THE TERRORIST CHALLENGE Islam and Islamic Radicalism

Are all Muslims terrorists? Since September 11th, many Muslims have insisted strongly that Islam forbids terrorist attacks on innocent people. Yet the terrorists who carried out the attacks all did so in defense of their idea of Islam. The terrorists believe that the U.S. is a threat and their religion teaches them to fight back.

“Islamic Radicals” are political and religious people acting on behalf of Islam. Islamic radical leaders view the United States as the enemy of Islam.

Islam teaches that men and women have very different roles in society and the family. The Koran, Islam’s holy book, requires women to dress modestly.

Some Islamic radicals impose very strict limits on women – even threatening to shoot women without veils.

The views of Islamic radicals are not the views of all Muslims. Some Muslims say that “Islamic” terrorism goes against the teaching of Islam. Other Muslims and Islamic governments support terrorist groups.

Americans need to find ways to stop Islamic terrorists without unfairly discriminating against the majority of Muslims for whom Islam is not a violent religion.

THE TERRORIST CHALLENGE Confronting Terrorism at Home and Abroad

September 11th generated an outpouring of patriotic pride. Flags went up everywhere: homes, car windows, mailboxes, etc. TV and newspaper ads included a lot of red, white, and blue. It may have seen like patriotic overkill, more accurately it was a way to unite Americans in a just cause.

President Bush vowed to fight a war against terrorism.

The first target in that war was Afghanistan.

Within months, the Taliban government was ousted and many of al Qaeda’s terrorist camps and caves were destroyed. Most Afghan people were thrilled about the government overthrow, but the new leaders faced huge challenges. If the government falls apart, it could become a hiding place for terrorist organizations again.

President Bush stated that the war on terrorism included three nations: Iran, Iraq, and North Korea = the “Axis of Evil.”

The original Axis of Evil was Germany, Japan, and Italy during World War II.

This may be and indication of how serious and long-term the struggle against terror may be.