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Call the Terrorists What They Are
Consider the virulent hatred for Jews manifested in a statement made by James Cromitie, ringleader of the New York plot uncovered today. After lamenting that the "best target"—the World Trade Center—was no longer available, Cromitie spoke of killing Jews, "I hate those motherfuckers, those fucking Jewish bastards... I would like to [destroy] a synagogue." As the plot developed and the jihadists actually photographed synagogues and Jewish centers in doing surveillance before carrying out an attack, the official FBI complaint released last night stated that "Cromitie pointed to people walking on the street in the vicinity of a Jewish Community Center and said if he had a gun, he would shoot each one in the head." But Jews were not the only target. The would-be terrorists wanted to destroy American aircraft at a military base using shoulder-fired missiles. According to the FBI document, would-be terrorist Onta Williams stated, "[the U.S. military] are killing brothers and sisters in Muslim countries so if we kill them [in the U.S.] with IEDs and Stingers, it is equal."
To specifically deny the existence of radical Islam or to refrain from using that term to describe the common denominator motivating these groups to carry out violence—they have a presence in more than 90 countries—is to deny the existence of a force bent on destroying us and our allies. Were we afraid to name German Nazis, or Italian fascists or Soviet communists as the enemy? Were we afraid to label white racists, Aryan Nations, and the Christian Identity Movement for who they were for fear of stigmatizing other Christians who were not members? If we cannot name the enemy as radical Islam, we have no chance of winning the war no matter how many outstretched hands and mea culpas the president delivers before Muslim audiences.
Obviously the president does think there are Islamic enemies who would destroy us, otherwise why would he have increased military operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan—where, it must be said, the Taliban has deliberately enmeshed themselves with the civilians with the explicit intent of trying to elicit U.S. bombs, knowing they would have to hit civilians.
So in the end, we ought not be surprised by the continued radical ideology that continues to fester under the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood or the Wahhabis. What is surprising is that we have consistently refused to learn from our 30 years of experience that these jihadists need to be fully identified and condemned as radical Muslims. And we have to recognize that the radical Muslim leadership—the same ones who falsely claim we are carrying out a war against Islam itself—has consistently protected the jihadists. Unless we are willing to name our enemies by name—Islamic militants—we will never win the war over the bad guys and never empower the true moderates to courageously stand up. President Obama, I hope you are listening.
Xtra Insight: Steve Emerson: Stop Protecting the Jihadists
Steve Emerson is executive director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism and author of five books on terrorism. His most recent book is Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the U.S.
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Steve Emerson is Executive Director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism and author of 5 books and countless articles on terrorism. His most recent book is Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the U.S.
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Steve Emerson is Executive Director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism and author of 5 books and countless articles on terrorism. His most recent book is Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the U.S.
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Steve Emerson is Executive Director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism and author of 5 books and countless articles on terrorism. His most recent book is Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the U.S.
muddog
Mr Emerson.
Calling someone a name does not win any war on "Terror".
Axis of Evil, War on Terror, with us or against us, etc.
If you are concerned about terrorisim you might write an article as to WHY there are so many Terrorists. Might it be our horrible track reccord the last 30 years in the middle east?. Maybe attacking Iraq when they had NOTHING to do with 911 and had no WMD?. 100,000 dead Arabs might piss a few people off.
Might it be the one sided support for Isreal and not so much for Palestine? ( I dont take any sides of this conflict so please save the poor Isreal rhetoric ).
Obama has spoken out against radical Islam, he is just not going to pander to the right a simply start name calling. Bush did just that and look where it got us.
Puffing out your chest a calling people names might be good speaking @ the Heritage Foundation but is does little to solve the real issues @ hand.
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muddog
Apologists?. WTF Over?.
So let me get this straight, if you are not part of the "Axis Of Evil" crowd you are an apologist?.
These bafoons could not have held up a MacDonalds let alone blown something up... Please spare us the BS.
This is just more BS to keep the public scared.
We keep pissing off the Arab world and they keep kicking back.
scough
How is it possible that fatty McCain has 899 comments on her article, and this article has eight? She must be begging everyone on her Twitter list to make a comment.
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irfsol
They are what they are. Well, they also happen to be black. Should we call them "negroid terrorists"? Apparently they all hold American passports. Should we call them "American terrorists"?
Their primary motivation was apparently to make a point about Afghanistan. Is there something inherently "Islamic" about being critical of the Afghan war?
rob-in-katy
Uh, this started a little more than 30 years ago... and that is the real issue.
1.1 Byzantine-Arab Wars: 634-750
1.2 Conquest of Persia: 633-651
1.3 Conquest of Transoxiana: 662-709
1.4 Conquest of Sindh: 664-712
1.5 Conquest of Hispania: 711-718
1.6 Conquest of the Caucasus: 711-750
1.7 End of the Umayyad conquests: 718-750
1.8 Conquest of Nubia: 700-1606
1.9 Incursions into Southern Italy: 831-902
1.10 Conquest of Anatolia: 1060-1360
1.11 Byzantine-Ottoman Wars: 1299-1453
1.12 Further conquests: 1200-1800
1.13 Decline and collapse: 1800-1924
carmenmerc
muddog,
Yes, there were WMD and we supplied the planes to transport them out of Iraq before we went in.
President Bush knew about it and did the right thing!
Read the book of Georgio Sada: The secrets of Saddam Hussein. Maybe you will understand then.
fnord73
Sir, this approach to the problem of terrorism is stupid. By branding the terrorists, or "erhabi" in arabic, islamic you give away your IO points. They can don the jihadicloak when you connect them to their religion. They are criminals, pure and simple. Also, your lumping together Hezbollah and Hamas (who are both nationalistic localy oriented groups) with Al Quaeda (who is a internationalist terrorist organization) shows that you do not understand the true danger of Al Quaeda. Hamas and Hezbollah are rational actors with a government reponsibility, who despite their rhetoric are not suicidal by nature. Al Quaeda represents a whole different ideological faction, wich is based on the glory of dying and can best be compared to the Ishmaili groups of the 12th century.
Yes, the enemy we face are radical islamists, more specificaly takfiris. But not all radical islamists are takfiri, or necessarily the enemy. Do not fall into the trap of Jihad Watch and other "anti-jihad" groups and lump them all together. At the current point in time, we have a real possibility to defuse the ticking bomb of a civilization-war. If Israel has to eat some crow and loose some points for that to happen, it is still worth the price.
Jwayne54
Labels aside, ISLAMIC terrorism is basically a default. Every time someone shouts Allahu Akbar, a bomb does not go off, but every time a bomb goes off, someone has just shouted Allahu Akbar.
SANTABARBARA
Wow! Timothy McVeigh and the Unibomber were Islamic terrorists? Who knew?
Josh-Narins
The #1 suicide bombers in the history of the world, the investors of the exploding vest, were the Hindus in Sri Lanka known as the Tamil Tigers.
GMCaesar
Are you really insisting that we dignify those boneheads with a label like "Islamic Terrorists"? That's like calling the Three Stooges a Radical Anarchist Syndicate.
Let's not make a mountain out of this molehill.
ColonelNeville
Dear silly, immature, wilfully mass deluded, intellectually lazy, sub-par and uber-disingenous twerp: Thanks for verifying that the left[gotta be!] and Islam equals criminal logical fallacy and cognitive dissonance on Pavlovian auto pilot. Bravo and five stars. Excellent Marxist product sodden junk and mass indoctrination cred. Many a terrorist cell is a group of misfit creeps and clods.. UNTIL THEY SUCCEED.
Does cultural and security suicide register in your dim fatuous mind? Which part of the 1300 year long asymmetrical jihad do you not comprehend? Which part of "kill the infidel/kuffar/Jew/Christian/Buddhist/Hindu/Taoist/Secular etc, do you not understand? Which part of the Himalaya of harsh facts is proof that you and your stupid juvenile spineless denial is on track? Toodle ooh.
You are here, bub: zombietime com drsanityblogspotcom dissectleftblogspotcom thepeoplescubecom jihadwatchorg roadsassycom thereligionofpeacecom theprophetofdoomnet faithfreedomorg memritvorg nctcgov brusselsjournal shoebatcom stophonourkillingscom Lights Out Mark Steyn. While Europe Slept Bruce Bawer. Stealth Jihad & The Politically Incorrect Guide 2 Mo Islam theKoran & Crusades Robert Spencer. Brigitte Gabriel Why They Hate. [Left] Liberal Fascism Jonah Goldberg Death Of The Grown-Up Diana West etc. WWVl Norman Podhoretz. Al Qaeda Reader R.Ibrahim etc. Colonel Robert Neville blogspot com. Melbourne Australia.
GMCaesar
Oh, and surely your "countless articles on terrorism" could be counted, don't you think? Or are they as blades of grass, or grains of sand, just like the Islamic Terrorists lurking behind every bush?
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emPulse
So some more two-bit dipsh!ts are fueled and led by the FBI.. again. These guys were NOT anymore a danger than the gangs (and I think less so) that run ruffshot over our major cities.. and NONE of you seem to give a rats ass about that.
These boobs could NOT have pulled anything off. A 13yr old boy could build a bomb. Oddly these dummies couldn't. It took the FBI leading them to everything they supposedly needed. I am not saying they aren't dangerous, but this looks more like entrapment than anything of substance.
But you right wing twits will continue to jones for some more fear. You need it, like crack. Otherwise you have no purpose.
Betty7
The problem is, though, that Americans have inextricably linked Islam with terrorism. You might say that we have never given the impression that we are at war with Islam, but I would say you haven't talked to many "ordinary" Americans. I am a college student at a good state school in the Midwest and I have heard in my political science classes on many occasions a student say something like "I know it seems bad to profile them, but we have to admit that almost all terrorists are Muslim." What? No, they are not. What do they call FARC? Or Timothy McVeigh? Americans already have the impression that Islam is tied to violence -- and the author of this article seems to be little different, stating that Muslim communities are often complicit in terrorist support which is a very serious accusation not based in truth.
Granite
If the FBI informant hadn't helped them get deactivated bombs they would most likely still be sitting around trying to outdo each other as to who hates Jews more.
These guys aren't Islamic terrorists, they are moronic, incompetent, bumbling fools who fantasied about being terrorists.
logicwhore
a bunch of disgruntled dudes go to a mosque and an FBI mole talks them into some bogus plot selling them fake weapons? come on ...... this is supposed to get the American people amped up for some action....cut the shit.
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GMCaesar
Hm, given the fine guidance that led us into financial crisis, the credibility of "foremost experts" doesn't cut much mustard with us "morons" these days. Especially one with such a clear agenda. Sorry, I'm not saying it's so, but I hope that Mr. Emerson is not promoting this event to drum up more need for his expert services.
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jacque6
Mr. Emerson:
the motivations for terrorist attacks are not fundamentally a part of islam they are:
1) criminal
2) political
3) irrational
judging by your article your are
1) racist bigot: as demonstrated by your desire to link islam with violence
2) cowardly: exploiting a common misunderstanding because your are in a position to do.
3) ignorant: hatred of jews is not a part of islam; just as hatred a of muslims is not a part of judaism yet they both happen. it's political. in fact, certain passages in the koran state that jews and christians should be respected as people of the book.
seriously, take some responsibility.
jacque6
Mr Emerson:
I have to disagree. On the contrary, I think that the classification of such acts must strip them down to their core cause: extremism. Extremism is a generalizable human phenomenon. Just as there are extremist Muslims, there are extremist Christians and Jews. Just as some Muslims hate Jews, many Jews hate Muslims. Hatred is not a part of either religion. Historically, Muslims and Jews have worked together. Recall that Muslims gave Jews a sanctuary in Spain in middle ages. If you want to get down to the fundamentals, the Koran tells muslims to embrace Jews and Christian as "People of the Book." In fact, the Koran, like the Old Testament, calls Jews the "chosen" people. In short, the acts of extremist terrorists are not in line with a religious doctrine. So, rather than qualifying any particular act with some adjective that is more likely to foster greater misunderstanding than to bring any sort of constructive solution, why don't we just reduce all the people who do violence in the name of any belief "extremist terrorists."
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VALady
It is amazing how quickly the clueless congregate. Of course, leftists aren't hindered by jobs and other requirements that the productive recognize, so they can spend their afternoons emailing their equally ignorant friends to post illogical hysteria in response to solid arguments and reason. Never mind that not one member of this brain trust has ever cracked open a Koran or studied Islamic history--they all know better than one of the world's foremost experts on Islam. In fact, they have expertise on every subject known to man, by virtue of the fact that thinking so makes them feel good.
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