The View from Istanbul: Why Iran Might Be a Threat

This was a very old plan. Shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, communists diligently planned to establish a Marxist state in one or more regions of the Middle East. The aspirations of Marxist planners are evident throughout the twentieth century until the present day. As Marxism spread throughout the Middle East, Arab nationalism came to the fore with a racial tinge and pan-Arabism resulted. As Ba'athist dictators eventually controlled Syria, Egypt and Iraq, Marxism at once became the norm in these states. The situation with predominantly Shiite Iran was different. It had pro-Western policies under the leadership of Shah Reza Pahlavi. Marxism did not favor the Shah’s administration. At this point, the communists of the French secret state entered the equation. Khomeini was supported and in 1979 was installed in an “Islamic revolution.” What kind of...

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The View from Istanbul: Peace Always Wins

People who claim to have “won” a war are lying. There are no winners in war. War may seem to have brought victory to one side and to have made the profiteers rich, but in fact the only outcome is destruction, poverty and want. Great unhappiness and misery awaits the survivors. The survivors will be crippled, sick, weary and angry; they will have lost their families, been driven from their homes and lands, and suffered deep psychological trauma. The light of love has gone from their eyes; their souls are darkened. The emptiness of that psychological death is all too readily apparent. Everywhere is filled with the stench of death. Nobody wins anything. At a time when the world speaks only of war, fine words, moral words, words of peace, assume another form. They have a...

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The View from Istanbul: Why Radical Propaganda Hurts Everyone

The mainstream media love fundamentalists. Why? Because they are such effective tools. Talk of peace or peaceful people seldom appear in the media. Bloodshed, hateful talk, violence and insults are the stuff of headlines, however, and the headlines must always be kept fresh. In this way, knowingly or unknowingly, the media always nourish the radicals who desire bloodshed. That is how they have grown strong. They have strong propaganda to make their voices heard. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a subject we must discuss in terms of religion because there are many disagreements in the name of religion within the conflict. I am a Muslim, and I therefore look at this subject from a Muslim perspective.  Radicalism appears in every faith and ideology--that is nothing new. But what I wish to concentrate on here is the radicalism in the...

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