Max Blumenthal has dug up a speech (transcript) delivered by Rick Santorum at David Horowitz’s invitation in 2007, in which he stated that Islam was a religion that had to be “eradicated” in a “long war:”
…This will be a long war. This will — remember, when they [Muslims] had the technological ability to fight us, they did, for a thousand years. A thousand years. This is hard for us to understand — a country scantly 250 years of age. A thousand years is incomprehensible to us. It is not to them. It is not to them. Their history is that history.
And they know their history. They know who they are. They know who we are. And we have no idea who they are…
…They are in a whole new war with us. We can choose not to be in one; doesn’t mean we aren’t. We are in a war, and theology is its basis. Just like we were in a war against Communism, and ideology was its basis. We need to understand that.
And here’s the kicker:
“What must we do to win [against Islam]? We must educate, engage, evangelize and eradicate.”
Americans need to ask themselves if they want a president, or even a presidential candidate who’s talked dead-seriously about engaging in a holy war with an entire religion consisting of hundreds of millions of adherents. Is this really what they want? Endless war against Islam? And for what? Republicans who like what they’re hearing from Santorum these days because he’s a family values guy should think whether these are the sort of family values they want their president to espouse.
Adopting the anti-Muslim terminology of far-right sources like Gates of Vienna, Pam Geller, and the Scandinavian terrorist Anders Breivik, Santorum claimed that Europe was on the verge of losing to the Muslim hordes seeking to overrun it. It was well on the way to becoming “Eurabia:”
“Look at Europe. Europe is on the way to losing. The most popular male name in Belgium — Mohammad…They [Christian Europeans] are losing because they are not having children, they have no faith, they have nothing to counteract it. They are balkanizing Islam, but that’s exactly what they want. And they’re creating an opportunity for the creation of Eurabia, or Euristan in the future…Europe will not be in this battle with us. Because there will be no Europe left to fight.”
We should “talk about how Islam treats homosexuals. Talk about how they treat anybody who is found to be a homosexual, and the answer to that is, they kill them.”
“…The Shia brand of Islamist extremists [is] even more dangerous than the Sunni [version]. Why? Because the ultimate goal of the Shia brand of Islamic Islam is to bring back the Mahdi. And do you know when the Mahdi returns? At the Apocalypse at the end of the world. You see, they are not interested in conquering the world; they are interested in destroying the world.”
“The other thing we need to do is eradicate, and that’s the final thing. As I said, this is going to be a long war.”
One of the remarkable aspects of this diatribe is that he labels the ultimate goal of Shiite Islam (the sect of most Iranian Muslims) the “destruction of the world.” Why? Because they seek precisely the same Second Coming that evangelicals like Santorum seek. There is no difference between the End of Days of Christianity and the return of the Mahdi except that they take place in the context of different religions. But the eschatological nature of these phenomena are almost precisely the same. Yet, in Christianity it’s somehow kosher while in Islam it becomes the fruit of the devil. Why? And isn’t the height of hypocrisy or worse?
Further, what Santorum, Hagee and even Ahmadinejad refuse to understand is that the End Times scenarios of traditional Chrisitianity, Islam, and even Judaism involve a spiritual messianism, not a political messianism. In none of these religions did the original adherents understand the apocalypse to mean that their own religion would physically conquer and eradicate other religions. These are later glosses by megalomaniac adherents who’ve transformed what was originally a quest for spiritual perfection into one for physical dominance.
Santorum provided a further faux theological treatise on Islamic history in this passage, worth reading for its sheer out-there quality:
For a thousand years, Sunni Islam fought Christendom — a thousand years. And in fact, for most of the time, won; for the most of the time, was on the offensive. It wasn’t till the late 17th century that Islam was stopped. And it was stopped at the gates of Vienna, in the heart of Europe, in Austria. The siege of Vienna — the second siege of Vienna in 1683 — that ultimately was the highwater mark of Islam.
Does anybody know when the highwater mark of Islam was? September the 11th, 1683. It was the very next day, on the plains of Vienna, that Christendom — the Holy League, it was called — united. All of Europe…, we conquered — they conquered — the Sunnis, and drove them into finally a treaty in 1699. And for 300 years, they have been silent. Why? Because they didn’t have the resources or the technology to compete with the modern world. For 300 years, they lay silent.
But now Sunni Islam, through al-Qaeda, which is Sunni; through resources, known as oil; through technology that is now off-the-shelf, and through frustration — imagine you’re a Muslim. You are the person who has the faith that is the successor to the two incomplete faiths — Judaism and Christianity. You are the final revelation. You are the one that is going to control the world. You are the one for a thousand years dominated the world. And for 300 years, you sit in a backwater, looking at Christendom thrive, while you sit in squalor and poverty. How can this be?
…This is what we fight. They want to reconquer the world. They want to establish a new Kalifat…
So Santorum has adopted the apocalyptic, holy war rhetoric–even injecting the title of the infamous Gates of Vienna blog into his speech–of the loony extreme right in characterizing the Muslim world. Instead of being a religion or spiritual community just like any other in the world with which we must learn to co-exist, it becomes a satanic force only to be dealt with in the context of a crusade or holy war.
For Santorum, it’s not just the Muslims against whom his fellow rightists must fight a holy war:
But it’s not just radical Islam; it is also the radical left. Because what we’re seeing now is the old adage you learned when you were a kid — the enemy of my enemy is my friend. And the left — whether it’s here in this country, and certainly around the world — sees America today as the enemy. They fight us on college campuses, and they fight us in the streets of Central and South American countries, in North Korea, in other places.
Those of us on the left must understand that if this deluded soul believes even half of what he says, a Santorum presidency would involve not just the type of repression that we saw during the Bush-Cheney years, but an outright physical assault on everything the left represents in American society. It will be yet another holy war except carried out against political targets. That is, you and me.
Do I believe that Rick Santorum really affirms this narischkeit in full? He’d have to be a certified nutcase if he did. I’d like to believe that even presidential candidates can tell truth from lies, and reality from fantasy, at least some of the time. So the odds are that Santorum believes that this what Republican primary voters believe, and that he’ll ditch most of this idiocy if he ever wins the nomination. But that doesn’t matter. Because any candidate who could dredge up this crap and put it out there, even if he disbelieves it, doesn’t deserve to be within 100 miles of the presidency.
From a purely selfish political perspective I hope that Santorum does win. or get selected as a vice-presidential candidate. It will be that much easier to defeat him. But the honest part of me says that a Santorum candidacy poisons the American body politic whether he’s running for the nomination or the presidency itself. I don’t want him even to win the nomination, because it will certify these insane ideas as politically credible. It will only be a matter of time before an American Anders Breivik takes out his homicidal rage on U.S. Muslims as long as Santorum’s rhetoric circulates.
We must force American politicians like Santorum to choose between substantive political debate and hate-mongering. If they choose the latter they must be made to pay the price. The highest possible price. That is, political annihilation. This is the only way to convey to extremists like Santorum and Gingrich, that racism and pummeling American Muslims and other minorities not only won’t work, it will sentence you to political Purgatory.
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In time of economical uncertainty, xenophobia sells everywhere and the further you go down the IQ scale the better the sales. More than anything else, Santorum’s choice of this kind of language (let alone this brand of ideology) indicates his evaluation of his constituency.
One needs not be Einstein-reincarnate to realise that now, more than ever before, coexistence is not only the best survival strategy but, practically, the only one.
Unfortunately, the religious-right – in the US and the Middle East alike – seems to thrive on their apocaliptically-suicidal tendencies.
So very well-said, Yankel. Ignorance and reluctance to co-exist will be humanity’s downfall. This pattern exists beyond economical uncertainty. It also prevails in countries where the military budget far exceeds all else.
Israel, USA, Syria and Saudi Arabia all have these extremists. It is in straying from logic, good and knowledge that we find ourselves in the deep realms of ignorance and evil. Albert Einstein made many good points; one of which was the case for human stupidity, another, the genius of refusing to defend a land with guns and force alone. For in the end, we all get what we deserve.
“in the end, we all get what we deserve.” – I wish this were true.
Unfortunately, the worse the bad guys get, the more of the innocent they manage to take down with them.
Before he was in government, Santorum did legal work for the World Wrestling Federation. I think that explains a lot about the guy; he thinks the whole thing is a TV show where there are no conseqences to whatever you say. His handlers have gone to great lengths to keep Rick Santorum from making a fool of himself in front of the cameras, and he still does it anyway. As for the “kill `em all” speech Max Blumenthal found, there were a lot of non-entities making similar speeches during the Bush II years. I am not excusing Santorum; he proved he was a cretin by saying those things for money. He is a sign of how far we have slipped as a country since 1965.
Maybe this electoral season is the end for the GOP as we have known it since the 1980s. Possibly the people in charge of that party will realize how the conservative movement has decayed, and they will finally sever their ties, force the Tea Party to become a real political party, and clean their house. If not, then Goetterdaemmerung it is.
…Possibly the people in charge of that party will realize how the conservative movement has decayed…
That asking too much. The liberal and moderate factions have mostly bolted the party with blood suckers, maniacs and ideologues in majority control.
The lack of intellectual capacity, the extent of plain stupidity, and of religious and/or ideological delusion of all the candidates shock many Europeans, although, of course,
it is only a matter of degree…
Well, we do have our own “Untergangster des Abendlands” – think only of Geert Wilders and Thilo Sarrazin, Christoph Blocher, and all those right-wing populist parties sprouting like mushrooms, though they’re not calling for all-out holy war yet.
This guy is much, much more scary than even Geert Wilders: At least Wilders is completely secular, has no Armageddon fantasies and (as far as I have heard) never talks of waging a war.
And some of the things Santorum says would not float in Europe. Mohammad being the most popular male name in Belgium, how does he come up with this stuff?
(I actually looked it up -I know even that is crazy- and the most popular names are Jean/Jan, Marc, Luc and Michel.
Brussels (where people with a Muslim background are concentrated) has Jean, Mohamed and Michel as top three. That’s where Santorum has his ‘facts’ from no doubt.
Being secular doesn’t cut it for me if it’s paired with the deep-seated bigotry, hatred even, that Geert “I don’t hate Muslims, I hate Islam” Wilders so proudly displays.
All three I mentioned centre around the notion of a “Judeo-Christian” Occident; afaik, Wilders even wants to write it into the Dutch Constitution. This may be a cultural rather than religious theme, but, religion being a part of culture, isn’t that a distinction without a difference?
Blocher’s party sits in the Swiss government, and Wilders has the Dutch one by the balls. Right now, Santorum has nothing.
That said, yes, Santorum’s rhetoric is more wild-eyed-crazy, and last thing I’d want is a competition over who can boast the scariest guy. And I agree with Dorothee that it’s only a matter of degree.
One could only hope republican rank and filers are as stupid as Santorum. I’d say most everyone commenting here could beat this loser and become president.
Altho the answer to (bad) speech is said, in America, to be more (and better) speech, the answer to more (enemy) babies cannot be more (friendly) babies.
World is overpopulated. Water shortages, crop failures, global warming — coming on us all, and in large part because there are so many of us doing what people do. Overpopulation means this: Goblins gonna getcha!
Someone should mention this to the highest teachers of all the religions which presently teach large-scale reproduction. Tell the Muslims, true, and the (fundamentalist?) Jews, and the many Christians who are having more than 1 baby.
Tell the Chinese that we appreciate their head-start and recognize their sacrifice. Talk to the fundamentalist Christians in USA who prevent birth-control and abortion (facts, teaching, materials and services) worldwide.
Or, of course, vote for Sanctorum.
RE: “World is overpopulated… Someone should mention this to the highest teachers of all the religions which presently teach large-scale reproduction.” ~ pabelmont
FROM WIKIPEDIA:
SOURCE – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiverfull
To me it looks as if the Muslim-haters also hate the Chinese. For what it’s worth, there are loads of Muslims in China. I have a few in every class and every university has a halal dining hall.
I don’t believe for an instant that Santorum is a bona fide Muslim-hater. I think he’s just another opportunist, loud mouthed politician riding the latest Islamophobic band wagon as a way to feather his political nest.
Meanwhile, the New Atheists want to eradicate ALL religions from the face of the earth, and nobody bats an eyelid.
RE: “Do I believe that Rick Santorum really affirms this narischkeit in full? He’d have to be a certified nutcase if he did.” ~ R.S.
SEE: Father First, Senator Second, By Mark Leibovich, Washington Post, 4/18/05
ENTIRE ARTICLE – http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61804-2005Apr17.html
RE: “The other thing we need to do is eradicate, and that’s the final thing. As I said, this is going to be a long war.” ~ Santorum
“Do I believe that Rick Santorum really affirms this narischkeit in full? He’d have to be a certified nutcase if he did.” ~ R. Silverstein
FROM THE GREAT JENNIFER RUBIN AT THE RENOWNED WASHINGTON POST:
Santorum is no extremist, By Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, 01/02/12
SOURCE – http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/santorum-is-no-extremist/2012/01/02/gIQATacXWP_blog.html
P.S. I am really impressed with Jennifer Rubin’s nifty concept of Santorum’s being “unwilling to wreck havoc”. The notion of wrecking havoc is so incredibly clever!
I only have one thing to say:
GOOGLE “SANTORUM”.
Well, These are the intentions of some of the American politicians which they want to en-cash right before next elections in November this year. Muslims everywhere in the world in general and specifically in the United States are victims to such venomous speeches. Public opinions are thus modified and an ordinary American, being entranced by such crooked politicians, develop a perception, further leading to dichotomy between Islam and Christianity.
If you want to be fair, there’s plenty of countries whose leaders feel this way about Judaism and Christianity.
You might be right but yours is a speculation and even if you’re right, they not necessarily act upon their hateful feelings and even if they do, they’re not in a position to cause nearly as much harm as can be caused from the position Santorum is vying for.
Revealing one’s criminal mind (in public!) exposes a dangerous willingness to act upon it.
Santorum is insane. Jewish people need to stand up to these people.
Evangelical Christians love Israel, yet they believe nearly all Jewish people will die when Jesus returns. 144,000 of them will turn into Christians and be saved.
Some even believe you have to create an apocalypse for Jesus to show up.
They are not your friends, they believe you will all be sent to hell for not accepting Jesus.
But, very few will admit this to Jewish folks.
They are setting you guys up for another Holocaust. They’re as friendly towards you as Islamists. At least the Islamists are honest, and just as crazy.
No doubt, God hates all the organized religions, a Messiah would abolish money and this is our karma: peak oil, geometric world population growth, global warming, (not to mention the CIA killed JFK, etc.) & the funny-money scams.
How does Islam want to “destroy the world” or dominate it?
Only because Muslims are suffering the world over (agree or not) they are awaiting the return of Jesus PBUH to help create justice, peace and love. If you actually bother to read the Quran, you will see that the primary tenements are Peace, Love and Respect before any other.
Nothing should contradict this.
Even war is only allowed if it is to create peace, in fact even before war, the Muslims would repeatedly ask for the oppression to desist. Muslims are bound by Word of God to love every human being and killing or hurting even 1 single innocent person on the planet, is as if “He had wiped out the whole of Mankind”.
Finally Muslims are also bound by the Hold Book to respect all cultures, religions and beliefs.
So all the points in this article contradict the very basic basis of the religion of Islam, so you are either looking at the hill-billies of the Arab world and thinking they are Muslim, or you refuse to see the evil in the world where homosexuals are shot every day in Cuba, Mexico, America and the world over…