- MUST READS
- PRODUCTS
- RESOURCES
- MULTIMEDIA
- ENFACTLOPEDIA
- FSM AUTHORS
- ABOUT US
- CONTACT US
- FSM BLOG
- DONATE
- PRESS COVERAGE
SEARCH FSM
- IN THIS SECTION
November 5, 2008
Courage and the Long War against Islamic Supremacism and Jihad (Part 1 of 2)
Summary: In the long war against Islamic supremacism ahead, human rights leaders fighting against this ideology must refocus the challenge as a struggle between the inherent human rights of equality and liberty versus Islamic supremacism – not extremism, radicalism, militancy, fascism, or even Islamism. To gain widespread American public understanding and support, it is essential that the supremacist nature of Islamic supremacism be communicated and compared to America's history of confrontation against white supremacism in the war of ideas. It must be conveyed that the ideology of Islamic supremacism itself is a threat, regardless of whether its adherents use "political" or Jihadist tactics. In addition to Islamic supremacism being the basis for Jihadist tactics, it must be clarified that the ideology of Islamic supremacism is used to repress and crush those seeking equality and liberty in America and around the world.
We must overcome short-term political events and efforts by those who would "engage" and "reconcile" with Islamic supremacists. We must recognize that ultimately the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty will prevail over Islamic supremacism. We must embrace our challenging, but historical, role in continuing the efforts of America's founding fathers in defending the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty, and the uncompromising belief that "All Men Are Created Equal."
To fight Islamic supremacism in the long war ahead, we need to: (a) refocus the debate on Islamic supremacism, (b) develop a national and collaborative human rights network to challenge Islamic supremacism, (c) dedicate political action groups to support candidates for office willing to challenge Islamic supremacism, with a focus on the 2010 Congressional elections, (d) expand and coordinate activist and information resources, with increased outreach to youth activists, (e) work with other coalitions in challenging Islamic supremacism, including coalition partners involved in women's rights, academic freedom, religious freedom, freedom of speech and press, energy independence, and economic independence, and (f) conduct hundreds of public rallies and events to reach those in the American public and media that do not understand the need to confront Islamic supremacism.
We need to clarify to the American public that it is an American obligation to confront the Islamic supremacist ideology that opposes equality and liberty. We need to dispel the confusion and misconception that a "minority" supremacist group in America is not a threat to American liberties, and demonstrate the impact of Islamic supremacism in the lives of innocents today in America and around the world. We must clarify that America's freedom of religion must not be perverted to protect "freedom of supremacism," and reference the history of white supremacist groups who similarly claimed to be "victims" when confronted with demands for the human rights of equality and liberty. American human rights activists against Islamic supremacism reject all supremacist ideologies, because in America's declaration of its identity, we recognized that equality and liberty are inalienable human rights. In promoting such a human rights campaign of hope, those fighting against Islamic supremacism must show pity to those who would reject a campaign of hope, equality, and liberty – and offer a hand out to those who change their views to recognize that the hope of freedom is a noble pursuit for humanity. Those challenging Islamic supremacism must be understood as fighting for a campaign of hope. While we reject the atrocities, suppression, injustice, and evil done by Islamic supremacists, our efforts are to keep hope alive for those threatened and suppressed by Islamic supremacism in America and around the world.
I have divided this battle plan for the campaign ahead into the following major topics:
I. A Single Focused Message for the Campaign Ahead
II. Why We Will Win the War against Islamic Supremacism
III. A Daring Agenda for Equality and Liberty
III.A. Focusing the Debate on Islamic Supremacism versus Equality and Liberty
III.B. National Human Rights Campaign Network to Challenge Islamic Supremacism
III.C. Political Action to Fight against Islamic Supremacism
III.D. Expanded and Coordinated Resources
III.E. Coalitions for Equality, Liberty, Freedom, and Independence
III.F. Mobilizing America - One Town Hall at a Time
IV. A Shared Understanding on Why All Americans Must Oppose Islamic Supremacism
V. We Reject All Supremacism Because We Are Americans
VI. The Courage of Understanding and Compassion
VII. A Campaign of Hope, Not Hate
Sources
I. A Single Focused Message for the Campaign Ahead
America must be opposed to Islamic supremacism because it is against the inherent, inalienable human rights of equality and liberty that are the basis of America's very identity as defined in our Declaration of Independence. We must be opposed to Islamic supremacism because, as a supremacist ideology, it is against such human rights of equality and liberty. We have seen this exhibited around the world. America must be opposed to Islamic supremacism in all of its tactics using economic measures, energy independence, communications, education, and foreign policy. We must be opposed to Islamic supremacism because it is also the root of Jihadist terrorism, and failure to confront this ideology, failure to de-legitimize Islamic supremacism will only increase the risk of future Jihadist terrorist attacks on the United States and around the world, and will undermine all of our homeland security preparedness efforts. Finally, we must use every tactic to de-legitimize and defeat this ideology of Islamic supremacism and its threat to America's democracy, to America's economy, to the safety of innocent American women and children, to America's national security, and to human rights around the world.
We must focus this message away from a war of ideas against "extremism," "radicalism," "militancy," "fundamentalism," "Islamism," and even "fascism," because these terms do not clearly convey the challenge to America today. Osama bin Laden is also against the meaningless and useless term "extremism." Finding a commonly understood definition of "radicalism" or "militant" is impossible. The term "fundamentalism" gives false legitimacy to a supremacist ideology. Advocates of surrender in the war of ideas to Islamic supremacists have justified their actions in making such an ideology seem acceptable by perverting the use of the term "Islamism." The term "fascism," while denoting a grave threat, does not provide the important insight with America's successful history in the war of ideas against supremacism that is essential in the American campaign ahead.
But by its very definition, Islamic supremacism is clearly opposed to the human rights of equality and liberty.
It is essential in our focused message for the campaign ahead that we clearly convey the ideological threat as Islamic supremacism to avoid debates on other terms that will not be consistently understood by the American public. America has a 100 year history of war against white supremacism that we must use. In that history of a war of ideas on supremacism, America also learned that confronting a supremacist ideology does not mean merely confronting a "tiny minority" of individuals, but knows that confronting supremacism calls for confrontation of large numbers in a war of ideas. Americans know that supremacism is an opposite of equality and liberty. Even without understanding every group, every individual, every nuance of Wahhabist, Khumeinist, and other branches of Islamic supremacism, the American public will grasp this fundamental truth.
In the campaign ahead, we need a renewed focus on fighting the ideology of Islamic supremacism at all levels – in energy resources, in economics, in education, in foreign policy, and in mass communications. America needs to focus on more than simply military theatres of combat, and focus on the larger, global war, so that it does not win battles, but lose the war against the ideology of Islamic supremacism.
We need a national human rights campaign against Islamic supremacism that will engage religious leaders, women's rights organizations, energy independence groups, freedom of speech and press activists, academic freedom activists, youth organizations, businesses, and political organizations. This will require an organized, coordinated grass-roots coalition of individuals opposed to Islamic supremacism, and it will also require focused, dedicated political action to reach our elected representatives. This human rights campaign against Islamic supremacism will need to challenge America's elected representatives, analysts, and government to ensure that they truly represent America's commitment to equality and liberty, or work to replace them with individuals that will.
II. Why We Will Win the War against Islamic Supremacism
To those who are discouraged by short-term political events and by those who have surrendered to the forces that call for "engagement" and "reconciliation" with Islamic supremacists, keep your hopes alive.
We are not wrong. We will not be defeated.
Let's start there and embrace those truths, as we plan our strategy to win the war of ideas ahead of us. No matter what short-term political decisions are made, no matter what tactical mistakes are made by American leaders in "engaging" with or "reconciling" with Islamic supremacists, those of us who will oppose Islamic supremacism are not wrong and we will not be defeated.
We know that we are not wrong, because our Declaration of Independence defines America as well as a larger, human principle. It fundamentally defines that we are a United States because of our willingness to defy others who would deny the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty. We know that we are not wrong because supremacist ideologies are, by definition, against equality and liberty. We know that we are not wrong because the Islamic supremacists have stated their supremacist viewpoints over and over again, documented their supremacist view into Sharia, documented their supremacist values in the so-called "Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam." We know that we are not wrong because not a single day passes without another new Jihadist atrocity, based on the ideology of Islamic supremacism.
We know that we will not be defeated, because as long as one American is left that believes in the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty, we still have a fighter. We know that we will not be defeated because, even if all 300 million Americans were destroyed, the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty are more than just American values. We know that we will not be defeated because such inalienable human rights will ultimately surface, even if continents were conquered by the Islamic supremacists, and because they are inalienable human rights – inevitably another champion of equality and liberty would rise up again from humanity.
So there is no question. Those who stand against Islamic supremacism are not wrong, and they will not be defeated in the long war ahead. In the war of ideas and the war of values, equality and liberty will ultimately triumph over Islamic supremacism, regardless of what short-term advances or tactical victories Islamic supremacism makes over time. This is a human truth, and this truth should give all freedom fighters moral courage for the long war ahead.
III. A Daring Agenda for Equality and Liberty
As the Islamic supremacists and Jihadists have telegraphed their agenda to promote Islamic supremacism and undermine America, so we publicly need to set a daring agenda which tells the Islamic supremacist community, its defenders, and its appeasers what we intend to do. Those who will tolerate and support Islamic supremacism should know what we have planned. That is what those who have no doubt of their victory do.
Our major agenda items in the fight against Islamic supremacism must include focusing the debate on Islamic supremacism, a national human rights campaign network, concentrated political action, expanded and coordinated resources, coalition with other human rights groups, and rallies to gain public support.
III.A. Focusing the Debate on Islamic Supremacism versus Equality and Liberty
As stated above, this single, focused message is the most important agenda item. We oppose Islamic supremacism in every one of its forms and tactics because it is inherently against equality and liberty. We must frame this debate repeatedly and publicly. We must explain the contrast of Islamic Supremacism versus Equality and Liberty to communicate to anyone, any time, at any opportunity. We must have the conflict clearly defined on thousands of web sites, in the print media, to our elected representatives, and in print material for mass distribution. We need a mass public campaign to clearly communicate that fundamental challenge to Americans, and remind them that as Americans, they have a personal responsibility to support the defense of the human rights of equality and liberty that is the basis for their freedoms, their lives, their prosperity, their future, and their nation.
We need to refute the arguments of those who refuse to acknowledge the ideology of Islamic supremacism. While it has divisions in Wahhabism, Khumeinism, and other branches, its divisions share the supremacist nature of Islamic supremacism as an ideology against equality and liberty. We need to rebut those who argue that this is merely a "regionalized," rather than a global threat. We need to denounce those who would appease Islamic supremacism based on the un-American thinking of relativism. By our clarification of the supremacist nature of the threat, we must underscore the fallacies of those who believe that "counter-radicalization" efforts calling for engagement with "political" Islamic supremacist groups, as they will provide legitimacy and increase the numbers of those who support Islamic supremacism.
Our campaign must clearly communicate that we are supporting inalienable human rights of equality and liberty, and that our battle is more than simply with Jihadist tactics, but is against the Islamic supremacist ideology and all of its tactics, as the ideology itself provides the basis for Jihad. Our war on Islamic supremacism will absolutely be a single-issue campaign; such laser focus is essential for our success. While the battle for human rights of equality and liberty versus Islamic supremacism may have many components and coalitions, our campaign must stay exclusively on the issue of Islamic supremacism. If an issue has nothing to do with Islamic supremacism, we must let another group handle it. Our national campaign will be challenging enough in "only" fighting Islamic supremacism.
We are absolutely fighting in a popularity contest. But we need to refocus that contest from a popularity contest of personalities and individuals to a popularity contest of ideas. Ultimately Americans will support the ideas of equality and liberty over any supremacist ideology, including Islamic supremacism. American citizen activists must reframe the war of ideas to demonstrate this clear distinction, so that the American people clearly understand why it is essential for them to defy and reject Islamic supremacism, Islamic supremacist tactics, and Islamic supremacist organizations.
III.B. National Human Rights Campaign Network to Challenge Islamic Supremacism
The Islamic supremacist Muslim Brotherhood-founded Muslim Students Association (MSA) has an estimated 600 chapters in the United States. In addition, CAIR, MPAC, ISNA, and other groups have many more associated organizations and chapters around the nation. In terms of those fighting against Islamic supremacism, the largest national group that I am aware of is the Brigitte Gabriel-founded ACT! for America national network with over 200 chapter leaders (and this should be noted as a significant accomplishment). There are also those individuals affiliated with the Terrorist Awareness Project (TAP), Anti-Jihad Resistance, blogs such as JihadWatch, and hundreds of blogs led by individual citizens concerned about Islamic supremacism.
For an effective national human rights campaign network to challenge Islamic supremacism, these groups need to prioritize future coordinated and collaborative efforts. To challenge Islamic supremacism on a national level, Americans need to create a significantly larger national campaign network of activists to: (a) frame the debate and educate the American public on Islamic supremacism versus equality and liberty, (b) address the issues of Islamic supremacism on a local level in community functions, (c) to challenge Islamic supremacist groups at local functions, and (d) communicate citizen demands to fight Islamic supremacism to their elected representatives. Collaborative efforts mean that leaders of national organizations should communicate on at least a monthly basis to coordinate efforts and resources in such a national campaign, using email, conference calls, meetings, and other communications. Collaborative efforts should also involve joint speaking engagements, joint rallies, and joint efforts among groups in regional areas.
Local and statewide human rights groups against Islamic supremacism will need to perform regular resource assessments of volunteers to ensure they have individuals with diverse skills in recruitment, public speaking, writing and research skills, and knowledge of Islamic supremacism and Jihad. This is another reason why collaborative efforts among existing groups is essential, so that individuals with appropriate skills in the same regional area can be identified to ensure an effective balance of talent in local anti-Islamic supremacism groups.
Local and statewide human rights campaigns against Islamic supremacism will also necessitate media coordination skills to identify and contact media and print publications to further establish the anti-Islamic supremacist movement as a vital policy issue for the American public's attention. Today, representatives of groups linked to Islamic supremacism write commentaries and editorials in local and national print media, and they are regularly interviewed by national American media. The "silent majority" against Islamic supremacism are not represented by such media outlets. On a local, state, and national level, advocates against Islamic supremacism must reverse this disgraceful trend. But to accomplish this, we need to start one local newspaper at a time, as our cause continues to build increasing momentum as a national priority - so that America's mainstream media can no longer ignore the majority of Americans that support equality and liberty over Islamic supremacism. Certainly our efforts at Internet media communication and web logs need to continue. But to accomplish meaningful change, Americans against Islamic supremacism must reach beyond those who already agree with us and read such blog postings. We need to escalate this issue to the public media attention with the focus on the war of ideas of Islamic supremacism versus equality and liberty.
III.C. Political Action to Fight against Islamic Supremacism
It is past time to take the gloves off politically and get serious about this fight. Willingness to take concentrated, focused political action against Islamic supremacism could create a historic political realignment to ensure our representatives support equality and liberty as their top priority. In the campaign ahead, those against Islamic supremacism will need to be realistic about leveraging political influence against Islamic supremacism and in defense of equality and liberty.
A political war against the Islamic supremacist ideology would require a dedicated, centralized political action organization based in Washington with an objective to establish political campaign offices in every one of the 435 U.S. congressional districts to represent American citizens' demands. Such a political war would have to be able to offer more than 501(c)3 non-profit organizations' voter guides. It would have to expect that asking politicians to speak out against Islamic supremacism also requires active political support for them. It would need organized political action to elect and retain those representatives in America's government that are committed to fighting Islamic supremacism. Those against Islamic supremacism can never allow another Presidential campaign to occur where the positions of the candidates on Islamic supremacism are not clearly and unequivocally understood by all American voters.
The first objective for a political action organization against Islamic supremacism would be to impact the 2010 Congressional elections by identifying and actively supporting those candidates for office committed to fighting Islamic supremacism – aiding those incumbents that support this war or aiding challengers to those who don't support this war. In the next six months, this would require that a political organization identifies those Congressional districts where it could make the most impact, and make certain that it had political campaign offices established in those Congressional districts in the next 12 months, so that it could build political campaign groups to help elect representatives committed to fighting Islamic supremacism. Americans against Islamic supremacism need to recognize that this is very much a political war of ideas that will require political organization and resources.
III.D. Expanded and Coordinated Resources
Our most important resource is, and will continue to be, the average American citizen activist. On an organized, national basis, they are also our scarcest resource. So along with refocusing the issue, our other top priority must be in recruiting additional resources to both the human rights and political causes of fighting against Islamic supremacism. Those against Islamic supremacism must recognize that both initiatives are needed in this war of ideas. Therefore, such campaigns would need a massive recruitment drive for volunteers in both human rights and political organizations. Human rights volunteers would be focused on research, public education, public rallies, debates, and coordinated action with other human rights groups. Political volunteers would be focused on supporting anti-Islamic supremacist candidates for the 2010 Congressional campaign and other elections. To truly be effective, the anti-Islamic supremacist movement must be able to have sufficient resources to do both simultaneously. Recognizing this may lead to groups within the anti-Islamic supremacist movement to identify resources that could focus that could be designated for such distinct, but equally vital initiatives.
Expanding the youth participation in the anti-Islamic supremacist movement should be a key objective in the long-term success of such recruitment drives. Increased youth participation offers several important benefits in the war against Islamic supremacism: enhanced visibility on college campuses, networking within other youth community organizations, identifying resources that can be dedicated in public canvassing efforts, offering new insights in communication to the youth community, and most importantly ensuring continuity and growth of the current anti-Islamic supremacist movement leadership. The current anti-Islamic supremacist movement should seriously assess its membership; if the majority of its activists are 40+ years old, then it needs a dramatic outreach to the youth community in the fight for equality and liberty against Islamic supremacism. This war of ideas for equality and liberty is everyone's fight. We cannot win without growing support among America's youth.
We must anticipate that we will lose some activist human resources, and that there will be turnover among our activists. Therefore, we must be seeking to continuously grow and recruit new activists to allow for and anticipate such turnover. Moreover, as our efforts become more visible and more public, some individuals and leaders will be forced and pressured to drop out of the anti-Islamic supremacist movement. We must not be surprised or disheartened by this. The cause of fighting for equality and liberty against Islamic supremacism is larger than any one individual or any one group. As previously mentioned, this is why collaborative efforts between groups will be so essential in the campaign ahead. Furthermore, many of the activists against Islamic supremacism may have to expand and learn new skills to accommodate what will be our constant challenge to have sufficient resources. This may require giving up something that you currently do well to take on new tasks. Such change is inevitable and will be a milestone of the anti-Islamic supremacist movement's growing success.
Coordinated campaign efforts will also require coordinated web and documentation resources in the long campaign ahead that specifically address the war on Islamic supremacism and why it is essential to preserve liberty and equality. Many of my previous articles are obviously larger than mere "blog" postings; this is deliberate - they are intended to help the movement with resource documents for the campaign ahead. The anti-Islamic supremacist Internet network of documentation and resources needs to leverage all available tools, and offer redundant resources in the event that we lose some web sites. While we value such web resources and documentation, we must also not fall into the trap of believing that mere Internet documentation constitutes a human rights campaign. Such documentation is merely a tool for activists in a public campaign. Web and documentation resources should also be carefully screened by Islamic supremacist campaign leaders to ensure that they focus on the need to defend equality and liberty, and are not corrupted by frustrated individuals calling for hatred or supremacism of their own. We must ensure that all activist resources understand that as human rights fighters for equality and liberty, we are against all supremacism.
Part Two will continue with the coalitions for equality, liberty, freedom and independence.
We must overcome short-term political events and efforts by those who would "engage" and "reconcile" with Islamic supremacists. We must recognize that ultimately the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty will prevail over Islamic supremacism. We must embrace our challenging, but historical, role in continuing the efforts of America's founding fathers in defending the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty, and the uncompromising belief that "All Men Are Created Equal."
To fight Islamic supremacism in the long war ahead, we need to: (a) refocus the debate on Islamic supremacism, (b) develop a national and collaborative human rights network to challenge Islamic supremacism, (c) dedicate political action groups to support candidates for office willing to challenge Islamic supremacism, with a focus on the 2010 Congressional elections, (d) expand and coordinate activist and information resources, with increased outreach to youth activists, (e) work with other coalitions in challenging Islamic supremacism, including coalition partners involved in women's rights, academic freedom, religious freedom, freedom of speech and press, energy independence, and economic independence, and (f) conduct hundreds of public rallies and events to reach those in the American public and media that do not understand the need to confront Islamic supremacism.
We need to clarify to the American public that it is an American obligation to confront the Islamic supremacist ideology that opposes equality and liberty. We need to dispel the confusion and misconception that a "minority" supremacist group in America is not a threat to American liberties, and demonstrate the impact of Islamic supremacism in the lives of innocents today in America and around the world. We must clarify that America's freedom of religion must not be perverted to protect "freedom of supremacism," and reference the history of white supremacist groups who similarly claimed to be "victims" when confronted with demands for the human rights of equality and liberty. American human rights activists against Islamic supremacism reject all supremacist ideologies, because in America's declaration of its identity, we recognized that equality and liberty are inalienable human rights. In promoting such a human rights campaign of hope, those fighting against Islamic supremacism must show pity to those who would reject a campaign of hope, equality, and liberty – and offer a hand out to those who change their views to recognize that the hope of freedom is a noble pursuit for humanity. Those challenging Islamic supremacism must be understood as fighting for a campaign of hope. While we reject the atrocities, suppression, injustice, and evil done by Islamic supremacists, our efforts are to keep hope alive for those threatened and suppressed by Islamic supremacism in America and around the world.
I have divided this battle plan for the campaign ahead into the following major topics:
I. A Single Focused Message for the Campaign Ahead
II. Why We Will Win the War against Islamic Supremacism
III. A Daring Agenda for Equality and Liberty
III.A. Focusing the Debate on Islamic Supremacism versus Equality and Liberty
III.B. National Human Rights Campaign Network to Challenge Islamic Supremacism
III.C. Political Action to Fight against Islamic Supremacism
III.D. Expanded and Coordinated Resources
III.E. Coalitions for Equality, Liberty, Freedom, and Independence
III.F. Mobilizing America - One Town Hall at a Time
IV. A Shared Understanding on Why All Americans Must Oppose Islamic Supremacism
V. We Reject All Supremacism Because We Are Americans
VI. The Courage of Understanding and Compassion
VII. A Campaign of Hope, Not Hate
Sources
I. A Single Focused Message for the Campaign Ahead
America must be opposed to Islamic supremacism because it is against the inherent, inalienable human rights of equality and liberty that are the basis of America's very identity as defined in our Declaration of Independence. We must be opposed to Islamic supremacism because, as a supremacist ideology, it is against such human rights of equality and liberty. We have seen this exhibited around the world. America must be opposed to Islamic supremacism in all of its tactics using economic measures, energy independence, communications, education, and foreign policy. We must be opposed to Islamic supremacism because it is also the root of Jihadist terrorism, and failure to confront this ideology, failure to de-legitimize Islamic supremacism will only increase the risk of future Jihadist terrorist attacks on the United States and around the world, and will undermine all of our homeland security preparedness efforts. Finally, we must use every tactic to de-legitimize and defeat this ideology of Islamic supremacism and its threat to America's democracy, to America's economy, to the safety of innocent American women and children, to America's national security, and to human rights around the world.
We must focus this message away from a war of ideas against "extremism," "radicalism," "militancy," "fundamentalism," "Islamism," and even "fascism," because these terms do not clearly convey the challenge to America today. Osama bin Laden is also against the meaningless and useless term "extremism." Finding a commonly understood definition of "radicalism" or "militant" is impossible. The term "fundamentalism" gives false legitimacy to a supremacist ideology. Advocates of surrender in the war of ideas to Islamic supremacists have justified their actions in making such an ideology seem acceptable by perverting the use of the term "Islamism." The term "fascism," while denoting a grave threat, does not provide the important insight with America's successful history in the war of ideas against supremacism that is essential in the American campaign ahead.
But by its very definition, Islamic supremacism is clearly opposed to the human rights of equality and liberty.
It is essential in our focused message for the campaign ahead that we clearly convey the ideological threat as Islamic supremacism to avoid debates on other terms that will not be consistently understood by the American public. America has a 100 year history of war against white supremacism that we must use. In that history of a war of ideas on supremacism, America also learned that confronting a supremacist ideology does not mean merely confronting a "tiny minority" of individuals, but knows that confronting supremacism calls for confrontation of large numbers in a war of ideas. Americans know that supremacism is an opposite of equality and liberty. Even without understanding every group, every individual, every nuance of Wahhabist, Khumeinist, and other branches of Islamic supremacism, the American public will grasp this fundamental truth.
In the campaign ahead, we need a renewed focus on fighting the ideology of Islamic supremacism at all levels – in energy resources, in economics, in education, in foreign policy, and in mass communications. America needs to focus on more than simply military theatres of combat, and focus on the larger, global war, so that it does not win battles, but lose the war against the ideology of Islamic supremacism.
We need a national human rights campaign against Islamic supremacism that will engage religious leaders, women's rights organizations, energy independence groups, freedom of speech and press activists, academic freedom activists, youth organizations, businesses, and political organizations. This will require an organized, coordinated grass-roots coalition of individuals opposed to Islamic supremacism, and it will also require focused, dedicated political action to reach our elected representatives. This human rights campaign against Islamic supremacism will need to challenge America's elected representatives, analysts, and government to ensure that they truly represent America's commitment to equality and liberty, or work to replace them with individuals that will.
II. Why We Will Win the War against Islamic Supremacism
To those who are discouraged by short-term political events and by those who have surrendered to the forces that call for "engagement" and "reconciliation" with Islamic supremacists, keep your hopes alive.
We are not wrong. We will not be defeated.
Let's start there and embrace those truths, as we plan our strategy to win the war of ideas ahead of us. No matter what short-term political decisions are made, no matter what tactical mistakes are made by American leaders in "engaging" with or "reconciling" with Islamic supremacists, those of us who will oppose Islamic supremacism are not wrong and we will not be defeated.
We know that we are not wrong, because our Declaration of Independence defines America as well as a larger, human principle. It fundamentally defines that we are a United States because of our willingness to defy others who would deny the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty. We know that we are not wrong because supremacist ideologies are, by definition, against equality and liberty. We know that we are not wrong because the Islamic supremacists have stated their supremacist viewpoints over and over again, documented their supremacist view into Sharia, documented their supremacist values in the so-called "Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam." We know that we are not wrong because not a single day passes without another new Jihadist atrocity, based on the ideology of Islamic supremacism.
We know that we will not be defeated, because as long as one American is left that believes in the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty, we still have a fighter. We know that we will not be defeated because, even if all 300 million Americans were destroyed, the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty are more than just American values. We know that we will not be defeated because such inalienable human rights will ultimately surface, even if continents were conquered by the Islamic supremacists, and because they are inalienable human rights – inevitably another champion of equality and liberty would rise up again from humanity.
So there is no question. Those who stand against Islamic supremacism are not wrong, and they will not be defeated in the long war ahead. In the war of ideas and the war of values, equality and liberty will ultimately triumph over Islamic supremacism, regardless of what short-term advances or tactical victories Islamic supremacism makes over time. This is a human truth, and this truth should give all freedom fighters moral courage for the long war ahead.
III. A Daring Agenda for Equality and Liberty
As the Islamic supremacists and Jihadists have telegraphed their agenda to promote Islamic supremacism and undermine America, so we publicly need to set a daring agenda which tells the Islamic supremacist community, its defenders, and its appeasers what we intend to do. Those who will tolerate and support Islamic supremacism should know what we have planned. That is what those who have no doubt of their victory do.
Our major agenda items in the fight against Islamic supremacism must include focusing the debate on Islamic supremacism, a national human rights campaign network, concentrated political action, expanded and coordinated resources, coalition with other human rights groups, and rallies to gain public support.
III.A. Focusing the Debate on Islamic Supremacism versus Equality and Liberty
As stated above, this single, focused message is the most important agenda item. We oppose Islamic supremacism in every one of its forms and tactics because it is inherently against equality and liberty. We must frame this debate repeatedly and publicly. We must explain the contrast of Islamic Supremacism versus Equality and Liberty to communicate to anyone, any time, at any opportunity. We must have the conflict clearly defined on thousands of web sites, in the print media, to our elected representatives, and in print material for mass distribution. We need a mass public campaign to clearly communicate that fundamental challenge to Americans, and remind them that as Americans, they have a personal responsibility to support the defense of the human rights of equality and liberty that is the basis for their freedoms, their lives, their prosperity, their future, and their nation.
We need to refute the arguments of those who refuse to acknowledge the ideology of Islamic supremacism. While it has divisions in Wahhabism, Khumeinism, and other branches, its divisions share the supremacist nature of Islamic supremacism as an ideology against equality and liberty. We need to rebut those who argue that this is merely a "regionalized," rather than a global threat. We need to denounce those who would appease Islamic supremacism based on the un-American thinking of relativism. By our clarification of the supremacist nature of the threat, we must underscore the fallacies of those who believe that "counter-radicalization" efforts calling for engagement with "political" Islamic supremacist groups, as they will provide legitimacy and increase the numbers of those who support Islamic supremacism.
Our campaign must clearly communicate that we are supporting inalienable human rights of equality and liberty, and that our battle is more than simply with Jihadist tactics, but is against the Islamic supremacist ideology and all of its tactics, as the ideology itself provides the basis for Jihad. Our war on Islamic supremacism will absolutely be a single-issue campaign; such laser focus is essential for our success. While the battle for human rights of equality and liberty versus Islamic supremacism may have many components and coalitions, our campaign must stay exclusively on the issue of Islamic supremacism. If an issue has nothing to do with Islamic supremacism, we must let another group handle it. Our national campaign will be challenging enough in "only" fighting Islamic supremacism.
We are absolutely fighting in a popularity contest. But we need to refocus that contest from a popularity contest of personalities and individuals to a popularity contest of ideas. Ultimately Americans will support the ideas of equality and liberty over any supremacist ideology, including Islamic supremacism. American citizen activists must reframe the war of ideas to demonstrate this clear distinction, so that the American people clearly understand why it is essential for them to defy and reject Islamic supremacism, Islamic supremacist tactics, and Islamic supremacist organizations.
III.B. National Human Rights Campaign Network to Challenge Islamic Supremacism
The Islamic supremacist Muslim Brotherhood-founded Muslim Students Association (MSA) has an estimated 600 chapters in the United States. In addition, CAIR, MPAC, ISNA, and other groups have many more associated organizations and chapters around the nation. In terms of those fighting against Islamic supremacism, the largest national group that I am aware of is the Brigitte Gabriel-founded ACT! for America national network with over 200 chapter leaders (and this should be noted as a significant accomplishment). There are also those individuals affiliated with the Terrorist Awareness Project (TAP), Anti-Jihad Resistance, blogs such as JihadWatch, and hundreds of blogs led by individual citizens concerned about Islamic supremacism.
For an effective national human rights campaign network to challenge Islamic supremacism, these groups need to prioritize future coordinated and collaborative efforts. To challenge Islamic supremacism on a national level, Americans need to create a significantly larger national campaign network of activists to: (a) frame the debate and educate the American public on Islamic supremacism versus equality and liberty, (b) address the issues of Islamic supremacism on a local level in community functions, (c) to challenge Islamic supremacist groups at local functions, and (d) communicate citizen demands to fight Islamic supremacism to their elected representatives. Collaborative efforts mean that leaders of national organizations should communicate on at least a monthly basis to coordinate efforts and resources in such a national campaign, using email, conference calls, meetings, and other communications. Collaborative efforts should also involve joint speaking engagements, joint rallies, and joint efforts among groups in regional areas.
Local and statewide human rights groups against Islamic supremacism will need to perform regular resource assessments of volunteers to ensure they have individuals with diverse skills in recruitment, public speaking, writing and research skills, and knowledge of Islamic supremacism and Jihad. This is another reason why collaborative efforts among existing groups is essential, so that individuals with appropriate skills in the same regional area can be identified to ensure an effective balance of talent in local anti-Islamic supremacism groups.
Local and statewide human rights campaigns against Islamic supremacism will also necessitate media coordination skills to identify and contact media and print publications to further establish the anti-Islamic supremacist movement as a vital policy issue for the American public's attention. Today, representatives of groups linked to Islamic supremacism write commentaries and editorials in local and national print media, and they are regularly interviewed by national American media. The "silent majority" against Islamic supremacism are not represented by such media outlets. On a local, state, and national level, advocates against Islamic supremacism must reverse this disgraceful trend. But to accomplish this, we need to start one local newspaper at a time, as our cause continues to build increasing momentum as a national priority - so that America's mainstream media can no longer ignore the majority of Americans that support equality and liberty over Islamic supremacism. Certainly our efforts at Internet media communication and web logs need to continue. But to accomplish meaningful change, Americans against Islamic supremacism must reach beyond those who already agree with us and read such blog postings. We need to escalate this issue to the public media attention with the focus on the war of ideas of Islamic supremacism versus equality and liberty.
III.C. Political Action to Fight against Islamic Supremacism
It is past time to take the gloves off politically and get serious about this fight. Willingness to take concentrated, focused political action against Islamic supremacism could create a historic political realignment to ensure our representatives support equality and liberty as their top priority. In the campaign ahead, those against Islamic supremacism will need to be realistic about leveraging political influence against Islamic supremacism and in defense of equality and liberty.
A political war against the Islamic supremacist ideology would require a dedicated, centralized political action organization based in Washington with an objective to establish political campaign offices in every one of the 435 U.S. congressional districts to represent American citizens' demands. Such a political war would have to be able to offer more than 501(c)3 non-profit organizations' voter guides. It would have to expect that asking politicians to speak out against Islamic supremacism also requires active political support for them. It would need organized political action to elect and retain those representatives in America's government that are committed to fighting Islamic supremacism. Those against Islamic supremacism can never allow another Presidential campaign to occur where the positions of the candidates on Islamic supremacism are not clearly and unequivocally understood by all American voters.
The first objective for a political action organization against Islamic supremacism would be to impact the 2010 Congressional elections by identifying and actively supporting those candidates for office committed to fighting Islamic supremacism – aiding those incumbents that support this war or aiding challengers to those who don't support this war. In the next six months, this would require that a political organization identifies those Congressional districts where it could make the most impact, and make certain that it had political campaign offices established in those Congressional districts in the next 12 months, so that it could build political campaign groups to help elect representatives committed to fighting Islamic supremacism. Americans against Islamic supremacism need to recognize that this is very much a political war of ideas that will require political organization and resources.
III.D. Expanded and Coordinated Resources
Our most important resource is, and will continue to be, the average American citizen activist. On an organized, national basis, they are also our scarcest resource. So along with refocusing the issue, our other top priority must be in recruiting additional resources to both the human rights and political causes of fighting against Islamic supremacism. Those against Islamic supremacism must recognize that both initiatives are needed in this war of ideas. Therefore, such campaigns would need a massive recruitment drive for volunteers in both human rights and political organizations. Human rights volunteers would be focused on research, public education, public rallies, debates, and coordinated action with other human rights groups. Political volunteers would be focused on supporting anti-Islamic supremacist candidates for the 2010 Congressional campaign and other elections. To truly be effective, the anti-Islamic supremacist movement must be able to have sufficient resources to do both simultaneously. Recognizing this may lead to groups within the anti-Islamic supremacist movement to identify resources that could focus that could be designated for such distinct, but equally vital initiatives.
Expanding the youth participation in the anti-Islamic supremacist movement should be a key objective in the long-term success of such recruitment drives. Increased youth participation offers several important benefits in the war against Islamic supremacism: enhanced visibility on college campuses, networking within other youth community organizations, identifying resources that can be dedicated in public canvassing efforts, offering new insights in communication to the youth community, and most importantly ensuring continuity and growth of the current anti-Islamic supremacist movement leadership. The current anti-Islamic supremacist movement should seriously assess its membership; if the majority of its activists are 40+ years old, then it needs a dramatic outreach to the youth community in the fight for equality and liberty against Islamic supremacism. This war of ideas for equality and liberty is everyone's fight. We cannot win without growing support among America's youth.
We must anticipate that we will lose some activist human resources, and that there will be turnover among our activists. Therefore, we must be seeking to continuously grow and recruit new activists to allow for and anticipate such turnover. Moreover, as our efforts become more visible and more public, some individuals and leaders will be forced and pressured to drop out of the anti-Islamic supremacist movement. We must not be surprised or disheartened by this. The cause of fighting for equality and liberty against Islamic supremacism is larger than any one individual or any one group. As previously mentioned, this is why collaborative efforts between groups will be so essential in the campaign ahead. Furthermore, many of the activists against Islamic supremacism may have to expand and learn new skills to accommodate what will be our constant challenge to have sufficient resources. This may require giving up something that you currently do well to take on new tasks. Such change is inevitable and will be a milestone of the anti-Islamic supremacist movement's growing success.
Coordinated campaign efforts will also require coordinated web and documentation resources in the long campaign ahead that specifically address the war on Islamic supremacism and why it is essential to preserve liberty and equality. Many of my previous articles are obviously larger than mere "blog" postings; this is deliberate - they are intended to help the movement with resource documents for the campaign ahead. The anti-Islamic supremacist Internet network of documentation and resources needs to leverage all available tools, and offer redundant resources in the event that we lose some web sites. While we value such web resources and documentation, we must also not fall into the trap of believing that mere Internet documentation constitutes a human rights campaign. Such documentation is merely a tool for activists in a public campaign. Web and documentation resources should also be carefully screened by Islamic supremacist campaign leaders to ensure that they focus on the need to defend equality and liberty, and are not corrupted by frustrated individuals calling for hatred or supremacism of their own. We must ensure that all activist resources understand that as human rights fighters for equality and liberty, we are against all supremacism.
Part Two will continue with the coalitions for equality, liberty, freedom and independence.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Jeffrey Imm, formerly of the FBI, has his own counterterrorism research web site at UnitedStatesAction.com and is a part of the Anti-Jihad League of America.
Reader Comments: Submit Your Comment (0)
| Print This E-mail This |
|
