From the desk of Jackie:
In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings last week, we all sought answers to one crucial question: Why would anyone do this? Idiots like Chris Matthews and Michael Moore were quick to posit that the attack may have been the work of right-wing extremists or Tea Party members. Meanwhile, others, myself included, had the initial reaction that this malevolent act may have been yet another by radical jihadists, motivated by the principles of Islamic extremism, characterized by deep hatred of America. As it turned out, within a few days, authorities identified brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as the likely suspects of the attack. As law enforcement officials gathered and the media reported more and more details on the Tsarnaevs, it was revealed that the two were ethnic Chechens who practiced Islam. Surprise!
And, if there are any people who are entirely unfamiliar with jihadism or radical Islam (though they must be living in caves, if so), they could very easily have missed the fact that such extremism played a role in this most recent terrorist attack on U.S. soil. In his initial remarks following the bombings, President Obama declined to use the word “terrorism” at all. At this point in time, his word choice is somewhat excusable, considering that there were no identified suspects of the bombings or definitive evidence that jihad was involved. But, in a later speech by the President, after the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, he again refused to acknowledge that the attack was an act of Islamic extremism. Instead, Obama urged Americans not to “rush to judgment” about what may have motivated the Tsarnaevs. With these statements, Obama officially toed the line from being cautious to being (at best) ignorant and (at worst) deceptive. By the time the younger Tsarnaev was captured by authorities, there was more than sufficient evidence that the bombers were products of radical Islamic beliefs, including comments by their own mother that her elder son was dedicated to Islam.
This refusal to take on radical Islam head-on is nothing new in the Obama administration. After the Fort Hood shooting in late 2009, in which U.S. Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan killed thirteen people, the Obama administration repeatedly referred to the rampage as an act of “workplace violence.” This characterization flies in the face of the fact that Hasan was a devout Muslim who shouted “Allahu Akbar”– a phrase which means “God is great” in Arabic – prior to the shooting frenzy. Even more recently, in November of 2012, Obama made the bold statement that “Al Qaeda has been decimated.” This bald-faced lie came less than two months after the terrorist attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, (on the anniversary of 9/11) which resulted in the deaths of four Americans. It seems that Obama believes that, because Osama Bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki were killed during his presidency, there is no longer any threat to the U.S. from jihadists. If only that were the case.
Unfortunately, it is simply not true that Islamic terrorism is dead in this world. These aforementioned events are just a few examples of the fact that jihadism is alive and apparently well enough to effectuate two high profile attacks in the last several months. If we don’t acknowledge that there is a problem, then how are we supposed to effectively combat it? Many in this country, including high-ranking government officials, are so concerned with political correctness, that they are unwilling to take note of the established fact that there are Muslims who adhere to extreme beliefs which may lead to violence against the United States or other Western allies. This reticence is an outgrowth of not wanting to come across as “Islamophobic” or somehow prejudiced toward Muslims. I would imagine that any reasonable person is aware that not all Muslims are jihadists. But, at the same time, all jihadists are Muslims. It’s time for us to face facts. Would we rather go out of our way to make sure no one gets “offended,” or go out of our way to make sure no one gets killed?
Filed under: Current Events, J, Politics Tagged: 9/11, Act of Terror, Allahu Akbar, America, Anwar al-Awlaki, Army, Attack, Barack Obama, Benghazi, Bombing, Boston, Boston Marathon, Brothers, Cambridge, Chechen, Chechnya, Chris Matthews, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Extreme, Fort Hood, Islam, Jihad, Jihadism, Libya, Massachusetts, Michael Moore, motivation, Motive, Muslim, Nidal Malik Hasan, Offended, Osama Bin Laden, Political correctness, President, Radical, Right Wing, September 11, Shooting, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Tea Party, Terrorism, Terrorists, United States, Watertown
