Over
and over again I hear them: Egyptians who have lost hope that their
country can be saved from Islamist dictatorship (this is what the people
want, one says); the Lebanese who can no longer stand up to the threats
of the Hizballah-dominated government; Turks disgusted as the Western
media ignore the arrests and persecutions of respected people who have
devoted their lives to the country or contemporary dissidents; and so
on.
In
a recent letter to me, a Middle Eastern democracy advocate who fled
revolutionary Islamism to the West--there will be thousands
more in the years to come--reflected on his experiences in light of my
articles. These are the people the West is betraying, to its own
detriment. The so-called liberals (leftists pretending to be liberal)
who apologize for, lie about, and even help anti-Western Islamist
dictatorships should take note of such individuals who are the hope of
their homelands but have themselves lost hope:
"At
the very beginning of the Iranian revolution (before the revolution was
highjacked by the Islamists), many youth including myself considered
ourselves as leftists. To us, people on the left were
progressive, social justice oriented and were struggling to establish
freedom and equality.
"But
once the Islamists took power and consolidated their dictatorship,
these young moderates were "killed, [went into] hiding or forced to
leave Iran.
"When
I came to the West, I connected myself to the leftist movement right
away, but distanced myself more and more from them when I realized that I
could not convince them of the dangers involved with the Islamist
ideology. They did not believe my own personal stories of horrific life
in Iran under a reactionary-repressive Islamic regime. I still
challenge them whenever I can regarding the crimes committed by Hamas
and other Islamists in the Middle East or elsewhere.
However, unfortunately, we have no voice among the so-called progressive
leftists.
"I
am disgusted by seeing how narrow minded they are and how ignorant they
are toward crimes done by Hamas and the Islamic regime in Iran. These
so-called leftists are nothing by a bunch of hypocrites who have nothing
to offer to the oppressed people of the Middle East. Now, I consider
myself as a liberal, a true liberal who cannot ignore nor forget
the oppressive
life in Iran and who stands for freedom, and social justice."
And
the smug, ignorant, over-paid academics, journalists, government
officials, and various self-declared "experts" are willing to throw
these people under the Islamist bus, to ignore their pleas and warnings.
Many
years ago, for my book, Istanbul Intrigues, I interviewed courageous
people who had fought against Nazism in the underground of various
countries, especially Czechoslovakia and Hungary. The Czech intelligence
officers recounted how they had tried to warn the West, and Stalin,
too, about Hitler's aggressive plans, all to no avail. They cried as
their country was overrun and fled from one place to another, keeping
just ahead of the advancing German armies. This is what I think of now.
Barry
Rubin, Israel: An Introduction (Yale University Press) is the first
comprehensive book providing a well-rounded introduction to Israel, a
definitive account of the nation's past, its often controversial
present, and much more. It presents a clear and detailed view of the
country’s land, people, history, society, politics, economics, and
culture. This book is written for general readers and students who may
have little knowledge but even well-informed readers tell us they’ve
learned new things.Please click here to purchase your copy and get more
information on the
book. http://www.gloria-center.org/israel-an-introduction/
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