Primary 21st Century Ideological Struggle

The following paragraph from Pres. George W. Bush’s speech on 9/11/06 accurately declares that the world is faced with an ideological struggle against Islamo-fascism.

Since the horror of Nine-Eleven, we have learned a great deal about the enemy. We have learned that they are evil and kill without mercy – but not without purpose. We have learned that they form a global network of extremists who are driven by a perverted vision of Islam – a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent. And we have learned that their goal is to build a radical Islamic empire where women are prisoners in their homes, men are beaten for missing prayer meetings, and terrorists have a safe haven to plan and launch attacks on America and other civilized nations. The war against this enemy is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century, and the calling of our generation.

The natural extension of this statement is the question of what percentage of the billion plus Muslims subscribe to this “perverted vision of Islam.” That’s a hard question to answer since we are often told that the majority of Muslims are moderate and that they do not subscribe to the radical agenda of the Islamic fundamentalists. Some experts allege that approximately 10% of Muslims are fundamental and only 1% are radical fundamentalists.

Perhaps the question should not be framed in terms of moderate or fundamental, but rather in terms of behavior. We know that Muslims are capable of conducting public demonstrations when a subject matter meets with their displeasure. Muslims are forever demonstrating all over the world on all sorts of matters. A great example was the numerous demonstrations, some of which devolved into violence and death, over the cartoons depicting a characterization of the Prophet Mohammed.

So, looking at the issue from a behavior perspective, I am beginning to suspect that most Muslims either directly agree or tacitly agree with the worldwide agenda of subjecting non-believers to the rule of Sharia through methods of violence. Why is that? It’s because there is virtually no public condemnation by “moderate Muslims” and certainly no demonstrations in opposition to acts of Islamo-fascist terror. If that is the case, there maybe over one billion Muslims who sit-by, smile, and not raise a finger or a voice in opposition as the non-believers are slaughtered. In fact, I suspect that many intone “Allah Akbar” at each atrocity.