Moderate Islam Defined

In our search for moderate Islam, we are frequently disappointed. Every time there is a terrorist attack, we wait and hope in vain for influential, moderate, rational Muslims to stand up, speak up, denounce and cast out those who pervert the “peaceful religion of Islam.” But it never happens. Oh to be sure, we hear some token efforts, limited and frankly, quite ineffectual. Most of these go something like this: “We condemn the deaths of innocent civilians…, BUT!…” Unfortunately the “but” is the important thing. It always contains a condemnation of Israel and its efforts to defend itself against terrorism, or of the US efforts in Iraq, etc. This poisoned “but” kills any effect of the challenge to radical Islam by the so-called moderates. It cancels out any good results their disapprobation may have had. And that seems to be the desired effect, sad to say. Even the most moderate Muslim seems to be unwilling, or unable to frankly condemn and reject the terrorists without qualification. And that is a shame because unless, and until “moderates” learn to expel these killers from their midst, the war against terrorism will never end. Maybe they are just deathly afraid for their own lives if they were to really speak out. The Islamofacists would come to their home in the middle of the night and kill them and their whole family for slandering "Islam."

In her excellent piece on Moderate Muslims, Yashiko Sagamori points out that trying to find a “Moderate Muslim” is harder than finding a cure for cancer: "The moderate Muslim, along with the Big Foot, the unicorn, the Loch Ness monster, remains more elusive than a cure for cancer: there is at least a theoretical possibility that a cure for cancer can be found one day, unless of course Islam takes over and drags us all down into its own endless Dark Ages."

Why should this be important to us? The most frightening aspect of our current unconventional war against Islamofacists, is the seemingly impossible task of defining and finding our enemy. America has always been good at defeating any “organized army” we have ever come up against. We can lick ‘em every time in a flat out traditional fight. Our army is better trained and equipped. The enemy doesn't stand a chance in a regular battle. Where we get into trouble is when our foes don’t have the normal goals and asperations of a traditional enemy. Even the most hardened Nazi wanted to preserve his own life and that of his family and comrades. Once defeated in battle, they were willing to negociate. The Islamic Terrorists are different. They are motivated by an irrational belief in paradise and are willing and anxious to go there. And they don’t care a fig if it costs the life of their family either. They care nothing for life and do not fear death. After defeat, they will fight on, --albeit from behind the skirts of their women and children. Glenn Beck made that clear on his radio program today when he interviewed the producer of the movie Obsession, Radical Islam’s War Against the West. According to Glenn, this movie should be required viewing by all Americans who wish to preserve our way of life.

If we fail to take this threat seriously, we will all have to learn to live under Radical Islam. There is no choice… no room to negociate… no getting out of it... The fact is, any Radical Muslim who refuses to dennounce terrorism and mayhem will have to be killed. It is that stark. It is that simple. It is that important.