TEL AVIV, Israel (UPI) For the third time in its history, Islam is trying to bring 'the true faith' to the rest of the world. However, this time is particularly dangerous, according to one of the world`s leading authorities on Muslim history.
In a series of lectures at Israeli academic institutions, Princeton University Professor Bernard Lewis talked of the widespread Muslim-Shiite belief that time has come for a final global struggle between the forces of good and the forces of evil.
We should give fundamentalist Muslims the boot from the West. And we should be championing secularism in their cess pools.
'The fact that some of the societies are acquiring, or will soon acquire ... weapons of destructive power beyond Hitler`s wildest dreams ... is something that we should be very concerned about,' he said.
There should be no American opposition to US anti-proliferation measures against Iran's Ayatollahs. Indulgence of conditions that would allow a preventable introduction of nuclear tipped ICBMs in Iran, would be unthinkable to any Ameican.
Muslim believers consider themselves 'the fortunate recipients of God`s final message to humanity and it is their duty not to keep is selfishly to themselves ... (but) to bring it to the rest of mankind,' Lewis noted.
In their first attempt to do so, they emerged from the Arabian Peninsula and conquered vast territories from Iran across North Africa to Spain, Portugal and parts of Italy. Converts conquered Russian lands and established an Islamic regime in Eastern Europe. There are even reports of an Arab raid into Switzerland. But that attempt to conquer Europe failed, and the Crusaders recovered the Christian holy places in Jerusalem.
In the second round, the Ottoman Turks crossed southeastern Europe and reached Vienna. Twice they tried to capture it and failed. Western imperialism halted and reversed the Ottoman push.
The current, third invasion, is not done by armed conquest or with migrating hordes, but by a combination of migration, demography, 'self denigration and self abasement, totally apologetic,' Lewis said...