2.07.2006 | War on terror?

One of the worst formulations of the Bush administration is that we are in some "global war on terror," GWOT in the acro-speak that bureaucrats often use to avoid speaking the bald truth.

Well, it is certainly true that we are against all forms of terrorism, whether committed by home-grown anti-government morons (e.g. the Oklahoma City bombing) or the now more usual kind committed by Arabs and Muslims. No, not all Muslims are terrorists. Just that most terrorists these days happen to be Muslims.

Some otherwise sharp observers of today's world, like Joe Carter over at Evangelical Outpost, have fallen into the acro-speak trap. That is, the trap of assuming that we are, somehow, at war with "terrorism." For example, in a recent post, Joe wrote "The West is at war with terrorism, not with Islam."

Joe Carter is hardly alone. It is politically incorrect, in extremis, to state what should be obvious: we are at war with Islam. Or, more accurately, Islam is at war with us. Since its founding by the Man with the Sword, Mohammed (peace be upon him indeed, the bloody murderer), Islam has expanded at the point of the sword, unrelentingly, stopped only by force of arms.

The problem for today's West is that we've short memories. Since the last Islamic waves of conquests were defeated half a millenium ago,* we've tended to forget that Islam hasn't. Islam has its peaceful adherents, to be certain. Just as Christianity has its men of violence. The problem with this is that both peaceful Muslims and warlike Christians are at odds with their respective foundations.

Christianity was born in the peace of Jesus' ultimate sacrifice for a sinful people, a sacrifice undertaken without resistance. In contrast, Islam was born in war, and has practiced war without relenting since its founding. It is only because it has failed to keep up with the West militarily that it has not conquered us. Not for lack of will.

We are at war with Islam. The sooner we accept this, internalize it, and act on it, the sooner we will be able to deal rationally with Muslims. Until we do, while we pretend we are, somehow, and illogically, at war with a tactic, terrorism, we are bound to fail.

Think about our war with the Nazis. an analog might be that we declared ourselves to be "at war with blitzkrieg." This formulation would have been just as meanlingless as a "war on terror." We are at war with those who would subjugate us under Islam, not just with the methods they use. Terror is but one of their methods. Others are immigration and demographic immolation in Europe.

Let us be clear, and, as we must, fight Islam with ideas, with economics, with the sword when needed. Always with love, but also with the unfailing protection of those who do not wish to place their necks under the harsh and violent religion that is Islam.

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* Two normitive dates are 1529 when the Ottomans were held at the 1529 Siege of Vienna, and the 1492 reconquest of Andalusia, when Ferdinand and Isabella finally, after many centuries, expelled the Moors.

| technorati tag | Islam|