Is the war in Afghanistan and Iraq (in essance, even the whole 'war against terrorism' a religious w

I agree that this should definitely be the course of the debate. The onus is on myself to prove that it is a religiously based conflict, even if American intentions don't make it appear that way. Since it is my case to prove that it is a religious conflict, I will do so before rebuttals. Firstly, it is clear to us all that the most ancient of enemies were the Jews and the Moslems. Correct? Tensions were always high and battles fought. Then, the Jews are able to claim a sector of the Holy Land in their own Jewish State, due to Western Intervention. What exactly a Jewish state is, nobody can agree upon, but all can agree upon the fact that the modern country of Israel (established by the British in the '40's as a politically 'Jewish' state) is and has been at the height of tension for decades. It has fought with Egypt (a 'Moslem State' that hates it) and various other Moslem countries. So this is the oldest religious feud of them all. Then, many of the people of Israel changed their ideals and practices with the New Covenant of Christ (no longer was sacrifice necessary, Gentiles could become Christians etc.) arose Christianity (with the birth of Jesus). So a new enemy was formed to with which the Moslems would bicker. even though the hatred of the Jews was mutual and very old, the hatred against Christians became more intense as hsitory proceeded. "Surah 8 - 60. "Against them [nonbelievers] make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know. Whatever ye shall spend in the cause of Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly." Propaganda has made the war convoluted but then again ever so clear. Now, many of the Islamic faith believe that people of the US are members of 'The Great Satan'. We, in turn, label them, 'terrorists'. It is true that their actions are unconventional and involve innocent people, but this does not deter from the fact that the war is completely Religious. Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt before assassination, declared that the West (US and Canada specifically) could never understand the Mideast for two reasons. The first being that we are 'too young', and the second being the difference of religion. By being 'too young', he means that the Moslems are thousands of years old, right from the time of the Fertile Crescant. In contrast, the New World (aptly named) is only a few hundred years old. US in specific was only founded in the late 1700s, though the Colonies existed before that. Thus, the Moslems have long memories and tend to hold grudges. A retaliatory action might be the result of an even that happened years ago. In the New World, we tend to forgive and forget (pretty soon thereafter). They do not. For example, the founding of Israel is basically just yesterday, to them. An injury to the family that happened 2,000 years ago is still fresh. Ask a Lebanese guerilla why he fights and he's liable to reply, "Because his great great great grandfather harmed my great great great grandfather in 1862." or some similar event. What with the West's continuous meddling in the Middle East and Africa, they have a lot to remember. The Arabs and Berbers started a conquest of the West, starting with the Christian Byzyantium Empire, they eventually took much of Southern Europe (as is evident in the religious sectors of the Balkans etc.) and made it as far as Spain. In retaliation, the Christians initiated the Crusades. War became a regularity between the countries of Europe and the Moslems. The Ottomans perpetually threatened expansion and eventually re-conquered the Balkans and dozens of small countries before Europe United and the Habsburgs, Polish, Holy League and Italy drove them back and then out. But the Christians didn't stop with just driving them out. I think we can recall that the Inquisition tortured and killed many Moslems, giving them more to remember. Bad blood was certain. US became involved in what had been previously a Moslem vs Christian Europe affair with the Tripoli Wars. Then came the colonial powers. England, France and Italy conquered Northern Africa for themselves. I think we can recall that the French Foreign Legion did not treat the Moslem Africans well in the recent Algerian Wars. There is a brief history of the leading conflicts. And that is excluding most of the Moslem/Christian affairs of the 1900s. There were many. It didn't help that US politicians planted a variety of puppet dictators and then aided the Kremlin, whom had lots of enemies of Islam. ~ It is indeed true that Bin Laden's attacks were religiously motivated, but are you forgetting events that occurred even before that? A serious part of the Religious wars. what about Pan Am Flight 103? What about the bombing at the World Trade center? What about this long list: "An Egyptian airline pilot runs a planeload of 217 passengers into the water after uttering a Qur'anic prayer." "Nation of Islam members shoot seven members of a family to death in cold blood, including four children. A defendant in the case is later murdered in prison on orders from Elijah Muhammad." 7/18/1973 etc. http://www.thereligionofpeace.com... There's plenty. These aren't random attacks. They're retaliation for US 'the Great Satan' meddlings in the Middle East. To exemplify one, how do you think the outnumbered Saudi Clan (despotic) stays ruler over a nation of Arabians? They're US puppets. US withdraws support and the Saudi regime falls. No. The war against Iraq and Afghanistan wasn't only retaliation. It was because the Shah and Husseim became ambitious puppet dictators. what about the Hostage Crisi, direct fault of the Shah of Iran? US then encouraged Husseim to assault Iran and supplied it with arms - as well as the Iraqis (as did the Kremlin)! But Iraq failed! It didn't do the job. So what now? The Kremlin starts to fail and loses a war in Afghanistan. So the States have to support the Kremlin in order to prevent the USSR from collapsing and all of the pent up Moslem countries from overthrowing the despotic rule and voicing their own opinions - and religious radicalism. The Religious war hit a fever pitch with 9/11. It was the time that justified invasion of Iraq and the eradication of the oppressive Taliban in Afghanistan. To conclude, the war against terrorism isn't new, and it most definitely is a Religious conflict. It is true that national forces are aiding the Western efforts, but how long will this last? As we have seen with Karzai, some only do it for the power grab. Once the US leaves, the Islamic warlords will act, once again. and then their religious vengeance will be furious. The Taliban's already is furious. It destroys roads and efforts built by the 'infidels'. Its religious radicalism is so great that it even threatens women and children to prevent them from attending schools run by 'The Great Satan'. I seem to recall that two Taliban motorcyclists threw acid on five schoolgirls who disobeyed. And you tell me that this isn't a religious conflict at heart? Turkey is another matter. where does its loyalties lie? they lie where its advantageous. However, the West is getting worried by its erratic actions. I'm running out of space, so I'll end it here. As conclusion, I will negate my opponent's claims that the causes of the wars are entirely secular. Especially the 'war against terrorism', which 1. isn't new and 2. is extremely religious in purpose Stay classy!