Wednesday, March 21, 2007

The Ultimate in Terror: Sacrificing Children

It was inevitable. As the techniques of the guerilla terrorists in Iraq have evolved, so has the callousness of their commitment to utter depraved violence. They believe their faith and their cause justifies sacrificing their own children. The act of knowingly sending children to their death as part of a murderous strategy is truly horrific. For a description of the ongoing violence in Iraq see, NY Times.

The truth is, we have no clue about who these people are. We don’t understand their history, their culture, or their religion. We are as ignorant of the basis of their rage as we are of what they want. While it is true that Western countries have sent children into battle (Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia in World War II come immediately to mind), at least they were given weapons and could defend themselves. Perhaps it’s a matter of degree. Still, what kind of human purposely kills his own children to achieve a political/spiritual goal? One thing is for sure: there are Islamic terrorists whose manifestation of will is impressive.
It was a horrible mistake to shake the Iraq beehive. Whether it was the worst mistake in the history of U.S. foreign policy remains to be seen. What we do know is profound. We have driven a group of people into a state of derangement such that they will sacrifice their own future in the deluded belief that they are fighting for their religious freedom. God help them and God help us.

Pensively, I remain

Savant