Comments on: Negotiating with terrorists http://www.jeffreyclong.com/2004/10/01/negotiating-with-terrorists/ Sun, 23 Aug 2009 05:42:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: jeffreyclong http://www.jeffreyclong.com/2004/10/01/negotiating-with-terrorists/comment-page-1/#comment-33 jeffreyclong Mon, 04 Oct 2004 13:00:30 +0000 http://www.jeffreyclong.com/?p=55#comment-33 a reader has commented that my reply seems to lay blame at the US for the terrorists attack on US soil. i need to clarify. allow me to use a marriage metaphor. if i were to mistreat my wife, she might have very negative feelings toward me. she might even decide that she should divorce me. now. divorce is an ethically wrong choice despite the circumstances. so, while it might seem that it is my actions that caused the divorce, she is the one who carries the responsibility for that choice. in the same way, american foreign policy may be responsible for the way some muslims feel about the country. but this in no way justifies the violence against us. they are responsible for that choice. and just as my wife's reactions to me should cause me to act in wisdom and examine my actions in the marriage, so the muslim's feelings about american foreign policy should cause us to pause and seek wisdom about our relationship with them. but in no way does this put the burden of responsibility for their violence upon us. a reader has commented that my reply seems to lay blame at the US for the terrorists attack on US soil. i need to clarify. allow me to use a marriage metaphor. if i were to mistreat my wife, she might have very negative feelings toward me. she might even decide that she should divorce me. now. divorce is an ethically wrong choice despite the circumstances. so, while it might seem that it is my actions that caused the divorce, she is the one who carries the responsibility for that choice.

in the same way, american foreign policy may be responsible for the way some muslims feel about the country. but this in no way justifies the violence against us. they are responsible for that choice.

and just as my wife’s reactions to me should cause me to act in wisdom and examine my actions in the marriage, so the muslim’s feelings about american foreign policy should cause us to pause and seek wisdom about our relationship with them. but in no way does this put the burden of responsibility for their violence upon us.

]]> By: jeffreyclong http://www.jeffreyclong.com/2004/10/01/negotiating-with-terrorists/comment-page-1/#comment-32 jeffreyclong Sun, 03 Oct 2004 15:08:46 +0000 http://www.jeffreyclong.com/?p=55#comment-32 i believe that we were attacked on our own soil because we are imperialistic and meddlesome in arab affairs. because we support israel's mishandling of the palestinians. i'm not a side-taker in the israeli-palestinian war. first of all, i am either amillenial or postmillenial, so i do not believe that the state of israel is God's chosen people and thus don't believe they have a place in end-times prophecy, so i don't have the evangelical bias of seeing their actions through end-times history. secondly, while i have a palestinian non-christian friend through whom i learn many of the atrocities perpetrated by israel, i do not believe that palestinian terrorists are above reproach. their war is bigger then opinions of one side or the other. what i do believe is that america's israeli/palestinian policy since Bush became president has been increasingly zionistic. it always has been to one degree or another. but it is more so now. and our arabic policy is increasingly imperialistic as well. and our response to the terrorists opinion of this has been "i'll be damned if i'm going to let these terrorists get in the way of our agenda." i think that is enormously short-sighted. as you said that we can not get an adequate handle on the arab/israel conflict because of it's millenia-old history, i don't believe that american's are very successful at seeing their policies through the eyes of foreigners. i think we look very arrogant. i believe that addressing these issues with some humility could go a long ways toward diminishing the recruitable impact of the terrorist's rhetoric. i believe that we were attacked on our own soil because we are imperialistic and meddlesome in arab affairs. because we support israel’s mishandling of the palestinians.

i’m not a side-taker in the israeli-palestinian war. first of all, i am either amillenial or postmillenial, so i do not believe that the state of israel is God’s chosen people and thus don’t believe they have a place in end-times prophecy, so i don’t have the evangelical bias of seeing their actions through end-times history. secondly, while i have a palestinian non-christian friend through whom i learn many of the atrocities perpetrated by israel, i do not believe that palestinian terrorists are above reproach. their war is bigger then opinions of one side or the other.

what i do believe is that america’s israeli/palestinian policy since Bush became president has been increasingly zionistic. it always has been to one degree or another. but it is more so now. and our arabic policy is increasingly imperialistic as well. and our response to the terrorists opinion of this has been “i’ll be damned if i’m going to let these terrorists get in the way of our agenda.” i think that is enormously short-sighted. as you said that we can not get an adequate handle on the arab/israel conflict because of it’s millenia-old history, i don’t believe that american’s are very successful at seeing their policies through the eyes of foreigners. i think we look very arrogant. i believe that addressing these issues with some humility could go a long ways toward diminishing the recruitable impact of the terrorist’s rhetoric.

]]> By: Daren http://www.jeffreyclong.com/2004/10/01/negotiating-with-terrorists/comment-page-1/#comment-31 Daren Fri, 01 Oct 2004 18:01:39 +0000 http://www.jeffreyclong.com/?p=55#comment-31 I recently got an e-mail from a friend stationed in Baghdad. He made the observation that if the opposition put as much effort into helping us rebuild as they do to terrorism, etc., then we (America) would be OUT of Iraq that much sooner, which is what they really want in the first place, isn't it? [from the CNN report} "The speaker says the conflict between Palestinians and Israel remains the focus of Muslim resistance." I don't think we will ever get an accurate picture of that struggle. It is an ancient battle between Ishmael and Isaac. I believe that God, alone, has the answer to that one, but neither side is willing to listen to Him, at the same time, including Him exclusively on their respective sides. To say that we are leading anti-Muslim forces and that we are crusaders and zionists is a skewed perspective, I believe, on their part. I don't think they truly understand our war on terrorism any more than we understand their ancient Ishmael vs. Isaac conflict. And if Palestine is truly the focus, why, then were WE attacked on our OWN soil on 9/11/01? Daren I recently got an e-mail from a friend stationed in Baghdad. He made the observation that if the opposition put as much effort into helping us rebuild as they do to terrorism, etc., then we (America) would be OUT of Iraq that much sooner, which is what they really want in the first place, isn’t it?

[from the CNN report} “The speaker says the conflict between Palestinians and Israel remains the focus of Muslim resistance.”

I don’t think we will ever get an accurate picture of that struggle. It is an ancient battle between Ishmael and Isaac. I believe that God, alone, has the answer to that one, but neither side is willing to listen to Him, at the same time, including Him exclusively on their respective sides. To say that we are leading anti-Muslim forces and that we are crusaders and zionists is a skewed perspective, I believe, on their part. I don’t think they truly understand our war on terrorism any more than we understand their ancient Ishmael vs. Isaac conflict. And if Palestine is truly the focus, why, then were WE attacked on our OWN soil on 9/11/01?

Daren

]]>