America with such things as blasphemy, pornography, prostitution and homosexuality, the radical Muslims appeal to ordinary Muslims to join their cause in a battle against the Great Satan" (http://news.aol.com/newsbloggers/bloggers/dinesh-dsouza)
 
Another reason often given by conservatives for Islamic resistance to western influence is that Islamic nations are resistant to modernity.  But this is just not true, D'Souza argued.  Consider that most leaders of radical Islam are extremely well educated (doctors, scientists, sociologists, and PhD's).  Further, Muslims appreciate the comforts of modernity just as non-Muslims do.  They like cars, televisions, modern medicine, air conditioning, airplanes, and cell phones.  Muslims and Muslim nations, D'Souza pointed out, embrace modernity; it is how they see Western modernity that is the source of tension.  To paraphrase his lecture, Muslims love technology; but they don't want Brittany Spears, Paris Hilton, or Hugh Hefner.
 
With those ideas in mind, how should our government adapt in order to help fight the War on Terror?  Fundamentally, D'Souza argued, we need to show the world that American culture is not one in the same with Hollywood and radical left-wing liberalism; as a whole American culture is quite the opposite.  Most Americans outside of Los Angeles and San Francisco have an appreciation for spiritual things, for strong family values, and for high school education that is not rated X.  But the Muslim world only sees and hears a culture that promotes promiscuity, infidelity, the homosexual agenda, the loss of childhood innocence, and the worship of wealth.  Maybe it is time for the War on Terror to invest in a media campaign that shows the true identity of the people of the United States. 
 
This is but a short review of the lecture given by D'Souza.  His new theory will probably go unwelcome in conservative and Christian circles (at least for the time being), since we tend to view every proposal as an either/or proposition, rather than a both/and solution.  But he may turn out to be right on the money; it certainly wouldn't be the first time.  Time will tell, but in the meantime we ought to give the man that which he has earned; the right to be heard without being castigated as he was on his AOL blog.