Threat of Islamofascism

Islamofascism. If you said this word prior to Sept 11, 2001, people would have looked at you like you were either nuts or some sort of college professor. Nowadays, it is an accepted term in the political vernacular used to describe the ideology of those muslims who wish to force strict adherence to the Koran upon ALL the world. There are certainly those among all the major religions of the world who seek the domination of the world by their religion. The Pope sees himself as ruler of the world. There are those within protestantism that are seeking the physical dominion of the whole world under the law of God. But islamofascism is different in that the adherents of such philosophy seek the "death of the west" and uses physical threats, terrorism, and anything else at their disposal to destroy anything judeo-christian and eventually anything that is not in accord with the Koran. There are indeed islamofascists and they have a passion for annihilating all things akin to western civilization.

But what is the real threat of these islamofascists? Or should I ask, when does one who spouts hatred, curses, and threats become one that is now so threatening that we must take action? Should we consider anyone, anywhere, a serious threat, when they threaten us?

Let me use an illustration. When I was in ninth grade, my mother had moved my brother and me close to family in New York State. I was new to the school, naturally shy, and the first few weeks really kept to myself. Several of the first few people to "greet" me were a part of the "clique" affectionately known as the "Burnouts." These were kids on the outs from most of the other kids and took to things like smokes, drugs, alcohol, heavy metal, and denim jackets at a greater proportion than the rest of us. They also enjoyed threatening people. On a few occasions during those first few weeks, I was threatened to be dumped in a trash can, beat up, and on one occasion told that after school, I was going to be "dead" after standing up to one. Now, I was a decent size guy even at 14 and clearly when I stood up to them in strength, there really was no threat in the sense that it would or could actually occur. Sure the one guy said I was going to die, but did I die that afternoon? Did he even try to kill me? Did we even see each other? No.

We hear many a threat throughout our lifetime. But it is not truly threatening UNLESS we believe there is truly an intent to carry it out AND the ability to carry it out. So it is in the world in which we live. We hear threats all the time. This nation here or that group there calling out "Death to America" or burning our president in effigy. Now, if we are to react to all these threats simply because they are spoken, then we will be on the offensive EVERYWHERE in the world and even within our own borders. And the more we go on such offensives, the more these supposed threats will increase.

But what if the person, group, or nation has no way of following through on such threat? Listen to the so-called conservative pundits and every Tom, Dick, and Harry (or should it be every Muhammed, Mahmud, and Abdul) that rattles off a curse of the US has the capability to destroy the west and therefore needs to have his country destroyed and we prop up a government loyal to us.

So what is the answer? Those of us who adhere to a "non-interventionist" policy are accused of being soft on terror and that we are "taking our marching orders from the enemy." But isn't killing or imprisoning anyone who ever curses us truly "taking marching orders?" The islamofascists want us to attack, want us to occupy, want us to go after them for what greater rallying cry is there to the rest of the muslim world to join their cause in hating the west and seeking an islamic world?

Without our bombing there is NO rally cry for those few who truly espouse the islamofascist worldview. Without our attacking and/ or sanctioning, there is no appeal to the average middle easterner who simply wants to do what every man wants to do, live his life in peace. Without our occupation, there is no way to recruit others in droves to the terrorist martyrdom that so many now embrace.

The motivation of islamofascism is real but the ability to carry out such world domination dreams is not. Only by our constant intervention in other nations around the world is there even the possibility that that muslim minority which holds this can persuade the majority of muslims in the rest of the world to rise up and seek this islamis world order.