"We all have to grasp that terrorism is not the biggest threat we face. The biggest threat is the ideology that drives it." according to Melanie Phillips in her latest work of genius presented at Quadrant dinner in Sydney, Australia. Ms. Phillips knows what she is talking about.
It’s not enough to fight terror, vital though that is. The principal battleground is the world of ideas. The Islamists understand this. They understand that if they can hijack the human mind to the cause of hatred and lies, they have an army; and if they can further hijack the minds of their victims, they will win. They understand that psychological warfare – the fomenting of paranoia, resentment, hysteria and demoralisation — is their most effective weapon.But we haven’t even understood that this is where the real battleground is. The liberal west, which worships at the shrine of reason and makes such a fetish of the power of intellect, will not acknowledge that ideas can kill – and we flinch from what we would have to do to address this. As a result Britain, Europe, America and Israel have all left the battleground of ideas totally undefended, allowing the unhindered advance of falsehood and hatred. Worse still, our intelligentsia and media often act as an Islamists’ fifth column.
It is only if we act against the ideology that is spreading such falsehood and hatred, and stop its advance under the umbrella of minority rights, that we have any chance of defending the free world. That means – while showing respect to Muslims who derive only spiritual sustenance from their faith – resisting the Islamism which uses religion to attack western values, life and liberty, reasserting western values and resisting any attempt to subvert them. It also means facing down in public the lies spread about the west. Only if we stop deluding ourselves and take such action necessary for our survival will we stop sleepwalking to defeat. (Transcript at Melanie Phillips.com)
Hat tip to my friend Popovich at Tao of Defiance, "Melanie Phillips speaks at Quadrant dinner (Sydney, Australia)." Go read his original articles here.
Terrorism is in the news in all sorts of ways. Today there are many new articles dealing with terrorism insurance: "... terrorism insurance is important so that U.S. financial centers including New York City can continue to compete with international markets, ..." according to one article.
Also today we have another call for 'the inclination of the West and their media to stereotype terrorism with Islam to stop and be eliminated immediately to prevent a jaundiced perception by the world of the majority of Muslims who have never supported terrorism', according to this report. It seems Western leaders and media using terms 'such as "Islamic terrorists", "Islamic extremists" and "establishing an Islamic caliphate" hurt the feelings of peace-loving Muslims.
When moderate Muslims do speak out they are killed or jailed. Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman said on his blog, "Muslims revealed their true ugly face and appeared to all the world that they are full of brutality, barbarism and inhumanity." Soliman was convicted of "insulting Islam" and sentenced to 4 years in prison.
If Ms. Phillips is correct, and I believe she is, we in the West must do more than just attest or kill those who are plotting terror attacks. We need to go to the root of the problem. Mosques, Islamic schools, Islamic book stores, the internet, internet cafes, and on and on.
What WILL NOT help solve the problem are people like Nancy Pelosi who recently had a meeting with unnamed Muslims in a secretive meeting:
Pelosi and a handful of her least distinguished Democratic colleagues – Rep. John Dingell, D-MI, Rep. John Conyers, D-MI, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-NY, among others – met with unnamed "leaders of the Muslim American community" to discuss issues of mutual concern.According to the press releases issued by both Democrats and the secretive cell of unelected – perhaps even unindicted – leaders of the Muslim American community, the key concern for one and all was civil rights and the restoration of civil liberties.
They believe that civil liberties are most in need of restoration here in the U.S. – not in Dar al-Islam. [snip]
What does that mean?
It means, if Pelosi gets her way, airport screeners will think twice about searching a Muslim, an Arab, an Arab-American or anyone who might look like one of the above. Even a random search upon one of these members of a newly protected class could result in a lawsuit, a suspension, a firing or a fine. (Joseph Farah)