Radical Islamic Terrorism

I listened to President Trump address CENCOM today where he very slowly and emphatically said the words “Radical Islamic Terrorism” emphasizing that his predecessor refused to utter these seemingly sacred words. I guess, radical Wahhabi terrorism or better yet, radical Jihadi Salafi terrorism, doesn’t sound quite as scary. Last weekend I watched a Bill Mahar Show. His guest was Sam Harris who, like Bill is an Atheist and a vehement Islamophobe. They started with their usual attack on Islam (being very aggressive opponents of all organized religions and whereas Islam, presented by many as an enemy, is the easiest religion to attack). They spoke of “Radical Islamic Terrorists” and how Islam encourages the thinking that leads to their horrific behavior. During their discussion they said something to the effect that if the Mormon Church preached cruel behavior, we would call out the Mormon Church and if the church of Scientology killed people for making cartoons of L Ron Hubbard, we would speak out about the evils of Scientology. It’s interesting that they would be very focused in their criticism. In neither case did they say they would condemn the evils of Christianity but recognized that neither speaks for Christians but is a small sect within Christianity. When James Coney, Head of the Lords Liberation Army was reigning terror in Africa in the name of God, we did not read of this as being a Christian act. Or when the Westboro Baptist Church demonstrates at the burial of a gay fallen soldier, shouting all sorts of obscenities, we know that they don’t reflect Baptist dogma or any teachings of the Christian Bible. When Reverend Jones burned the Koran, it was not Christians who burned it, or even Protestants but a very small splinter of a small splinter of Christians. Why is it then that we cannot apply the same reasoning to acts of splinter groups, as horrific as they are, and not Islam? We don’t say that ISIS is a Jihadi splinter of the Salafi which in turn are sect of the Wahhabi who are Sunni Muslims not Shia. Or that Osama Bin Laden was a Wahhabi (State religion in Saudi Arabia). I guess one thing Sam Harris and Bill Mahar would say is that the terrorists do it in the name of Allah (The Arabic word for the God, the same God worshiped by Jews, Christians and Muslims). Well, James Coney and Reverend Jones along with the Westboro Baptists would say they, through their actions, are also serving God. Sam and Bill’s main agenda is to promote Atheism and attacking Islam is a cheap and easy way to get there. Others do it for various political reasons. Viewing Muslims as evil, it becomes easier to view Palestinians as evil and thus easier to accept Israel’s occupation. Or promoting fear to gain ever more power is another reason. A bunch of guys on camels with machine guns running around in the Middle East (I take some poetic license here) wouldn’t as scary as over a billion Muslims spread all over the world wanting to take it. In our “war on terror” or more specifically “radical Islamic terrorism” hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost and we have spent over a trillion dollars.