While Islam is mostly a political movement bent on world domination, there may be some key exceptions.
I had an amazing professor of “The Middle East Problem” at Harvard. I know that he was amazing because he was denied tenure. He gave one of the most balanced and detailed descriptions of the events here in the “Levant” for the past 100 years. I recall one lecture he gave. He asked what binds Arabs in different countries. He began to list things: geography, language, history, culture, religion, etc. Then he asked what separates them. And then he listed the exact same items. Geography is shared but each wants to grab the land of his “brother,” as Yassir Arafat, for example, tried to kill Jordan’s King Hussein on numerous occasions. Language breaks down into dialects, and not all groups can even understand each other. History, culture, religion—don’t even get started on the Sunni/Shia split and the hatred they have for one another.
There is no question that Islam is not just a religion but rather a political movement wrapped into a religious framework. Conquest is a central feature, and one can easily find online videos showing the spread of Islam from its founding in the Arabian Peninsula to its present control of several dozen countries (many formerly Christian) throughout the world. And while the West has been negligent in letting in so many Muslim immigrants and not making them join in the local ways, Muslim Brotherhood/Qatar representatives see an opportunity to conquer or reconquer various countries through immigration, reproduction, and eventual political power. The question is whether the West will have to fight all of Islam in order to preserve the values and ways of life we have taken for granted for ages. I remember standing next to a grave in Westminster that was dated from 1100. And while Western countries go way back, they risk their conversion into another Egypt or Iraq.
While much of the Islamic world is aligned against the West, there seems to be small sliver of hope: the UAE. I was impressed when its Emir made peace with Israel via Donald Trump’s Abraham Accords. I was more impressed when I visited and was treated so well in the fast-paced and clean Dubai. I am becoming even more impressed as the UAE acrobatic flight team went to the U.S. to participate directly in the enormous 250th celebrations, flying along the eastern seaboard. One has to remember that most Muslim leaders kept any interactions with Israel quiet for a long time. King Hussein admitted after Jordan and Israel made peace that he had met almost every Israeli prime minister quietly, away from the spotlights. Even today, the UAE leadership was not pleased when Israel admitted that top government officials made their way to Abu Dhabi during the active phase of the Iran war. UAE, unlike its milquetoast Saudi and Kuwaiti neighbors, apparently flew dozens of sorties against Iran, using intelligence provided by Israel and the U.S. Israel’s Iron Dome was hastily sent to the Emirates, with an Israeli team to man the system.
Why would the UAE be different? Even countries like Jordan and Egypt that not only made peace with Israel but benefit from her are openly aggressive against the Jewish state. Israel provides Egypt with natural gas and Jordan with drinking water. Yet, each country attacks Israel’s very existence and threatens to cut relations or worse. Israel has decided not to renew its water agreement with Jordan until the latter starts to behave. The UAE, unlike these ingrates, has not apologized for making peace with Israel. The two countries have developed relationships via investment and technology. FlyDubai, a subsidiary of Emirates Airlines, runs 10 flights daily from Ben Gurion Airport to Dubai. One thing that you may not know is that before Turkey abandoned its secular path and became Islamist, it was the go-to country for Israelis. Many went there for inexpensive vacations at gorgeous sites and beaches. Turkish Airways was the gateway for Israelis to fly anywhere in the world. When the war started and all of the Turkish carriers flew the coop, FlyDubai and Etihad became the ones who took Israelis out of their borders and got them pointed to their final destinations.
So why are the Muslims of the UAE different? From a religious side, I couldn’t tell you. I always tell a Jewish friend from Harvard a joke. We had a Navy ROTC guy on our floor. He admitted that he had never met a Jew before he met my friend. I said to this friend: imagine if our classmate put together a panel of Jews to find out what Judaism was. He has an orthodox Zionist rabbi, a chassidic grand rabbi, a trans reform cantor, a completely irreligious Jew, etc. After each one gives his pitch, he would not have a clue as to what “real” Judaism was. You do have to observe the Sabbath or not? You have to eat kosher or it’s okay to sidestep it? So, I don’t pretend to understand why the UAE’s young and forward-looking Emir is willing to send his planes to the U.S. or not dump Israel so as to find favor in the eyes of his Saudi neighbors. Note that the UAE sent nobody to Khameini’s funeral, unlike the Saudis who did.
So while I don’t understand the basis for the UAE being friends with the U.S. and Israel, I can say that the West should take full advantage of this relationship. As Mrs. Thatcher famously said of the Glasnost leader of the USSR, “I like Mr. Gorbachev. We can do business together.” Israel and the U.S. should continue to develop military and business ties with the UAE and also find out from its leadership how to blunt the dangerous and pernicious impact of Qatari/Muslim Brotherhood activity on campuses and more generally in the West. If you’re looking for a kosher restaurant, you ask a Jew. If you want to know how to counteract the dangerous growth of an intolerant strain of Islam, then the UAE leaders might be the best ones to query. Some other Muslim nations like Indonesia, while not having formal relations with Israel, also seem to be absent from the “let’s take over the West and make it Sharia compliant” of Iran, Qatar, and Turkey. And make no mistake with Turkey: while it remains a NATO member due to its historical role on the Soviet Union’s southern border, it is determined like Qatar to bring an end to Western Civilization. I don’t know how we sell them fighter engines or full F-35 units. They are an enemy of all things Western and American. President Trump likes Erdogan; I have nothing to offer as to why he does other than Erdogan is a dictator and Donald Trump likes strong leader types.
Sometimes I daydream about buying a summer home. There is no question where I would want to have one: in the USA. Specifically on the shores of Lake Havasu, Arizona. But as the flights are long, I might imagine something closer to home. Israel is wildly expensive, so many are buying homes in nearby Cyprus; the locals are getting wary of the practice. And then I think about Dubai. There are always 3.5 hour flights, and while I might not rent a Bugatti Veyron upon arrival, I did get the hang of the local highways. The Jewish presence is growing—slowly—and it’s actually a country where the local AirBnB doesn’t cancel your reservation when they find out that you came from Israel. For now, no summer home, but the UAE could be an enormous boon to both Israel and the U.S. in weakening the aggressive form of Islam that threatens the West today.