Michael Larkin
Member
Yes, when the 'Left' accuse us of being 'far right' because we are anti-war, well I pride myself in being their kind of 'far right'!
However please let's not turn this discussion into a political discussion. I thought the podcast was very interesting - I will probably listen to it again before commenting. If anyone wants to discuss US wars and aggression - fine - but why not start a new thread?
David
David, in this instance I tend to disagree with you. War is political, so Alex's questions, at least to some extent, invite a political response. Let's not forget either that war has a spiritual dimension that goes hand-in-hand with politics. Not all wars are unjustified; in some, people have no choice but to resist an aggressor, and such, I believe, was the case in WW2. It was in part a spiritual response to fight against the evil of the Nazi regime. It's the only war I can think of where I might myself have volunteered to fight.
There's the interesting case of Noor Inayat Khan, a Sufi Muslim, who became a radio operator for the allies, and worked for them in occupied France. She was captured, interrogated and eventually executed without giving anything away to the Germans directly, though they learned much from her journals, which she wasn't supposed to keep (this may have been the result of a misunderstanding on her part). She was posthumously awarded the George Cross, the highest civilian decoration in the UK.
The Sufis have always been prepared to go to war in a just cause. They shouldn't be confused with the likes of ISIS, who revel in war and mayhem, using Islam as an excuse for it. IMO, if all Muslims were Sufis, the world would be a much better place, but even then, perhaps not war-free. Noor exemplifies the "warrior" who is nonetheless a highly spiritual person. She didn't herself kill people, but she helped organise the Resistance in France, and they did kill people, so I think she can accurately be described as a warrior of sorts.
We live in a world in which there is unjustified aggression, one in which appeasement has its limits, and that's just an unfortunate fact. In a sense, everything is a reflection of man's spiritual state, and that includes politics.