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Police
officers conduct a manhunt after a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California
December 2, 2015. (photo credit:REUTERS)
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Is America heading toward a clash of civilizations? By Michael Laitman. Jerusalem Post, July 7, 2016.
Laitman:
The San Bernardino and Orlando massacres are not isolated incidents; they are the beginning of a new, bloody era in America.
This
week, America celebrated 240 years of independence. Much has changed in America
since the original thirteen states agreed to unite under the premise that all
men are created equal, and are endowed with the unalienable rights to “life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Now, it seems, America is about to face
a final, lethal blow to these truths, which are apparently no longer
self-evident.
In
recent years, the Muslim “occupation by immigration” of Europe has crossed the
Atlantic and introduced itself to the US. If successful, it will transform
America from a democracy into a fundamentalist tyranny whose law is the Sharia,
and the First Amendment will become a distant memory.
While
this doom and gloom scenario is not inevitable, the situation requires resolve,
and an understanding that while all faiths are welcome in America, Islam
included, they must also respect the freedom of practice and belief (or lack
thereof) of all other people. Without this fundamental understanding among all
the forces shaping American society, a clash of civilizations will be
unavoidable, with horrific consequences to the American society and to the rest
of the world.
The Boon after the Bust
America
emerged from the despair of The Great Depression and the ashes of World War II
as a superpower that dominated the international political arena. The necessity
to rebuild its economy, and the need to manufacture weapons and produce food
for the war effort, turned America into a factory that created exemplary goods
such as cars, planes, tanks and home appliances. America was progress; America
was the future. The hard work of the 1930s and 40s paid off, and by the 1950s,
America had become the symbol of success and power. The American Dream, it
seemed, was within reach for every American.
Economic
success and military might lead to dominance on the international arena. The
American values of free speech, capitalism, and democracy dominated the West,
and the US became the undisputed leader of The Free World.
Taking Success for Granted
However,
as it often happens, when something we do works well, we assume that the next
generation will naturally take after us. Yet, America’s strength came not from
its wealth and power, but from hard work, the commitment of many people to help
themselves and their country, and the sense of shared, just social values. Hard
work and sound ethics are not hereditary; they must be infused and cultivated.
As Americans grew affluent, they became condescending, spoiled, and gradually
abandoned the values that had given their country its strength. Discipline at
school grew lax, and JFK’s aphorism, “Ask not what your country can do for you,
ask what you can do for your country,” gradually became devoid of substance.
This was the beginning of America’s decline.
The Melting Pot
Another
important aspect of America’s success is its diversity of cultures, faiths, and
ethnicities. The more these different elements strove to blend into the
American society, the more robust the society became, creating jobs and growing
markets for American goods and services.
But
perhaps the most important ingredient in the American melting pot is that all
strata of society aspire for the goal described in the Declaration of
Independence: Everyone is equal and endowed with the unalienable right to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for
African Americans, he did not advocate separating them from America. On the
contrary, he fought for their unalienable rights to become a legitimate, equal part
of American society. Around the same time, the classic musical, West Side
Story, portrayed the clash of ethnicities and raised a cry against ethnic
hatred. In those days, it seemed as though America was a leader in
acculturation and assimilation.
But all
this has changed in recent years.
A Clash of Civilizations
After
decades of cultivating excessive consumerism and self-indulgence, Americans
have become too self-absorbed, overworked, and socially indifferent to notice
what is happening around them. This has made the country susceptible to the
aspirations of foreign elements to rise to power. When a new kind of Islam
began to pour into America, there was no one to stop it. This is not the Islam
that America had known—the inclusive, tolerant Islam that Cassius Marcellus
Clay, Jr. adopted when he converted and became Muhammad Ali.
Just as
it is currently doing in Europe, the newly imported Islam has come to take
over, not to become part of America’s melting pot or even to coexist. The San
Bernardino and Orlando massacres are not isolated incidents; they are the
beginning of a new, bloody era in America: an era of a clash of civilizations
where the more determined will win.
This
war of cultures is just beginning. If America wakes up now, it will still be
able to cope with the invasion. But if it stays asleep and lets the stealth
infiltration continue uninterrupted, then America can look at Europe to see
where it will be a few short years from now.
The Weapon: Education
To win
the battle for its values and traditions, America must return to its original
tenets. There is nothing wrong with healthy nationalism when it represents a
country that believes that all men are born equal and therefore have the right
to choose their faith freely. There is also nothing wrong with securing the
future of these cornerstones of society by requiring that newcomers uphold
them, too.
King
Solomon said that “love covers all crimes” (Proverbs, 10:12). A successful
education for cohesion must not only accept, but embrace differences, and use
them to enrich and fortify society. Accordingly, America need not ban the
entrance of Muslims, or of any other group of people. Instead, it must
introduce its foundational values to all aspiring newcomers before they
immigrate.
Indoctrination
to American values, which are actually Western values, must begin abroad, in
the immigrants’ native countries. Upon evaluation of their sincere desire to
become part of American society and culture, they can be admitted for a trial
stay. After
several years, when it is evident that they have adopted their hosts’ values,
they can be granted full citizenship and be accepted as integral members of the
American society. In this way, social integrity will be maintained, while
diversity, which cultivates its beauty and vitality, will be enhanced.
The
principle of love and cohesion that covers all differences must be the leading
factor in determining who may enter “the land of the free.” If America adopts
this principle, its diversity of ethnicities and faiths will enrich the people
and empower the country. If America wants to be great again, as one candidate
for presidency has put it, this is the way to go. If not, it will stop being
America.
