Threat to our Security

Are Muslims or Islam a threat to our security?

It is almost seven years since the destruction of the twin towers in downtown New York.
There is still much ambiguity as to how and why this happened. Who was the actual planner of this unforgettable crime? Because those who were accused to be involved in this operation, happened to be Muslims from Saudi Arabia, ironically a staunch ally of the United States, suddenly all Muslims were accused to be “Terrorist” and Islam was viewed as a “Doctrine of Terror”.

Since that tragic event, there has been a coordinated effort among Media, special interest groups, many politicians and unfortunately some teachers and preachers—relentlessly stereotyping Islam and Muslims the results of which have perpetuated hate crimes, unfair targeting and profiling of American Muslim citizens in general and especially those who are activists.

Some preachers have gone so far as to claim that Muslims do not believe in God since they worship “Allah”. Many Web sites, newspapers and magazines, in addition to radio and broadcast media, have been humiliating Muslims and publishing books and cartoons blaspheming Islam and its messenger Mohammad (PBUH). They are misrepresenting the crime of a group of terrorists and creating a negative association with an entire world population of Muslims. These few criminals are not representative of the over nine Million Muslims in the United States, the peaceful citizens whose contributions to our nation’s education, science, technology, medicine and business are innumerable.

Furthermore, we cannot ignore the fact that 1.8 Billion people on this planet are Muslim and the population is increasing at a rat of 2.9% annually. This has been further supported by the Vatican, which recently announced that Muslims outnumber Catholics in the world for the first time in history.

In spite of all the carpet bombings, mass murders, and genocides that have been taking place, in the last two decades in Muslim lands including: Bosnia, Chechnya, Pakistan, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Kashmir, India, Somalia and many parts of Africa, to name a few; Islam continues to have the highest growth rate. What is most amazing is the number of people who have advanced their belief (converted) among our youth, by self-studying the Qura’n and showing interest to learn about Muslims. Many not only have turned to Islam, but also have become scholars, speakers and writers of Islam.

There appears to be no world war, but most of the Muslim world has been burning in fire, especially the Middle East. The home of the greatest prophets and the cradle of human civilization has turned into boiling blood baths simply because oil runs beneath their earth. God knows the exact number of casualties, but we know that at least hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children are killed and those that survive are either adversely afflicted or perish from poverty and illness. What was once considered beautiful, fertile land is now home to mass burials and graveyards? All of this inhumanity and injustice is done to rob the oil and yet oil today is at its highest price in history!

It is the average working citizen, not just here but in the global village that has to pay the price. Taxes and extra taxes are to be paid for every ticket you buy, every room you occupy, every mile you drive, every phone you call and every item of basic necessity you purchase. This is what is happening now and God knows what will happen to the generations to come. What would happen to the gun manufacturers and our economy if those scattered wars in the third world were to be eradicated by the effort of some peace loving people?

Our country is the richest in the world, yet the average American citizen in spite of working hard, often working multiple jobs, is more in debt than the people who live in less wealthy countries. Many people in Africa do not have enough to eat, but they are not in debt either. We destroy the surpluses of our products to save the Dollar and yet we are economically in recession and mentally in Depression. “The materialistic ideologies are not compatible with the life of human beings, whose needs are beyond material.”

Communism promised peace and social justice by crushing the rights of individuals for the social benefit. It killed hundreds of thousands of its opponents or drowned them in the icy lakes of Siberia, but it did not last more than decades. When it collapsed we were there to help to absorb the shock of such destruction. We could never imagine seeing the leader of the Soviet Empire, kneeling at the feet of the capitalist asking for help to provide basic needs for his nation!

Conversely, capitalism has ignored and crushed the society for the benefit of individuals. The Dollar-oriented capital giant needs to expand in order to survive. If it does not change direction, it will ultimately collapse. Now imagine who would be able to absorb the shuck of such a disaster.

For many years we scared our people with the fear of Communism and the Russian threat, to justify the development of the most advanced, expensive and sophisticated army and arms manufacturers. In spite of being blessed by having two great oceans on our right and left and the friendliest nation to our North, we have been spending and continue to spend most of our nation’s income for our defense budget.

Now that Russian bubble has burst and the level of poverty, under the deceptive dictatorship is no more behind the Iron curtain and the Cold War is over, who is going to absorb the product of our gun factories? If we decided today to change our war economy to the economy of peace, what would happen and how much time and sacrifice would be needed?

Are we actually willing to do it? Do we think about a change? Have we not learned after all these wars, that bloodshed only causes more blood to be shed? Never has war brought peace and security for any nation. So we either have to destroy the product of our gun factories in the oceans, as we do with our produce or continue for securing the capital benefit of a few, sucking the blood of average citizens and forcing them to tolerate multibillion dollar war machines and gunship to go abroad and shed the blood of innocent people with whom we have no relationship and for whom we have no animosity!

So in the absence of real giants we have to find pseudo-giants. Our old “friends” become our biggest enemies. The number one Wanted man on the list of world’s criminals—Osama Bin Laden is a Saudi hero. He and his father modernized Saudi Arabia in such a short period. The US had a very close relationship with his family and did significant business in the process of the remodeling. The US encouraged him and his team to go to Afghanistan and gave him whatever he asked for to fight the Russians who had partially invaded the Northern Afghanistan and was trying to proceed south, to get access to the open sea, through Pakistan (A lifetime dream of the Russians). Now that he defeated the Russians, wanted to return home but it was dangerous if such hero would have returned to his country, after what had taken place in Iran. We invaded Afghanistan and killed most of his people but ended up facing the Taliban another old “friend” that was now angry with us and whom we are still there fighting.

Another old “friend” was Saddam Hussein. We supported him with all the arms he wanted, including chemical and biological weapons, plus almost $1Billion a day of Saudi oil income, to fight the Iranians for eight years. A war that had erupted for the sole reason of preventing Khomeini’s army from potentially expanding into Iraq and the Middle East. No one was victorious in this war. There were significant human casualties for both sides. Eventually as Saddam grew in power he stood in the way of our interests. So we encouraged him to invade Kuwait. He did not realize that he was digging his own grave, when he was looting and evacuating the country making it ready for the US Army to establish its bases to eventually invade Iraq. The Army could not enter from the North because of the heavy mountains and the Turks and Kurds being very patriotic Muslims. They would not allow US invasion. The Saudi’s were not happy having US soldiers on their ground. The Sheikh of Kuwait was brought to the US, was treated as a guest and then returned back to his position, now to support us when we get there.

Today Saddam is gone and Iraq is destroyed. But the oil wells are intact. We cannot stay there, but we do not know how to get out. Most other countries have already left.
Our focus is now on Iran. We helped the Mullahs get rid of Bazargan, (1) and Banisadr, (2) (3) who were establishing a democratic system in Iran. We have supported this existing cruel dictatorship for almost thirty years, and now they are going to have an atomic bomb and its President has declared many times that he wants to wipe Israel from the map! Which is equivalent to the end of the world as far as the US is concerned! Keep in mind, when there is no big giant, the fear must sound gigantic. What greater fear is there than the end of the world?

You see the problem is not Islam or Muslims. In fact, there are many Millions of Muslims in other parts of the world, but there is no war. The population of West Pakistan is almost twice that of Iran, they have more hard liners Muslims and atomic energy and an atomic bomb. Yet, why are we not afraid that they will destroy the world?

I assure those who are concerned, that the real threat is not from a few radicals who were once our ‘friends’—who are either killed or finding refuge in caves, oceans and continents away from us. History teaches us that no empire has collapsed because of poverty or lack of warriors. They were destroyed when the people’s morals decayed. Study the fall of the Roman and Persian Empires or the most recent collapse of the Soviet Union and Communism to realize this fact.

The threat comes from within. When there is a major social gap, hidden racism and slavery, social injustice, poverty, consumerism, economic insecurity, a sick economy in which people may lose all they have overnight, it results in a negative wave of broken families, alcohol, drugs, homicides, suicides, all other social maladies and a life full of fear in debt and depression, shamelessness and chaos.

Also a careful review of history shows that Muslims, Jews, Christians and people of other beliefs, with few exceptions, have lived for many centuries together in peace with patience and tolerance. The source of all religions is peace and love. Our diversity is part of our being and is beautiful. We are all transients and guests on this planet. It is time for everyone to reflect on what we believe and how this affects our behavior and our interactions with others no matter what they believe in. Religion is not inherited, it is learned to help us to be self-conscious and live humanely and preserve our self-dignity.
Far from all the stereotyping that is taking place, I highly recommend to those who are concerned, to self-search in the Qura’n and find out why in Islam there is room for every one. (4)(5) Room for the believers and those who claim to be unbelievers, without any prejudice you will find out that Islam is a treat and not a threat.

Ali Behzadnia, M.D. (6)
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(1) Mehi Bazargan was a Professor of Engineering, Muslim Scholar, founder of Iranian Liberation Movement and head of the first Transitional Government of Iran after the Iranian Revolution. He asked people to vote for Democratic Republic of Iran, but Khomeini said “Islamic Republic with no addition”!
Is important to know that there was no single Mulla among the people that he selected for the transient government. Many were graduates from world’s famous universities; some were long-term U.S. residents. His first deputy, and once the foreign minister was a U.S. citizen (E. Yazdi). Still this cabinet was not acceptable to us and it was forced to resign by the trick of taking hostages. Stage one of the codetta of the US against Iranian Revolution.

(2) Aboul-Hassan Banisadr, was also an Islamic scholar, writer, thinker, economist, a long term resident in Paris, Who
received Khomeini, when Saddam expelled him from Iraq. He was a key counselor of Khomeini, for preparing the
Statements and interviews with the foreign media, while he was in Paris. He came to Iran with him. Became the Foreign
Minister for a short period. Over eleven Million of Iranian voted for him, in a most democratic election in Iranian history,
Khomeini was not one of them. Soon after he took the office, the Iran-Iraq war started, he was assigned as the Commander
In Chief of the army. Even though he never had served arm forces, but his loving attitude inspired the forces to defend
their country in spite of all the accusations and humiliation by the Mullahs. He was finally impeached by the Mullah dominated Parliament and forced to return back to exile in France. The second stage of the US codetta against Iranian Revolution.

(3) Is my turn to speak, Iran, the revolution and Secret Deals with the U.S. by Banisadr former President of Iran. McMillan
Publishing Co. USA, 1991.

(4) The Qura’n: 1, 1-7, 2: 133-139, 3:1, 26: 67,68.103,104,121,123, 22:78, 2:62
(5) The Qura’n: 49:13. This verse in engraved in a wooden Arc at the entrance of United Nation ( A Gift by the Moroccan).
(6) Ali Behzadnia is a Medical Doctor who came to the United Stated near forty years ago. He is a life time Muslim student,
and is interested in Qura’nic research and Interfaith Dialogue. He is socio-politically active and was a member in first cabinet after the revolution in Iran as Deputy Minister of Health and welfare, acting Minister of Education and associate professor in Medicine at Teheran University. He opposed the non democratic religious regime of Iran, and returned to
the United States, after near two years. He is a member of several Academic and religious organizations and in private practice in California.