Terrorism: US should get out of the Middle East

OK, I’ll say it again: The reason for Islamic terrorism is U.S. and the Western meddling in Islamic countries’ affairs for decades.

Muslims in those areas are responding in the only fashion they know – with terrorism. If we are serious about ending this campaign of Islamic terror, then it’s time to withdraw entirely from the Middle East and deal at arm’s length with all countries of the region, including Israel.

Islam, as a religion, is stuck in the seventh century, and no amount of intervention by the West is going to get Islam to have its equivalent of the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation or the Enlightenment. In fact, our clumsy meddling has had the opposite effect: The Islamic world remains steadfastly entrenched in the Dark Ages, culturally and religiously.

The only people who are going to change Islam to a true religion of peace are Muslims. Let’s get out of the Middle East and let them get to the task.

This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Terrorism: US should get out of the Middle East."