Turning the other cheek isn't working in the face of Islamism.
By BENJAMIN GLATTUpdated: DECEMBER 31, 2017 11:39Belgian soldiers stand guard on Brussels' Grand Place(photo credit: REUTERS/FRANCOIS LENOIR)
When the Israelites were waiting to cross the Red Sea after their miraculous exodus from Egypt, God responded in a surprising manner to what seems to be a perfectly legitimate request by Moses to help out His people who he just took out of the "house of slavery."Moses told the people not to be afraid, for “the Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14). God then answers Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on,” (14:15).Over the past few weeks since President Donald Trump's announcement that the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a wave of opinions has been surfacing on how to convince Arabs, and Palestinians in particular, that Jerusalem really is the capital of Israel. It can be summed up in the pope's Christmas message: "Let us pray that the will to resume dialogue may prevail between the parties and that a negotiated solution can finally be reached."Extremism and violence can not be answered with prayers, and most definitely not with capitulation.For Israel and the West it must be made clear. The only way to stop this scourge of violence is with force.As British analyst and writer Denis MacEoin wrote recently: "The Palestinians are not interested in peace, and its even fair to say that they are not interested in independence. They want victory. A military victory that will lead to the elimination of Israel and the expulsion of the Jews." The same goes for the West, which constantly finds itself retreating in the face of extreme Islamism.Nobody is saying that the West should stop praying. But the question is what exactly is it praying for?If they're waiting for God to do all of the work and hope that the radical Islamic sectors of the population will suddenly have a change of heart and accept Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, then it is time to shake up these "believers."Turning the other cheek is not a method that has been working in this battle of religions. Yes, it is important for the Western world to accept everyone and not to come to the table with any preconceptions. But when the time comes to strike, the Western world must strike hard.If the Christian world truly cared for the Muslims – especially those who want to live in peace and are constantly shaken up by radical elements in their societies – then it will realize that the only possibility of rehabilitation is through force.If any New Year’s resolution must be made this year, it must be to think about how one’s faith is being put into practice. It’s clear that the world is not in need of anymore of this type of love. It must go back to the Bible, and ask the people of the Bible how it is that there is such injustice in the idea of an eye for eye.This is real justice. This is real love. Earlier this year,a famous singer tweeted, "The devil has no power when you know the living God... Why worry when you can worship."God put us in the realm to make an effort. Praying and hoping without actually taking any action isn’t helping.
