Posted on 10/11/2005 1:35:50 AM PDT by goldstategop
A courageous speech by George W. Bush last week began a new era in what he calls the “war on terror.”
To comprehend its full significance requires some background. Islamists (supporters of radical Islam) began their war on the United States in 1979, when Ayatollah Khomeini took power in Iran and later that year his supporters seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran.
For the next twenty-two years, however, Americans thought they faced merely a criminal problem and failed to see that war had been declared on them. For example, in 1998, when Islamists attacked two U.S. embassies in East Africa, Washington responded by unleashing detectives, arresting the perpetrators, taking them to New York, assigning them defense lawyers, then convicting and jailing them.
The second era began on September 11, 2001. That evening, President Bush declared a “war against terrorism” and the U.S. government promptly went into war mode, for example, by passing the USA Patriot Act. Though welcoming this shift, I during four years criticized the notion of making war on a military tactic, finding this euphemistic, inaccurate, and obstructive. Instead, I repeatedly called on the president to start a third era by acknowledging that the war is against radical Islam.
Bush did occasionally mention radical Islam – in fact, as early as nine days after 9/11 – but not with enough frequency or detail to change perceptions. British prime minister Tony Blair also advanced the discussion in July, when, after the London transport bombings, he focused on “a religious ideology, a strain within the worldwide religion of Islam.”
But the third era truly began on Oct. 6 with Bush’s speech to the National Endowment for Democracy. He not only gave several names to the force behind terrorism (“Some call this evil Islamic radicalism; others, militant Jihadism; still others, Islamo-fascism”), but he provided ample details. In particular, he:
Presented this “murderous ideology” of Islamic radicals “the great challenge of our new century.” Distinguished it from the religion of Islam. Drew parallels between radical Islam and communism (both are elitist, cold-blooded, totalitarian, disdainful of free peoples, and fatefully contradictory), then noted in how many ways the U.S. war on radical Islam, “resembles the struggle against communism in the last century.” Pointed out the three-step Islamist drive to power: ending Western influence in the Muslim world, gaining control of Muslim governments, and establishing “a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia.” Explained the “violent, political vision” of radical Islam as comprising an agenda “to develop weapons of mass destruction, to destroy Israel, to intimidate Europe, to assault the American people, and to blackmail our government into isolation.” Defined its ultimate goal: “to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world.” Observed that Muslims themselves have the burden of doing the “most vital work” to fight Islamism. Called on “all responsible Islamic leaders to join in denouncing” this ideology and taking steps against it. The detailed texture of Bush’s speech transforms the official American understanding of who the enemy is, moving it from the superficial and inadequate notion of “terrorism” to the far deeper concept of “Islamic radicalism.” This change has potentially enduring importance if finally, 26 years later, it convinces polite society to name the enemy.
Doing so means, for example, that immigration authorities and law enforcement can take Islam into account when deciding whom to let enter the country or whom to investigate for terrorism offences. Focusing on Muslims as the exclusive source of Islamists permits them finally to do their job adequately.
Despite these many advances, Bush’s speech is far from perfect. His quoting the Koran harks back to 2001, when he instructed Muslims about the true nature of their faith; his comment about extremists distorting “the idea of jihad” unfortunately implies that jihad is a good thing.
Most serious, though, is his limiting the “radical Islamic empire” (or caliphate) to just the Spain-to-Indonesia region, for Islamists have a global vision that requires control over non-Muslim countries too – and specifically the United States. Their universal ambitions certainly can be stopped, but first they must be understood and resisted. Only when Americans realize that the Islamists intend to replace the U.S. Constitution with Shari’a will they enter the fourth and final era of this war.
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"Only when Americans realize that the Islamists intend to replace the U.S. Constitution with Shari’a will they enter the fourth and final era of this war."
CAIR and the ACLU use the Politically Correct format to further their efforts to undermine all things American, Christian, Hebrew, any religion but Islam - the ACLU promotes ISLAM in our public schools and CAIR demands respect for all Muslims but fails to show the same respect to other religions.
Daniel Pipes also says....."Those of us who watch the growth of radical Islam in the United States tend to focus on the noisy organizations like CAIR, MPAC, and ISNA. The Muslim American Society, which claims 53 chapters and 10,000 members, tends to go about its work quietly; it is none the less dangerous – and perhaps more so – for that."
The next step is to recognize that all of Islam is radical.
We are engaged in a war with people who are located in widely separated places in the world but are tied together with the powerful drug of fanatic religious belief. I believe we are at war with an entire population.
The Islamic jihad cannot succeed because it can only destroy, it cannot create.
False myths and assumptions?
First of all the President, Congress and the State Dept. need to put all politics aside and allow the Pentagon and our military to do their job.
Politics, in Washington DC! OMG who ever heard of such a thing.
Their is no difference between a politically active terror organization and a militant organization
http://www.state.gov/s/ct/
As for our European allies who are protecting those who preach Islam's terror shame on them,
They are.
we should begin plucking the terrorists right off the streets.
We are.
In case you haven't noticed we ARE WINNING. 9-11 was the high water mark for Islamic terror.
No flame intended.
Definitely read....ping!
It's enough to produce a pandemic.
True, but hardly dominant.
Nevertheless, their virulence will have an effect disproportionate to their numbers.
Once again we see the problem. People here taking the most violet bloodthristy xenophobic verse from the Koran and placing them at the heart of Islam, as the most important thing in Islam. Saying the terrorists interpretation is the only one found in Islam. This is (too say the least) simplistic, counter productive, and just plain wrong. Thank goodness the leaders of our nation don't buy into it.
Which of the hundreds of violet, bloodthirsty, xenophobic verses were you referring to as "the worst"? The one that says to kill all the Jews? The one that says if you don't wage war upon non-Muslims you'll go to Hell? The one that prescribes beheadings? The law of retaliation that commands you to attack anyone you feel has slighted you in any way?
I've actually read the Koran. It's ALL bloodthirsty, savage, and sub-civilized.
It's the "violet" ones we need to watch. It may be some form of Avian Flu. Most of us only concentrate on the violent ones.
Great Article -
From Dubya's speech...
The influence of Islamic radicalism is also magnified by helpers and enablers. They have been sheltered by authoritarian regimes, allies of convenience like Syria and . . ."
Now, this is hard to stomach.
Syria has a secular Baath Arab nationalist government. The regime killed 10,000 Muslim activists at Hama in 1982. ( Muslim Brotherhood types, a fave of the Saudis and even the US) It tortured al-Qaeda members for the United States after September 11. Syria is not in alliance with radical Muslim fundamentalists - no doubt they are helping the fellow Baathis from Iraq despite doctrinal differences....via safe havens and financing...where is that financing for the Zarqawi type coming from anyway...
I dunno, didn't seem that groundbreaking to me....perhaps we are laboring under the soft bigotry of low expectations.....we still can't name names and will keep supporting jihad every time we fill our cars with gas from the Saudis and they buy our planes and bribe our politicians......
There are those in Western governments that insist that by befriending and sympathizing with the political wing of Islamic Fundamentalism they will somehow change their beliefs and alter their objectives.
In case you haven't noticed we ARE WINNING. 9-11 was the high water mark for Islamic terror.
Take a look at the current conflicts globally involving separatists, insurrections or acts of terror waged by Islamic Fundamentalists. We may be kicking their asses in the field the fact remains that until the organizations are shut down and the leaders are taken out it will be a long, long war, extending the time available for further political brain storming and bureaucratic blunders.
• Foreign states and movements have been financing the promotion of radical, political Islam, which we call Islamism, within America’s armed forces and prisons.
• That alien ideology, with heavy political overtones, preaches intolerance and hatred of American society, culture, government, and the principles enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
• Adherents to that ideology directly and indirectly spawn, train, finance, supply and mobilize terrorists who would destroy our system of government and our way of life.
• They have created civil support networks for terrorists at home and abroad, providing material assistance, fundraising operations, logistics, propaganda, legal assistance in the event of arrest or imprisonment, and bringing political pressure to bear on policymakers grappling with counterterrorism issues.
• The Islamists exploited the nation’s prison chaplancies and the created the Muslim chaplain cadre in the armed forces as one of several avenues of infiltration, recruitment, training and operation.
"Enemies of our free society are trying to exploit it for their own ends."
According to Daniel Pipes the rest are sitting on the ropes waiting to see who the winner will be.
"but says it falls short of recognition that the Islamists' goal isn't confined to taking over the Islamic World aka the Spain-Indonesia area - the global aim of the enemy, like the Nazis before them, is to take over the free world as well and impose on it a totalitarian philosophy"
Agreed, but the speech is another step on the road. Pipes is an independent commentator. Presidents always have to consider the politics. Had I been president on 9/11, the Islamic population of Asia would have ceased to exist on 9/12. But that's me. ;')
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