The Clash of Civilizations

Prior to the end of the Cold War, nation states were the at the center international affairs and wars were fought between them. 

Things changed in 2001 when Al Qaeda attacked the World Trade Center and emerged as the globe’s paramount security threat. It was later joined by ISIS, and branches of both have proliferated around the world.

Today, radical Islam is active globally. Al Qaeda in the Maghreb, ISIS in Yemen and Central Africa, and Boko Haram in Nigeria have little to do with the “liberation” of Palestinians. Rather, they focus on the creation of a global Islamic caliphate under Sharia laws and the destruction of western liberalism and secularism.

This development was described by Harvard Professor Samuel P. Huntingdon in his seminal book The Clash of Civilizations and the New World Order first published in 1996. 

The Clash of Civilizations posits a thesis that people's cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post–Cold War world. Huntingdon argued that future wars would be fought not between countries, but between cultures.

On October 7th Hamas invaded Israel and viciously murdered 1400 Israeli men, women and children and took over 250 hostages back to its Gaza enclave.

Israel’s reaction has created a massive wave of global antisemitism and anti-Jewish violence in the streets, on university campuses, and in the media.

Thousands of protestors continue to attack Jewish businesses, institutions, and individuals in a way reminiscent of Nazi Germany’s infamous Kristallnacht.

In New York City, demonstrators tore down U.S. flags from streetlamp posts and replaced them with Palestinian flags. Demonstrators paraded with swastika and ISIS flags while wearing Hamas headbands. 

Many were not Palestinians but, rather, ordinary citizens venting their antisemitic rage in crowds that seemed to legitimize their prejudice. 

Indeed, when demonstrators barricaded Jewish students at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University officials refused to sanction those Hamas supporters who were on student visas. Their reason: if they were to do so, these demonstrators would be deported for contravening visa laws. 

In fact, we must keep in mind that money is the lifeblood of universities. Arab and Muslim students bring a lot of tuition money to universities across North America. It is not in their interests to be known as unfriendly to Arabs and Muslims.

In London, police stopped British citizens carrying the Union Jack from parading in London while giving demonstrators with ISIS and swastika flags a wide berth. Several British cabinet ministers were surrounded and accosted by pro-Hamas mobs and had to be saved from further violence by police.

Radical Islam has invaded the West and is targeting its most vulnerable citizens to do its bidding, attacking Western institutions of democracy, and using traditional antisemitic tropes to fire up the crowds and provide them with a target for their hatred.

The West has allowed Saudi Arabia to pollute Western countries with radical imams and preachers whose only job seems to be to radicalize Muslim youth and create the fifth columns essential for the successful penetration of their respective societies.

Some Western leaders (like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the mayors of Toronto and Montreal) are wary of the electoral clout in their Muslim constituencies. Many are afraid of being tarred as “oppressive” by their media and civil societies. 

Today’s radical Islamic violence is not about a particular territory. 

Hamas and its followers seek the destruction of Israel and the global elimination of Jews. In this, Iran and other states are its allies. 

Radical Islam demands the creation of an Islamic world united under Sharia law and devoid of any sign of liberalism or secularism. 

There is a solution.

Call the problem by its name and target the cause directly.

Recognize the threat posed by radical Islam and its allies, deport non-citizen students and religious leaders who espouse violence against democratic institutions and, especially, Jews. Apply laws forcefully and arrest and prosecute those who would intimidate, injure, or murder others in the name of religion.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his government, together with the French political establishment (except for the extreme left) have come out fighting in recent days, leading massive anti-Hamas and anti-antisemitism demonstrations, as well as announcing measures to jail supporters of Hamas and deport those radicals who are not French citizens.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faese has instituted a formal ban on any groups showing support for Hamas including protestors. The Hamas flag is also completely banned. 

Faese stated, “I have today completely banned the activities of a terrorist organization whose aim is to destroy the State of Israel.” She also announced she is also dissolving the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network which she says “supports and glorifies” groups like Hamas.

Political and social leaders must fight radical Islam by addressing the main causes for its ability to attract adherents. Poverty, frustration, marginalization, and lack of hope all drive Muslim and non-Muslim youth into the arms of radical groups. 

As well, however, governments must commit to policies that focus on inclusion of minorities into society. While we can demand that immigrants respect and adhere to our values, we must also demand of ourselves that we create the type of society that makes them feel welcome and reduces the attraction of radical Islam. 

Absent this, we could well lose to those who seek to destroy Western liberalism and replace it with chaos and radical theocracies.

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Keep reading: Spain: A House Divided

Edition: Estefanía Cardeña