American Muslims already have buyer’s remorse
Unlike many who voted for Trump, due to his supportive stand on Israel, American Muslims chose to back him, based on his assurances that he would quickly put an end to the Middle East war which has been ongoing for more than a year.
Convinced that he would usher in an era of peace, they chose him over the weak and feckless Kamala Harris, who they felt would be a continuation of the inept Biden administration which was unable to broker the ceasefire Muslims said they wanted.
So why are they already having buyer’s remorse after only two weeks?
It is because Trump has chosen individuals who are fiercely loyal and committed to Israel to work alongside of him. Take Marco Rubio, nominated for the position of Secretary of State, who once defiantly responded to a reporter that cornered him in a hallway, asking if he would call for a ceasefire. His matter-of-fact statement was to say, “No, I will not!
He then let her have it with both barrels, saying, “Are you filming this? I want you guys to get this. I want them to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on. These people are vicious animals who did horrifying crimes, and I hope you guys post that. Hamas should stop hiding behind civilians, putting civilians in the way… Hamas is 100% to blame.”
Or look at Pete Hegseth, who has been nominated to be the Secretary of Defense. He is another great lover of Israel - one who has made multiple trips to the Jewish homeland, both as a tourist and to film a documentary on the history of Israel. Of course, few can top the passion felt by former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee, Trump’s choice for Ambassador to Israel, who made sure that everyone heard him properly identify Judea and Samaria by their biblically correct names and not the West Bank.
What Muslims apparently failed to understand, when casting their vote, was that the only way to end the Middle East war is through real strength, and that comes from a decisive lack of wavering or compromise, they very failures which ended up extending the war that is still being waged.
As Secretary of State, Antony Blinken shuffled back and forth, demanding a ceasefire, without the return of our hostages, and without guarantees by Iran, to call off their proxy fighters, Israel was the only one being squeezed and threatened in the U.S.’s attempts to broker an impossible peace deal.
Is it any wonder that the status quo prevailed? American Muslims, who have lived in the U.S. for most or all of their lives, might not realize that Middle East Muslims only understand the language of strength, and that comes from military might, along with allies who empower and equip front-line fighters to win a war which can only be fought on this turf.
Once these terror proxies are financially cut off from their Iranian sponsor, due to America’s spigot being turned off, chances are that everything will dry up, because as tempting as it is to continue the fight, even terrorists have to eat and have their weapons and fighters replenished when taken out. This is the type of aid which the Trump administration will hopefully render, as they continue to rely on our expertise in putting an end to this conflict once and for all.
But this is apparently not the direction they thought would be taken to stop the battle that continues to be waged, still believing that their 20-year plan, to finally decimate the Jewish state, would come to fruition. Instead, American Muslims see strong advocates for Israel becoming one voice to defeat a bitter enemy. But, they should know that is just the beginning.
If American Muslims are patient, and if the Trump administration makes good on their promise to allow us to fight a war which was initiated by a brutal massacre of our innocents, then there is hope for the dawning of a new day in this part of the world!
In fact, a CNN report claims that Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, is” likely to return to Middle East peace efforts,” meaning that he will try to pick up where he left off with the Abraham Accords. This would entail a great effort to bring Arab countries in the region together with Israel, potentially ushering in successful trade and diplomatic relations, the likes of which no one has ever seen here. The possibilities are endless for those who are willing to work towards a conflict-free Middle East, exchanging weapons for the promise of prosperity.
But how do we get there? Not by handing over the reins to more Blinkens and Bidens. In order to stop bloodthirsty, barbarians, in their tracks, they must be eliminated and their ideology rejected. There is no other way for countries to work together toward shared goals of good will and a bright future for the citizens of their nations.
The rejection of poverty, exploitation of a people to get rid of another, the use of terrorism and the subjugation of individuals to an oppressive, extremist lifestyle are all the steps which must be taken if true peace is ever to be achieved.
Perhaps, American Muslims were counting on Trump becoming a dictator who would forcefully lay down the law to Israel, demanding that they accept whatever terms are laid out by the opposing side. While it may bring about an immediate ceasefire, does anyone think that Israel would live in peace and security for very long? Such a message would signal to the enemy that they have the upper hand in a fight that will be governed and regulated by the U.S. which tries to end hostilities by way of threatening ultimatums put forth to Israel.
If this is what American Muslims envisioned, they could be in for a huge disappointment, but if they were sincere in their quest for a swift and decisive end to the bloodshed, on both sides, that can only happen as Israel is given free reign to send the message that the enemy’s terror tactics don’t stand a chance, because they will be outmaneuvered each time they try to take us on.
This is the winning formula for a peaceful Middle East brought on by strong advocates such as Rubio, Hegseth and Huckabee! Isn’t that really what the American Muslim community said they wanted? If so, then why didn’t they realize that a new path was required to obtain a different result?
A former Jerusalem elementary and middle-school principal who made Aliyah in 1993 and became a member of Kibbutz Reim but now lives in the center of the country with her husband. She is the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, based on the principles from the book of Proverbs - available on Amazon.