These days there is a movement against a classical neo caliphate ideology presented by such organizations as the IS. It is the whole package of 6 century Islam with beheadings, holy war and a political order by the sword and the Koran. At the other hand there is the humanistic trend by such states as Malaysia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, among others. This trend focuses on the deeper level of religion and tries to truly connect to G-d as it or he is.
It is a matter of preference, but honestly it is also a matter of war or peace.
When I was a Oxford at the peace building convention, I was truly positively surprised to learn of the sufis and all the humanistic ideals of Islam still thriving and underpinning states. I believe, that if we are ever to have peace in the world, we need to support those who wish to build bridges, and fight those who seek uncompromising war.
These days where the caliphatists are moving in on us, as we saw in Sydney and Belgium, we need to try and discern between the two trends within Islam. Some hates our guts, some loves us. This is truly realized in the betterment the Arab world tries to get with Israel, because Israel represent the true ideal of love and peace.
Iran is trying to reach an understanding on its own terms, and is actually moving onto the path of peace. It is just we as Jews who refuse to see it. I recognize, that there is a threat, but you should also recognize the opportunity. It is exactly the same movement we see in the Sunni Muslim world, that is happening in the Shia Muslim world.
Peace requires understanding and dialogue. If we are not able to do this, as we fight those who are willing to sacrifice themselves for an archaic idea, we do not balance things off.
But, the humanistic ideas, originating from the Middle East, is also a part of the bright and creative part of the world.
T.S. Lawrence said that the desert is littered with broken ideologies, and only the best and most potent reaches the rest of the world. Well, this is a testimony to the fact, that the Middle East is very fluctuating, so why are we prone to come down on the same perspective on Iran all the time? Things change, and it is only if we seize the moment, that we will truly follow these new trends.
There is nothing wrong in Israel entering into the plethora of ideas churning around in the Middle East, in a sense, this is really what we were deprived of in the long banishment from the Middle East. But only if we truly latch on to the new trends, will we truly be Israel; embedded in the Middle East, for good or bad.
G-d bless the peace we will find, ultimately.
