An Unseen Factor in Iraq
President Bush’s proposal to add tens of thousands of American troops in Iraq as a way to handle the calamitous chaos over there may well provoke a hidden counter movement that will strengthen the anti-American forces in Iraq. Throughout world history, there have been many occasions when a war dedicated to a noble purpose drew significant support from people of other countries. The American Revolution of 1776 was a striking case.
From France came Lafayette to offer his military talents. From Germany came de Kalb and von Steuben. From Poland came Pulaski and Kosciusko. To these foreigners, the American Revolution was “a shot heard ’round the world.” And they responded.
When, in more recent times, there was a civil war in Spain, American boys enrolled in the Lincoln Brigade and in the Debs Brigade, and in unnamed outfits pitched into the combat. There was even an organization of Israelis.
To millions of Muslims, the war in Iraq is a holy war against the heathen of the West. Just what the number of these “freedom fighters” is nobody knows. But to them, America’s “pre-emptive” war against Iraq is the return of pre-World War II imperialism.
For these true believers, death in combat with the devil will be rewarded with a speedy entry into a heaven dripping with earthly delights. Hence, the great number of suicide bombers.
Their numbers can well match or even surpass the number of added troops Bush is moving into Iraq.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
