Eleven Years On

September 11, 2001: Black Tuesday, the day of the greatest-ever loss of American life on American soil to the act of a foreign enemy. That was eleven years ago today.

For some, it might as well never have happened. For me, it seems to happen afresh every time I close my eyes.

***

We are at war, have been at war since 1979, and will remain at war for a long time to come. The war was never formally declared. Our enemy is not a nation-state, nor even a recognized "non-state actor." Nor can we march against our enemy as we did in the "organized" wars of our history.

The war is global in scope.
The enemy is Islam.
There is no "front," as such.
The enemy's forces are already "inside our gates."

At war since 1979? Did I really write that? Excuse me! The United States has been at war with Islam since 1801. (Doesn't anyone else remember "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute!" -- ?) Islam has been at war with Dar al-Harb ("The House of War," by which they mean all non-Muslim-majority lands) since well before that, of course, but the matter of the Barbary Pirates is the earliest it directly affected American concerns.

The war is global in scope because it is ideological in nature, just like the Cold War. Islam, the totalitarian ideology that masquerades as a religion, teaches its adherents that the domination of the world is theirs by right, and that any and every means by which the Islamic ummah might advance toward that end is to be embraced as it becomes expedient. Those means include every stratagem and every tactic imaginable, from the mildest deceits to the most ravening, horrifying acts of terrorism.

Because the United States has permitted Islam to shelter under the mantle of religious freedom, Muslims have established several beachheads on our soil. If your memory is lacking of such, try Googling "Islamberg" and "Sheikh Gilani Lane." Look into the recent history of Dearborn and Hamtramck, Michigan, and the concessions that have been made to Muslim cab drivers in Minneapolis. Review the contentions of Keith Ellison (R, MN), America's only (admitted) Muslim in Congress.

(Did someone mutter "Louis Farrakhan?" Yes, that miscreant too.)

Yet we've opened our arms to immigrants from Muslim-majority states. We've sniffed at Europe's misfortunes from having done so, as if there were no lesson to be drawn from them. We've preened ourselves on the power of freedom and prosperity to break down cultural barriers and unite the ten thousand tribes of Man into a coherent polity...even though the flood of Hispanic immigrants overrunning the Southwest, with whom we have much better cultural and ethical compatibility, has almost completely resisted assimilation. We've told ourselves that even if "the parents" are unassimilable, "the children" will grow up to be Americans.

We have been fools.

Muslims do not immigrate to the United States to become Americans. They come here to turn America into an Islamic state -- to negate the Constitution and put shari'a in its place.

No, they haven't succeeded yet. But they will if we give them time.

***

Black Tuesday, we've been told, wasn't about Islam. It was merely the mad act of nineteen deranged men, sent forth by another deranged man who happened to command a large fortune. Islam, we've been told, is "a religion of peace."

A religion of peace, you say? Yeah, right.

Islam's insane mythos is merely a cover for its totalitarian aspirations. Consider the foundation of that mythos:

• An illiterate seventh-century caravan-driver was selected by God to be His Final Messenger to Mankind;
• That caravan-driver was then awarded sole and complete memory of a book that expresses God's Will in all things, which it became his duty to present to Mankind;
• However, he had to "revise" the book several times (cf. "the Satanic verses"), and many of his later additions contradict his earlier ones;
• Among the privileges awarded to him for this duty was an exemption from any odium for adultery, which he exploited without restraint;
• The book confers upon those who accept its dictates complete freedom to abuse "infidels" in any and every way, including:
  • Deceit and dissimulation toward "infidels;"
  • Pre-indemnified default upon one's given word, if given to "infidels;"
  • The breaking of any truce made with "infidels" when it's tactically advantageous to Islam;
  • Imposition of special taxes and other burdens upon "infidels," when and where politically possible;
  • Enslavement of "infidels" -- yes, really! -- when and where possible;
  • And of course, the use of violence against "infidels" and Dar al-Harb, when and where it appears a suitable means to advance Islam.

Come on! If this is a religion, then I'm Ahura Mazda; bow ye down, ye lowly ones, and worship me.

***

We cannot eradicate Islam from the world. There are too many Muslims; the toll would be too great. Even if it were within our powers, to commit such carnage would destroy us as a civilized, life-respecting people. But we can acknowledge that it is our enemy, that it has fueled nearly 20,000 violent, terroristic attacks in the past eleven years, and was immediately responsible for the deaths of three thousand Americans on Black Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

We can admit to ourselves that just because an ideology calls itself a religion doesn't mean that it is one. Better yet, we can incorporate into our understanding of religion as a category what C. S. Lewis called The Law of General Benevolence: that to be considered Constitutionally protected in its exercise, a creed must doctrinally forswear the use of violence, fraud, and deceit against members of other creeds, including in all scriptures it incorporates into its canon and all materials it employs in outreach.

Don't tell me about how friendly your Muslim neighbors are. Show them a Qur'an; ask them if it is the literal and immutable word of God, to be respected and obeyed in all particulars. Ask them whether Muhammad really was the Perfect Man, to be emulated in every way. Inquire about shari'a law, and whether they'd like to see it implemented in the United States. Take careful note of their answers; I assure you, they'll be anything but straightforward and unambiguous. Remember these exchanges, and compare their responses to it.

***

Time was, applicants for immigration to the United States were asked if they advocate the overthrow of the government of the U.S. by subterfuge or violence. Perhaps they still are -- but Muslims feel justified about lying to "infidels," when it's to the advantage of Islam.

Black Tuesday was only the most dramatic salvo.
Muslims, including Muslims in America, feel that it was justified by our "aggressions."
Muslims in the Middle East actually celebrated it, firing AK-47s into the air and handing out sweets to passers-by.
Ask yourself how many such neighbors you can comfortably accommodate.

Remember that we are at war.