The Left and Islam make strange bedfellows. The former is allegedly the political philosophy of freedom, liberation, social justice, women’s (womyns) rights, LGBT rights, animal rights, and warm puppies (well, Leftists actually are more likely cat people). Islam, on the other hand, promotes Sharia law, limits the role of women in society and the family, would hang gays, lesbians and the transgendered, is against free speech (must not insult the prophet), and is responsible for most death-by-terror in the world. Islam allows for rape, pedophilia, and recruits children as suicide bombers. As I write this, ISIS is demanding Iraqi women undergo genital mutilation.
But they can and do join forces against Israel.
One might think this is coincidental: Islam hates Israel because it has historically done so, and the Left is against Israel because Israel is perceived to be unjust towards its neighbours; these two entities (Islam and the Left) have otherwise nothing in common. The Left’s silence on the above Islamic social values is telling.
But I think there’s a much greater reason for the Left’s hatred of Israel: the natural rebellion against the acts of God in history.
The story of Islam is that Abraham’s son Ishmael, not Isaac, is rightfully heir to the land promise. God promised the land to Abraham (Genesis 12:7). The Bible is clear, however, that the land belongs to the heirs of Isaac, as he was the son of the promise (Genesis 21:12; Romans 9:7). Ishmael was born to a slave woman, Hagar (Genesis 16-21). This sets Islam against Judaism and Christianity, as the claim to the land and blessings of Abraham are seen to be usurped by Isaac, not divinely conferred upon him. Islam will forever be at war with the Jews, and the Jews know it. If Israel were to be eliminated as a state, no Jew would be allowed to exist anywhere else in peace. Islam will seek to eliminate all descendants of Isaac.
This too, of course, means that the story of Jesus must be rewritten by Islam. The Islamic Jesus is unrecognisable to Christians. The Islamic story of Jesus has nothing to do with the historical Jesus as described in the most accurate accounts of His life: the canonical Gospels.
Israel has a Biblical, historical, moral, legal, political, and theological claim to the land. [Important note: I do not believe that the theological claim to the land is absolute; I am not a dispensationalist, nor do I believe that Israel’s return to the land has eschatological significance].
The Left does not seem to get this, as the Left has little use for, or useful understanding of, Christian theology. Failing to understand this, however, means that he Left’s confusion about the events that are taking place in Israel must continue, with some sort of relativist understanding of “human rights,” or “social justice.” Justice is served when terrorists are rebuffed and punished. But if launching rockets from hospitals, schools, and homes are ok, and measured retaliation is not, then the Left is too morally and legally confused to comprehend. Starting with a hatred of Israel, no attack against Israel is unjustified to Leftist thinking.
The Left, by definition, tolerates religious faith only in its most private expressions. The existence of Israel, and from that the Christian Church, is an affront to an ideology that denies both God’s existence and His actions in history. Creation points to a Creator (Romans 1:18-28, Psalm 8, 19), and atheism’s feeble attempt to deny that is becoming apparent (“New” Atheism, Dawkins, Hitchons, et al). Creation points to a Creator, a nation’s existence points to a Lord of History. The nation of Israel also points to Christ. In fact, Israel will not be the end recipient of the wrath of Islam and Left, it is Christ and His church. The rebellion started before our first parents kept the garden, and the end of the battle is on the horizon. Sin and death were defeated on the cross.
Both Islam and the Left represent human rebellion against a God Who acts in history. It is the Christ who is hated who is also the Christ who can heal all divisions (Ephesians 2:11-22).
10 falsehoods from this article:
1. “Islam… is responsible for most death-by-terror in the world.”
Proportionately, the USA (who are all perceived as “Christians” by those who live in the Middle East) have caused far more death than any suicide bombers on the international scene. See: U.S. military operations in countries that are not their own. Also: Drone attacks.
2. “Islam hates Israel because it has historically done so”. Nope. Sorry. Islam has respect for Jews codified into their own writings (the Qur’an), and historically have demonstrated much more tolerance towards Jews than Christian nations, from the inception of Islam until WW2. There is a much stronger argument for Christianity historically hating Jews (see: Jews attacked during several crusades. Also: Germany, arguably the most protestant Christian nation in Europe, and how Jews ended up being treated there).
The current hatred towards Jews from Muslims stems entirely from the forced establishment of Israel by the West after WW2 and the displacement of literally millions of Muslims already living in that area. Tell me you wouldn’t have some issues with Jews if they kicked you out of your home and forced you to live in a refugee camp, all with the blessing of powerful foreign nations who thought they knew what was best for your land.
3. “The Left’s silence on the above Islamic social values is telling”. I seem to recall there being no end to the yelling about injustice in Islamic nations and cultures from all sides in Western countries – especially from the Left.
4. “This sets Islam against Judaism and Christianity, as the claim to the land and blessings of Abraham are seen to be usurped by Isaac, not divinely conferred upon him”. Ask literally ANY Muslim if their world view is shaped by the Biblical narrative of who received Abraham’s blessing – Isaac or Ishmael – and they will look at you (understandably) like you are a crazy person. This has to do with real political issues in the modern world. Not irrational hatred or imagined slights from 3000 years ago.
5. “Israel has a Biblical, historical, moral, legal, political, and theological claim to the land” – Any claim to that land is based solely on decisions made by Western nations which foolishly did not take into account the lives of the existing inhabitants of Palestine and the long term consequences of displacing them. No nation can lay a “theological claim” to any particular landmass. Israel’s historical claim to that land ended after several captivities almost 2500 years ago, and being conquered several times over by the Greeks and Romans.
6. “the Left has little use for, or useful understanding of, Christian theology” Really? There are no liberal-leaning theologians who are well-trained and highly respected? Isn’t the author really saying that there is nobody on the Left who agrees with HIS OWN theology?
7. “But if launching rockets from hospitals, schools, and homes are ok, and measured retaliation is not, then the Left is to [sic] morally and legally confused to comprehend”. Not a single person on the Left is saying that it is “ok” to launch rockets at civilians from any location. What most of the Left are saying is that Israel’s response certainly cannot be considered “measured retaliation” (see: 75% civilian casualty rate, including children playing soccer on beaches nowhere near any rocket launchers or buildings).
8. “The existence of Israel, and from that the Christian Church, is an affront to an ideology that denies both God’s existence and His actions in history” Whoa, wait a sec. How do you make the leap in logic from the nation of Israel (a political entity) to “the Christian Church” (a non-political, nation-spanning, multi-denominational collection of people trying to live like Jesus)? Sounds like the author is saying “If you don’t support one thing I believe in (the nation of Israel) then you don’t support any of the other stuff I believe in (like my church)”.
9. “The nation of Israel also points to Christ” Really?! Try getting any of the non-Christian majority of Israeli citizens to affirm that statement!
10. “Both Islam and the Left represent human rebellion against a God Who acts in history” The vast majority of Muslims believe in “a God Who acts in history”. Just ask them. Most Left-leaning Christians would say the same! The author cannot logically equate “people who hold different political views than me” with “rebellion against God” without revealing the nonsense of his arguments.
2) Trying to blame the hatred on something happening after ww2 Is definitely false, there were pogroms against the jews in that area long before ww2. Porgroms against jews are actually well documented throughout history, in the western world as well as in the middle east.
Atomic Mutant: Of course there were isolated incidents of violence against Jews by Arabs before WW2 – fill in any two people groups in place of “Jews” and “Arabs” in that sentence and it would also be true. I’m talking in generalities here. In general, there was no mass movement among Arabs against Jews until after the State of Israel was established post WW2.