US should shun enforcing no fly zone in Libya

By Andrew G. Bostom

President Obama has given an ultimatum to Col. Qaddafi:

accept an immediate ceasefire, pull back from Libyan rebel strongholds and permit humanitarian assistance - or face the full onslaught of UN-endorsed air strikes.

The aptly named (hat tip Diana West) American "Libya Hawks" must be elated with the United Nations resolution calling for a Libyan "No Fly Zone."

Earlier my colleague Andrew McCarthy put forth a cogent rebuttal of his own co-editors at the NRO who vociferously supported this intervention -- a particularly misguided policy should the US lead it. Indeed, an ominous report by Le Monde reveals that what is known about the "brave Libyan freedom fighters" opposing Libya's murderous crackpot-despot Qaddafi is hardly reassuring -- i.e., they are likely dominated by jihadists espousing the same virulent "Westoxication" and Jew/broader infidel-hatred that permeates the Arab Muslim world.

But, given the fait accompli UN resolution, and ignoring Qaddafi's subsequent (and meaningless, if predictable) "cease fire" offer, let me provide an alternative "no fly zone" scenario that would not squander any more precious US blood and treasure in yet another irredentist Arab Muslim morass.

Mordechai Nisan, writing over a decade ago, observed that already by the mid-1990s the world's then over 50 Islamic nations had amassed considerable economic and military power -- both of which have further increased during the subsequent 10 years:

The Muslim umma [global community] was by the mid-1990s numbering approximately one billion believers, possessing over 50 Muslim states, and in control of a little less than a third of United Nations membership; moreover, possessing more than 50 per cent of known crude oil resources and a combined military arsenal of conventional and non-conventional weaponry second only to the combined Western bloc of states. The international balance-of-power could not in the aftermath of the end of the Cold War ignore the Muslim civilization and its awesome pretensions to playing a dominant role in global affairs.

I maintain that the "Libyan freedom fighters" plaintive appeal for military assistance be heeded exclusively by Muslim nations from the now 57 member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

After all, the OIC Dakar Declaration of March 13-14, 2008 from the 11^th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference has sworn the 57 Muslim nations to combat terrorism-such as the murderous assault on his fellow Muslim countrymen by Qaddafi. The OIC statement even highlights a convention assembled for this purpose, along with "other international initiatives by the Islamic geographical sphere," citing this involvement as proof of its unequivocal willingness "...to fight against the heinous phenomenon [of terrorism]," and the global Muslim organization's "total rejection of it [terrorism]."

The 12/2/08 OIC statement also insisted,

Islam, the religion of peace, tolerance and compassion, that sanctifies the human soul, and whose universal message is one of mutual peaceful coexistence among all the peoples of the world, regardless of their ethnicities, race, religions or languages, and which calls for kind reasoning and dialogue with all their fellow human beings, abhors and despises all such criminal acts and had enacted the utmost severe punishment for their perpetrators. [emphasis added]

I argue that the OIC -- currently headed by its Turkish representative Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu --is uniquely suited to marshal the military and economic might to "enact the utmost severe punishment" of Qaddafi and his minions for ostensibly perpetrating "anti-Islamic" acts of terrorism against the aforementioned "Libyan freedom fighters" -- fellow Muslims, no less! Turkey and Egypt -- key OIC member states -- have large, modern, well-equipped armed forces (here; here; here), including air forces (here; here). These Muslim nations -- with formal, enthusiastic sanctioning by the OIC-should send large military contingents to enforce the UN sanctioned Libyan no fly zone, and if necessary commit their ground troops in an effort to halt the acts of "anti-Islamic terrorism" being committed by Qaddafi's forces.

No non-Muslim forces are required for this internecine Muslim policing action.