Terror War: The Peril of Ignorance
by Christopher G. Adamo
In consideration of Russia’s past efforts to undermine the United States in its war on terror, it might seem reasonable to expect the dark forces of militant Islam to have spared it from its list of enemies. But in retrospect, such de facto assistance of the Islamist enemies of America was essentially a contributing factor to the horror of the Breslan school massacre last week.
Despite the disingenuous platitudes of “political correctness” and other efforts at appeasement, offered in vain hope of portraying the actions of Islamists as anything other than the opening volleys of a religious war, that reality remains unchanged. And those who contend otherwise imperil not only themselves, but their countrymen as well. Now Russia knows it is no exception.
Against the horrific backdrop of 9-11, relatively little discussion occurred in regards to the jubilant celebrations occurring among Palestinians on the streets of Gaza. But those celebrations took place nonetheless. Nor were they isolated or orchestrated events, but instead the spontaneous and widespread outpouring of emotion in response to tremendous death and destruction inflicted by their brethren on the “Great Satan” of America.
Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat, fearing the negative publicity of those incidents, sought to publicly express “sympathy” towards the Americans. But others were not so able to contain their own conviction that a divine “justice” had been served against the Americans.
Throughout the Islamic world, reaction to the wanton slaughter of innocent Breslan schoolchildren and their families varies between mild and insipid expressions of disapproval and thinly veiled suggestions that, like the Americans, they “had it coming.” Certainly none of the protests have been comparable to the resulting anger and disapproval that would follow any middle-eastern airline passenger who complains of being subjected to heightened scrutiny prior to boarding.
In this country as well, every effort has been made ever since the September attacks of 2001, to ensure that the terror war is never perceived to be “religious” in nature. President Bush, in between annual celebrations of Ramadan in the White House, monotonously repeats the mantra of Islam as a “peaceful religion.”
Yet for all of the efforts by the west to create the impression that Al Qaeda and its various affiliates in the worldwide terror network are isolated and renegade in nature, much of the Islamic world openly criticizes the West, while expressing sympathy and even concurrence with the terrorists and their cause.
Certainly Russia, being among the most prominent critics of the United States over its prosecution of the war in Iraq, might thus be perceived by lurking terror cells as an ally, or at least an unwitting pawn. Yet such assistance to the terrorist cause did nothing to insulate the Russians from the wrath of militant Islam as a result of the Chechen situation.
It was not enough to merely stifle American efforts to unseat a major player among international terrorist circles. What the Islamists require is total submission to the tenets of their faith. Anything less constitutes an affront to their doctrine, and thus is regarded as a threat.
France , another pawn of Muslims who hate the West, is finding out for itself just how impossible it is to accommodate such people. While doing everything possible to undermine American efforts in Iraq, some of its own citizens were taken hostage, and threatened with brutal execution, unless French schools change their dress codes to allow traditional Muslim attire. Thus, a nation’s internal policy is becoming increasingly subject to the wishes of Islamic militants.
Since 9-11, terror attacks have occurred throughout the world on a horrendous scale. From Indonesia to Spain to Russia, the entirety of civilization is feeling the gripping shock and horror of sudden mass slaughter, perpetrated on such a random basis, and in such a variety of manners, that no one, anywhere can feel secure. Thus the terrorists, and those cultures from which they are spawned, have declared war on the rest of the world.
In response, the civilized peoples of the world must assess the situation as it really is, and wage war against them with the understanding that no latitude exists for “peaceful resolution” of the conflict. Perpetrators of such barbarism must be rooted out and destroyed, along with every entity found to be in support of them. Anything less will convince them of the eventuality of their victory, while enabling them to regroup and strike again at the time and place of their own choosing.
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