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Oct 07, 2026
Dr. Nidhi Shendurnikar

On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilisation

Douglas Murray’s book – ‘On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization’ (2025), published by Broadside Books, is an intellectual response to the horrific events of October 7, when Hamas terrorists attacked the Nova Music Festival in Israel and inflicted unimaginable brutality on innocent Israeli civilians, which consequently led to the Israel-Hamas war (Gaza conflict), ongoing even today. The book is a wake-up call for the West, reminding it of the long-term consequences of whitewashing acts of Islamic terrorism, which could be disastrous for human civilisation as a whole. The recent #flydubai incident, where a radicalised Omani Muslim pilot planned to crash the flight into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport (September 30, 2026) only to be fought bravely by an Indian pilot, Capt Smit Machchhar, who eventually saved the 174 lives on board, is an example of the cost the world has to pay for terrorism. In the aftermath of October 7, Murray – a British journalist, culture commentator and critic who has contributed widely to the discourse on war, culture, identity, multiculturalism in the West and has reported from the frontlines of conflicts in Iraq, North Korea, Nigeria, Ukraine and Gaza commented on how Western University campuses had turned into a hotbed of hostility and hatred. In the piece, ‘The derangement of Harvard’ (The Spectator - October 3, 2025), he condemned student groups on western campuses that came out in open support of Hamas, blaming Israel for the events of October 7. This outpouring of support for terrorists from civilised nations is what Murray calls out in his book, in which he presents encounters from his reportage of the conflict between Israel and the Arab world and reactions from Western governments, media and civil society. In the book, Murray argues that if Israel collapses or is wiped out from the earth as Hamas proclaims to do in its charter, it will be the end of Western Civilisation as we know it. The book is divided into five chapters: Part I – provides a broad historical context to the conflict in the Middle East and describes personal accounts of the suffering of Israeli citizens and military personnel at the hands of Hamas. Part II – Murray conducts first-hand interviews with survivors of October 7, families of those taken hostage by Hamas (1200 Israelis were killed on that fateful day and more than 200 were abducted). Part III – documents pro-Hamas sentiment in the West and rising incidents of anti-Semitism and discusses reasons behind the hatred for Jews at the global level. Part IV – discusses the realities of the conflict between Israel and Palestine as a clash of religious ideologies Part V – predicts what the future holds when there is a clash between thriving democracies of the West and a death cult represented by Hamas and other terrorist groups influenced by radical Islam. Post October 7, when the civilised world should have sided with Israel and against the dreadful, inhumane acts of Hamas – something quite contrary was seen to be happening in Western societies. Young students who otherwise enjoy the privileges of Western, liberal ideals and shout for academic freedom were seen cheering for Hamas, delivering pro-Palestine speeches at graduation ceremonies, camping and cheering to ‘Globalise the Intifada’ (a call for a violent uprising to annihilate non-Muslims). Citizens of London, New York, Paris and other major cities participated in pro-Hamas rallies even as the police watched helplessly and were forced to provide security to the protestors supporting a rogue organisation like Hamas. Murray documents in his book not just what happened in Israel and Gaza but also how the West reacted to the events of October 7. Rising instances of violence against the Jewish community – burning of Synagogues, marking out Jewish houses, hurling abuses at Jewish citizens, harassing Jewish students and professors in universities became a common feature of how the West responded to October 7. Self-defeating groups such as ‘Queers for Palestine’ marched on Western streets employing the decolonisation narrative to justify and rationalise what Hamas did to Israel on October 7. Murray evaluates these instances critically while also pointing out the one-sided role of Western Media in covering the conflict, where the ‘perpetrator’ of terror is framed as the ‘victim’, and the ‘victim’ of terror is burdened with genocidal guilt. The book is significant for the following reasons: It provides a theoretical, intellectual, philosophical position to the West and urges Western leaders and societies to adopt courage and moral clarity in their response to radical ideologies to whom death is dearer than life, on the lines of what Roger Scruton, Niall Ferguson, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali have already argued. It shows a clear mirror to the West and calls for introspection on the part of Western societies and leadership to rethink what they are supporting in the name of diversity, tolerance, multiculturalism and social justice. The author points out the weakening of Western civilisational values as a result of cancel culture, critical race theory, wokeism, intellectual stagnation, mass migration post-2015 and an acute leadership and ideation crisis in politics, education, administration, academia and media. Murray doesn’t shy away from presenting Israel’s point of view of the conflict, challenging the conventional perpetrator-victim narrative with arguments and evidence. The book speaks ‘truth to power’ and exposes a well-oiled machinery in the West that survives on supporting Palestine against Israel, demonstrating how global narratives and agendas are set at many levels to render the truth about the conflict obscure. The book is a result of intense fieldwork in the conflict zone, visits to the site of the October 7 massacre, examples, stories, interviews with survivors of October 7, families of those who were killed, testimonials of real suffering, accounts of raw human emotions that were largely absent from the mainstream discourse on October 7. Murray is a popular figure on Western TV and is often seen debating contentious ideas in Western politics and society. Some of his other works include - Neo Conservatism: Why We Need It (2005), The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam (2010) and The War on the West (2022), along with regular columns in media outlets such as The New York Post, The Free Press, The Sun and The Telegraph. Even his fiercest opponents, such as Amir Taheri, credit Murray’s contribution to the global battle of ideas as valuable. The book brings forth a powerful, bold, refreshing understanding of Middle Eastern geopolitics and Western Foreign Policy in an extremely lucid and compelling format. The language used is appealing, direct, emotive and impactful. Stories of civilian and military resilience from Israel are bound to stay with the reader even after they have put down the book. It is an applaudable journalistic effort to share stories and perspectives that are usually missing from mainstream media. Even critics of Israel should give it a read, for the pain and fear of ordinary Israelis after the October 7 rampage were very real. Europe has a lot to learn from Israel as far as dealing with extremism and a hostile neighbourhood out to annihilate it is concerned. This is a book for a thinking person worried for the future of the civilised world. Critics have accused the author of being sympathetic to Israel, presenting facts in a way that supports Israel and painting Israeli society as good and Palestinian society as bad because of the overwhelming support for Hamas among ordinary Palestinians. The large-scale human suffering caused in Gaza does not find a place in the book. The book does not suggest a solution to the present crisis in both the Middle East and the Western world, nor does it discuss the theological roots of exclusionary ideologies that teach ordinary followers to kill non-believers. As an Indian reader of the book, one can learn a lot about Israel, Israeli life, society, their convictions, determination to survive in harsh conditions – against all odds. The resilience of Israelis, their sense of history, duty towards their country and fellow citizens and the commitment to their homeland, the only Jewish home in the world, is admirable, and one ought to learn from this attitude. India’s indigenous, Sanatan civilisation is also threatened by violent, radical cults exhibiting supremacist tendencies and this is where we have so much in common with Israel. We face looming threats in the form of hostile neighbours, an ever-changing world order, terrorism, internal security challenges, a two and a half front war as Late General Bipin Rawat called it, domestic conflicts and so much more. In that sense, India and Israel are two long-surviving civilisations and India can learn much from Israel’s experiences, especially those on and after October 7. October 7 is the pivot of the book: the accounts of bravery, survival, resilience and national unity are bound to move the readers to tears. There is emotion, distress, anger, frustration, hope – all at the same time as we recount the October 7 tragedy. The book is a counter-culture to dominant ideas on the Middle East, challenging global institutions that want us to think about particular events in particular ways. The book conveys the lessons October 7 offers – not only to Israel but also to entire humanity, especially to the Western World – and we must learn before it's too late.

Oct 05, 2026
B S Murthy

Semitic Faiths ‘n Sanatan Dharma A Simple Study of Contrasts

While Christianity and Islam are hostile to the Jews but not to Judaism per se, their followers are antagonistic towards Hinduism, the Sanatana Dharma of the Hindus, and for a good reason. Judaism being the father of the Abrahamic faiths, denouncing it amounts to theological self-deprecation, but as Hinduism is outside their monotheistic Semitic fold, running it down runs no such risk. Besides, weakening its polytheistic hold on a billion souls would soften the path of harvesting them for their bottomless religious granaries. Even taking their proselytising urge in good faith – the Christian belief that without faith in Jesus, people stand condemned and the Islamic relief of a final truth to guide humanity - are their religious credos any better than the Sanatana Dharma that postulates ekam sadviprā bahudhā vadanti (what is right is One only, describe it wise variedly) is the question that needs to be addressed for any rational study of contrasts among these diverse dispensations. Whatever, if Hinduism is a ‘Way of Life’, as ruled by India’s apex court, then it can be said that Christianity and Islam are the by-lanes of Moses’ Semitic Path, and to comprehend the former, one has to go through the latter. However, it’s not well known that the oft-quoted "seeing is believing’ is the rational part of clergyman Thomas Fuller’s full quote, “seeing is believing, but feeling is the truth," that underscores this simple study of their contrasts. To begin with, when the Ten Commandments were first proclaimed, Jehovah spoke audibly to Moses from Mount Sinai amid smoke, fire, thunder, and lightning, so that the assembled Israelites could hear His voice. When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself, and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Then Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” Though this Biblical account is not up to Fuller’s seeing is believing, the Jewish belief about its happening makes them hold Jehovah’s diktats in dread. Whatever, in their God’s scheme of rewards and punishments, there was no provision for recompense from sins through repentance. But even when it comes to hearing, it’s one thing for Jesus himself to claim to be the Son of God, that he never did, and yet another for his apostles to proclaim so, what with the innovative immaculate conception, added much later after his demise. So also, Jesus’ teachings, including the Sermon on the Mount as well as his “Go specifically to the lost sheep of Israel; don't enter Gentile, Samaritan towns” during his ministry and “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them and teaching them” that was after his resurrection (what did change in the meantime for his change of mind!), as cited in Mathew 10 and 28 respectively, have no evidentiary value whatsoever. It's thus the entire Biblical legend of Jesus that is the fulcrum of the Christian faith is totally based on hearsay or improvement, as the case may be, but yet, the belief of the Christians in this regard is the gospel truth. When it comes to the Islamic narrative, Gabriel, in incognito, met Muhammad in a cave of Mount Hira and made him say after him, “Recite in the name of thy Lord who created! He createth man from a clot of blood etc.” But as he fled from the cave in panic and was halfway down the hill, he heard a voice from above, “O Muhammad, thou art the Messenger of God, and I am Gabriel.” So, for his followers, Muhammad’s word became the basis of their devotion to him and eventually the truth of Islam. Not only that, the guidance he said he received from Allah, the Arabic avatar of Jehovah, became the ayats of the Quran to forever rule the minds of the Musalmans, for good or bad. Just the same, it is this Semitic dogma that became its dictum: ‘the God’ revealed to their prophet the right ‘path of life’ for them to unquestioningly follow so as to stand the believers in good stead on the Day of Judgment. Besides, but for Judaism, in its religious offshoots of Christianity and Islam, the messiah is believed to be endowed with the power of intercession on behalf of the faithful on that Fateful Day. It’s thus, intended or otherwise, that the prophet became the fulcrum of the faith as well as the icon of the Christian and the Islamic religious credos, relegating the otherwise haughty God to the fringes, never mind the pretence to the contrary. It's another matter, though, that the Christians became antagonistic to Jews on the grounds that they were collectively responsible for Jesus’ death, resulting in their persecution over the ages, culminating in the holocaust. Apart from that, so as to keep his flock together in the face of the Jewish mocking at his prophethood, Muhammad incited them against his detractors, the God’s chosen people. Not only that, so as to insulate his followers as well from the Christians, the acolytes of His son, he ordained them to keep away from the latter on the pretext that he (Jesus) sought to partner with Him along with Mary, his mother. Whatever, it is ironic that while the Unitary God had divided his flock into three mutually antagonistic factions, the Hindu gods and goddesses amalgamated the amorphous Sanatana societies in their dharmic fold! So, what of the peerless Hindu phenomenon, which the monotheists dismiss as idolatrous polytheism, that too even as the crosses with Jesus and his baby self in Mary’s arms abound in the Churches, and the Hajis fall over each other to kiss Hajar al-Aswad (Black Stone) at the Kabbah! If only the uninitiated realise what they mistake as Hindu idol worship is, in essence, an obeisance to the deities in their distinctive vigrahas, in which their gods and goddesses get manifested (pranaprathista) through Vedic rituals, formulated in enchanting Sanskrit mantras. Set aside their credos, what if we measure these four on the scale of gender justice that today’s man’s world pretends to hold dear? Whereas the Semitic dispensations are dictated by the Lord God (as already seen, Christianity had added Mary and Jesus in its pantheon to the chagrin of Islam), the Sanatana Dharma is governed by spouse gods galore. Not only that, while the Semitic God is stern and aloof, Vishnu, the sustainer (the creator Brahma and the destroyer Shiva being the others in the Trinity), in his avatars on earth, mingled with the Hindu folks. Won’t that fulfil Fuller’s twin criteria of seeing is believing, and feeling is the truth. What’s more, in respect of cultural aspects, while the solemn, even sombre, Semitic events, centred around the God and his prophets, for the most part, that is, can almost be counted on the fingers of one hand, the numerous Hindu festivities, with mirth and music, associated with the gods and goddesses, nearly need a calculator to account for. And for those who experience it, that’s life, the blessed one at that. All the same, for the discerning minds, the vital difference between the Sanatana Dharma and the Semitic faiths lies in the concurrent philosophical stream of the former and the abject absence of the same in the latter that the Roberto Baggio episode amply underscores. Inconsolable at letting down Italy in that FIFA World Cup final with his over-the-crossbar kick in the penalty shootout against Brazil, and as its captain, and finding no solace in ‘Jesus shedding his blood to save sinners’, he turned to Buddhism, a spiritual offshoot of Hinduism, for good effect. What is amusing is that Christians and Muslims, whose God is not clear about the creation of man (see the tailpiece), seek to emancipate the Hindus whose progenitors had propositioned that it’s man who created the god, in theories many, as expostulated in the Brihadāranyaka Upanishad, composed around 700 B.C.E. Here’s is an excerpt from Valerie J. Roebuck’s The Upanishads, just to cite one such. “He knew: “I am creation, for I created all this.” So, he became creation. Whoever knows this, come to be in this, his creation.” “When they say, “Sacrifice to that one!”, “Sacrifice to that one!”- some god or other that is his varied creation, and he himself is all the gods. Then he created from seed whatever is moist, and that is Soma. All this is just food and the eater of food. Soma is food, and Agni is the eater of food. This is the higher creation of Brahma, since he created gods who are better than he: and also, because, being mortal, he created immortals, it is his higher creation. Whoever knows this, comes to be in this, his higher creation.” That’s not all; the Hindus have the Bhagavad-Gita, which according to the Prussian philosopher, William von Humboldt, “is the most beautiful, perhaps the only true philosophical song existing in any known tongue.” The author’s translation in verses, Bhagavad-Gita: Treatise of Self-help, is in the public domain and can be perused as a free ebook, the essence of which is – “The Supreme Spirit through Nature causes the birth of all beings. Thus, the indwelling spirit in the beings is a divisible part of the same Indivisible Supreme Spirit. The spirit lying within beings is subject in degrees to virtue, passion and delusion, the three attributes of Nature. It should remain the human endeavour to free the indwelling spirit from these nature-induced influences. This, however, is not possible for any in a single birth, and indeed, it would take the sustained effort of lot many births for that. Thus, in the end, the soul could be tended towards that state of purity, which matches with that of the Supreme Spirit. As and when this happens, the indwelling spirit merges with the Supreme Spirit, which is nothing but moksha.” It's thus, the god is truly within man (aham brahmasmi) so also the so-called Satan, the salvation is not as simple as being or becoming a Christian or a Musalman, and the entry into heaven or the hereafter, as the case may be, is not based on the intercession of the messiah on the Day of Judgement. So, one may wake up and smell the coffee. The Tailpiece Clueless Creation, A Satirical poem by the author. Told God man In Genesis One Him He created in form of His Not when asked as how He did Thought He fit in Genesis Two To tell He used the dust for that But to change tack after that, So in time Muhammad told Made Jibrail recite him In the name of One who makes Man on earth from clot of blood, Failed as he then to enquire Wherefrom He gets all that blood And since God hath sealed His mouth Knows not man the true roots of his.