How to Defeat Hamas -- Face Up to the Truth

Here is my article in the Washington Post On Faith section in response to their question: Hamas leaders claim that their understanding of Islam makes Israel's survival a theological and moral impossibility. What's your response to that? How should Israel respond? How should other Muslims respond?

To some extent we have all fallen prey to the overblown, semi-hysterical notion of a war on terror. As soon as ideology entered into the picture, truth suffered at the hands of the right-wing agenda. In the same vein, Hamas has become part of the competing agendas of Israel and the Arab world. The oil-producing countries could have alleviated the grinding poverty in Gaza and the West Bank using a fraction of their oil profits annually. Instead, the Palestinian conflict has been cynically used as a tool of anti-Semitism and a sop to the Arab street, which likes nothing better than an enemy to be inflamed against. For its part, Israel plays the card of being a beleaguered state threatened by remorseless enemies -- many commentators notice how well timed Israel's actions are with upcoming elections. A weak government in Tel Aviv likes nothing more than a show of force against the enemy to bring the nation to its side.

Several truths have been buried beneath these crisscrossing agendas.

1. Hamas has no power to destroy Israel.
2. Moderate Arabs and almost all Sunnis are opposed to Hamas's politics.
3. The deeper issue is about Iran and its desire to become a dominant force in the Middle East by backing Shia extremists.
4. The Palestinian question will ultimately be solved through politics and economics, not war.
5. Tolerating the intolerant is a chronic problem in every society and every age. It must be managed as best as society can, the way it deals with crime and drugs, the other chronic ills.

Making Hamas into a unique demon is pure propaganda. They owe their slim power to two things: the untold misery of life in the Palestinian territories, which fans rebellion at its most extreme, and the sufferance of Israel and the Arab world, together who could bypass Hamas and reach meaningful accords without them. If both parties, with the help of the U.S., went on with the business of peace, Hamas would prove manageable in the short run and would disappear in the long run.

But no form of Islamic extremism will end until moderate Muslims stand up for their religion. The rich Arab countries feel that they can afford to bribe the terrorists to leave them alone, or to suppress them with secret police and the army should they get out of hand. Poor Muslim countries have little ability to cure the endemic poverty and ignorance that is the seedbed of terrorism. The only solution is long-term and self-generated. No one can extirpate extremism from without. The U.S. and its global allies can only police the problem for the foreseeable future.

It's a sobering development in our own society that the religious right was able for almost thirty years to leverage its intolerance into power -- and a deep shame that so-called moderate Republicans enabled them. So we cannot afford to be self-righteous in this matter. The burden of a civilized society is to tolerate the intolerant. There are limits, of course, and Hamas pushes against those limits outrageously. The undeniable fact is that Israel is seen by the entire Arab world as an extension of European imperialism. The West created Israel by fiat in 1948 without consulting the Arabs. That insult fuels long-held resentments about their own colonial past in many countries. For this there is no outside cure, either. Islam is being used to justify eternal grudges, and not just by the extremists.

In the end, every religion must tend to its own beliefs. Thirty years ago the West was caught off guard when the Shah of Iran, a symbol of modernized, Western-facing progress, was overwhelmed by the tide of anti-modernist, Western-hating reactionaries. We have never recovered from that shock, nor have we remotely solved the problem. The West marches on. India and China join in. But Islam massively holds out for an anti-future, and it can back up its medieval delusions with oil riches and suicide martyrs. This is the prevailing situation that's being handled globally while we wait for Muslims to find their own tipping point in favor of a realistic tomorrow instead of fatal nostalgia for the past.

washingtonpost.com

Comments

[justice2all]

Great article

[Jonahson]

There is this issue about occupying other people's land. Solve this and you solve the problem.

[Jonahson]

There is this issue of occupying other people's. Solve this, you aolve the problem.

[barryblogger]

I don't agree with everything you have said but you definitely have hit upon some kernels of truth. I agree with you that terrorism will never stop until moderate arabs and muslims unit against it. There are two problems here. Even many "moderate" arabs when polled actually suppor suicide bombings against Jewish, Israel, America and other Western Interests. That's a hard pill to follow. Second of all, the few true moderate who have been brave enough to openly stand against extermists all ended up dead. That is a very quick way to ensure that anyone else who is opposed to it shuts up pretty damn fast.

[harleywinks]

Fantastic article. Thank you.

[SilviaMaria]

I would like to mention something; the 2-state solution is a joke. The best solution would be just one state (and I do not care how they want to call it), where Christian Palestinians and Arab Palestinians have the same rights than the Israelis; separation of state and church, everybody is free to worship their own God ..... simple .... you work, pay your taxes, no discrimination ... I do not think that there is anything wrong with this picture.

[SiberianRat]

No, it sounds great--Israel won't allow it though.

[JacksonJones]

I think it would be great if Jordan would annex the WB and Egypt the Gaza Strip. For some reason, though, the Palestinians want their own country. I think under the priciple of national self-determination it would be unfair to make them become Egyptians and Jordanians or to make Jordan or Egypt take on the responsibilites. Similarly, I think it would be unfair to make them become Israelis or to make Israel take on the responsibilities.

Don't you agree?

[chaos4700]

For some reasons, the Jews wanted /their/ own country. Hypocrisy much?

[mouselion]

Agreed -- that'd be the best situation. Alas, closed-mindedness prevails.
And, it all points back to religious bigotry.

[ccoppe]

A utopian solution that would unleash a torrent of assassinations and coups against the leaders of the Mideast nations that would propose it.

[GaiaTerra7]

Dr. Chopra, you are one of the most rational minds on the planet. Thank you for speaking up regularly on such important issues.

[Californian2009]

Amen to that.
the only thing dividing people and society is religion. let's get rid off this division and religion once for all.
let's unite mankind under one banner...spirituality. Dr Chopra would agree.

[Michale32086]

@kimleehan

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I have to disagree with you on that,
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Fair enough. I have no problem with that. :D

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I think the Israeli's are only making Hamas stronger.
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While the possibility exists, I think it's slowly fading.

Consider the '06 war with Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been VERY quiet since then..

And Israel is managing the PR war in this case a LOT better than it did with Hezbollah..

Plus the fact that all of HAMAS' excesses and human shields and war crimes are coming to light. Even countries like Jordan, Egypt et al are turning against HAMAS..

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I heard that Iran is sending suicide bombers to Israel, Al Qaeda is asking all muslims to support Hamas, Hamas is treatening to assassinate Israeli leaders. They don't sound like their going to go away.
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I'll be worried when it actually starts happening... AQ has always made grandiose claims of attacks that we have thwarted or that has never materialized.. Iran is always blustering.. And HAMAS?? It's slowly being eliminated, bit by bit...

I am not saying that you are wrong.. Time will tell.. I am saying that, when I apply my experience and training to what is happening, I see that HAMAS may not be long for this world and countries like Egypt and Jordan will, at the VERY least privately, will be throwing parties..

Michale.....

[iknowdou]

Michale,
Can you please stop posting your replies to individual comments, as new comments. And could you please use regular quote marks if you continue to insist on what amounts to trying to talk louder than everyone else. We all like to contribute to the dialogue, and if you could please, at least use regular quotation marks, then it gives more people a chance to appear on each page. Which enriches the overall conversation.

Thank you in advance,
me

[kimleehan]

like Winston Churchill once said "The length of this document defends it well against the risk of its being read."

[Michale32086]

Sorry, but when that happens, the posting space becomes smaller than a postage stamp and NO ONE can make a point...

}}}}}
at least use regular quotation marks, then it gives more people a chance to appear on each page. Which enriches the overall conversation.
{{{{{

Actually, it's not the quoting mechanism, but rather the excessive LFs.. I see your point and will endeavor to be more considerate...

Michale......

[StopCensoringMe]

Deepak:

You nearly always bring a voice of clarity to complex issues. This is why I am surprised by your statement, "[i]n the end, every religion must tend to its own beliefs." Within the capsules of simple 'belief' this is an accurate statement. As much as I may have differences with the Catholic faith (for example), it is up to the papacy to make determinations about what the Catholic faith "believes in" or doesn't. But, when "belief" crosses the boundary of simply telling the 'faithful' what their brand of 'faith' consists of and goes into crossing the boundaries of telling others outside the faith how THEIR life will be (in this case, Hamas telling Israel that they will live with rocket terror until they disappear), then the social contract we call "society" has been violated. Extremism from all corners of 'religion', from time in memorial, has been the root of nearly all conflict between humans. Righteousness is believed to be held by the 'faithful' and everyone else is 'wrong.' I would be fine with each faith policing its own and believing as they please. But, how do we deal with a faith that has decided that the extermination of of those who do not believe as they do must perish or surrender their own beliefs?

[JohnDewey]

"But, how do we deal with a faith that has decided that the extermination of of those who do not believe as they do must perish or surrender their own beliefs?"

I wouldn't use the word `faith' here, but rather, `religion'. It has been religion, especially the fundamentalist interpretations of religion, which have decreed that non-believers must perish or surrender. Further, this is by no means the exclusive province of Islam. The Inquisition and the Crusades weren't instigated by Hamas, nor were the several massacres of pagans depicted in the Torah.

All three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity & Islam), as well as several others, such as fundamentalist Hinduism, have practiced this "convert or die" philosophy at one time or another. All three Abrahamic religions have at their heart the monotheism that says there is only one g-d and they are g-d's chosen people.

The answer, as I see it, is the end of religion. Faith, whether practiced by an individual or shared within a community of believers, rarely threatens anyone other than its adherents. Religion, OTOH, is and has always been a murderous vehicle for authoritarian control.

[StopCensoringMe]

I hear you. I certainly didn't mean to imply that the only offenders in this puzzle were fundamental Muslims. That said, they are the current actors using this well-worn concept of, as you say, "convert or die." I also agree with your distinction between 'faith' and 'religion.' But, let's be honest here, without a global governance model, there is no hope whatsoever of the "end of [ed addition: organized] religion." None. I'd be fine with that approach but it isn't going to happen in our lifetimes. So, what do we do in the meantime?

My solution is this: immediately begin the Manhattan Project of Energy. If we can develop an alternative to fossil-based fuels...in all areas...we strip away the one thing that has allowed Hamas, Hizbollah, Al Qaeda, L-e-T, Wahhibism, etc. to flourish...Dough-Re-Mi. Stop the flow of money to extremists and their ability to purchase rocket launchers and bullets goes away. Their ability to develop nuclear weapons is stopped dead in its tracks. Saudi Arabia would be nothing more than a dusty camel watering hole were it not for oil.

[SiberianRat]

AMEN! :-)

[OldKnute]

(Quote) A weak government in,,, Tel Aviv,,, likes nothing more than a show of force against the enemy to bring the nation to its side.

OR

A weak government in,,, Washington,,, likes nothing more than a show of force against an enemy to bring the nation to its side.

OR

A NEW government as,,, Hamas,,, likes nothing more than a show of force against an enemy to bring the nation to its side.

AND

A weak government in,,, Tehran,,, likes nothing more than a show of force against an enemy to bring the nation to its side.

Or,,, London, Berlin, Moscow, Beijing, Damascus, Seoul, Pyongyang, New Deli, Baghdad, Kabul, Islamabad, etc,,, likes nothing more than a show of force against an enemy to bring the nation to its side.

Seems as though we,,, ALL,,, spend a great deal of time looking OUTSIDE, rather than looking WITHIN.

Anger and aggression are expressions of WEAKNESS,,, not strength. Their first victim, is always REASON.

Seems we are more alike than we might have thought.

All the best

Knute

[chaos4700]

Wise words and true.

[noralou]

The United States of America have a huge role in the violence and hatred between the Palestinians and the Israelis. We give Israel all sorts of weaponry and billions of our tax dollars and never put any conditions on that aid. No matter what Israel does, we take their side. There is plenty of blame to go around. The way that Palestinians live, in desperate poverty, in primitive camps and settlements and with all sorts of restrictions on where they can go sounds like Apartheid or the American South of not so long ago, with their ":whites only" signs. When people live without hope it creates a fertile breeding ground for terrorists. Add to that extreme religious ideology and no tolerance for your neighbors and you get violent extremists. Both sides in this conflict are wrong. Violence begats more violence. Each side wants to wipe the other off the face of this earth. We created the state of Israel where people were already living and we always take their side, no matter what they do. This is a huge mess and we have the ability to step in and help clean it up. Just as with the automakers, our money should come with conditions attatched. No, Israel cannot tolerate having rockets launched into their country, but they could do something about the conditions that create so much hatred.

[GaiaTerra7]

Very well said!

[Dave24]

"In the end, every religion must tend to its own beliefs." Hence the importance of secularism: To ensure that those beliefs are not imposed upon others who choose not to believe.

We need to support secular values and forms of government in order to protect the values that individuals choose to follow.

Without secularism, there is no religious freedom.

[OldKnute]

Yes Dave,

There need be a neutral space for all to be heard. Of the commons, the Town Hall, Court or tent of a King, the traditions and LAWS of the commons need always be the most tolerant and broad in scope and reach, inclusive AND of the clearest understanding to ALL.

However; to deny that many, if not all the principles of secularism, do not find their origins in gleaned traditions of faith, is to ignore all of history.

"Eye for an eye": Proportional Restitution.
"Do unto others": Reciprocity.
"Render unto Cesar". Honor the laws of the land.
"Thou shalt not steal" Theft, diminishes all and is a needles common burden.
"False Witness": Perjury.
"Come let us reason together": Take counsel, deliberate and discus.
"Shuwra": Consultation and deliberation.
(Qur"an): "Make room, clear a space, provide an opportunity, conference rooms, parliaments, councils, committees, and gatherings. And God will make room for you."

The Commons!!!!!

One of the greatest criticisms leveled against Mohammed in the Qur"an, was that he was,,,, "ALL EARS".

A failing,, OR,,,, a virtue?

It is not that we lack instruction, but more, that we ignore it.

JMO

All the best

Knute

[MalleusMaleficarum]

This is a deeply disappointing misjudgment of history that exhibits a shocking lack of informed opinion about the culture and history of the Middle East. The region has a history far deeper and richer than the invasion of India by the Mugals and the breakdown between Gandhi and Jinnah. A recent poll revealed that 93% of the world's Muslims oppose Al-Qaida. Muslims are normal people just like we are and they want the same things we do -- to live in dignity and freedom in their homeland. The final paragraph of the column above is absurd because it is informed by prejudice and the right-wing propaganda of the mainstream media in the USA. Islam does not hold out for the absurdist notion of an anti-future. It is undergoing a constant process of reform, reinvention and cultural revolution led by a galaxy of major intellectuals from Tariq Ali to Omid Safi to Tariq Ramadan. Please, inform yourself before you began casting cultural boulders. Perhaps, this column exemplifies the rational behind so much criticism of Deepak Chopra as insignificant beyond his obvious expertise in integrative medicine.

[Rubyfoo]

You're ignoring the fact that Hamas' rockets, funded by Iran, are capable of reaching ever further into Israel. They want Israel to cease existing, and soon they will have a rocket capable of reaching Israel's nuclear power plant. There are strategic issues that just aren't being discussed in the news media.

[kimleehan]

Hamas's rockets are hand mde pieces of junk, you can tell by the kill ratio 25 rockets fired into Israel, one dead, Israel fires one rocket into Gaza 25 dead. If Hamas had iranian rockets ,they would have used them by now.

[Michale32086]

You a Star Trek Fan??

GOOGLE "A Private Little War"...

Michale.....

[markusmarkus]

"...and soon they will have a rocket capable of reaching Israel's nuclear power plant." Oooo, scary stuff, rockets and nuke power plants.
You'd better do some research before posting inflamatory statements like the one I quoted above.

First of all, the Hamas rockets, regardless of the source, carry a very small warhead (less than 10kg) that has poor reliability. Translation: The warheads don't always go "booom!"

Second, the Israeli nuke plants were designed and built by U.S. companies. How do I know? My uncle, a retired civil engineer, worked for Blaw-Knox, the company that designed and oversaw the construction of the the nuclear containment vessel. The concrete walls of these vessels, like those in the U.S. nuke plants, are from 6 feet to more than 10 feet thick.
Translations: It would take a lot more than 10kg of any non-nuke high-explosive to penetrate the nuclear containment vessel.

Translation: Tis better to be silent and let others believe you are intelligent than to speak without knowledge and have everyone know you're ________________!

[Michale32086]

So, what you are saying is that, if you have a gang of scumbags who drive by your house day or night and use shotguns and rifles to blast a hundred times or more month into your home where you family eats and sleeps and plays and works, you are not going to be concerned??

You are???

How come??

The weapons used are old and antiquated and they probably won't kill TOO many of your family??

So, why would you POSSIBLY be upset at that??

You see how ridiculous such a stance is???

Michale......

[iknowdou]

Thanks.

I find myself defending Hamas, Muslims, because of Israel's brutality against the Gaza imprisioned civilians.

My Gawd!!

I know things have gotten too far from the reality of peace when that happens!

How can I stand for freedom from colonialism and not sympathize somewhat with 'freedom fighters' like Che in Cuba, which Hamas are not? I don't agree with their tactics, but I do understand the unrealistic colonial truth, that injustice does not lead directly to justice. And so I understand the deep seated frustration and resentment from being treated worse than an animal, and how, under that inhumane treatment a person can fold while another will strike back.

Israel takes us all further from all that is sacred in this life by it's treatment towards the people of Gaza. And people who break the law, are criminals who need to be prosecuted. But no one, in a civilized world, goes to war against a town whose citizens hold serial killers. If they did, all the major cities in America would be at war.

[GaiaTerra7]

The ends do not justify the means. Thanks for your post. :-)

[Michale32086]

Sometimes they do, sometimes they do..

Michale.....