Islam has a problem and we have a problem with Islam. Jihadism (Islamo-fascism, Wahhabism, Salafism, or any other name for the radical "irreconcilable wing" of Islam) draws from within traditions of Islam, and Jihadists claim that they are the only good Muslims. It does not have to be so. There are billion plus Muslims in the world, and while 10% of radicals would make an enormous number, still bigger number of Muslims goes about their daily lives without being involved in Jihad against the West.
We have a choice: to flatly state that ALL this billion is our enemy and nothing we can do but wipe them out starting with nuking the Mecca and Medina, or find a smarter way to deal with the problem, like killing out the Jihadists without killing out everybody else. (That millennia old "divide and conquer" sound cynical but is just about right). As we see in Afghanistan and Iraq we do have Muslim allies helping us (for whatever their own reason) to do just that. We still might fail and then see the choice number 1, but it is a terrible choice, and we have a lot of progress in the choice number 2.
We need more Muslims allies. How do we get them? My answer: by being a strong horse. We need to be unapologetic on the military and ideological fronts. We are good in first and suck in second. But this is a long fight, with enemies of different shades, including our own leftists/appeasers. We just need a bit more patience and steadfastness. They can not win: we are a constructive force - they are only destructive. They can have small success here and there, but not in the long run. We are soft as long as the life is good. If they will make our life miserable, they will be the first to know.
First, let me say that you make an excellent argument and in many ways I agree with your overall position.
However, where I find a possible (let me repeat possible problem) is in your conclusion that the non-jihadi, non-wahhabi, non-salafist muslims don't share the dream of a world muslim caliphate. Regarding the sharing of muslim dreams by radical and moderate alike, we simply don't know where to draw the line (and my guess is that neither do the muslims).
Having posed that rhetorical question, I must say that I surely don't have the answers. And I don't think I am alone in that.
Just last week, Tony Blair spoke in the House of Commons of his frustration with the muslim community's failure to help in resolving the issues of assimilation (and he was roundly criticized by prominent muslims like Sir Iqbal Sacranie for his statements).
To come to a bottom line, I think what I am saying is that there is no clear consensus as to a solution or, even, to the nature of the problem. Will making muslim friends around the world help us resolve this problem with islam...or, in the end, is that an act of appeasement. Will (indeed, can) muslims ever take sides with non-muslims over muslims regarding matter of assimilation and tolerance and peaceful co-existence? I wish I knew.
Until we find out, we in the west will walk a fine line.
Islam has a problem and we have a problem with Islam. Jihadism (Islamo-fascism, Wahhabism, Salafism, or any other name for the radical "irreconcilable wing" of Islam) draws from within traditions of Islam, and Jihadists claim that they are the only good Muslims. It does not have to be so. There are billion plus Muslims in the world, and while 10% of radicals would make an enormous number, still bigger number of Muslims goes about their daily lives without being involved in Jihad against the West.
"Wahhabism is about as central to Islam as, shall we say, the Ku Klux Klan to Christianity. It originated in Najd, what is now part of Saudi Arabia, in the 18th century. It was a reaction to the general perception of that time that things were going wrong."
Dr Benard Lewis
We have a choice: to flatly state that ALL this billion is our enemy and nothing we can do but wipe them out starting with nuking the Mecca and Medina, or find a smarter way to deal with the problem, like killing out the Jihadists without killing out everybody else.
Thank you! In all these discussions, this is basically my point.