Know Thine Enemy
Reader comment on item: War against Radical Islamists

Submitted by Robert Arsenault (United States), Jun 19, 2002 at 19:33

In times such as these, we must keep our eyes on the subtleties as well as on the more obvious elements of current events. This is why it must be stated, as often as becomes necessary when presented with comments like those of Fawaz Gerges, that Muslims have made themselves the enemy of America, and not the other way around. As long as common Muslims sympathize with the beliefs that America is to blame for their shortcomings and Islam must fulfill its destiny to encompass the entire world politically, the common Muslim is inarguably the enemy of America. This rings especially true when it is taken into account that more than a few well-to-do Muslims support violent acts from the comfort of their (to all outward appearances) respectably non-violent lives.
The question becomes, "is it in our interest to ignore the true identity of our enemy in the interest of political correctness at the risk of our safety?" If there exist truly moderate Muslims troubled by the perception of Islam being synonymous with terrorism, they need to realize the problem can only be solved internally. American perception isn't inaccurate; the towers fell, and the body count that began 20 some years ago continues to grow.

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