Back in March 2003, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and his aide, Assistant Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, seemed fully convinced that once Saddam Hussein was removed from power, the Iraqi people would hail our troops as liberators, would quickly establish order and security, then begin the job of rebuilding their country. What Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, the rest of the Bush administration, and the people of the United States did not know has cost our country much suffering, blood, and treasure — and our losses are tiny when compared with those of the Iraqis.

As a minister, I was aware of some facts that were overlooked by the Department of Defense — primarily that Islam is six centuries younger than Christianity, and that six hundred years ago people from different Christian sects were still habitually murdering one another over their beliefs. Furthermore, members of Islamic sects were still killing each other in the 1970s, and, for that matter, still are today. It seemed to me that the administration’s belief that we could easily establish a democratic nation in that region showed just how overly optimistic and ignorant our leaders were about the people and customs in that area.

The administration erred gravely because they did not know our enemies. For example, a large portion of Arabs believe that Israeli leaders are conspiring to seize all the territory between the Nile River in Egypt and the Euphrates River in Iraq. (This information is from the charter of the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas.) Furthermore, many Arabs believe that America, knowingly or unknowingly, is a part of this Zionist plot – along with such organizations as the Masons, the Rotary and Lions clubs. So, with that in mind, how would the Iraqis view our invasion of Iraq? As being liberators or as conquerors?

The whole problem is rooted in ignorance. The Arabs are completely in the dark when it comes to America, but we Americans are almost that ignorant regarding both the Arabs and the Israelis.

Here is a case in point: America refuses to deal with terrorists, period. We refuse to deal with Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank, even though they are supported by the majority of the Arab population, and even though they do plenty of humanitarian work. America refuses to deal with Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist organization, in spite of the fact that that party’s spiritual leader, Sheikh Fadlallah, is quite possibly the only man in the Middle East who has enough influence to stop the violence in Iraq.

But what most Americans would be surprised to learn is that one of the worst acts of terrorism in that troubled area was not committed by Arab terrorists at all. When the King David Hotel in Jerusalem was bombed in 1946, scores were killed – and the leader of the Zionist organization that carried out that attack, Menachem Begin, later became Prime Minister of Israel! So, does our nation really refuse to deal with all terrorists? — or only Arab ones? I declare confidently that if the majority of Americans knew the facts about this dangerous situation, our policy in the Middle East would change drastically.

Furthermore, the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank is nothing less than outrageous. Americans in the North were outraged by our Southern “Jim Crow” laws. The world was outraged by Apartheid in South Africa. But nobody in America seems the least bit concerned that the Palestinians are completely stripped of rights and property by Israel. Palestinians can be arrested and held indefinitely without being charged. If a Palestinian teenager throws rocks at an Israeli soldier, his parents’ home can be bulldozed. And the Israelis use any act of violence by any Palestinian to excuse themselves for not doing what they promised in the vaunted “Camp David Accords.”

I know that many pastors and religious teachers have definite ideas of the biblical “right” of Israel to occupy the “Holy Land.” To you, my brothers, I offer a challenge: Read the gospel of Matthew (chapters 11 and 23) to see what Jesus says about the Jews. Jesus of Nazareth does nothing less that pronounce curses and woes on God’s Old Covenant people — the temple and the holy city would be destroyed. It happened on Aug. 9 in the year A.D. 70. From that point forward, the sons of Israel no longer had a right to the land of Abraham’s sojourning! Some might regard these words as anti-Semitic — perhaps, but my statements pale when compared with those of Jesus.

In summary, our lack of understanding needs to end. The good news is that there is about to be a wonderful opportunity for us in the Miss-Lou to become informed about Islam and the Middle East. In late August of this year, Co-Lin will offer a basic, non-credit, special interest course in the nature and history of Islam. The first course will run five weeks. Jim Wiggins will teach. Then, after the first course ends, Mr. Wiggins will teach a second, separate course on the history of the modern Middle East. Jim Wiggins is as good a teacher as I have ever studied under, so these courses will be interesting and eye-opening. I urge all to do yourselves and our society a favor by enrolling. You can contact Co-Lin for information.

Billy Johnson is a Natchez resident.