Islamic reaction to Israel’s archeological dig near Al Aqsa shows a peculiar trait. Even more than Galut Jews, Muslims suffer from a siege mentality. Muslims’ fear unmistakably surfaces in hundreds of pronouncements, articles, and cartoons that depict a minor dig as a mine so huge that Al Aqsa invariably falls down. Some Arab editors and readers recognized that as hyperbole, but most accepted the frightening “fact”: Jews are destroying Haram ash-Sharif. The Muslim world’s reaction to quite inoffensive Danish cartoons was of the same stock: a hyper-reaction of fear.
Muslims are backward but not fools, and more practical than the West burdened with its idealistic morality. They understand they lag behind the civilized world and stand no chance in an economic race or a military confrontation. They know what they would have done if the positions were reversed: conquer, kill, and loot – and wait for the West to do the same. The West, as Muslims see it, plays devilish game with them: pays for oil rather than taking it by force, sells them weapons, shows them respect and generally behaves nicely – presumably lulling their vigilance before a major thrust. The nicer the West is to them, the more suspicious the Muslims are. Typical of their siege mentality, they hate everyone, but especially benefactors. They simultaneously suffer from paranoia and try to identify with potential executioners, thus imitating the West.
Talking to Muslim societies is useless. In their warped mentality, the best intentions look like the worst threats. They are frightened to death, thus ready to die, preferably apocalyptically. They wait to deliver a blow to the West, even a suicidal blow.
From Samson Blinded Blog.
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