Bryan Fischer
Lt. Col. Allen West gets it: Islam is the enemy
By Bryan Fischer
President Obama this week once again called Islam "a great religion" which has been "distorted" by a small number of "extremists" to justify committing acts of violence against the West.
But the Qur'an itself, the holy book of Islam, contains over 100 verses calling for violence against Christians and Jews. To give just one example, Sura 9:5 says, "Slay the idolaters wherever you find them."
During a panel discussion sponsored by the Hudson Institute last January, retired Army Lt. Colonel Allen West, who did combat duty in Iraq, responded to a Marine who asked the question, how do you answer people who say that terrorists are following a "warped" version of Islam?
The panel consisted of a number of former military personnel, who fumbled around trying to answer the question. Col. West finally stepped forward and answered the question directly and truthfully. Listen to the words of a former military man who understands the nature of the enemy we face:
Lt. Col. Allen West on the enemy we face
Notice again Col. West's straightforward assessment: "This is not a perversion. They are doing exactly what this book (i.e., the Qur'an) says."
In other words, Islamism is not our problem; radical Islam is not our problem; extremist Islam is not our problem. Our problem is Islam itself.
And Col. West understands that unless we get past this blithering nonsense that Islam is a religion of peace we will continue to pursue policies that make us less safe every day:
Said West, "Until you get principled leadership in the United States of America that is willing to say that, we will continue to chase our tail, because we will never clearly define who this enemy is, and then understand their goals and objectives — which (are) on any jihadist website — and then come up with the right (and) proper objectives to not only secure our Republic but secure Western civilization."
President Obama doesn't get it. President Bush didn't get it. They have both peddled the errant idiocy that we have nothing to fear from Islam itself. Col. West, however, does get it.
And the people of Oklahoma get it as well, voting last week by an overwhelming 70% to amend their state constitution to prevent any Oklahoma court from considering Islamic law in its decisions. They have been directed by the people through this constitutional provision to consider American law and American law only. Period.
An activist federal judge, U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange, of course, has already been found who is once again eager, as all tyrants are, to thwart the expressed will of the people and do her best to impose Shariah law on an unwilling populace. Judge LaGrange doesn't get it either.
The left, including this sorry excuse of a judge, hate democracy. They hate the concept of self-government. They see themselves as the elite who are so much smarter than those whom Katie Couric calls the "great unwashed" that they feel free to set aside any democratically enacted legislation they don't happen to like. That's not democracy, that's not constitutional government, that's tyranny.
Col. West, by the way, was elected last week to Congress, to represent Florida's 22nd congressional district. He will be the first African-American Republican congressman to represent Florida since 1870.
Col. West was bounced out of the military for the aggressive 2003 interrogation of a civilian Iraqi police officer who was suspected of having information about an ambush on American soldiers. When the officer wouldn't cough up information that would protect American lives, Col. West fired his pistol past the detainee's head into a clearing barrel. It did not harm the detainee in any way, but frightened him into giving Col. West information about the planned attack.
Not only did this information enable the military to thwart this particular ambush, there were no further ambushes on U.S. forces in this area until Col. West was relieved of his leadership post.
Col. West was asked at his hearing if he would do it again. "If it's about the lives of my men and their safety, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can."
In other words, Col. West is a genuine American hero. He should have received another medal for his actions instead of being driven from the U.S. military. He is exactly the kind of officer I want protecting the lives of my wife and children.
Col. West was a highly decorated officer at the time of this incident, having earned the Bronze Star and the Meritorious Service Medal (two Oak Leaf Clusters) in addition to numerous other awards and decorations.
So on this Veteran's Day, be sure to thank every uniformed soldier you see. And give a special shout-out to Lt. Col. Allen West, who knows exactly who our enemy is and is willing to publicly identify the enemy with honesty, directness, and candor. May his tribe increase.
(Unless otherwise noted, the opinions expressed are the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Family Association or American Family Radio.)
© Bryan Fischer
November 12, 2010
President Obama this week once again called Islam "a great religion" which has been "distorted" by a small number of "extremists" to justify committing acts of violence against the West.
But the Qur'an itself, the holy book of Islam, contains over 100 verses calling for violence against Christians and Jews. To give just one example, Sura 9:5 says, "Slay the idolaters wherever you find them."
During a panel discussion sponsored by the Hudson Institute last January, retired Army Lt. Colonel Allen West, who did combat duty in Iraq, responded to a Marine who asked the question, how do you answer people who say that terrorists are following a "warped" version of Islam?
The panel consisted of a number of former military personnel, who fumbled around trying to answer the question. Col. West finally stepped forward and answered the question directly and truthfully. Listen to the words of a former military man who understands the nature of the enemy we face:
Lt. Col. Allen West on the enemy we face
Notice again Col. West's straightforward assessment: "This is not a perversion. They are doing exactly what this book (i.e., the Qur'an) says."
In other words, Islamism is not our problem; radical Islam is not our problem; extremist Islam is not our problem. Our problem is Islam itself.
And Col. West understands that unless we get past this blithering nonsense that Islam is a religion of peace we will continue to pursue policies that make us less safe every day:
Said West, "Until you get principled leadership in the United States of America that is willing to say that, we will continue to chase our tail, because we will never clearly define who this enemy is, and then understand their goals and objectives — which (are) on any jihadist website — and then come up with the right (and) proper objectives to not only secure our Republic but secure Western civilization."
President Obama doesn't get it. President Bush didn't get it. They have both peddled the errant idiocy that we have nothing to fear from Islam itself. Col. West, however, does get it.
And the people of Oklahoma get it as well, voting last week by an overwhelming 70% to amend their state constitution to prevent any Oklahoma court from considering Islamic law in its decisions. They have been directed by the people through this constitutional provision to consider American law and American law only. Period.
An activist federal judge, U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange, of course, has already been found who is once again eager, as all tyrants are, to thwart the expressed will of the people and do her best to impose Shariah law on an unwilling populace. Judge LaGrange doesn't get it either.
The left, including this sorry excuse of a judge, hate democracy. They hate the concept of self-government. They see themselves as the elite who are so much smarter than those whom Katie Couric calls the "great unwashed" that they feel free to set aside any democratically enacted legislation they don't happen to like. That's not democracy, that's not constitutional government, that's tyranny.
Col. West, by the way, was elected last week to Congress, to represent Florida's 22nd congressional district. He will be the first African-American Republican congressman to represent Florida since 1870.
Col. West was bounced out of the military for the aggressive 2003 interrogation of a civilian Iraqi police officer who was suspected of having information about an ambush on American soldiers. When the officer wouldn't cough up information that would protect American lives, Col. West fired his pistol past the detainee's head into a clearing barrel. It did not harm the detainee in any way, but frightened him into giving Col. West information about the planned attack.
Not only did this information enable the military to thwart this particular ambush, there were no further ambushes on U.S. forces in this area until Col. West was relieved of his leadership post.
Col. West was asked at his hearing if he would do it again. "If it's about the lives of my men and their safety, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can."
In other words, Col. West is a genuine American hero. He should have received another medal for his actions instead of being driven from the U.S. military. He is exactly the kind of officer I want protecting the lives of my wife and children.
Col. West was a highly decorated officer at the time of this incident, having earned the Bronze Star and the Meritorious Service Medal (two Oak Leaf Clusters) in addition to numerous other awards and decorations.
So on this Veteran's Day, be sure to thank every uniformed soldier you see. And give a special shout-out to Lt. Col. Allen West, who knows exactly who our enemy is and is willing to publicly identify the enemy with honesty, directness, and candor. May his tribe increase.
(Unless otherwise noted, the opinions expressed are the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Family Association or American Family Radio.)
© Bryan Fischer
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
