Suicide is a legal or holy act of war in radical Islam and especially in Iran because one becomes a martyr for Allah in the liberation of Palestine he will be rewarded with 70 virgins in Muslim paradise. This would include all ages of the Haram, a flesh pot really. The incentive is already there. They simply lack the means to do so. A preemptive strike such as on the Syrian and Iraqi nuclear facilities prevented their attempts to acquire the atomic bomb. Israel and the United States, even NATO, if they haven’t already done so by the time these words reach you, will very shortly bomb Iranian nuclear facilities to prevent Iran from getting the bomb. A preemptive strike appears inevitable, unless Iran pushes away from building bombs and launching missiles. Inevitability can be deferred indefinitely. They must pursue the path of peace, not brutal submission, but faith and love, by renouncing the use of nuclear weapons, but also the use of nuclear power. They will lead the world morally. Then they will have peace and prosperity and will join the United States and United Nations in recognition of Israel’s right to exist. They will become one with their enemies.
Because the likelihood of that happening is very low bombing Iran, in this light, would square with just war doctrine because the actions will be proportional and discriminative. They will only use conventional weapons to destroy the targets not nuclear weapons which are not necessary, a few B-52 bombers are more than adequate rather than using a full payload of a nuclear submarine or ICBM’s. That would of course be overkill. The targets are discriminated against. They only attack counter-forces and not counter-value; which means population centers are off limits. The targets are strictly limited to military-industrial-complex. Just war destroys the enemy’s ability to wage modern warfare. However, just war also acknowledges the right of dissent. People must not be forced to fight wars they don’t believe in. Civilians maintain non-combatant immunity, along with holy sites, hospitals, schools, orphanages and the like. All the valuable things in society are off the table. We cannot destroy a Mosque unless it is a store house for weapons. Then it makes itself a legal target.
There is just cause and imminent threat because Iran is suicidal, a terrorist state. They have proven this with October 7th, Hamas and Hezbollah. They believe death is victory, and will inevitably use the bomb in self-defense or offense or at least to control the Strait of Hormuz, which endangers the world’s energy supply. They will be able to dictate terms. They will hold the world hostage. A preemptive strike would appear to make sense. War is only a last resort when all other negotiations have broken down, a preemptive strike will hit them before they light the fuse.
Just authority should come from the NATO alliance and not just the United States and Israel, even the United Nations will be compelled to justify it. The war is winnable. More good will come from ending the threat, than ignoring it. The world is safer with one less nuclear power, which only increases the probability of war exponentially. This is a necessary act of war to protect our freedom and safety and to limit nuclear proliferation. We saw this policy worked twice before in Iraq and Syria, so we have precedent. We are compelled by the survival of humanity to prevent Iran from acquiring the Bomb. Right now wars are fought conventionally with only the threat of nuclear war such as with Putin’s new war doctrine. Iran does not play by the same rules. They will give no warning and ultimately use it on Tel Aviv or Washington DC, New York or Paris; maybe even Jerusalem because the city is too holy and contains many monuments, such as the Dome of the Rock, we can’t let Infidels control it, that of course, would be collective suicide, a sort of self-immolation to prove they are right. The Ayatollah Khomeini said this himself at the end of the Iran-Iraq War,
We have repeatedly shown in our foreign and international policy that we have been and are intent on expanding the influence of Islam in the world and lessening the domination of the world devourers. Now if the servants of the United States cite this policy as being expansionist and motivated to establish a great empire, we will not fear to welcome it.
We are intent on tearing out the roots of corrupting Zionism, Capitalism and Communism in the world. We have decided to rely on God Almighty to destroy the regimes which are based on these three pillars, in order to spread the religion of Islam of the messenger of God.
O Muslims of the world . . . think of attacking the enemies of Islam, because glory in life can be achieved through struggle . . . it is necessary to break the Sovereignty of global infidelity, particularly of the United States.
We must smash the hands and teeth of the superpowers, particularly of the United States. And we must choose one of two alternatives, either martyrdom or victory, which we both regard as victory.
We are not fighting anyone over towns or territory. We are determined to raise the glorious banner of “There is no God but God” on the heights of magnanimity and generosity.[1]
This was also the case with the 911 bombers. A leading spokesman for Al-Qaeda Ayman al-Zawahri, a medical doctor, ironic enough, was frank about suicide to bring the victory of Islam across the world. They would rather see it all burn than surrender to the infidels; “You American people, and the whole world: Know that we will not tolerate a repetition of the Andaludsia [the end of Moorish rule in Spain] in Palestine. We would rather see the whole [Islamic] nation perish than see Al Aqsa mosque destroyed, Palestine Judaized and its people expelled.”[2]
This is what we are up against. This fight goes back to the Muhammadan invasion of the Middle-East and Western Europe and the Crusader’s retaliation and control over the holy land. There is nothing new really under the sun. This struggle over a territory the size of New Jersey which is home to three major world religions spans thousands of years and will likely continue into the future. We must assess the situation with total realism. Social Critic Lee Harris makes the point; “That is why it is so critical that our decisions be ones that are guided by the tenets of political realism−the insistence on seeing things precisely as they are and refusing to be miss lead by wishful thinking and utopian illusions.”[3] Ayn Rand makes a case for immediate action, “If, in a desperate situation, one side declares that nothing can be done and the other offers the possibility of action−even if it is some suicidal attempt, such as that resolution.”[4] Iran is not afraid to die for what it believes in and like Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and the Ayatollah they are willing to take the world down with them. The Scorched Earth policy is inherent to all absolute religious and political systems. If we cannot win nobody will win. If we cannot have it nobody will, they salt the earth, burn the oil fields and poison the water supply. They will fight Pyrrhic wars, wars in which there will be more loss than gain. They don’t care. We are right and everybody else is wrong. The world be damned! Hitler and Hussein destroyed their own infrastructure as they retreated. Terrorists use human shields such as hospitals, hostages, Mosques, playgrounds, densely populated neighborhoods and graveyards to protect their military assets. What kind of mentality, worldview or faith builds and army base under a hospital? Or turns women and children into shields? This is shameful and tragic and violates international law and basic human dignity. They feel as though they are less vulnerable than out in the open. They do not hesitate to confuse counter-value with counter-forces. The plain fact remains that in just war doctrine, noncombatants lose their immunity once they participate in fighting. The taking of hostages of course requires a more specialized case because of the risk of killing both in the attempt to rescue one. Sometimes a rescue is not possible. Just war doctrine supports a special operation to rescue the hostages at risk to the acting party, at risk to the lives of American soldiers, because it is the right thing to do; hiding behind civilians will not spare them. They appear to be the culprits for perpetrating civilian casualties. If nothing else is done they the culprits and the hostages will die together in murder suicide.
Ishmael (God shall hear), the son of Hagar handmaiden of Sarah, was described as a wild man and his hand shall be against everyone and everyone against his, but he will also be a great nation (Genesis 16:1-16). This seems to become the source of hate and rage (Genesis 17:20-27). They look around as Childern of Abraham and see a forgotten heritage in the wake of secularism, living in grinding poverty when their wealth of oil is exported to the United States. These machine gun armed Mullah’s offer a better way under Sharia Law. So the disaffected follow them. They see holy lands being plundered by infidels in Spain, yes they still claim Spain as Muslim territory, Bosnia and Syria, threatening holy sites, and the oppression of fellow believers and stealing their land and imprisoning then in concentration camps. They believe Israel is an American colony controlled by the Jews, all Jews are in conspiracy, to take over the world. Anti-Semitism is endemic throughout radical Islam; it appears rooted in an inextricable or metaphysical belief that the Jews and the Christians sold out revelation for politics, when they joined with the Romans, which of course they didn’t hesitate to do by joining with the Arabs. The Christians and the Jews are done for. They only served as precursors to the coming of the Prophet. They believe that they have the final revelation and reserve the right to bare-arms in its claims. Radical Islam is at war with everyone. We don’t of course renounce believers which reject the path of war. The radicals divide the world between the house of Islam, house of peace or submission and the house of war. They are literally at war with everyone, including Uyghurs in China, but there they are martyrs, we can even side with them as patriots for freedom for the cause of human dignity against a totalitarian government.
Secularism has ruled Islamic people with an iron fist. Nasser, Assad, Saddam Hussein and the Shan abolished Muslim practices like vial and old ways of Islam, which was thought to be precedent for women’s rights in Iran, expelled the Ayatollah and important clerics, we may consider them the usurps of Islam. Then the faithful are raised up by the Ayatollah who restores the old ways−the true ways by seizing the American Embassy and holding diplomats hostage, another violation of international law. Foreign Embassies are not legal targets according to just war doctrine and international law. They are immune from persecution by joint agreement. Iran completely destroyed their credibility on the world stage. They’ve proven they cannot be trusted. The Iraqis later blew up the United Nations embassy at the beginning of the Iraqi-War. They have no respect for international law or human life. They will remain forever against the non-Muslim worlds and themselves, for example; their sectarian splits will intensify. War is endemic to their belief, as I suppose it is to every religion, one God or many. We can think of the Ayatollah as a wild man against the world. Genesis describes the linage of Ismael in robust terms as violent and given to war (Genesis 16:1-8; 17:20-27). I’m sure I’ll receive death threats for saying that.
Jihadists are not Muslim, but radical Islamists. They believe in the implantation of Sharia Law. All will give good will or free will for Allah. We are all bound to recognize God and they are sure they are his keepers. “Radical Muslim” is better since there is a logical connection between the house of war and peace. They take these things literally. Muslims deny war as a means of spreading their faith. Muslims say Jihad is a spiritual battle, extremists say it is a physical or political power struggle. Radicalism does not separate state from church. So a holy war as we know it today would be inevitable. Muslims need to assert a plural value system. Some may say this is a Jewish or Christian conspiracy to fool the world; but in order to avoid the terrorists and jihadist trap it will be necessary for them to survive. They must be able to recognize the difference between Christ and Caesar or Supreme Leader. Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. The secular, modern view asserts a radical separation of power between God and Country. This means physical violence government needs for its own survival is not permissible in a secular world, except by right of law. We cannot kill indiscriminately in the name of Justice, the same way Jihadists kill in the name of Allah. Everyone dies for God. We cannot force faith upon anyone or compel them against their will. This does not mean there is no role for government in God’s plan. Christianity says only properly ordained authority, freely elected by the people, reserves the right to defend itself in a just war, not paramilitary forces on a mission. Just war fights defensive wars. Holy wars are always offence; except a preemptive strike can be justified if the situation is desperate. Just war usually holds preemptive war in contempt, but will agree to it if it is necessary or the only alternative. The necessity of war consumes us.
This is a war for the basic survival of humanity. The greatest good is human survival. The worst evil would be extinction of homo sapiens and the planet. Earth is the only known life in the universe. War leads to death. War comes from war, peace from peace and life from life. One war only begets another war, until what?
The holy war is fought entirely for the glory of God. Just war fights for civil rights that have a divine imperative and the recognition of individual value. There are no expendable throwaway people. All War is always more humane when God is left out of it. We do not fight for unlimited goals of total conquest, but fight for temporal but peaceful purposes. Holy war believes in the total liquidation of the enemy. They must convert or die. Holy war justifies genocide. A just war never fights for genocide, but only to maintain human rights and mutual toleration. Just wars fight for legal strategic objectives, not for God’s pleasure. We maintain limits to war legally.
“Pacifism” denies that there is any good in violence, as the word suggests, war is never acceptable and without exception condemns acts of war. The problem here is that pacifism does not recognize the state’s right to exist without some force, violence or adequate means of persuasion. Some war is necessary to keep a just defense. Just like some police work is necessary, within the bounds of law. The powers that be do not bear the sword in vain. Local traffic laws all have the threat of power behind them, all law does. War can only make you submit to humanity’s law not God’s law. God does not force obedience at the end of a bayonet, which Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia is known to do. They force shops to close five times a day for public prayer, think of the lost revenue in that practice and the imposition on the people. Infidels are not allowed to enter Mecca or Medina or to the entire Arabian peninsula, because their unholy presence would despoil it. They keep a strict separation between Muslims and Infidels which includes Jews, Christians and Pagans. Followers of Muhammad must not befriend Infidels for fear of moral and spiritual ruination, until they are converted. This appears to be source of hate and rage. Infidels are polluting the holy land. Kepel continues his history of radical Islam; “Baz’s fatwa pronounced in the 1940’s and included in a collection still on sale in the Kingdom in 2001, interpreted the hadith more literally: ‘It is illicit to employ a non-Muslim servant whether male or female, or non-Muslim driver, or a non-Muslim worker in the Arabian Gulf, for the Prophet−peace and blessing be upon him−commanded that all Jews and Christians be expelled, and that only Muslims remain. He did that at the moment of his death, when he ordered that all polytheists be expelled from the Arabian Gulf, because the presence of infidels, male or female poses a danger to Muslims, their beliefs, their morality and their children’s education. For that reason it must be forbidden.’[5] The Israeli occupation of Palestine and America’s presence in Saudi-Arabia and the Arab world especially since the Gulf-War threatens the Muslim’s faith and appears to be the root of the problem. America brings pornography and alcohol into the holy land. They bring things and do things that are forbidden under Sharia Law.
Holy war, or whatever the cause may be imposes itself on the world. Just war fights to preserve Western Universalism, tolerance, free speech and respect for different religions and women’s rights. We fight for the basic right of Adam’s Race to exist. Jihad fights for the rights of God. This includes human immolation. The Aztecs were given to human sacrifice because it created a more harmonious and just world order. So Jihad believes war will finally bring peace in a Muslim Empire. Just war, just brings more war; will we see the establishment of peace or the victory of war?
[1] Quoted in Ann Elizabeth Mayer, “War and Peace in the Islamic Tradition and International Law” in Just War and Jihad: Historical and Theoretical Perspectives on War and Peace in Western and Islamic Traditions eds. John Kelsay and James Turner Johnson (New York: Greenwood Press, 1991), 201-208.
[2] Quoted in Gilles Kepel, The War for Muslim Minds: Islam and the West trans., by Pascale Ghazaleh (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2004), 77.
[3] Lee Harris, Civilization And Its Enemies: The Next Stage of History (New York: Free Press, 2004), 35.
[4] Ayn Rand, The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution (New York: Signet, 1971), 112.
[5] Kepel, The War for Muslim Minds, 165-166.