Isaiah 55:8 (KJV)

Isaiah 55:8 (KJV)
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."

Monday, July 1, 2013

Is Islam Really Such a Threat?

Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated WashingtonInfiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington by Paul Sperry
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I appreciate the investigative journaling on the topic of the real threat by Islamic ideologies. However, it was extremely tedious for me to read. I started the book in January and did not finish this one until basically July. I think I read seven other books and parts of two others in-between starting and finishing this one. I was never very excited to read it, it was more like a duty to finish because I started it.
I do not believe the rhetoric regarding Islam being merely a religion of peace exploited by a small minority of extremists. I do not believe, we as secular Americans, have an adequate grasp on what Islam actually is. I believe it is important to look deeper. Of course we do not want to believe the threat is widespread, in fact many entirely dismiss the threat coming out of the Islamic world. I personally would love to be a peace-loving hippie saying with all the ardor I could muster, "why can't we all just get along?" The best part of the book was the afterword, regarding the "death-loving jihadists and their supporters and facilitators" being the "perfect enemy, for the following ten reasons":

NO.1 Patience
No.2 Language Barrier
No.3 It is a family enterprise in addition to a Muslim enterprise
No.4 Different Calendar
No.5 Aliases (including differences because of the language barrier)
No.6 Freedom of Religion (our own being exploited)
No.7 Typically Muslims are not easy to bribe
No.8 Tax-Exempt Terrorism (Our own Tax laws exploited)
No.9 Saudi Protection
No.10 The "Racism" and "Bigotry" Defense*


*(try using this as a Christian in Saudi Arabia see how well that goes over)


On the other hand, as a person leaning toward civil libertarian views, it is very difficult for me to accept some of the proposed solutions offered, also in the afterword:

No.1 Not in my backyard
No.2 Enforce the Oath of Allegiance
No.3 Profile Muslim Travelers
No.4 Audit Muslim Charities and Mosques
No.5 Break off official ties with CAIR
No.6 Expose the Saudi Embassy
No.7 Deny security clearance to Muslim activists
No.8 Offer scholarships in Arabic
No.9 Fight Muslim Activism in Public Schools
No.10 Step up Counterterrorism Training at Quantico


At issue for me is our freedom to verbally express our ideas and express our religion without fear of the government. If we start limiting this for one group in the name of "safety and security" it is not difficult to change the definitions and apply it to another group. Soon enough I could be the target. This is demonstrable in history which is why we have this "freedom" in the first place. Also peace loving hippies have wound up on the terrorist watch-lists in America as well. Obviously there is no easy solution!
View all my reviews

I was thinking free speech and free exercise of religion could be an expression of "loving our enemies". Or just in general about not allowing our ignorance to be our downfall but rather our loving choices. What do you think? On a personal level, what should we do when we feel we are being exploited because of our goodwill?