Fueling the Jihad

Yesterday’s morning news programs all discussed the tragedy of the civilian deaths at Qana in southern Lebanon. Not one reporter questioned the legitimacy of the Hezbollah claim that these deaths were the direct result of a single Israeli air strike on the building that the bodies were pulled from. Not one brought up the point that the building did not collapse until hours after the strike. None of them mentioned that the bodies appeared to have been dead for days. Iran needs to keep the Muslim world enraged thereby fueling the global jihad. I have no proof that the women and children that were pulled from the rubble in Qana did not die as a result of the Israeli attack but knowing the mentality of the enemy I must conclude that it is entirely possible Hezbollah manufactured the tragedy. My own wife gave me the “You’re nuts” look when I mentioned this possibility. “They wouldn’t do that,” she replied. And that is the root of the problem. The average American fails to recognize the atrocious tactics used by the terrorists. Why? Because we are taught as a society from childhood that certain behavior is simply not acceptable and we cannot conceive that anyone would do such things. Terrorists know how the western world and specifically the media, will react to the sight of civilian casualties and they have become quite adept at staging scenes that play to the media. Still doubt that the deaths at Qana might have been staged? Consider this from Power Line:

What seems odd about this is that the banner was unfurled within hours after the Qana attack took place. The building where the civilians died was bombed on Sunday morning, and the demonstration took place during daylight hours, later the same day. I have no idea what kind of facility it takes to produce a 30-foot-high banner like this one. It is obviously professionally done. It would be interesting to know where this banner was produced; who designed and paid for it; and how its production was expedited so that it was ready for use, on the street, within hours after the event being protested. For example, was the image of Rice produced in advance, awaiting a pretext for its use, with only the script added at the last minute? I’ve often been curious about the logistics of pro-terrorist demonstrations, and this seems like an especially curious example.

How do you deal with a mindset that beheads captives, hides behind women and children to intentionally draw fire, fights from within civilian neighborhoods, and is firmly convinced that everyone else deserves to die? If this mindset were a disease it would undoubtedly be cancer. You cure cancer by killing it. If you don’t it continues to spread leaving death and destruction in its wake, killing all that is good. If you leave one cancer cell behind it will grow and spread and kill. The Muslim strategy appears to be conquest by immigration and reproduction. There are no armies of Islam marching across the European continent as there were centuries ago. This is a slow invasion. One that does not draw attention until the Muslim population reaches critical mass and then it starts to rip its unsuspecting host to shreds. The riots in France and England. The dilution of centuries of irreplaceable culture. All the result of a cancerous spread of an invasive people that seek not to assimilate but to overthrow. Many Islamic clerics were furious with Bin Laden because he attacked too soon drawing unwanted wrath and attention. Had 9/11 happened ten years later the result could have been vastly different. The backlash against a much larger Muslim population could have produced the Islamic uprising and eventual overthrow of the US government that Bin Laden hoped for. Americans, for the most part, have gone on with their daily routine as if 9/11 didn’t happen or at least as if a similar attack will never come. And yet we are surrounded by images of a very angry Muslim population that makes no secret of its hatred or its goals.

Pick up a paper or turn on the TV and once again we are bombarded by images of angry Muslims burning flags, trashing buildings, and threatening to kill anyone who does not stand with them. Iran is doing all it can to fuel this outrage to draw attention away from its nuclear ambitions.

Michelle has a good round-up. And Robert Spencer nails the jihad issue.

**UPDATE 09:45**
Here’s a report confirming Hezbollah’s actions, as expected, but the source is very surprising: the NYT.

But for some of the Christians who had made it out in this convoy, it was not just privations they wanted to talk about, but their ordeal at the hands of Hezbollah — a contrast to the Shiites, who make up a vast majority of the population in southern Lebanon and broadly support the militia.

“Hezbollah came to Ain Ebel to shoot its rockets,” said Fayad Hanna Amar, a young Christian man, referring to his village. “They are shooting from between our houses.”

“Please,’’ he added, “write that in your newspaper.”

Many Christians from Ramesh and Ain Ebel considered Hezbollah’s fighting methods as much of an outrage as the Israeli strikes. Mr. Amar said Hezbollah fighters in groups of two and three had come into Ain Ebel, less than a mile from Bint Jbail, where most of the fighting has occurred. They were using it as a base to shoot rockets, he said, and the Israelis fired back.

One woman, who would not give her name because she had a government job and feared retribution, said Hezbollah fighters had killed a man who was trying to leave Bint Jbail.

“This is what’s happening, but no one wants to say it” for fear of Hezbollah, she said.

H/T: Heidi at Euphoric Reality

**UPDATE 13:20**

Heidi provides more analysis that supports the theory that all is not as reported in Qada, thanks to reader FlooseMan Dave for bringing this to my attention – I missed it this morning.