Laughing Into 1939

Well, the fix is in. We all knew it would be, but it’s still a bitter pill to swallow. According to this Bloomberg article,

The United Nations, U.S., European Union and Russia agreed to provide direct aid to Palestinians, bypassing their Hamas-controlled government, after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned that assistance is needed to prevent the collapse of his administration.

So here we have a political entity, so recently and proudly proclaimed to be self-governing, whose officials must be paid by the taxpayers of the United States and Europe. That’s you and me, folks.

We don’t pay the salaries of, say, Finland’s civil servants. Why not? After all, it would advance the peace process between Finland and Russia, helping to expedite a final accord on the disposition of Karelian territory.

But, no, we have to pay for the apparatchiks of a terrorist organization. Oh, we’re designing a nice fig-leaf for the operation. We all know the drill; I could write the copy for the press release myself: “The United States in no way supports the activities of terrorists, but we feel it is important that the true humanitarian needs of the innocent and peaceful Palestinian people be addressed.”

Hello? These are the same Palestinian people who voted overwhelmingly to install terrorists as their representative leaders! Every dollar delivered to a municipal employee of Ramallah is a dollar freed up to buy the materials to make more Hassam rockets.

This EU-instigated cave-in to Hamas smells like a payment of the jizya to me.

According to Andrew Bostom, in his recent book, The Legacy of Jihad (page 29),

In The Laws of Islamic Governance al-Mawardi (d. 1058), also examines the regulations pertaining to the lands and infidel (i.e., non-Muslim) populations subjugated by jihad. This is the origin of the system of dhimmitude. The native infidel population had to recognize Islamic ownership of their land, submit to Islamic law, and accept payment of the poll tax (jizya). Al-Mawardi highlights the most significant aspect of this consensus view of the jizya in classical Islamic jurisprudence: the critical connection between jihad and payment of the jizya. He notes that “[t]he enemy makes a payment in return for peace and reconciliation.“ Al-Mawardi then distinguishes two cases: (1) Payment is made immediately and is treated like booty, however “it does, however, not prevent a jihad being carried out against them in the future“ (2) Payment is made yearly and will “constitute an ongoing tribute by which their security is established.“ Reconciliation and security last as long as the payment is made. If the payment ceases, then the jihad resumes.

It seems to me that we’re paying type #1 here: booty for the Palestinians, and then resumption of jihad whenever Hamas deems it expedient. It’s all Koran-sanctioned, and quite clearly laid out in the Prophet’s words.

Maybe we’d better set up a payment schedule and go for type #2 instead. A little annual expenditure, like real estate tax; it’s no big deal. Write the check, return to the couch, and turn up the TV. Life returns to normal for the dhimmis of the West.

As a matter of interest, Hizb-ut-Tahrir agrees with Mr. Bostom on the topic of the jizya:

The Jizya is a right that Allah (swt) enabled the Muslims to take from the Kuffar as a submission from their part to the rule of Islam. It is general money that can be spent on the welfare of the subjects as a whole. It becomes due every year and cannot be collected beforehand. The Jizya is established through the text of the Qur’an. Allah (swt) says: [9-29] “Until they pay the Jizya with willing submission and feel themselves subdued.” T.M.Q.

Interesting. Their website is British, naturally. Also note the “postnuke” in their URL — hmm…

And here’s some more from Mr. Bostom (page 27):

Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani (d. 996), Maliki jurist:

Jihad is a precept of Divine institution. its performance by certain individuals may dispense others from it. We Malikis [one of the four schools of Muslim jurisprudence] maintain that it is preferable not to begin hostilities with the enemy before having invited the latter to embrace the religion of Allah except where the enemy attacks first. They have the alternative of either converting to Islam or paying the poll tax (jizya), short of which war will be declared against them.

So we get a chance to convert. If we don’t, we face a war of extermination or servitude. A bracing prospect.

And it looks like that’s the prospect that Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has in mind for Western Civilization. His much-ballyhooed letter to President Bush contains these paragraphs:

Liberalism and Western style democracy have not been able to help realize the ideals of humanity. Today these two concepts have failed. Those with insight can already hear the sounds of the shattering and fall of the Liberal democratic systems.

We increasingly see that the people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point — that is the Almighty God. Undoubtedly through faith in God and the teachings of the prophets, the people will conquer their problems. My question for you is, “Do you not want to join them?”

Now, this “God” he’s talking about is not Yahweh. It’s not Brahman. It’s not the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. It’s Allah, the only true god, who must be worshipped by all, and to whom the whole world must submit.

Robert Spencer has pointed out that Mr. Ahmadinejad has just given the call, inviting the infidels to embrace the religion of Allah. If they don’t, then the Holy War will begin, with the enemy facing extermination or slavery.

That’s where we stand. I can hear the words of President Ahmadinejad, clear as a bell:

We have called you to the Faith, o infidels of the West, and you have refused! Now the instructions of the Prophet (pbuh) require us to wage total and merciless war against you until you have submitted, or your corpses lie in their own blood beneath our victorious swords! The 300-year hudna is at an end! Let the Jihad resume!

He is as clear about Islam’s intentions as Hitler was about the Nazis’. And here we are again, laughing into 1939.


Update: A commenter has suggested that I specifically credit singer/songwriter Al Stewart for the title. I foolishly expected readers to be familiar with the reference!

Full lyrics to the song: “Laughing Into 1939”.