Between Hollywood and Holy Books: How War Leaders in Washington Confuse Movies and Religious Texts?

Contemporary wars witness an intensive use of religious discourse by political leaders to justify policies of enslavement or extermination, where religion is inserted into conflicts primarily aimed at controlling wealth. Since the events of October 7, 2023, a clear trend has emerged among Benjamin Netanyahu and American military officials to invoke texts from ancient books to support their military might, despite the interpretations of falsification and distortion that these texts are subjected to, serving war agendas.

In a striking incident that reflects the shallowness of religious culture versus cinematic tyranny, US Secretary of War 'Pete Hegseth' read a text he attributed to the 'Book of Ezekiel' during a religious conference at the Pentagon, speaking with great emotion about the necessity of fighting the enemy and expelling them from their land. However, the surprise was that the mentioned text was not biblical, but a famous excerpt from the American action film 'Pulp Fiction,' which the film's hero Samuel Jackson used to recite decades ago.

It seems that officials in the American administration, influenced by Hollywood culture, have begun to confuse cinematic narratives with religious scriptures, as these individuals have not actually read the books of Ezekiel or Isaiah, which speak of building the temple. Instead, they appear as young men enamored with movies, memorizing the dialogues of their heroes and invoking them in critical political and military contexts, which reflects a dangerous overlap between art, reality, and religion in the mindset of decision-makers.

This association with acting is not new to the White House, as presidents who mastered the art, such as Ronald Reagan, or sought it, such as Donald Trump, who now contents himself with giving 'extra' roles to his ministers in real wars he wages across continents, have entered it. This trend has caused artistic matters to intertwine with religion, to the extent that some even contend with supreme religious authorities like the Pope, believing that their own vision is the absolute truth and anything else is error.

What Islamic holy sites in noble Jerusalem are subjected to, in terms of abuse and falsification of heritage, is a direct result of chronic distortion in extremist religious readings, which parallels American transgressions affecting all humanity. The painful irony lies in the existence of a preserved Quran that does not find its way to full application by its followers, while others cling to distorted and ideologized texts and apply them strictly to achieve their political goals.

What is disheartening is that we have a preserved, undistorted Quran and we do not apply it, while they have distorted books, with their premeditation and determination, and they apply them.