Don't Take ISIS Too Seriously

         As the horrendous orgy of jihadist murder in Paris unfolded I was listening to the smooth voice of Fox News anchor Shepard Smith describe it as the worst terrorist attack in human history. I thought that that was an overstatement, and that if the leaders of ISIS were listening they would probably be delighted to hear that they had accomplished such a momentous achievement. I would have preferred it if their attack had been described as another disgusting example of sadism by a bunch of fanatical pipsqueaks.

            Likewise, I heard the reports from San Bernardino California saying that these terrible murders would change America. I thought that it should be pointed-out that although these acts of terrorism are shocking and appalling, they have been overplayed by the media. We should not let ourselves be freaked-out by the terror of a handful of homicidal lunatics.

            Despite the sickening brutality of their murderous violence, the jihadists in Paris did not carry-out anything like the worst attack in human history. Although this has been depicted as a ‘War,” the terrorists’ Wild scramble of death did not come near comparison with the carnage of regular warfare.

            Because their violent attacks have been carried-out with total disregard of civilized human values, we have exploded our image of ISIS into a force comparable to the Visigoths, the Mongols, and the Huns. I would suggest that we think of them as being more like the Mau Maus or the followers of Muhammad Ahmad (who proclaimed himself “The Mahdi”).

While the bloody assaults on innocent people in Paris and San Bernardino may cause angst among the French and American people, they will not change lives in any meaningful way. The jihadists' violence will not greatly endanger the safety or security of Western Europe and the United States.

            People call the members of ISIS and the other deranged jihadists “Animals,” but they are probably thinking of lions, tigers, and bears. I would say yes, they remind me of animals, but more like mosquitoes and rats. They may have caused some havoc by creating a “Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria, but we all know that they will eventually be stomped-out by the civilized countries of the world. They have probably 25,000 men in arms, with allies in other areas, but we could crush them by sending over a few regiments of Marines. I have suggested that we send over an army to wipe them out, but this will not be anything like a real war.

These fanatical fundamentalists believe that their attacks against Western people are part of a holy war or jihad, and that if they die while engaged in a jihad they will be martyrs and will go directly to Paradise regardless of any sins they may have committed. It is hard to understand how they could believe that Allah would reward the torture, rape, and beheading of enemies with a vacation in Paradise.

The jihadists' idea of Paradise reflects the Arab background of sexual taboos and living in deserts where there is scant water or green foliage. In this Muslim Paradise there are lush gardens, vineyards, and rivers flowing with clear, cool water. Muslim men recline on couches in soft silk attire and drink wine without getting inebriated. They will each be served by 72 beautiful virgins who will attend to their every need. To Western men, the promise of 72 virgins would not be enough incentive to compel them to engage in suicide attacks in big cities or to strap bombs onto their bodies and go ignite them in public places. Most reasonable Westerners recognize that the existence of an afterlife in Paradise is a pipe dream, but it is comprehensible for jihadists when one looks at the culture in which they were spawned.

Life in a sandy, hot, dry, ugly land, where sexual taboos prevent the kind of teenage sexual exploration enjoyed in the West, must make young Muslims envious and deeply resentful of young Westerners with their convertible cars, swimmable lakes, Buffalo Wing restaurants, easy sex, and wild parties. I think that there is a strong element of sexual repression behind the thinking of those recruited into ISIS. Before going off to bomb the World Trade Towers in Manhattan on 9/11, the leader of the highjackers wrote his fellow terrorists reminding them that “Today you will be with women.” When the jihadists consider the advantages Paradise and 72 virgins over the bleak world they inhabit they probably consider suicide a better choice.

We should not expand our image of ISIS and its allied groups into more than they really are. They are a bunch of love-sick, repressed, resentful young idiots. We must not fall into the trap of letting the attacks of these murderous morons upset our national equilibrium.