Author: Douglas MacKinnon
Publication: Townhall
Date: September 24, 2007
URL: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DouglasMacKinnon/2007/09/24/message_to_pc_police_we_have_a_responsibility_to_monitor_us_mosques
New York Republican Congressman Peter King
has become the latest target of those who value political correctness and
pandering over the national security of our nation.
For recently speaking his mind and worrying
about the influence radical Islam has in this nation, Congressman King is
being predictably attacked by the left-leaning media, by the Democratic National
Committee, and certain Muslim organizations. What exactly did Congressman
King say to incite the anger and rage now being directed at him? Only things
that seem to be of concern to a great many Americans.
Among his statements, Congressman King said,
"There are too many people sympathetic to radical Islam…We should
be looking at them more carefully and finding out how we can infiltrate them…I
think there has been a lack of full cooperation from too many people in the
Muslim community…too many Mosques in this country do not cooperate with
law enforcement…85 percent of Mosques in this country are controlled
by extremist leadership."
Did the Congressman say anything that is not
true? Is what he said not verified by a recent Pew Center survey, by the U.S.
government, and by a number of news accounts of homegrown Muslims being taken
into custody for plotting against our nation. Do facts no longer matter when
it comes to protecting the United States from within?
According to that recent Pew Center survey,
a quarter of younger Muslim-Americans support suicide bombings in some circumstances.
That's right. They support suicide bombings. 25% of Muslim-Americans refused
to give an answer when asked if they had a favorable or unfavorable view of
Al-Qaeda. 5% of Muslim-Americans said they had a favorable view of the group
that attacked the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and tried to attack the
White House or Capitol building.
If we accept the Pew Center's estimate that
there are 2.35 million Muslims in the United States, then 5% of that number
would be 117,500 Muslim-Americans who have a favorable view of Al-Qaeda. A
number that should not only send chills down our spines, but cries out for
eternal vigilance.
What about the American Mosques themselves?
According to various reports, at least 80% of U.S. Mosques follow or are influenced
by the Wahhabi sect of Saudi Arabia. Among other things, this sect believes
it is a "religious obligation" to hate Christians and Jews and to
think of the United States as "enemy territory." In 2006, Bernard
Lewis, one of the world's leading scholars on Islam, called Wahhabism, "The
most radical, the most violent, the most extreme and fanatical version of
Islam."
Why do those on the left in our country not
want us to speak of this? Why do so many Democrats not want us to question
the motives of those from within who look favorably upon Al-Qaeda? Surely
it's not for crass political reasons or to pander for votes.
According to this same Pew Center survey,
the vast majority of Muslim-Americans consider themselves Democrats. In 2004,
71% voted for John Kerry for President. Why? Why would Muslims align themselves
with the Democrats when socially, they are some of the most conservative people
on the planet? Could it be that in the Democrats, they see a party that is
less willing to ask the hard questions of them, while in the Republicans,
they see a party more concerned with national security and therefore, much
more interested in following unbiased evidence -- no matter where it leads.
What of the "moderate" Muslim-Americans
we hear so much about? Clearly there are some in this country. I know some.
That said, why don't we really hear them speak out against Al-Qaeda, the killings
of innocents, and the violent teachings of the Wahhabi sect? Oh sure, from
time to time, we see 50 people here, or 100 people there. But with 2.35 million
Muslim-Americans, shouldn't we see at least tens of thousands marching in
the streets in support of our nation and against those who would kill in the
name of Islam?
Congressman Peter King raised an issue that
desperately needs to be addressed. For that, he is being vilified by the left.
As they continue to protest imagined slights and further distract us from
the truth, those who mean us harm, bide their time, make their plans and wait
for their moment.
Political correctness may well cause the deaths
of thousands of Americans. What excuses or apologies will the left offer then?
Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House
and Pentagon official and author of the novel, America's Last Days
