What Middle East Needs is Another Martin

When religious extremism is the enemy, war is not the only answer, however gaining “understanding” of our enemy misdirects intended results, and negotiating may resolve nothing.

A western nation desiring negotiations with terrorist organizations will find their efforts fruitless. Picture a western representative sitting across a table from a jihadist. One side of the table is a reasonable person who would rather see nations live side by side in peace. While, the jihadist would take any presented opportunity to reach across the table and cut the westerner's throat. The West desires life and liberty, the jihadist desires death and theocracy. There is no room for negotiating and I propose there is no more to be learned about terrorists. What we know is all we need to know. They see all of us as the devil's soldiers and want nothing less than to kill who than can kill and intimidate the rest.

My second cousin, Carl Reasner, was a soldier in the Nazi Army during World War II. He was captured by the Americans and shipped to a POW camp in Ohio for two years. While in the POW camp he learned English. He moved back to Germany after the war, living there until his death in 2004. His wife Eleanor still lives in their family’s 5th generation farm house in a small town near Hanover.

When my family visited Carl and Eleanor in 1994, Carl told us many soldiers in the Nazi Army were well aware they were on the wrong side of the war. They knew the Americans, French and English were not being aggressive, but defending themselves through offense. The German soldiers and civilians had also heard reports of the atrocities the Nazis inflicted upon the Jews. He admitted they probably did not know the extent of the Jewish deaths, however a picture of enough detail had been painted even amongst the citizenry . Carl and his comrades in the German unit allowed themselves to be captured by the Americans. He did not fire a single bullet against “enemy” troops.

This white flag waving, benefitted the allies, lessening the German forces by about two dozen competent soldiers. But I will argue this may have been two dozen missed opportunities. Ideological moderates in Germany were likely against Naziism and is what many of these soldiers were or had become. They may have represented the views of hundreds of thousands more soldiers in Germany and many millions of their countrymen. The same may have held true for Italian and Japanese soldiers. I believe it was likely true.

The Nazi party led in part by installation of fear among the Germans. Carl said “many” German soldiers were against the Nazi party. I believe this “many” was actually a “majority”. Germans who spoke of their dissent of the party were sometimes killed or imprisoned along with their families. The desire to disagree was prevalent while overwhelming fear quietted the most dissenters. It is well documented the Nazi party was expert at war time propaganda. It is not unrealistic to think many if not the majority of Germans could have believed Germany was going to win the war, even if they knew the party was lying to them about the Jews, Pols and Gypsies. The news of impending victory of the Fatherland would further quiet the population. Everyone desires being on the side of an eventual winner, so the “band wagon” grows. While it is still hard to choke down the immorality of soldiering for an evil empire, it makes the choice easier when the lives of your family are part of the equation.

No doubt there were German soldiers and civilians working to topple the Nazis from within. However it is apparent the masses of “reasonable” and “morally awake” Germans were unable or chose not to rise up in numbers to voice disagreement, a coupe or revolution. No one dared allow the zeitgeist to be heard.

There were similarly minded people in America prior to the 1960’s. Voices of change were getting louder, however it took a leader from the masses to pull up the moderate majority by the boot straps. Prior to Dr. Martin Luther King’s leading of civil rights there were reasonable and moral people no doubt. I believe they were the majority. However for so many years, like cousin Carl and the Germans of the mid-1940’s, civil rights minded people were either intimidated to speak or they did not have the one person needed.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease and hateful people are by nature louder and more activist than loving and accepting people. These hatefilled people grabbed media attention and may have gave the perception of the entire nation did not support civil rights. This may have been yet another factor in delaying civil rights until the 1960's. It was not until the civil rights leaders set the example for gaining the attention of the microphone and camera and preaching their piece did the movement gain popularity. Dr. King nor his fellow leaders would never have succeeded if it were not for the inspiration of the morally awake yet quiet majority of America.

Five hundred years ago another Dr. Martin Luther came from the masses and demanded change. In this case, the citizenry of peasants were uneducated and could not read scripture as it was not in their language. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German it allowed common people to begin reading for themselves what the Roman Catholic Church of the day had been teaching. Possibly many people of the day, educated or not, did not believe salvation of your soul would come through good works and the purchasing of indulgences, but the masses were either not able to read the truth for themselves or maybe those who were literate were afraid of being labeled a heretic, maybe they just had no platform where to voice their disagreement. Luther became their voice.

The 16th Century Europe, WWII Germans and American Civil Rights history may each share a parallel within the modern war against terrorism. As the American military defends by going on the offense, this may be America's only choice. But it is possible, changing of hearts and minds or even just the raising of moderate voices must come from Muslims only. The only people who may be successful at confronting terrorism peacefully are the moderate-majority in muslims living quietly out of fear or intimidation.

The jihadist is willing to kill and be killed. Many Americans, soldiers and police officers are also willing to kill and be killed. Of the Muslim population, the moderate majority could save lives and fight this war by their voice alone. They could bring an end to the preaching of hate and indoctrination by making it the popular movement to argue against jihad.

This idea will not lead to overnight victory against terrorism. The extreme evil which is our foe, will take decades to erase. Both a fist and a voice are needed. Martin Luther's Reformation is still at work, Martin Luther King Jr's civil rights are still on the march. The next Martin will come. History shows it must be a Muslim.

It may require being patient for many new generations as the older generations of indoctrined extremists grow old and die. Their hate will hopefully be buried with their bodies.