Saturday, August 19, 2006

An Islamic Attack on August 22?

An Islamic Attack on August 22?

That's the question that Bernard Lewis, dean of scholars on Islam, asks us to think about and prepare for in an August 8 op-ed article in the Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Lewis cites the following reasons for his concern:

(1) Iran has or is close to acquiring nuclear weapons.
(2) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that he will give the United States an answer to its questions on Iran's nuclear intentions by the end of August.
(3) President Ahmadinejad and his government believe that the "terminal struggle" between Islam and the West is well underway.
(4) Islam is a very symbolic-oriented religion and this year August 22 has special meaning to Muslims. In the Muslim calendar this is the day that the Prophet took his famous flight on a mythological horse, flying first to Jerusalem, then to heaven, then back to his followers.

Mr. Lewis believes that if all of this adds up to an attack on Tuesday it will be Israel that is hit.

-Benjamin Harris

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