Mani (Mainstream): Morning, Modi. I saw on al-Jazeera this morning that some of the American generals want to claim victory here.
Modi (Moderate): Hi, Mani. That is not only premature, it is falling into the 15th or 16th Strategy; I forget which.
Radi (Radical): Ha, Modi. It is Strategy 15, Lure the Tiger down the Mountain.[1] I think the coalition should declare retreat. Good move.
Mani: I don’t get it. What are you two talking about?
Modi: The 36 Chinese Strategies, Mani; we use them here and they were almost always used by rebels or insurgents against superior forces. The 15th was an easy one. The Mongol cavalry forces were great at attacking forces in the field, but not in defensive positions. So, they would make an ineffective attack and allow themselves to be driven off. Directly afterward, they would retreat in disorder, as if they were beaten.
Mani: What good would that do?
Radi: Heh, heh. They would pretend to be beaten. Remember, they were good at fighting forces in the field, not behind walls. By looking as if they were beaten and running away, the enemy general would order an attack against them--outside the walls.
Mani: I see. At some point, the Mongol cavalry would reorganize and attack the forces that were now in the field.
Modi: Exactly. The Mongols that “escaped” to the right or left would now ride back; join up with each other, and become an anvil. The Mongols in front of the defenders would turn and become the hammer. The defenders would be surrounded and easily defeated.
Radi: And what is even better, when the armies are defeated, the country itself becomes vulnerable. Heh, heh. Pillage and murder. Slaves!
Mani: How do we know all of this good information?
Modi: Mao Tse-tung wrote his Six Principles of Guerrilla Warfare, based on the 36 strategies. Che Guevara in Cuba knew Mao's principles and incorporated them into his Guerrilla Warfare. The Viet Minh used a version of the strategies against the French and against the Americans.
Mani: I see. The 36 principles are something like a handbook on how to fight the Americans.
Modi: You can call it that. Of course, it has to be translated into some kind of action. That means some folks have to sit and think.
Radi: And that means that some people sit and drink tea or coffee while people like me have all the fun, lopping off heads.
Mani: Did our Most Beloved use that ruse to win?
Modi: In a sense, it was used against him. In the Battle of Uhud, the archers were carrying the day against the Meccans, although others were fighting as well. However, the archers were keeping the Meccans from flanking the Muslims. The Meccans either by tactic or necessity appeared to be beaten and left their positions, abandoning their private property in full view of the archers.
Mani: I do remember that. When the archers left their positions to grab for the abandoned spoils of war, Khalid ibn al-Walid led an attack that flanked the Muslims and won the battle.[2]
Radi: Modi, you left out something important. Our valiant fighters after that were vulnerable to be surrounded and to be killed, probably ending the religion right there. However, Allah put fear into the Meccan hearts and they turned their mounts toward home and ran away as fast as they could go, declaring victory.[3]
Mani: I understand. The Muslim fighters were left to fight another day and finally defeat the Meccans. Allah definitely looked after us.
Modi: Mani, you simply cannot constantly look for miracles from Allah whenever something good happens to us. The armies of Medina trained and were equipped to fight. They were told that winning a battle would make them rich and if they were killed in battle, their families would get their share and they would go to Paradise immediately. That was a powerful incentive to fight at the time.
Radi: Radi, it is not true that the men fought for Paradise. They fought for love of Allah and for love of Islam.
Modi: Radi, during the Battle of Badr, Muhammed said, “By Allah, every man who is slain this day by fighting with courage and advancing not retreating will enter Paradise.” One of his fighters, who had stopped to eat, turned to our Most Beloved and said, “You mean there is nothing between Paradise and me but being killed by the Quraysh?” With that, he threw away his food, grabbed his sword, and sped off to be killed.[4]
Mani: Why are you and Radi always in dispute? You both tell the same story, but you both give different details.
Radi: The devil is in Modi’s details. One of these days, I will separate his head from his neck.
Modi: Unlike Radi, Mani, I do not believe that Allah directly helps or directly hinders us. Our Most Beloved was a great general, and indeed a very lucky one. The Meccans were poorly led and had no real stomach for fighting once it got beyond a certain degree of violence. Our people came on like screaming banshees because they knew they personally could not lose; they were either victorious and rich, or they were dead and on their way to Paradise. For the Meccans, their deaths left their families destitute and neither honor nor Paradise for them. The Muslims did not need a host of angels fighting with them; they had powerful incentives.
Radi: Everything you say is heresy. You should be reported to the authorities and whipped within an inch of your life. You are distorting what is in the Qur’an.
Modi: I do not know why you would call it heresy, Radi. If you really studied our scriptures, you would read what was said at Badr and you would see how we lost at Uhud. It does not take a scholar to get to the truth of each battle. Give anyone a great incentive to risk his life and he will do so.
Radi: See, there you go again. I am definitely going to let the imams know that you are spreading untrue rumors about our history.
Mani: And just when do you plan to do this horrible thing?
Radi: Probably after lunch today? Who is buying?
Modi: It is your turn again, but again I’ll buy.
Radi: Then I guess I will wait until tomorrow to turn you in.
Modi: What a pal.
Modi (Moderate): Hi, Mani. That is not only premature, it is falling into the 15th or 16th Strategy; I forget which.
Radi (Radical): Ha, Modi. It is Strategy 15, Lure the Tiger down the Mountain.[1] I think the coalition should declare retreat. Good move.
Mani: I don’t get it. What are you two talking about?
Modi: The 36 Chinese Strategies, Mani; we use them here and they were almost always used by rebels or insurgents against superior forces. The 15th was an easy one. The Mongol cavalry forces were great at attacking forces in the field, but not in defensive positions. So, they would make an ineffective attack and allow themselves to be driven off. Directly afterward, they would retreat in disorder, as if they were beaten.
Mani: What good would that do?
Radi: Heh, heh. They would pretend to be beaten. Remember, they were good at fighting forces in the field, not behind walls. By looking as if they were beaten and running away, the enemy general would order an attack against them--outside the walls.
Mani: I see. At some point, the Mongol cavalry would reorganize and attack the forces that were now in the field.
Modi: Exactly. The Mongols that “escaped” to the right or left would now ride back; join up with each other, and become an anvil. The Mongols in front of the defenders would turn and become the hammer. The defenders would be surrounded and easily defeated.
Radi: And what is even better, when the armies are defeated, the country itself becomes vulnerable. Heh, heh. Pillage and murder. Slaves!
Mani: How do we know all of this good information?
Modi: Mao Tse-tung wrote his Six Principles of Guerrilla Warfare, based on the 36 strategies. Che Guevara in Cuba knew Mao's principles and incorporated them into his Guerrilla Warfare. The Viet Minh used a version of the strategies against the French and against the Americans.
Mani: I see. The 36 principles are something like a handbook on how to fight the Americans.
Modi: You can call it that. Of course, it has to be translated into some kind of action. That means some folks have to sit and think.
Radi: And that means that some people sit and drink tea or coffee while people like me have all the fun, lopping off heads.
Mani: Did our Most Beloved use that ruse to win?
Modi: In a sense, it was used against him. In the Battle of Uhud, the archers were carrying the day against the Meccans, although others were fighting as well. However, the archers were keeping the Meccans from flanking the Muslims. The Meccans either by tactic or necessity appeared to be beaten and left their positions, abandoning their private property in full view of the archers.
Mani: I do remember that. When the archers left their positions to grab for the abandoned spoils of war, Khalid ibn al-Walid led an attack that flanked the Muslims and won the battle.[2]
Radi: Modi, you left out something important. Our valiant fighters after that were vulnerable to be surrounded and to be killed, probably ending the religion right there. However, Allah put fear into the Meccan hearts and they turned their mounts toward home and ran away as fast as they could go, declaring victory.[3]
Mani: I understand. The Muslim fighters were left to fight another day and finally defeat the Meccans. Allah definitely looked after us.
Modi: Mani, you simply cannot constantly look for miracles from Allah whenever something good happens to us. The armies of Medina trained and were equipped to fight. They were told that winning a battle would make them rich and if they were killed in battle, their families would get their share and they would go to Paradise immediately. That was a powerful incentive to fight at the time.
Radi: Radi, it is not true that the men fought for Paradise. They fought for love of Allah and for love of Islam.
Modi: Radi, during the Battle of Badr, Muhammed said, “By Allah, every man who is slain this day by fighting with courage and advancing not retreating will enter Paradise.” One of his fighters, who had stopped to eat, turned to our Most Beloved and said, “You mean there is nothing between Paradise and me but being killed by the Quraysh?” With that, he threw away his food, grabbed his sword, and sped off to be killed.[4]
Mani: Why are you and Radi always in dispute? You both tell the same story, but you both give different details.
Radi: The devil is in Modi’s details. One of these days, I will separate his head from his neck.
Modi: Unlike Radi, Mani, I do not believe that Allah directly helps or directly hinders us. Our Most Beloved was a great general, and indeed a very lucky one. The Meccans were poorly led and had no real stomach for fighting once it got beyond a certain degree of violence. Our people came on like screaming banshees because they knew they personally could not lose; they were either victorious and rich, or they were dead and on their way to Paradise. For the Meccans, their deaths left their families destitute and neither honor nor Paradise for them. The Muslims did not need a host of angels fighting with them; they had powerful incentives.
Radi: Everything you say is heresy. You should be reported to the authorities and whipped within an inch of your life. You are distorting what is in the Qur’an.
Modi: I do not know why you would call it heresy, Radi. If you really studied our scriptures, you would read what was said at Badr and you would see how we lost at Uhud. It does not take a scholar to get to the truth of each battle. Give anyone a great incentive to risk his life and he will do so.
Radi: See, there you go again. I am definitely going to let the imams know that you are spreading untrue rumors about our history.
Mani: And just when do you plan to do this horrible thing?
Radi: Probably after lunch today? Who is buying?
Modi: It is your turn again, but again I’ll buy.
Radi: Then I guess I will wait until tomorrow to turn you in.
Modi: What a pal.
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