Why “Outreach,” “Dialogue,” and “Hearts and Minds” Initiatives Won’t End the Jihad

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Mainstream foreign policy analyst John Hannah recently wrote that “both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama understood that we wouldn’t be able to just kill our way out of the conflict with radical Islamists. Each devoted considerable resources to what’s been called the ‘battle for hearts and minds.’” But does this really work?

The idea was to show that the Americans weren’t as bad as jihad propaganda claimed, and were ready to be helpful, generous friends. This effort was predicated on the assumption that good will gestures would be appreciated and reciprocated. Yet as I show in my new book The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS,these assumptions were wrongheaded from the start, and doomed to failure.

This is because the jihadis generally know the Qur’an, and know that it teaches warfare against unbelievers, including unbelievers who are kind to the Muslims. An example: in the 830s, the Byzantine emperor Theophilus asked the Abbasid caliph al-Ma’mun for a peace accord. Al-Ma’mun responded:

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I should make the answer to your letter cavalry horses bearing steadfast, courageous and keen-sighted riders, who would contend with you over your destruction, to seek Allah’s favor by spilling your blood….

Over a millennium later, this lesson has still not been learned. Back in early January 2005, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell went to Banda Aceh, Indonesia to bring U.S. aid to the victims of a devastating tsunami. Speaking on NBC’s Nightly News, Powell said that he thought American aid to Indonesia would “show to the Muslim world the nature of our society. But we’ve done a lot for the Muslim world. I mean, we rescued the Muslim people from the tyranny of the Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan. We rescued them from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein. We rescued Muslims in Kosovo some years ago.”

Powell added: “So I think if people will look at our actions and look at the subsequent results of those actions, and we see a democracy in Afghanistan and hopefully one in Iraq as well, people will judge us by what we end up accomplishing, and the anti-American feeling that we have seen in various parts of the world over the past year and a half will start to dissipate.”

Thirteen years later, we know that no democracy was ever established in Afghanistan and Iraq, and anti-American feeling never dissipated. Powell could have foreseen this; over a year and a half before he went to Indonesia, the South African Mufti Ebrahim Desai, the authority behind a popular “Ask the Imam” feature at a Muslim question and answer Internet site, was asked (spelling and grammar as in the original): “The west is often criticised by Muslims for many reasons, such as allowing women go to work. But shouldnt the west also recieve praise because its always them who intervene when muslims r being tortured, they stopped Milosovic kiling muslims and sent their own troops to the country, they r usually the first to send aid when theres a flood, they r also intervening in Isreal and condeming them killing Muslims, so should we appreciate their efforts or not?”

Desai’s answer: “In simple the Kuffaar [unbelievers] can never be trusted for any possible good they do. They have their own interest at heart.”

This opinion has deep roots in Islamic tradition. The Qur’an contains a warning against those who turn “in friendship to the Unbelievers….If only they had believed in Allah, in the Prophet, and in what hath been revealed to him, never would they have taken them for friends and protectors, but most of them are rebellious wrong-doers” (5:80-81). It also tells Muslims that “never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with you unless you follow their form of religion” (2:120).

Such teachings lead large numbers of Muslims to regard relief efforts by non-Muslims not as a sign of American goodwill, but as part of a larger plan to subvert Islam. It is a recurring phenomenon of Islamic history, as I show in The History of Jihad: when disaster of any kind strikes, it is all too frequently interpreted as having been caused by a failure on the part of the people to be Islamic enough. So the result is a renewed fervor, and new miseries for non-Muslims inside and often also outside the Islamic state in question.

Arm yourself with the truth against the prevailing disinformation. Preorder The History of Jihad now.

Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He is author of the New York Times bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. His new book is The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS. Follow him on Twitter here. Like him on Facebook here.

 

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Halal Bacon
Halal Bacon
5 years ago

what is not seen in that picture is the Benjamin that was passed from the arab

IzlamDownpressesHumanity
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
5 years ago
Reply to  Halal Bacon

LOL, that makes perfect sense. It must have been a bill a lot larger than a hundred dollars though — because just like Shillariah, Dubya might be easy be he’s not cheap!

Suresh
Suresh
5 years ago
Reply to  Halal Bacon

They have been buying Dems/RINO’s , bureaucrats , media , school/college boards for long time.

And Dems were paid by Iranian lobbyists to support Nuke deal http://tinyurl.com/mcake4d

And their holdovers still support it.

felix1999
felix1999
5 years ago
Reply to  Suresh

One of the problems is Obama UNIONIZED many federal workers so it is tougher to get rid of them.

Philip
Philip
5 years ago

“FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.” -NASA MOTTO

felix1999
felix1999
5 years ago

He’s right, that won’t work.
I don’t know about you but seeing grown men holding hands bothers me….

Achmed Mohandjob
Achmed Mohandjob
5 years ago
Reply to  felix1999

I simply look away. No need for more than a glance.

Rob Porter
Rob Porter
5 years ago
Reply to  felix1999

felix, it’s truly a pathetic sight! I’ve never held a man’s hand, not even that of my father, this explained by my one aunt who told me: “Your father had it in for you from the moment you emerged from the womb”. But it’s okay with me and my aunt’s revelation has given me a good chuckle. Then I see Bush looking like a prize ‘poof’ and understand why he degenerated into a fairly useless president. His gullibility is astounding and the more he derides Trump the more my disgust for him grows. The Democrats have enough Trump haters without him joining that gang of worthless rogues. However, Obama with his Muslim-protecting ‘rules of engagement’ was far worse.

Mohammed_Goldberg
Mohammed_Goldberg
5 years ago

We, the members of the “72 Virgins Dating Service” are doing what we can to terminate jihad worldwide.

Janet
Janet
5 years ago

????????????????

Ziggy46
Ziggy46
5 years ago

Outreach and Dialogue are a hopeless, a futile venture when dealing with Islam. Zealots of this cult are not susceptible or in want of debate or exchange of ideas. It is steadfast, hard set in its Dark Age ideology; true hardcore believers of any political or religious movement choose not to evolve. Islam is a prime example of a cult feigning as a religion. Assimilation is a no-no, as is its nonacceptance of diversity, reminiscent of the Democrats and the Leftist Loonies. Outreach and Dialogue are fruitless with those of Islam, Democrats or Progressives; they are one of the same prejudices. The solution of both to any opposition or their dogma is violence, bigotry; they want to murder and maim peoples of a diverse diktat, faith or politic. They are both autocratic, bent on the downfall of this Constitutional Republic and Western Democracy.

Michael Garfinkel
Michael Garfinkel
5 years ago
Reply to  Ziggy46

The West has been continually advised that it is to understand, as did “both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama… that we wouldn’t be able to just kill our way out of the conflict with radical Islamists.”

The truth of this mantra is widely accepted, and usually goes unchallenged.

Yet, this begs the question, which has always, apparently, been too discomforting to ask: why should this proposition, which has never been tested, be regarded as true – particularly when the evidence, and common sense suggest otherwise?

The answer, of course, is obvious – it is a fairy tale we tell ourselves in order to avoid the hard choices the Islamic Jihad demands.

Ziggy46
Ziggy46
5 years ago

Well said, the we ccan’t win began during the Vietnam War; politicos perceiving themselves as generals but were no more than armchair generals.

felix1999
felix1999
5 years ago
Reply to  Ziggy46

Years ago, remember how the RED CROSS had to change to the STAR and the CRESCENT because a CROSS was offensive? They couldn’t stand the idea of CHRISTIANS being kind and helpful to MUSLIMS. So they had to have the star and the crescent replace the red cross as their symbol. At the time, I thought that was offensive and strange because I didn’t know what I know now about Islam. We NEVER give to the Red Cross after the scandal broke about how donations were used to refurbish their offices and jack up their salaries. I forget which disaster that surfaced from.

“Red Crescent

“The Red Crescent symbol

During the Russo-Turkish War from 1876 to 1878, the Ottoman Empire used a Red Crescent instead of the Red Cross because its government believed that the cross would alienate its Muslim soldiers. When asked by the ICRC in 1877, Russia committed to fully respect the sanctity of all persons and facilities bearing the Red Crescent symbol, followed by a similar commitment from the Ottoman government to respect the Red Cross. After this de facto assessment of equal validity to both symbols, the ICRC declared in 1878 that it should be possible in principle to adopt an additional official protection symbol for non-Christian countries. The Red Crescent was formally recognized in 1929 when the Geneva Conventions were amended (Article 19).[3] After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Red Crescent was first used by its successor nation Turkey, followed by Egypt. From its official recognition to today, the Red Crescent became the organizational emblem of nearly every national society in countries with majority Muslim populations. The national societies of some countries such as Pakistan (1974), Malaysia (1975), or Bangladesh (1989) have officially changed their name and emblem from the Red Cross to the Red Crescent. The Red Crescent is used by 33 of the 190 recognized societies worldwide.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emblems_of_the_International_Red_Cross_and_Red_Crescent_Movement

Ziggy46
Ziggy46
5 years ago
Reply to  felix1999

I remember all too well, Felix. It is an integral part of the equation of hopeless dialogue with Islam and Progressives, they have commingled into a toxic potion.

IzlamDownpressesHumanity
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
5 years ago
Reply to  felix1999

I won’t be supporting the Red Cross anymore. Anyone who supports the savage muslums is persona non grata.

Ziggy46
Ziggy46
5 years ago

Outreach and Dialogue are a hopeless, a futile venture when dealing with Islam. Zealots of this cult are not susceptible or in want of debate or exchange of ideas. It is steadfast, hard set in its Dark Age ideology; true hardcore believers of any political or religious movement choose not to evolve. Islam is a prime example of a cult feigning as a religion. Assimilation is a no-no, as is its nonacceptance of diversity, reminiscent of the Democrats and the Leftist Loonies. Outreach and Dialogue are fruitless with those of Islam, Democrats or Progressives; they are one of the same prejudices. The solution of both to any opposition or their dogma is violence, bigotry; they want to murder and maim peoples of a diverse diktat, faith or politic. They are both autocratic, bent on the downfall of this Constitutional Republic and Western Democracy.

Philip
Philip
5 years ago

You may not be able to make progress with the Muslim who regularly goes to mosque and the newly converted Muslim has to discover on their own why Muslim law is no good. There are Muslims out there who can be reasoned with regarding their faith. They exist at the fringes and reaching out to them is NOT a losing cause. You have to love the Muslim on the fence more than Islam hates the infidel. I’d rather spend time religiously debating Muslims than politically debating Democratic Socialists. Muslims tend to be more frightningly intelligent than Democratic Socialists. Don’t give up on them! Maybe, one day Muslims and “Infidels” will look back on these times over a delicious pork barbecue and laugh?

IzlamDownpressesHumanity
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
5 years ago
Reply to  Philip

Duh really? Then why are all islamic states, all 56 of them, totalitarian, theocratic, apartheid states? Furthermore, why aren’t any of your reasonable muslums doing anything to:
1. free the millions of people being enslaved by f’ing muslums right now in Mauritania, the Sudan, Islamic State or Niger?
2. ameliorate the systematic persecution of the unbeliever in islum that is SOP in all muslum states?
3. providing funds to help the families of the victims of worldwide islamic terrorism?
4. stop the genocide of Christians going on in Nigeria?

You’re either a fool or a tool.

Achmed Mohandjob
Achmed Mohandjob
5 years ago

Or … Both

IzlamDownpressesHumanity
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
5 years ago

LOL, yep.

R. Arandas
R. Arandas
5 years ago
Reply to  Philip

There is actually an organization called ex-Muslims of North America:
https://www.exmna.org
https://twitter.com/CEMB_forum?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

VoiceInDesert
VoiceInDesert
5 years ago

Muslims need to be convinced that their qu’ran and supplements only teach death, destruction, and plunder of all “infidels”. It is contrary to all Judeo-Christian values, and no dialogue with muslims will change that.

Alleged-Comment
Alleged-Comment
5 years ago

ANY fool who did not go to a Poison Ivy league school knows this. Their commons sense was eradicated in college by their DERANGED professors.

It takes 4 years and tens of thousand of dollars to DESTROY your sons and daughters common sense. The left got the formula down good. Government also supports this idea and pays for some of it.

Pretty soon you got a bunch of brainwashed citizens perfected to worship the women and children (Negroes) to lead you and HATE the white man.

ramrodd
ramrodd
5 years ago

Pamela Geller: Millions of Muslims all around the world are following the same playbook — the Quran — and the same ideology — Islam…but the Media wont ever tell you that, it wouldnt fit in with their pro-jihad propaganda offensive..(along with the police state)

ramrodd
ramrodd
5 years ago

CUT THE CRAP. ISLAM MUST BE EXTERMINATED. HERE’S HOW.
Fully acknowledge that even a converted musloid, like a domesticated wild animal, will be dangerous for the rest of his life and can never be fully trusted.
Islam is a political system, NOT a religion, and unless and until humanity wakes the hell up and STOPS referring to it as a religion, there is no hope. Islam is a hyper-aggressive, militaristic, expansionist, totalitarian political system designed to create a super-rich micro-oligarchical ruling class with a massive, destitute, genetically handicapped underclass below.
Here is a quote from Osama bin Laden that sums it all up:
“Our talks with the infidel West and our conflict with them ultimately revolve around one issue; one that demands our total support, with power and determination, with one voice, and it is:

ramrodd
ramrodd
5 years ago
Reply to  ramrodd

Well, you can pour maple syrup on a puddle of bloody, diarrhetic hogshiit all you want, but it will never, ever be pancakes.
THIS is how the musloid problem should be faced and solved. It isn’t difficult.

Use the only thing they understand – PHYSICAL FORCE AND STRENGTH.
Aggressively proselytize. Fully acknowledge that even a converted musloid, like a domesticated wild animal, will be dangerous for the rest of his life and can never be fully trusted.
http://www.barnhardt.biz/2017/06/05/cut-the-crap-islam-must-be-exterminated-heres-how/

IzlamDownpressesHumanity
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
5 years ago

Muslum outreach to the kafir al najjis in muslum states consists of state-sponsored persecution.

Rob Porter
Rob Porter
5 years ago

What a pathetic sight! George W. Bush holding hands with the King of Saudi Arabia! I can imagine Laura Bush later asking: ‘What the hell were you thinking?’ Such a revolting, poofy sight, and this after this king’s subjects had murdered almost 3,000 individuals in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania – and like an imbecile Bush announced that ‘Islam is a religion of peace’. 33,000 murderous Islamic jihad attacks later, some accompanied by the Muslim war cry, ‘Allahu akba’ and live mutilation of victims, and yet to dimwits ‘Islam is a religion of piece. The ‘outreach’ should be a rifle or machine gun being placed in position to fire on Muslim aggressors.

R. Arandas
R. Arandas
5 years ago

It is VERY difficult to convince Muslims of how outdated and stagnant their religion is. And yet the liberals (even though many don’t truly believe in God) still defend their belief system at every turn!

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