Radical Islam Revealed, Part 8: What Should You Do?

If you've gotten to this point, you've been bombarded with a ton of information and opinions (though only a few are mine). I hope I've laid out the case for who these radical Islamic terrorists are, why they do what they do, what they want, and addressed some of the most common myths. The question now is: what should you do about it? I don't have any concrete answers, just some suggestions from my own perspective.

First, be informed.
By reading through this series, you have done that. Now stay informed, and share this information with others. Don't let the myths or political correctness silence you when talking with family and friends. Knowledge is power, and with the correct knowledge, Americans (and people around the world) can effect a change in policy toward radical Islamist extremism. I firmly believe that most Americans understand this at a fundamental level, as evidenced by the continued support for the War in Iraq despite the resulting political trouble. I believe the phrase applies to radical Islam: the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing people he didn't exist. Ignorance, in this case, will be deadly, and I think most people understand that. After reading this, hopefully you now understand why.

Second, plug in.
Check out the following websites regularly:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/
http://www.counterterrorismblog.org/
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/index.html

There are many, many others. Go look for them, and bookmark them. Many conservative bloggers often highlight terrorism issues even if their blogs aren't specifically targeting radical Islam. My favorites are linked on the right side of my blog, so use them frequently. Let me know if you find other good ones.

Right Truth posted a blog on Tuesday of this week about a new foundation that has been started that is dedicated purely to fighting against the spread of radical Islam, and I plan to check it regularly. You can find it (and a number of other related links) here:

http://righttruth.typepad.com/right_truth/2007/09/the-anti-jihad-.html

Third, be active.
When you see stories and events that need to be addressed with Congress, call and/or e-mail your representatives. As an American citizen, you have the right to be heard, so utilize that right. Grass roots movements are extremely powerful if they can get off the ground. If you remain passive, this thing will roll over you and you'll wonder what hit you; if you take a stand, who knows how many people you can influence and help?

Finally, I believe the biggest thing that we can do is to pray. As I said clear back at the beginning of this series, I believe the struggle against radical Islam is the ideological struggle of our time. Either Islam will win, or the West (i.e. Judeo-Christian nations) will win.

Joel Rosenberg, in his book Epicenter, talks about how people generally look at world events through the lenses of politics and economics. He argues that we also need to use a third lens, Scripture (the Bible), to fully understand what is happening around us. He points out that the FBI and CIA had a 'remarkable' amount of information prior to 9/11 suggesting both the nature and the specific targets of the coming attacks, but that no one actually believed such evil would be possible. He quotes President Bush:

"Nobody in our government...and I don't think the prior government, could envision flying airplanes into buildings on such a massive scale."

And then-National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice:

"No one could have imagined them...using planes as a missile."

The thing was, that exact method of attack had been discussed at least once before, but no one thought it was realistic because they were only looking at the situation through the lenses of politics and economics. This wasn't the first time such a misunderstanding occurred; another example was in 1990, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Most people didn't believe Hussein would actually do it; they thought he was just 'saber-rattling' to gain political or economic favors. But, looking through the lens of Scripture, we find that true evil actually exists, and that we should take it at its word when it commits to acting evilly. The 'experts' didn't fail to gather adequate intelligence, they simply failed to apply the adequate imagination and understanding: "they refused to believe that [Hussein] was so evil that he would order the rape and pillage of an Arab neighbor", "launch 39 Scud missiles against Israel, and more Scuds against Saudi Arabia." "They [also] refused to believe Saddam when he described himself as a 'modern Nebuchadnezzar,' one of the most evil tyrants ever described in the Bible."

The lens of Scripture is critical for true understanding of world events, so we need to apply it. We need to read the Bible regularly and seek to understand it; above all, we need to pray to God, who knows what will happen and who can protect us and guide us when it does.

This is an ideological battle, and a spiritual one. Are we ready for it?

There's my two cents.