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Sadly, we are losing the War Against Militant Islam
Reader comment on item: Is terror winning the war?

Submitted by ibrodsky (United States), Sep 3, 2003 at 11:51

If "militant Islam remain no less of a threat than they were two years ago," what conclusion must we draw?

Unfortunately, I have concluded we are losing the War Against Militant islam.

Though the US has avoided any major attacks since 9/11/01, there have been some smaller attacks, such as the DC area sniper and attack on the El Al counter at LAX. Overseas, the frequency and brutality of terrorist attacks seems to have increased.

One of the most disturbing stories of how Islamism continues to advance is the canceling of a play called "Paradise" by the Cincinnati Playhouse. Basically, the generally pro-Palestinian play was cancelled because it portrayed terrorist mass murderers in a bad light. Several local Muslims insisted that Islamist terrorism is not unlike Patrick Henry's heroic battle cry, "Give me liberty or give me death!"

During his campaign, President Bush argued correctly that we must have clearly defined goals before we commit our armed forces to any conflict. Yet here we are, unable to say we are at war with Militant Islam, unwilling to say Arafat is The Father of Modern Terrorism, and unwilling to say that Abbas is Arafat's puppet.

When we avoid calling the enemy by its rightful name, we only fool ourselves, our military personnel, and our allies. Not calling the enemy by its rightful name is simply a new form of appeasement. It is based on the naive belief that if only we give the Islamist mass murderers an escape hatch they will use it. Instead, it has emboldened them to use Western principles to attack Western Civilization.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

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Reader comments (9) on this item

Title By Date
We are truely losing [505 words]Adnan KhanDec 24, 2003 00:08
Munich and Klinghoffer- Response to ibrodsky [76 words]Michael CohenSep 5, 2003 10:28
⇒ Sadly, we are losing the War Against Militant Islam [262 words]ibrodskySep 3, 2003 11:51
War gainst militant islam [130 words]A.ASep 2, 2003 17:45
The Sleep of Ignorance [104 words]michael cohen (thebassguy)Sep 2, 2003 14:05
What Will Bring Full Wakefulness? [160 words]Robert ArsenaultSep 1, 2003 02:15
Only another mega-crisis will awaken the peaceniks [125 words]SudhirAug 31, 2003 23:16
Terror is winning the hearts of the Media [358 words]Is terror winning the War?Aug 31, 2003 18:56
Renaming of "war against terror" [189 words]GeneAug 31, 2003 16:59

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

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