Commentary
As days go by, however, the realization that this was just one terrorist out of many loosely organized terrorists and terrorist groups starts to sink in. This is not like in World War II, when we finally got to Adolf Hitler and the war ended. This war is a war of broader ideas that extend beyond the borders of nations.
Consider for instance that bin Laden’s terrorist organization al-Qaeda is also known as the “World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders.” This name is bit more telling than the name “al-Qaeda.” This name makes it clear that al-Qaeda, and probably other radical Islamist individuals and groups, want to frame the war as one between religions—between Western nations, whose heritage is primarily Christian and Jewish, and Muslims everywhere.
This framing has been effective to a degree. For instance, in 2009, Nidal Malik Hasan carried out the Fort Hood shootings. Hasan was a Muslim and a U.S. soldier who opened fire on his fellow soldiers in the name of radical ideology. In this case, al-Qaeda’s attempt to define the war as a religious one succeeded.
Last week, extremists in London protested our country’s killing of bin Laden.
“The West is the enemy,” said one protesting Londoner, according to an AFP report. The protest was organized by a group that calls itself “Muslims Against Crusades.”
Again, al-Qaeda succeeds in framing the conflict between American-led forces and Islamist terrorists as a religious one.
From President George W. Bush to President Obama, our leaders have fought this religious characterization.
“We must also reaffirm that the United States is not—and never will be—at war with Islam,” said Obama during the announcement of bin Laden’s death.
“Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al-Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity,” continued the president.
“Peace and human dignity” are Obama’s preferred terms, whereas Bush used words more evocative of pure good and evil. Either way, the question left to be answered is the same: what does it mean? What is human dignity and what is good? Therein lies the key to really defeating al-Qaeda and the Islamist extremists who seem to periodically terrorize the world.
If America can truly embody the virtues that make up human dignity and goodness, independent of any religion, then there is no question in the world’s mind which narrative is the right one, and who the bad guys are.
I suggest a refined narrative. We must go on the ideological offensive, without necessarily firing a single weapon. President Obama should explicitly tell Americans that this is a fight over the secular world, between those who cherish it and its freedoms and those who demonize it through the lens of religious extremism. We are not simply defending ourselves against terrorists. We want to preserve the secular world for the forces of human dignity and goodness.
He should put it on every American to treat his or her stretch of the secular world as a palace, deserving of reverence and grace and now under seige. Our movies, television, music, theater, literature, sports, education, communities, military, commerce, and government are the battlefield. We win by striving to embody human dignity and goodness in them.
It’s a subtle shift in perspective, but the terrorists and Islamist extremists are already losing the ideological war. We just need to finish their warped ideas off.
evan.mantyk@epochtimes.com
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
