The Threat of Radical Islam

To many people, September 11th was a rude awaking about the world we live in. Up to this point, most of America was living in peace with very little worries. The threat of terrorism had not touched American soil this forcefully yet. Many people in America had been unaware of the threat of terrorism and the people who are behind it. The most dominant group of people involved in terrorist acts today is obviously Islamic fundamentalists. Radical Islam is the biggest threat to the United States and needs to be addressed before it is too late. The part of September 11th that is most scary is that some Americans are beginning to forget it. We need to recognize the people behind these attacks and realize that they aren't going to disappear. The part about the threat of Radical Islam that makes it different and more difficult than past international problems is how they are spread out. There is obviously very large numbers of fundamentalists in the Middle East; however, there are known and suspected terrorists in countries all over the world. September 11th was not a random act of hate, but rather a planned and desired attack for many fundamentalists around the world. The fundamentalists behind this attack can not be taken lightly. We must first look at the roots of the Islamic beliefs in order to understand their passion with killing "infidels."

Many practicing Muslims are completely peaceful people who are of no threat to society. We can not single out an entire religion because of a threat that exists in one division of it. Let's start with the definition of the word "Islam." The word Islam actually means submission. This refers to submission by giving up oneself completely in serving for Allah. How certain Muslims interpret the definition of Islam and the readings of Quran is where this religion turns violent. One of the most important prophets to Islam was Mohammed. Mohammed was a known warrior. He led at least 50 raids in Saudi Arabia and was involved in fighting and killing in 27 of them. How can this religion claim to be based on peace when their most important prophet was a warrior and murderer? Mohammed also leaves us with some disturbing quotes in the most holy book to the Islamic religion, the Quran.

"Oh ye that believe, take not Christians and Jews as your friends and protectors. Fight with them until there is no more persecution. Religion should only be for Allah."

"The last hour will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims kill them."

"Kill those who join other gods wherever you may find them."

How can this religion claim to be peaceful, when the core of its writings influence killing of all non Islamic people?
Jihad refers to a religious war with those who are unbelievers or "infidels" in the mission of the Prophet Muhammad. When Islamic terrorist groups attack other countries or other groups of people they refer to it as a jihad, and Radical Muslims view it as a Holy War (Warraq). This is what makes the Radical Muslims much more dangerous than any other threat in history. These people believe that they are dying for a just cause, and that they are right. They don't view blowing up the World Trade Center as the slaughter of innocent civilians. They see this as an opportunity to "sacrifice all for Allah". They believe that the "Western Culture" is evil, and that they must eliminate us all for Allah. They believe that this is most honorable way for you to die. The Quran also states that you will meet Seventy Two Virgins in heaven if you are killed in the "Holy War against infidels." Unlike other religious texts, the Quran is making it clear that this "struggle" is not a moral struggle (Warraq). This struggle is a violent one in which killing is real. There is no symbolism being used in this text, it is as blatant as you can be.

It is hard to believe that so many people can fall into this extreme belief. The key to keeping the radical groups alive for the fundamentalists is brainwashing their children. They make these children believe that all Western influences are evil, and perhaps their biggest influence is their feelings on Jewish people. Islamic children are being taught that Jewish people are born from monkeys and pigs, and that their duty is to kill all Jews. They believe that it is a command from Allah to kill all Jews and this puts Israel, which is a Jewish country surrounded completely by Islamic countries, in a bad situation.

"But there are so many other Fundamentalist groups in the world, why single out the Islamic ones?" It is a quite obvious that no other group is having such a negative effect on the world. In the past Christian extremists had done horrible damage but as far as the 20th and 21st century goes, no other religious group has caused this much of a global disturbance. With an estimate of 250-300 million people believing in these extremists views, we have a very serious situation (Robertson).

There are some extremely scary comparisons you can make between Radical Islam and Nazi Germany, and the film "Obsession: The Threat of Radical Islam" proves them to be worth realizing. The first and most obvious comparison is the extreme hate for Jewish people. The fundamentalist believe that they're going to finish what Hitler started. Another striking comparison between Nazi Germany and Radical Islam is the amount of appeasement they both received. Nazi Germany slowly took over Europe while the rest of the world turned its shoulder and prayed Germany wouldn't come near them. England believed giving Hitler the Sudetenland would please him enough to stop conquering the rest of Europe. Doesn't that bear an extremely sharp resemblance to Palestine (an Islamic country) steadily conquering the Gaza Strip? What makes people think that they're going to stop there? It may seem impossible to some but if these fundamentalist countries get nuclear weapons, which some have already, the results can be horrific. England was cornered in Europe with nowhere to run from fascist Germany, quite similar to Israel on constant defense from fundamentalism. The propaganda used in Islamic countries against Jews is literally exact copies of some Nazi Germany anti-Jew propaganda. America should not make the same mistake that we made before World War II by ignoring a threat that seems far away. Maybe Iraq is not the right course of action, but we obviously need to start somewhere in the Middle East.

The talk of the war in Iraq and suicide bombers may seem like it's nowhere near our homeland, and therefore not going to affect you. However, the extremists who are blowing up cars and beheading "non-believers" have the same mindset as the extremists who operate in our own country. One group that is known to have terrorist affiliations is the American Muslim Council (Waller). The president of the American Muslim Council had been on the top 10 for the FBI's most wanted list two times (Waller). This group claims it will help the U.S. in counter terrorism, but then has been caught sneaking information to Al-Qaeda. These kinds of groups are actually taking advantage of the freedom of speech in America, and using it against us. Islamic groups constantly speak out against fundamentalist protestors but we can't do anything about it due to freedom of speech (Emerson). An Islamic school outside of Washington D.C. uses textbooks that teach 11th graders that" The day of judgment won't come…….until Jesus comes down and converts everyone to Islam and starts attacking the Jews." In our own country, those words were taught. Even though it was in a private school, it shows that the Islamic religion can be just as violent and treacherous on American soil as it is in the Middle East. There have been approximately 6,750 killings in the name of Islam since September 11th. The mainstream media tends to only display those that are affiliated with the United States. There have been attacks in London, Russia, and Madrid since September 11th. These are all separate areas but its all one united attack. This is a unified effort from Islam against all Western Culture. Islamic Terrorism is extremely far from a new threat in the world. It is now, however, a threat to the United States too. The entire world has been suffering Islamic terrorist attacks since the 600's. It has finally touched American soil strongly, so how are we, the people, going to react? If you believe that September 11th was the beginning to a long battle against Islamic terrorism, then you are right. Odds are that the United States will be attacked again. There are steps we can take to prevent this. We must increase security, unlimited phone tapping abilities for FBI and CIA, internet surveillance, airport security tightened, and borders and immigration laws tightened much more. Civilian rights may be limited but it is a time of great danger. If you don't believe it is then you're in for another rude awaking when we are attacked again.

This generation of American people needs to sacrifice for once in our lives. This generation is without a doubt the most spoiled group that has ever lived in the country. Every other generation has dealt with an international or domestic problem of importance while this generation is trying to push off terrorism like it's nothing. As of October 2006 the unemployment rate was only at 4.4%, an extremely good percentage and the economy has hit record highs. The United States contributes only 20% of pollution in the world, but some people feel those factors are more important than the current threat of terrorism which has taken the lives of so many. Americans need to realize that 6,750 people killed in the name of a religion over the past five years is eventually going to catch up to us again. It's sad to say that the only way America may wake up is if we are attacked again.

Sources
Emerson, Steven. "Radical Islamic Fundamentalists Pose a Serious Threat."
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. 19 November 2006 (Emerson)
Robertson, Pat. "Islam Is Not a Peaceful Religion"
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. 19 November 2006 (Robertson)
Waller, Michael J." Some American Muslim Organizations Support Terrorist Groups"
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. 19 November 2006 (Waller)
Warraq, Ibn "Islam Encourages Terrorism"
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. 19 November 2006 (Warraq)
Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West (Film)
Director, Editor, Co-Writer: Wayne Kopping
Producer, Co-Writer: Raphael Shore