Destructive Islamism is a parasite which tends to flourish in Muslim societies and communities. It has evolved to fit that host. Like any parasite, it needs its host to survive, spread and inflict pain beyond its natural boundaries. And like many parasites, it tends to destroy its hosts.
When we think of terrorists groups like IS, Hamas, Hezbollah or Boko Haram, we tend to imagine oil, concrete, weapons or even money as their fuel. These things can help such organizations, but they’re only accelerants. For example, all of these organizations have flourished despite the massive financial tools the U.S. has deployed to restrict the flow of their funds. Hamas has flourished despite our blockades and our assaults. Stopping concrete does not stop Hamas.
Their hosts are the critical item. They need people. They need people to govern and tax, they need people to pull recruits from, they need people to mold in their vision and to punish when their vision fails them. They need people to reinforce their values. And they need people to suffer and die as the face of innocence when they are attacked. Sunni terrorists (IS, AQIP, Boko Haram) and Shia terrorists (Hizbullah) and third-parties (Hamas) all need people they can claim to be defending. It gives vigor to their cause and external targets for their hatreds.
In a way, these organizations also represent these people. Iraqi Sunnis rally to IS as the best available protection from the Shia Iraqi government or the Alawi/Shiite Syrian government. They see their war as a war between peoples. The concept of civilians as some innocents to be left alone as far away kings settle their disputes with troops in the fields would seem to be a foreign one. It simply doesn’t apply. Any Jew is a target – as is in any Shia, Sunni or Christian, depending on your flavor of the day. Only your own people are represented as true innocents.
As destructive as these parasites are, they are only getting started. Only a part of their societies identify with them. If their ideas take root and grow, the hundreds of thousands of dead that we’ve seen might well grow to millions. And as they look outward, everybody will be a target. It is believed that Iran has a 27 meter missile that can put objects into space. What can reach space can land anywhere. A single EMP over the Eastern U.S. could well destroy the entire country. We are looking at an apocalyptic outcome – which is precisely what many among these destructive Islamists are seeking.
To defeat these parasites, we need to deny them their people. We can try by injecting our own ideas on freedom, liberty and minority rights into their societies. But such experiments haven’t been entirely successful. These ideas have gained little traction in the Arab world, although Tunisia seems to be an exception. Since 9/11, we’ve trended backwards in the fight against their ideas.
But the cost is too high to throw our hands up and surrender.
Despite the enormity of the task, little Israel can lead the way towards another path. We cannot conquer Gaza and throw out Hamas – the price is too high. But with the next conflict, we might be able to carve out the middle of Gaza – divide it in three and occupy the least populated area. And then, we could invite people from the other parts to settle, under Israeli rule. As benefits, they’d have the possibility of travel documents, unencumbered international trade and peace. They would be able to live in our vision of a positive and productive society. In exchange, their refugee status would have to be given up and they would live in what would initially be a police state. We would not allow the destroyers to take root – those who threaten to do so would be expelled to the rest of Gaza. Those who are already resident would be allowed to stay – but they would not be given the benefits of the place unless they too abandoned their refugee status.