Why the Arab world hates America

[redman]

An essay by Dennis Prager:

Why the Arab world hates America --- time to myth-bust

According to leftists and to Arab and Islamic spokesmen, the reasons are: American support for non-democratic regimes in the Arab world -- such as in Egypt and Saudi Arabia -- and because America supports Israel.

Before positing what I believe to be the reasons, let's answer these two arguments.

The argument that America is hated by Arabs because it supports non-democratic regimes in the Arab world would be regarded as hilarious were it not believed by so many gullible people in the West.

The argument presupposes that what the Arabs (and Muslims elsewhere) who hate America want are open and free societies. But there is not a shred of evidence to support this. Is there any movement for pluralism, openness and democracy among those who hate America? Of course not. The Arab governments most opposed to America and which America therefore least influences -- Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Libya -- have less freedom than the corrupt Arab regimes that America does support. As corrupt and repressive as the Egyptian government is, Egypt is free compared to the aforementioned countries.

And if the United States ceased to pour billions of dollars a year into Egypt and the Mubarak dictatorship then fell, what would supplant it? Democracy? Openness? Pluralism? Freedom of speech?

We all know the answer. In every Arab country, a corrupt regime supported by America would be supplanted by a Taliban-type Islamic/fascist regime.

So let's call this argument what it is -- a lie. Overwhelmingly, the Arabs who hate us don't want a free and open society; they want an Islamic totalitarian one. American influence in the Arab world prevents our haters there from imposing their vicious expression of Islam, not from establishing Jeffersonian democracy.

As for the second argument, yes, our support for Israel's security further inflames the hatred of those Arabs (and Muslims elsewhere) who hate us. But why do they hate Israel? Why are they so obsessed with a tiny state in a part of the Arab and Islamic world that they utterly ignored until Jews made a civilization there?

Because America's and Israel's haters are ethnic and religious haters on a magnitude not seen since the Nazis. They loathe everything Israel (and its American supporter) represents -- freedom, democracy, openness, individual autonomy, freedom of religion, pluralism, women's equality and sexual freedom. They want Israel dead. Gone. Exterminated. They say so publicly, and they say so in polls. Yet, the educated fools and the Israel- and America-haters of the West ignore all this and blame Israel for trying to exist and America for enabling it to do so.

If America abandoned Israel, our Arab and Muslim haters would rejoice, but they would surely not stop hating us. Not one of them. They would only conclude that their terror worked, and that America will give in when the threats are great enough. One proof? Most Muslims living in Europe, which has abandoned Israel, continue to loathe Europe. Europe's abandonment of Israel has only convinced them -- for good reason -- that Europe has lost its moral fiber and is ripe for an Islamic takeover.

Arab and other Muslims who hate America do so:

Because America alone (and the little America in the Middle East, Israel) prevents the expansion of Islamic rule.

Because expansionist totalitarian movements, whether Soviet communism or radical Islam, always hate free societies, and America is the strongest free society.

Because America is not only strong, it is religious (as opposed to Europe, which is weak and irreligious).

Because America is not only Christian; it is Judeo-Christian, the two religions the Islamists need to overcome to expand globally.

The greatest problem confronting America is not that people who loathe freedom loathe us. Indeed, it is to America's enduring credit that it is hated by Islamists. Our great problem is that so many in our country do not understand that those who loathe liberty loathe America. For this reason, the battle for America's future is at home more than it is in Iraq or Afghanistan or in al Qaeda's caves.

We talk a great deal about winning Arabs' and Muslims' minds and hearts. Yet, we have yet to win all Americans' minds and hearts. For confirmation, just visit your local university.

[Henry]

Works for me.

Who is Dennis Prager?

[The Evil Genius]

From Townhall.com

Dennis Prager, one of America's most respected radio talk show hosts, has been broadcasting in Los Angeles since 1982. His popular show became nationally syndicated in 1999 and airs live, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to Noon (Pacific Time).

In 1994-95, Dennis also had his own daily national television show. He has frequently appeared on C-SPAN as well as on shows such as Larry King Live, Politically Incorrect, The Late Late Show on CBS, Rivera Live, The Early Show on CBS, Fox Family Network, The O'Reilly Factor, and Hannity & Colmes.

Dennis' most recent book, Happiness Is A Serious Problem, was published in February 1998. This long awaited book, about which he has lectured worldwide for ten years, appeared on the Los Angeles Times best seller list the week of publication and appeared fifteen consecutive weeks, rising to #1.

His 1996 book, Think A Second Time, was described by Bill Bennett as "one of those rare books that can change an intelligent mind." USA Today columnist and professor of law Susan Estrich called it "Brilliant, a tour de force."

Dennis has also coauthored two major works about Judaism: The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism, now in six languages, and Why The Jews? The Reason For Antisemitism, regarded by many as the most persuasive explanation of anti-Semitism written.

New York's Jewish Week described Dennis Prager as "one of the three most interesting minds in American Jewish Life." Since 1992, he has been teaching the Bible verse-by-verse at the University of Judaism.

Dennis has engaged in interfaith dialogue with Catholics at the Vatican, Muslims in the Persian Gulf Hindus in India, and Protestants at Christian seminaries throughout America. For ten years, he conducted a weekly interfaith dialogue on radio, with representatives of virtually every religion in the world.

From 1985 to 1995, Dennis Prager wrote and published the quarterly journal, Ultimate Issue. From 1995 to 2000, he wrote The Prager Perspective. His writings have also appeared in major national and international publications such as Commentary, The Weekly Standard, The Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times. His newsletter essay on homosexuality and civilization was awarded the $10,000 Amy Foundation First Prize.

Mr. Prager was a Fellow at Columbia University's School of International Affairs, where he did graduate work at the Middle East and Russian Institutes. He has taught Russian and Jewish history at Brooklyn College; and was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the U.S. Delegation to the Vienna Review Conference on the Helsinki Accords. He holds an honorary doctorate of laws from Pepperdine University.

Mr. Prager has lectured on five continents, in 45 U.S. states and in nine of Canada's 10 provinces. He has lectured in Russian in Russia, and in Hebrew in Israel. Hundreds of his lectures are available on tape.

He has made and starred in "For Goodness Sake," a video directed by David Zucker (Naked Gun), shown on Public Television and purchased by hundreds of major companies. His two latest films are on character and race.

In his free time, Dennis periodically conducts orchestras, and has introduced hundreds of thousands of people to classical music.

[Glenn X]

Bingo, Mr. Prager!

Excellent find, redman.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[redman]

Here's another profile on Prager from the LA Times, dating back 5 years:

Special to the Los Angeles Times on February 4,1998

Mr. Morality

By Marnell Jameson

Radio personality Dennis Prager believes it's our duty to one another and to God to be happy. And he's written a book on the subject.

It's a picture-perfect Sunday in the back-yard of Dennis Prager's spacious West Valley home. Water cascades into the pool. Kids jump on a trampoline and climb a knotted rope. Chickens and horses issue the occasional cluck and whinny from pens up the hill. The radio talk show host, essayist and theologian leans into his patio chair, draws smoke from his pipe and says, "Isn't this heaven?"

Indeed. Dennis Prager is happy and should be. At 49, he's just written a book on the subject, "Happiness is a Serious Problem" (HarperCollins). And based on his formula, he should be among the happiest people alive. "That's a good chance," admits this large, lumbering man, with a big deep voice to match his thinking.

A book on happiness seems paradoxical from this man, who from 12 to 3 p.m. each weekday on KABC-AM (790) radio discusses the often depressing issues in the news. It also seems trite from a man whose other books deal with Judaism and world problems. But Prager argues, "Happiness is of first-rank importance. We owe it to those around us to be happy. It's a moral obligation, so society will be less cruel. We also need to be happy for religious reasons. Unhappy people are an insult to God."

Prager is an unlikely talk show host, whose serious message and demeanor defy the hip and obstreperous hosts that dominate the airwaves. His appeal, says KABC Program Director David Cook, lies in his offering "A perspective that is always unique and thought provoking."

Or, for some, just plain provoking.

"Dennis has a calcified view of the universe based on sitcoms from the 50's of the way it's supposed to be, and he seems very befuddled by why it's not that way," says radio host Robin Abcarian, whose columns in The Times used to serve as fodder for his shows." As wrongheaded as I think he is much of the time, what I like about him is his thoughtfulness. He's very sincere, and he's respectful of people."

The complaints don't surprise him.

"I'm too liberal for the religious right and too conservative for the secular left. I defend men reading Playboy, and I'm lambasted by the religious right. I believe that heterosexual love should be society's ideal, and I'm lambasted by the secular left." Though a self-described centrist, Prager cites as his present-day heroes columnist William F. Buckley Jr. and the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, because they have been "intellectually honest and morally earnest." He also never votes Democrat, "It's a dangerous party." But in the final analysis, he claims to care a lot more about right and wrong than right and left.

Subtitled "A Human Nature Repair Manual," Prager's latest book challenges readers to realize that they - not any outside force - are the greatest obstacle to happiness.

"Most unhappiness comes from within, but we blame society, poverty, racism, sexism, ageism, you name it," he says. He offers as proof his observation that people's circumstances aren't connected with their levels of happiness. "How many biographies of the rich and famous do we have to read to learn that most are not happy?"

While much of the chatty, essayist book fosters a "Why, of course" response, the reminder - that happiness is not a divine right, nor even an entitlement, but a reward for sacrifice, discipline and hard work - seems timely in a society addicted to fast food and the elusive free lunch.

After setting up his operating premise - that happiness is an obligation, that it takes work and that outlook is everything - Prager then, chapter by chapter, takes on the misery makers: comparing ourselves with others, believing that success, wealth and fun equal happiness; harboring unrealistic expectations; focusing on not what's in hand, but what's missing; being a victim; and, ironically, avoiding pain.

A word for hedonists: avoid what's fun and pursue pain.

"Everything that leads to happiness involves pain," writes Prager. "As a result, many people avoid the things that would bring the deepest happiness, such as marriage, children, intellectually challenging pursuits, religious commitment and volunteer work."

His advice doesn't mean you'll avoid distress.

"A person can be happy and miserable, just as someone can be essentially healthy and sick with the flu," he says. Happiness is not what you feel at any given moment, but an ongoing attitude toward life. I run into the same obstacles as everyone: family problems, kid problems, marital tension, sickness among relatives, job frustrations, a society in which I'm not optimistic about its future. I don't walk around on a cloud. But I'm happy."

On the radio, Prager introduces a new topic for each of his three hours and invites callers to discuss them. Topics range from international affairs to cheating on tests, from child abuse to Barbie. He churns each subject through his highly developed filters of morality and logic, adding cerebral certitude and sometimes perturbing pragmatism.

Listeners know that calling his show to differ is like asking Mike Tyson to arm wrestle. Enter his ring and you encounter a mental heavyweight who works out.

"If someone offers me a better argument, I'll change my mind in a second," he says. "I'm not wedded to any of my positions except to the belief that there is a God who wants us to do good and that we must always tell the truth."

Pitted against the equally opinionated Dr. Laura Schelessinger on KFI-AM (640), Prager reaches 320,000 individual listeners a week to Schlessinger's 560,000, according to Arbitron ratings. "Though both discuss morals and ethics, they serve different audiences, says KABC's Cook. Schlessinger's mandate is to discuss individuals' problems, Prager's to discuss topics in the news.

"My first purpose is to elevate my audience; the station's primary interest is ratings. Sometimes those interests are identical, sometimes not," he concedes.

Prager was one of few media personalities who did not discuss the O.J. Simpson trial. He did discuss the verdict, however, because "the decision was of supreme importance to the country." He also refused to discuss actor Eddie Murphy's encounter with a transvestite prostitute "because it was of singular unimportance and violated my religious law against gossip."

As for the Clinton debacle, he concedes that the president's alleged affair is ugly but says the media's preoccupation with sex is more dangerous for the country.

"Had the media kept the sexual details as an aside and focused on the cover-up and the lying, issues of greater concern, that would have been more respectable," he says.

So he takes the moral high road. But what, some demand to know, makes him the moral authority?

"You're born with certain traits," replied Prager. "It was put in me. They asked Schubert once how he came up with his melodies, and he said, 'they just come into my head.' This is what I'm here for."

What he sees as a calling, others see as arrogance. While his moral judgments are extreme, so is his tolerance for those who fall short.

"I believe heterosexual love is the ideal, but I can speak with compassion to a gay caller seeking love advice, I believe most abortions are immoral but support a woman's right to choose in the first trimester. I don't find these stands contradictory, and I don't want society to lose its ideals."

To save them, he wants the country to come back from leftism and secularism.

"Too many religious people regard religion as a form of social work, to bring comfort to people. In fact, the primary purpose of religion is to bring standards to people."

Prager gets these views across not only through his radio show, which he hopes to syndicate, but also through his books; his twice-monthly newsletter, The Prager Perspective; lectures, which often take him abroad; and his academic affiliation with the University of Judaism in West Los Angeles, where he teaches the Torah, verse by verse.

Prager, born in Brooklyn, to an accountant and a nursing home director, says he was never a kid.

"I was born an adult. I couldn't bear parental coercion. I've always been in love with freedom."

Though this led him to graduate 92nd in a class of 120, what he did do on his own was learn Russian and read symphonic scores. The former led to his work briefly as a spy in Russia when he was 19, and to championing many causes for Soviet Jewry. The latter has led to his conducting orchestras, including the West Los Angeles Symphonic Orchestra and the Pasadena Lyric Opera.

He began his radio career 15 years ago on KABC with "Religion on the Line." To this day, his religion remains his core interest, and his happiest hours of the week begin at sundown on Friday, the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath.

"I would not be a happy person if it weren't for my religion," he says, a black yarmulke perched on his thick silver hair.

He prides himself on being involved in all aspects of the Jewish faith.

"I have one son who goes to Orthodox Jewish school, another to a Conservative Jewish school, and we are active in a Reform synagogue. I am happy to participate in all denominations and don't belong solely to any one."

His wife, Fran, who was raised Lutheran, now shares his faith. She was in the process of converting when he knocked on her door 12 years ago in search of the landlord to her apartment.

"I kept her talking for 20 minutes until she finally invited me in," Prager recalls of their first meeting.

They married two years later, a second marriage for both. His first marriage ended after five years and one son, David, 14. Fran has one daughter, Anya, 21, and together they have a 5-year-old son, Aaron.

Here David interrupts the conversation to ask for a loan. Prager doles out a 20 and says, "Of course, you'll bring the change."

"I will."

"Love you, dude," he says as his son leaves. "We have the same conflicts with our kids that every family has, which is why I believe almost everyone should have a child. It's very humbling."

Fifteen minutes later, David's back for a credit card.

"What did I tell you?" Prager asks.

To be married to the man who claims to have the corner on morality, one would have to be either very strong or very weak.

"I'm one of the lucky ones who can change his mind," says Fran Prager. "I'm relentless in getting him to look at emotional issues in terms of what he's feeling, not thinking. I think I've helped him get out of his head more and into his heart."

Prager claims he's easy to live with.

"I'm very even-tempered. My wife doesn't lose me to sports or drink. I'm kind to her, but I do have all the quintessential male attributes that drive women crazy, including not remembering every conversation, and not yearning quite as much as most wives do, to confront all emotional issues."

He dismisses these concerns as essentially male-female differences.

"It's par for the human course," he says.

But this cavalier attitude is precisely what infuriates not just his wife, but other women. When he observes, for example, that women are more interested in micro issues and men in macro, he doesn't get what the ensuing fuss is about.

"People who are secure in their gender don't have a problem with this. Ironically I, Mr. Macho, prefer female issues. At a dinner party, I'd rather talk to women. The men are either talking about politics, the economy or sports, which bores the daylights out of me. I'd rather talk about babies' feeding habits. Women think that's a put-down, and I'm blown away by that. Why is what my baby likes less elevated than how the Lakers are doing?"

[Yomar]

The premise that we are disliked because we support non-democratic regimes is a self-serving strawman. Its not that we support non-democratic regimes, its that we support secular regimes. The only reason the term "non-democratic regimes" is ever used is to turn American opinion against the regimes we support in Saudi Arabia and other places. That and the fact that if there were open elections, fundamentalists would come out big winners. But clearly the spirit of democracy is not at the fore of the fundamentalist agenda

[Guest SkinsHokie Fan]

Its so simple so so simple: Isreal Isreal Isreal and oh yeah Isreal.

Thats it- everything else manifests itself from that. Honestly the people over there are too dumb to figure out how to take over the world and all that nonsense. You also have immoral (yes immoral) corrupt and hypocritcal regimes in every single Muslim nation (Turkey is too secular. If you display anything 'Islamic' you get sent to jail)

As much as people in the west do not realize Muslim kids over there my age (young to mid 20s early 30s really) want change and want free societies and want to be like America. You go to Pakistan and Iran and you see kids sneaking alcohol into their places and having parties while their rich *** oil blood parents travel around the world and wag their fingers at the west's immorality.

I support a war in Iraq for the reason that I hope, I hope I hope it sparks some revolution over there and the regimes of Saudia Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Syria etc fall. Us young educated Muslims really are sick of the crap that we put up with. And if there were any time for mass revolution this would be it. However for it to be successful it cannot be seen as being influenced by America. It will still take years for the Western World and the Middle East to resolve their differences because of America's clear cut support of Isreal the last fifty years.