Fighting Words, Not Prayer
Debra Burlingame, the brother of pilot Charles Burlingame of AA Flight 77 on September 11, reminds us all of the reality of the enemy we face in today's Wall Street Journal:
This captures the position of the anti-Jihadist coalition that is growing in the West. Yes, we believe in freedom of religion and liberty. But what the Jihadis are putting on display is neither: they are fighting words, expressions of racist and religious supremism and a fascist ideology, that should be confronted at every turn with defensive violence.
Teaching this crucial distinction to the average American, let alone the average Westerner, will be difficult. Professional and well-funded Jihadist organizations, like CAIR and the Muslim American Board, understand our religious traditions well and seek to present their everyday expressions of superiority into religious protected speech, the kind of speech our traditions require us to approach with tolerance and understanding.
We must have the courage to understand the deeper meaning of the veil, the message that is conveyed by organized, public Muslim "prayer."
This is not simple worship. This is a political ideology tied to a regligious world-view that is dangerous, violent and contrary to every basic American and Western value of any worth.
The so-called "Flying Imams" are a warning to us all. They are going to use our own traditions against us in an effort to label the anti-Jihadist forces "anti-American." Already, CAIR has the support of our own government and many, many state governments as well. We are losing this struggle before it has even been well and truly joined.
Wake up, America. Fire, fear, foes. Awake.
Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Those are the words that started it all. Six bearded imams are said to have shouted them out while offering evening prayers as they and 141 other passengers waited at the gate for their flight out of Minneapolis International Airport. It was three days before Thanksgiving. Allahu Akbar: God is great.
Initial media reports of the incident did not include the disturbing details about what happened after they boarded US Airways flight 300, but the story quickly went national with provocative headlines: "Six Muslims Ejected from US Air Flight for Praying." Yes, they were praying--but let's be clear about this. The very last human sound on the cockpit voice recorder of United flight 93 before it screamed into the ground at 580 miles per hour is the sound of male voices shouting "Allahu Akbar" in a moment of religious ecstasy.
This captures the position of the anti-Jihadist coalition that is growing in the West. Yes, we believe in freedom of religion and liberty. But what the Jihadis are putting on display is neither: they are fighting words, expressions of racist and religious supremism and a fascist ideology, that should be confronted at every turn with defensive violence.
Teaching this crucial distinction to the average American, let alone the average Westerner, will be difficult. Professional and well-funded Jihadist organizations, like CAIR and the Muslim American Board, understand our religious traditions well and seek to present their everyday expressions of superiority into religious protected speech, the kind of speech our traditions require us to approach with tolerance and understanding.
We must have the courage to understand the deeper meaning of the veil, the message that is conveyed by organized, public Muslim "prayer."
This is not simple worship. This is a political ideology tied to a regligious world-view that is dangerous, violent and contrary to every basic American and Western value of any worth.
The so-called "Flying Imams" are a warning to us all. They are going to use our own traditions against us in an effort to label the anti-Jihadist forces "anti-American." Already, CAIR has the support of our own government and many, many state governments as well. We are losing this struggle before it has even been well and truly joined.
Wake up, America. Fire, fear, foes. Awake.
