Radical Islam Revealed, Part 2: Why do they do this?

It is problematic (and hideously politically incorrect) to say that Islam itself dictates this radical jihad, but it is the naked truth. Irshad Manji is a senior fellow with the European Foundation for Democracy and has written extensively on the subject. She points out that religion is precisely the root cause of this crusade against the West. Many of the 'professional' terrorists mentioned above freely admitted as much when questioned about their motives. In fact, many are proud of their actions when they are caught, precisely because they are dedicating their lives to their religion. For example, religion prompted this:

"Mohammed Bouyeri, the Dutch-born Moroccan Muslim murdered Amsterdam filmmaker Theo van Gogh. Bouyeri pumped several bullets into van Gogh's body. Knowing that multiple shots would finish off his victim, why didn't Bouyeri stop there? Why did he pull out a blade to decapitate van Gogh? The blade is an implement associated with 7th-century tribal conflict. Wielding it as a sword becomes a tribute to the founding moment of Islam. Even the note stabbed into van Gogh's corpse, although written in Dutch, had the unmistakable rhythms of Arabic poetry. Let's credit Bouyeri with honesty: at his trial he proudly acknowledged acting from religious conviction."

Pretty clear cut. Manji also distinguishes between two types of non-extremist Muslims: moderates, and reform-minded:

"Moderate Muslims denounce violence in the name of Islam but deny that Islam has anything to do with it. By their denial, moderates abandon the ground of theological interpretation to those with malignant intentions, effectively telling would-be terrorists that they can get away with abuses of power because mainstream Muslims won't challenge the fanatics with bold, competing interpretations. To do so would be to admit that religion is a factor. Moderate Muslims can't go there. Reform-minded Muslims say it's time to admit that Islam's scripture and history are being exploited. They argue for reinterpretation precisely to put the would-be terrorists on notice that their monopoly is over."

We'll go more into detail on moderate Muslims later in this series. For now, I want to focus on the point that Islam is calling Muslims to a state of constant conflict with non-Muslims. From the Koran itself, as reported by Raymond Ibrahim, editor of The Al Qaeda Reader:

"O you who believe! Take neither Jews nor Christians as friends…whoever among you turns to them is one of them." (5:51) There are countless verses and traditions, in fact, that make it clear that Muslims are to be in a constant state of animosity toward non-Muslims, waging war through tongue and teeth in order to spread Islam, and, when finally in a position of superiority, discriminating against those who refuse to convert (see, for example, 3:28, 5:73, 5:17, 9:5, 9:25, etc). "We [Muslims] disown you [non-Muslims] and what you worship besides Allah. We renounce you. Enmity and hate shall forever reign between us — until you believe in Allah alone!" (60:40)

Clearly, the cause of radical jihad is Islam, although many people are afraid to say it. That fact in itself is a politically correct virus that has spread to much of the world:

The new British prime minister, Gordon Brown, has directed ministers to omit "Muslim" when discussing (Muslim) terrorism. And forget the generic "war on terror"; even that pathetic phrase is off limits. (This has absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Brown's unctuously stated goal to make Britain "the gateway for Islamic finance.") The new Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith refers to British Muslims as "communities" — maybe a prelude to not mentioning them at all. Both have done the "perversion of a great faith" dance to enlightened applause, taking cues from the unpublished "EU Lexicon," which reportedly nixes such "offensive" phrases as "Islamic terrorism."

Philosopher John Gray and historian Eric Hobsbawm recently said on British television that even the word "Islamist" was "unfair" because "it implied a strong link to Islam." Never mind the link is doctrinally accurate.

J. Millard Burr, a former USAID coordinator and Robert O. Collins, a professor emeritus of history at the University of California at Santa Barbara, teamed up to write a book with the title Alms for Jihad. At the end of 2006, Cambridge University Press published this book. The authors are both serious men, and the CUP has been one of the most reputable publishing houses in the English-language world. The book involved an examination of the funding of Islamist extremism. The libel laws in England are scandalously out of date, designed to protect a plaintiff, and therefore time and again vexatious litigants come to harm the public interest. So it is in this case. At the threat of a libel suit from a Saudi billionaire, the CUP [withdrew] it, pulping all copies, and publishing a cringe-making letter of apology discrediting their authors for making "defamatory allegations." And they’ve also paid damages.

These are just a few of the examples; there are too many to recount here. The point is that by not saying the words or by somehow glossing over the facts, it doesn't mean the facts don't exist. It simply means that we are deliberately turning a blind eye on a real and growing threat, and that blind eye is largely on the part of the political Left in America and Europe. The irony is that many of the positions taken by the Left are the very same ones (i.e. homosexual rights, women's rights, rights for transgenders, diversity rights) that radical Islam will instantly purge through Sharia law.

Nevertheless, Islam is the key motivator for these terrorists, and it has been for decades. Most of them, when they are caught, are quite proud of their actions, and seek only to commit more atrocities in the name of Allah. Why do they do these things? They are called to do them.



References:
Irshad Manji - Religion Is The Root Cause
Call It Like It Is
What Do Muslims Want
Author Certain Left Naive About Islamist Agenda
UK Muslim Student Jailed For Smuggling Weapons Plans