“Nations
shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom…these are the beginnings
of sorrow.”
Jesus Christ, Mat.
24
I have had a difficult time writing these words, not that they were hard
to pen, but, instead, I kept asking myself whether I should share this
vision that may seem apocalyptic. But it is impossible to say nothing
on the event that has just occurred. Please understand, this vision
of things to come is one person's opinion and not meant to alarm and certainly
not scare, just inform our readers.
The US
will respond, but when it does, it will probably respond vigorously on
targets in the Middle East—the Tallaban, Iraq, Afghanistan, Muslim nations
and people. All language from the media and the White House point to Middle
East terrorists. But a military response, regardless of how terrible and
awesome, cannot put down all terrorists.
Terrorism as a military force
cannot be stopped by conventional military means. If Vietnam was an elusive
warfare, this one will be even more elusive. That is because, there is no land
to conquer, no regular troops to kill, no military targets to overthrow in the
traditional senses of war. The troops of the opposition are civilians,
possibly children and women; the weapons of their warfare are not high tech or
low tech. They are their bodies and their religious zeal to die for a cause
they assume is just and even glorious.
Many of them will be highly
trained, well educated, and extremely disciplined—some have been trained in
American universities. Two of the hijackers of the September 11 attack had
taken Masters Degrees; all had a well-financed campaign.
Finally, many of the opposition’s troops are already
in the US, and many will arise from the US, as we take broad, destructive
military measures against Islamic nations. They will see our response as
confirmation that their holy war is just and God-inspired. Whether there is a
vigorous response or a minuscule response, we will breed the same response
from those who have wittingly drawn us into their jihad—more terrorism.
If, however, our response is terrible, as it seemingly will be, that will
breed more fanatical responses from those who have wanted a jihad.
So it seems that we have been
pulled into a holy war we should have never allowed ourselves to be in. And
because we have been pulled into it, the terms and conditions of this war are
already set for us. The targets the opposition's soldiers will take will not
be American troops, as such, but American civilians--that will weaken the will
and resolve of the nation to carry on this fight. And because of the very nature of our
society, we are more vulnerable than they are.
The coming shape of this war
on terrorism will mean that Americans will see the conditions of the
militarized Middle East--terrorist attacks that are present in Israel and
Palestine, armed guards, more intrusive police and military methods.
Terrorists will target places wherever large congregations assemble—malls,
ballgames, churches and synagogues, bridges, theaters, large buildings,
businesses, trains, buses, schools, markets, restaurants, etc. And since they
are willing to die and we are an open society, many Americans may die in
this war. Indeed, more American civilians may die than American troops. This
war has now reached our shores, and it will be stepped up on our shores as
terrorists become more fanatical in their response to our response to them.
There are a number of ancillary
factors that will probably play out, as they are indeed planned by those
who have brought us into this jihad. The American way of life will be
altered negatively: gas prices will go up; American travel throughout
the world will be restricted severely; our Visa-free passes we have with
many nations will cease; Americans will be targets throughout the world;
we will not be greeted by other nations as we are now. There will be home-grown
terrorists, anarchists, and copy cats who see the fragile nature of this
economy, and they too will join into this fight of confusion. And as these
changes take place, many Americans will seek to find scapegoats, as they
are doing already—just a day a go, and Indian national was killed because
he looked Muslim—and will focus on Arab Americans, Arab nationals, Middle
Eastern looking people, Muslims, and then on Jews, as the terrorists inflict
more wanton destruction in this nation.
Americans will feel afraid,
sickened, and bewildered by the seemingly unstoppable acts of terrorism and
the new negative lifestyle, and will begin to see Israel as a major cause of
this destruction. They will reason that since we are the chief sponsors of
Israel and there seems to be an intractable conflict in the Middle East that
we have been brought into, to our harm, Israel and Jews are the cause for this
destruction of our way of life. So the Jews will become a part of the
persecuted, along with American Arabs and Middle Easterners. Also, if Africa
figures into the terrorist calculus, African Americans, the old whipping boy,
will also play into the racism that will be unleashed.
This is a nightmare scenario,
but one that is plausible and, indeed, probable. I have no idea what a
possible solution to it is. But I know that James Baldwin prophetically
wrote, God gave Noah the rainbow sign, indicating that there would be
no more rain, but the fire next time. The destruction
of the World Trade Center towers shows that the fire has come. And
although it has come, Jesus said, this is just the beginning of sorrows,
but the
end is not yet. []
FAJones
9/17/01
