A Win-Win Situation In The Middle East

May I recommend to you that you do not skim this posting? Please read it slowly and let what you are seeing sink in. This is serious stuff.

Here is what my newspaper has been telling me...

• Syria and Iraq: Terrorists once traveled from Syria into Iraq to kill people but now they travel from Iraq into Syria to kill people.
• Iran: The Baha’i leadership is in prison and there is no penalty in Iran for killing a Baha’i.
• Yemen: Two hundred soldiers died in an Al-Qaida attack. (Change the number killed and this bullet point could be repeated over and over.)
• Somalia: Christians are being systematically hunted down and killed.
• Pakistan: In 2009, after allegations that a Koran had been torn, a 1,000-strong mob with Taliban links rampaged through a Christian neighborhood in Punjab killing 7 people, 6 of whom, including 2 children, were burned alive. Pakistani police did not intervene.
• Afghanistan: Six United Kingdom soldiers were killed when an explosion destroyed the armored vehicle they were riding in. (Change the number killed and this bullet point could be repeated over and over.)
• Saudi Arabia: Three activists have been imprisoned for using un-Islamic terminology, such as democracy and human rights, when calling for a written constitution.
• Syria: Fourteen people were killed by two bombs outside a crowded restaurant. (Change the number killed and this bullet point could be repeated over and over.)
• Repression: Saudi Arabia represses Shiites, especially Ismailis.
• Repression: Iran represses Sunnis and Sufis.
• Repression Plus: In Egypt, Shia leaders have been imprisoned and tortured.
• Afghanistan: A Shia scholar and editor has been imprisoned for publishing un-Islamic articles that criticized stoning as a punishment for adultery.
• Saudi Arabia: A teacher was sentenced to 40 months in jail and 750 lashes for mocking religion after discussing the Bible in class and making pro-Jewish remarks.
• Pakistan: When a member of Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission, raised questions about Pakistan’s policies in Kashmir, he was charged with having blasphemed.
• Bangladesh: A man was imprisoned for hurting religious feelings by advocating peaceful relations with Israel.
• Iran: An Ayatollah was imprisoned for arguing that political leadership by clergy was contrary to Islam.
• Iran: A Cleric was imprisoned for publishing untruths and disturbing public minds after publishing writings which questioned the legal basis of Ayatollah Khomeini’s view of government.
• Iran: A sampling of other charges brought against Iranians include...
  Fighting against God.
  Dissension from religious dogma.
  Insulting Islam.
  Propagation of spiritual liberalism.
  Promoting pluralism.
  Creating anxiety in the minds of Iranian officials.

Some are pressing the West to negotiate with the Iranians. The Iranians believe that they have an obligation to kill all Jews. How does one negotiate with the mindset as laid out in all of the bullet points  above? Does it go something like this...

I can appreciate that you want all Jews dead but can’t we be a bit more reasonable about this? “All” is a Big Number. Are you open to another figure?

Compromise a good thing, don’t you think? How about killing 60%? Would that make you happy? Let me tell you this, 60% would be a great batting average in baseball.

What’s that you say? You are not real comfortable with only 60%? I tell you what. When you start getting close to 60%, we can meet again and revisit the final number.

Don’t be so firmly fixated about this “all” thing. After all, Rome wasn’t destroyed in a day.

Would I kid u?