Boreal

Remembering Uzza

If Islam Was Explained to Me in a Pub

MAD for Mecca

Gerry: If Islamic terrorism was a factor at Khaybar and now at Mecca, wouldn’t that make the Prophet the first terrorist in Allah’s Cause?

Archie: And the most successful of all the SOBs who came after. The Meccans had the right idea but lacked the ruthlessness of the Prophet. What if we were more like him and adopted Islamic-style terrorism to stop the Islamist takeover?

Uzza: Your side is badly outnumbered by those who have a death wish. A prerequisite for a successful terrorism campaign is fanatics willing to devotedly step up and kill themselves.

Archie: Then how about the Arab tactic of a show of strength and a threat?

Uzza: And the threat would be…?

Archie: To nuke Mecca.

Gerry: Are you out of your mind?

Uzza: A threat like that would only work if you had demonstrated via prior pitiless acts of premeditated mass murder that not only are you capable of doing such a thing but are also ruthless enough to do so.

Archie: Fine, first we nuke Medina then threaten to do the same to Mecca if the believers don’t back off.

Gerry: That’s crazy.

Archie: It was a crazy solution that prevented the downfall of capitalism. Maybe we need something like MAD again if Western civilization is to survive and not go the way of the Arab civilization.