Dr. Mordechai Kedar has a deep understanding of the Arab mindset. A senior lecturer on Arabic culture at Bar-Ilan University, he served for 25 years in IDF Military Intelligence, where he specialized in Islamic groups, the political discourse of Arab countries, the Arabic press and mass media, and the Syrian domestic arena. Fluent in Arabic, he is one of the very few Israelis appearing on Arab television, frequently debating Arab thought leaders and imams in their native tongue.
It was therefore deeply concerning when he posted a warning on his Facebook page explaining what he believed was the actual significance of the Taliban victory in Afghanistan:
“August 15, 2021, the day in which Taliban resumed their rule over Afghanistan after 20 years of Western occupation, will forever be viewed and remembered in the Islamic world as the victory of Islam over Christianity, the victory of faith over heresy, and the victory of tradition over permissiveness,” Dr. Kedar wrote. “These events are pumping new blood into jihad arteries and the results will soon be seen around the world, including in Israel.”
This statement seems grandiose and hyperbolic at first glance. Afghanistan is only one of many Islamic nations and the US does not self-identify as the representative of the Christian world. Recent events are perceived by most Americans as a regrettable outcome of a failed attempt at foreign intervention. The motivation to intervene was in reaction to the 9-11 attacks, an attempt to prevent another such attack from a terrorist organization based (at the time) in Afghanistan.
But Dr. Kedar has a unique insight into the Arab mindset and sees it differently.
“All of Islam views the US as the representative of Christianity today,” Dr. Kedar said. “Therefore, a victory by an Islamic entity over the US is not just a victory of one nation over another. This is precisely what the Koran describes as Jihad. The Koran states that Islam must have dominance over all other religions. Muslims must always be involved in this.”
“The entire Muslim world perceives Afghanistan as a Muslim victory over Christianity, not just as a Taliban victory or the US capitulating,” Dr. Kedar said. “The average American does not see that religion has anything to do with politics. But this is absolutely not the case in the Muslim world. America saw the war in Afghanistan as a war on terrorism. The Taliban and other Muslims saw it as a religious war. Here in the Middle East, everything is religion.”
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