War On Terror Now War On Islam

By Special to the Times-Union
Originally created 11-16-07
Last modified 11/16/2007 - 7:04 am
JacksonVille

Given their divergent views from abortion to same-sex unions, Christian televangelist Pat Robertson's endorsement of Republican Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani makes them an odd couple.

Their alliance is the result of a convergence of their interest in fighting Islamic terrorism. This echoes Giuliani's longstanding description of the war on terror as a war on "radical Islamic fascism."

Giuliani and Robertson are not alone in their belligerent viewpoints.

Christian activist Gary Bauer characterizes the fight against "radical Islam" as a major family value that tops his new evangelical agenda.

Charles Colson of the Prison Fellowship describes Islamofascism as the "long war" while James Dobson of Focus on Family exhorts his fellow faithful to "wake up" against "militant Islam."

The point of emphasis for them is on Islam, not terror.

Thus, exempt from their "war on terror" are groups like the Lord's Resistance Army of Uganda, which commits terrorism in the name of Christianity and Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers, a Hindu-Marxist group, which to-date remains one of the largest purveyors of suicide bombings.

Pat Robertson is the latest in a long line of Team Rudy fans that are distinguished by their disdain for Muslims.

In his hostility toward Islam and Muslims, Robertson outshines them all. He has called Muslims "satanic," claimed the Quran is "fraudulent" and said Islam is "a monumental scam." Robertson also called the Prophet Muhammad "an absolute wild-eyed fanatic, a robber and a brigand ... a killer."

It is thus not coincidental that today nearly 8 in 10 Muslims worldwide perceive the war on terror to be a war against their faith of Islam. Such perceptions, by most expert accounts, cannot make America safe.

Ironically, those promoting the use of "Islamic terrorism" side with terrorists if it suits their agenda.

They remain silent while the U.S. military permits PKK, a Kurdish terrorist organization, to keep safe harbor in Northern Iraq from where they launch terror attacks against Turkey.

They find no double standards in Bush administration's tacit support of Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, a State Department designated terrorist group, which conducts terror attacks against Iran from their bases in Iraq.

As the election season heats up the politicization of the "war on terror" will unfortunately intensify. In this new political game, Islam will be made a scapegoat to rally voter's thorough evoking fear and paranoia.

The "good Muslims," no matter how undemocratic or oppressive, will be touted as our "friends" while the "bad Muslims," even if popular and representative of their own people, will be marginalized as enemies.

American Muslims long for the day when their faith is no longer the object of such machinations by our political leaders and spurious religious interpretations by those who commit terrorism in the name of Islam.

Speaking out against those who promote a clash between civilizations will be a value worth fighting for.

Parvez Ahmed is the chairman of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations. He is also an associate professor at the University of North Florida.