OUTLINE & SYNOPSIS:

1.  HISTORICAL BACKGROUND FOR 21st CENTURY 'MUSLIM' TERRORISM

    'Arab' terrorist groups often point to the problem of Palestine
as their main reason for attacking Israel and its supporters in the West.
A fair settlement of this unresolved dispute
would dramatically undercut this 'reason' for terrorism.

2.  LONG-TERM SOLUTION: WHEN THERE ARE NO MORE VICTIMS

    Can we prevent the enculturation of new generations of terrorists,
who will grow up to commit acts of terror against their perceived enemies?

3.  THEOLOGICAL WARFARE: TERRORISTS GO DIRECTLY TO HELL

    The members of murder-suicide cults might be convinced
that they do not go immediately to Paradise
when they kill themselves in the war against "the enemies of God".

4.  PRACTICAL STEPS IN THE HOLY WAR AGAINST TERRORISM

    We might identity individual members of murder-suicide cults
and prevent them from committing further criminal acts.

1.  HISTORICAL BACKGROUND FOR 21st CENTURY 'MUSLIM' TERRORISM

     One reason for 'Arab' terrorism is the displacement of
hundreds of thousands of Arabs from the Land of Palestine,
beginning when Israel was formed in 1948.

     The whole world cooperated in the process
that created Israel as a homeland for the Jews
—shortly after the Nazi holocaust that killed millions of Jews in Europe.
But this process pushed most of the Arabs of Palestine
into 'refugee camps' in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank within Israel
and into the Kingdom of Jordan and other Arab states.

     No permanent solution to these displaced refugees was ever created.
So, for the last two generations, Palestinians born in these 'refugee camps'
—which have now become permanent settlements with millions of inhabitants—
have as their primary identity being victims of the process that created Israel.
About 65% of the population of Jordan
think of themselves as displaced Palestinians.

     When Palestinian children ask their parents and grandparents:
"Who are we?"  "Why do we live here?"
they are told the story of being displaced by the Jews of Israel.
Thus hatred of the Jews and everyone who supports Israel
is part of their personal and family identity.

     Some very intelligent people cannot rise above this ethnic hatred,
even if they have never lived in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, or Jordan.
Millions of other Muslims, all over the world,
identify with the plight of the displaced Palestinians.

     In 1967, more land was taken by Israel in a short war.
United Nations resolutions and international pressure
have not returned any of the lands taken by force.

     There is no way to reverse history and do it right the second time.
So we must begin with the generations of terrorists we have created.
But we can hope to avoid creating new terrorists.

     The world will not soon be rid of ethnic hatred and conflict.
Even some 'Christians' of Northern Ireland (Catholic and Protestant)
committed tribal violence against each other when they had the chance.
And these terrorist acts were sometimes committed in England
—such as random car-bombings on the streets of London—
because 'Catholic' Irish terrorists believed that England was the enemy.

     Likewise 'Muslim' Palestinian terrorists commit most
of their acts of terror within Israel itself.
But 'Muslim' terrorists also strike at Western countries
perceived to be supporters of Israel.

2.  LONG-TERM SOLUTION: WHEN THERE ARE NO MORE VICTIMS

     We (the civilized world) could attempt to deal with terrorists one at a time.
We will attempt to prevent as many acts of terror as possible,
coping with the terrorists who are already alive and plotting.
Dramatically improved airline security is one method.

     We may not know any workable solutions for the problem of Palestine.
But we will recognize the solutions when we see them:
Palestinians will no longer think of themselves as victims.
They will be happy to go about their ordinary daily lives,
without always looking for opportunities to harm their oppressors.
When Palestinians can say: "We are no longer victims.",
their children and grandchildren will not consider
committing suicide to call attention to their victimization.

    The creation of a viable homeland for Palestinians
would be one possible way of reducing the sense that Arabs are victims.

3.  THEOLOGICAL WARFARE: TERRORISTS GO DIRECTLY TO HELL

     One major tool in this holy war has been mostly overlooked: theology.
'Muslim' terrorists are willing to sacrifice their own lives
in the process of killing Jews and their supporters
because they have been told by their religious/political leaders
that they will immediately go to Paradise
if they die in the holy war to rid the world of 'infidels'.

     Many Muslim thinkers believe that terrorists go to Hell
instead of Heaven, as they were told by their cult leaders.
Many leaders of main-stream Islam have condemned the acts of terror
that killed thousands of office workers on September 11, 2001.

     These terrorists are religious/political fanatics
—members of various murder-suicide cults—
who use their distorted religious ideas to support their political goals.

     Here are some parallel suicide and murder cults based in other 'religions':

1. Jim Jones, cult-leader of the People's Temple,
forced 900 followers into mass suicide in 1978 in Jonestown, Guyana.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_jones.htm

2. David Koresh, cult-leader of the Branch Davidians,
led his 'Christian' cult to burn themselves to death in Waco, Texas, April 19, 1993:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_branc.htm

3. Timothy McVeigh choose the same date to bomb the federal office building
in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995.
He did not kill himself, but he did seem to want to be caught and executed.
He belonged to a small movement called "Christian Identity":
http://www.religioustolerance.org/cr_ident.htm

4. In Japan, also in 1995, the Aum Shinri Kyo, a new-age murder cult,
attempted to kill thousands of people (to hasten the end of the world)
in the Tokyo subway system by releasing a poisonous gas—Serin:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_aumsh.htm

5. Marshall Applewhite, cult-leader of Heaven's Gate,
led his New Age believers into suicide in 1997
so they could be picked up be a space-ship
hiding behind the Hale-Bopp Comet:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_highe.htm

     Because there are still millions of potential terrorists
thru-out the Muslim world, Muslim religious leaders
should say more clearly than ever that terrorists who kill themselves
in the process of struggling against the 'infidels' of the world
DO NOT get a ticket to Paradise.

    Who will be the first high-profile Muslim thinker to declare
that the 9-11 terrorists are now being tortured in Muslim Hell
rather than enjoying their virgin brides in Muslim Paradise?

     Muslim religious leaders who openly dispute
the religious dogmas of the murder-suicide cults
might become the next victims in this holy war.
High-profile condemnation of 'Muslim' heretics or cult-leaders
will invite retaliation from the militants.

     Perhaps the few 'Muslim' leaders who support the murder-suicide cultists
do not really believe that terrorists go to Heaven.
But they find it very useful in their political struggle
to indoctrinate young boys to believe
that their highest destiny is to die in the struggle against infidels.

     If Muslim theology were to shift to the position
that all who commit murder and/or suicide go directly to Hell,
would this change the thinking of suicide-bombers?

     Non-suicidal acts of terror might continue.
But when the terrorists worry about being caught and punished,
they are much easier to control.
Even deadly force does not work against terrorists who WANT to die.

     In the immediate aftermath of Twin Towers Terrorism,
Muslims (and others who were mistakenly believed to be Muslim)
suffered reprisals from people who responded in tribal ways.
But the struggle is not the good people against the Muslims.
The struggle is between the great majority of good people of every faith
against a few thousand fanatical members of murder-suicide cults,
who distort Islamic belief to support their continued terrorism.

     Our holy war unites all people of good faith
against the forces of evil and darkness,
even when they cloak themselves in the robes of religion.
Main-stream Muslims will lead the holy war against terrorism.

4.  PRACTICAL STEPS IN THE HOLY WAR AGAINST TERRORISM

     1. We may need to identify 'Muslims' who believe the heresy
that killing "infidels" (any non-Muslim) is a sure ticket to Heaven.
We affirm freedom of belief.
And we will certainly not restrict the lives of ordinary Muslims in any way.
But whenever we discover members of a murder-suicide cult
who are plotting to kill more infidels while killing themselves,
we have a right and a duty to put them in prison.
Once they are safely imprisoned, 
we can consider workable methods to deprogram them.

     2. Identified members of the murder-suicide cults
must be kept out of situations in which they can harm anyone else.
Israel is faced with large numbers of such individuals.
Perhaps the rest of the world can learn from the actions taken in Israel.

     For example, members of murder-suicide cults
should not be allowed to fly airplanes,
especially jet passenger airliners that regularly carry non-Muslims.
We suspect that at least one regular airline pilot
intentionally flew his jet into the ocean as a 'religious' act:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_531000/531458.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/egyptair/article/0,2763,196590,00.html
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/egyptair_transcript000811.html

    Other members of murder-suicide cults
might decide to kill large numbers of "infidels"
by flying into buildings or other locations where "infidels" will be killed .
As terrible as it might be to contemplate,
such acts of irrational suicide might become an alternative to retirement.
Instead of a quiet life in their hometown in their declining years,
these believers might decide to go out in a blaze of glory,
taking as many of "the enemies of God" with them as possible.

     3. As a corollary to controlling members of murder-suicide cults,
we should take objective, overt measures to protect main-stream Muslims
who will now be endangered both by misinformed members of the general public
and by members of the murder-suicide cults who do not like being told
by main-stream Muslims that they are heretics.

     When main-stream Muslims feel safe in condemning all suicide-bombers,
it will become clear to the whole world
that mass murder is not a doctrine of Islam.

AUTHOR: