Half of what he says is still through the jaundiced eye of libralism but at least he see's the threat that surrounds us....
The wrong voices are leading the jihadists to victory
By JACK TYMANN, Special to the Daily News
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Every day, in 60,000 Wahabi schools, millions of children hear voices of hate and intolerance. Many wipe their shoes on American and Israeli flags at the entrances. Inside, they learn that jihad, holy war against nonbelievers, is an obligation of every Muslim.
Every eight minutes, a new mosque opens somewhere. Inside, Muslims hear fanatical voices calling Allah the only true God and Muhammad his messenger, declaring that Jews and Christians worship false gods and claiming that Allah has ordered that these infidels be eliminated. All then face Mecca and pray that Sharia Law be imposed worldwide.
In Western schools, children make no mention of their creator. America, once “one nation, under God,” yields to the ACLU, while U.S. churches and synagogues are more empty every weekend. In Western universities, Islamic studies flourish, while some professors condemn their own leaders as terrorists and others declare the Bush administration implicit in 9/11.
Meanwhile, jihadists’ voices are overheard chuckling in their caves, as they become increasingly confident of ultimate victory.
Iran’s president blatantly foretells the destruction of Israel and America, as he chairs a conference denying the Holocaust.
Hamas and Hezbollah leaders inspire thousands of voices to shout “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” and demand that Jews be brought to the marketplace for slaughter.
On thousands of jihadist Web sites and Al-Jazeera TV, countless millions hear the vile voice of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who hides in caves, preparing audiotapes. Muslims also hear voices of U.S. senators and Hollywood personalities, calling President Bush a liar, equating him to Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Pol Pot, and accusing Americans of torturing Muslim prisoners.
These same prisoners demand that their toilets be reoriented to face Mecca while they pray for their captors’ deaths. Their voices result in millions of dollars spent on new commodes, Qurans, special food and prayer rugs.
In U.S. prisons, felons hear voices from the Quran and serve as loyal Muslims once released.
On Western city streets, Muslim extremists cry “death” to their own nations, exercising free-speech rights secured by the blood of fallen soldiers. Other protesters call for the U.S. to leave Iraq, the ultimate goal of every American. No voice is raised for Mideast peace, for all know that our withdrawal will make Darfur, by comparison, seem like a health spa.
Throughout the Western and Muslim worlds, there is deafening silence from those believing jihad must be defeated. By their silence, they are rendered irrelevant.
Jihadists again take delight, envisioning a far-reaching Taliban nation, with the Caliphate resurrected, this time in “Babylon,” with access to weapons of mass destruction, oil, millions of new recruits and all European cities.
Back in America, millions hear negative voices on cable TV, talk radio and via e-mails. They hear senseless, divisive conservatives bashing liberals and vice-versa, and politicians launching venomous assaults against their opponents.
All this counterproductive discourse, broadcast globally, deepens the chasm dividing America, while diverting attention from the real enemy.
How can we preach tolerance globally when we don’t even tolerate each other at home?
It’s long overdue for the silent majority to raise their voices and demand civil discourse on the unprecedented threat of jihad. We cannot even begin to effectively debate ways forward until we first agree on the deadly seriousness of this scourge.
We will never agree on the Iraq war or its part in the struggle. But for the time being, let’s stop being 100 percent consumed by past mistakes. Let’s end the internal investigations and second-guessing and instead unite and focus on today’s problems and tomorrow’s goals.
Let’s agree that global jihad is real, that our oil dependence exacerbates that threat, that jihadist access through our borders is a ticking time bomb and that voices of hate in Muslim schools, mosques and Web sites are at the core of a very long-term challenge.
Instead of racing to instant solutions, let’s first seek and agree on macro, common goals such as a viable energy plan, removing jihadists from our soil and using every conceivable technology to effect more tolerant messaging, leadership and teachings for Muslims worldwide — ultimately sending jihad into the dustbin of history.
These challenges and goals are neither Republican nor Democratic; they are American. Agreement on solutions will be difficult, but possible in a united United States. But first we must stop expecting quick fixes, even before we agree on threat and objectives. Seeking instant Band-Aids for complex generational challenges, without agreed-to common goals, is doomed to failure.
Let’s pray that bold, informed leadership will soon emerge to unite America and the world behind such common goals.
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Jack Tymann, as president of Westinghouse International, led business development in 75 nations, including most Muslim countries. He later founded Homeland Security Partners, focused on counterterrorism technologies.
He served on and chaired the Clinton-Mubarak Presidents’ Council for the Middle East. Today, he serves on the board of AMIDEAST, a Washington-based nonprofit for mutual understanding between Americans and the Arab world through education.
He has founded Voices Against Jihad in Naples; the e-mail address is No2jihad@aol.com.
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