A Terrorist By Any Other Name …

In a thought provoking piece published in this morning’s Reuters, Columnist Bernd Debusmann articulates what is for many Americans an overwhelming source of frustration.  “The Islamic terrorists of the Bush era are gone. They have been replaced by violent extremists in a purge of the American government’s political lexicon.”  Debusmann explains, “ … To some, this omission amounts to a dangerous failure to deal with the root of the problem, evidence of a mind-set determined to avoid the appearance of anti-Muslim bias even if that endangers national security.”  How strongly the terrorist attacks of the last decade are connected with fundamental Islamic beliefs is, on its surface, a question of supreme significance; Islamic terrorism is an expression of either (a) a minority who has twisted their otherwise pure beliefs to fit a xenophobic paradigm, or (b) a fundamental tenant of the Islamic faith.  If the answer is (b) (which it is not), then the war on terror is, in fact, a war on Islam.  However, if the answer is (a) (which it is), than any allusion to (b) will only frustrate and alienate otherwise peaceful Muslims.  Such a misrepresentation is as erroneous to the association of Conservatives with White Supremacists.  While a large majority of members from both groups share the common religion of Christianity, their individual interpretations couldn’t be more polarized.  The current and past administrations alike have wisely chosen to divert attention from Islam as a whole, and refocus it on those extremist sects that are actually responsible for the war we now fight.