US and Israel - the new al-Qaeda

After 9/11, the main argument put forward by the United States was that fighting war has changed because while there could be communication, reasoning and diplomacy between the United States and the now-defunct Soviet Union even during some of the tense standoffs between the two Cold War enemies, no such civilised interaction can happen with Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. That the United States must go after wherever on the planet these terrorist groups are and fight them over there instead of waiting for them to come and attack the homeland. It was called the Pre-emptive approach. Complete lies and nonsense, but was a sophisticated name nevertheless.

The narrative coming out of the West, the US in particular, was that these Islamist terrorist groups were driven by religious zeal who had no interest in achieving peace through table talks and deal making. They just wanted to kill others and didn't mind dying in the process. The US blamed these groups for being driven by religious fundamentalism while the US itself was this rational player that wanted to indulge using international legal jargons and self-labeled civilised behaviour.

Now let us look at the war that the US and Israel have waged against Iran. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Senator who just died a few weeks ago, said about the Iran war, "this is a religious war". About the war between Hamas and Israel that started in 2023, he had stated, "we're in a religious war here."

The Israeli prime minister who, by the way is a major criminal and terrorist, has used similar extreme religious justification for the aggression on Gaza. He said to the Israelis and also for the American Christians' consumption, "remember what the Amalek has done to you". The Amalek are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, which was a nomadic tribe that had attacked the fleeing Israelites. The name has no connection whatsoever with the current state called Israel or its citizens.

Now let us look at Iran. Recently, Iran attacked a Manama hotel killing civilians. Notice what Iran has said about attacking a civilian centre: they have not used religion but skilfully gave America and Israel a taste of their own medicine. Iran has said that Mossad agents were hiding in that hotel in Manama, Bahrain. And since these hostile actors were hiding among civilians inside civilian areas, these civilian targets became legitimate military targets for Iran to hit. Notice that that is exactly the rationale Israel uses in attacking schools, churches, mosques, hospitals and private residences. Their argument has always been that Hamas being hostile actors hide among civilians inside civilian areas, therefore, those areas, even if it is a school or a mosque, become legitimate military targets for Israel to hit. Notice also the lack of any religious dogma cited in justifying these attacks.

When 9/11 happened, President Bush famously asked, "why do they hate us?" And then he volunteered to answer that question too by saying that 'they hate us because of our freedoms, democracy, justice, and so forth' and that the terrorists were barbarians who have read in their Holy Book that they must kill infidels to secure their place in paradise. Well, it sounds like the Christian Zionists inside America and the Israeli Zionists inside Israel are using distorted teachings from their holy books respectively and using that religious madness to kill children in Gaza and Iran. And it is rather Iran that is acting in the most rational manner.

The religiously-driven states of the US and Israel do not stick to any peace deals or ceasefire deals, just as how Bush administration used to make the case that negotiating with the Al-Qaeda terrorists and expecting them to respect the rules of deals, treaties and international laws were risky expectations with potentially deadly consequences.

These wars must end. And religion must be taken out of them (by the US and Israel).