In the USA during the 1850s, not all Americans were slave owners, but all slave owners were Americans. The American civil war was the model for good people to come together and act, in order to prevent evil from prevailing. Over 1 million white Northern young men put on the uniform of the Federal government and marched past the Mason Dixon line in order to put an end to slavery in the United States. Over 390,000 Federal troops died and over 275,000 were wounded in action. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing, and the North did what it had to do.
During the civil rights era (1955-1968), a wide assortment of Americans - Northerners, Southerners, black and white, Jewish and Christian – conducted boycotts, organized sit-ins, mass marches and freedom rides in order to make sure that all Americans shared equally in the freedoms guaranteed under the US constitution. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing, and the American public rose to the challenge.
Not all Germans were Nazis, but all Nazis were Germans. When WW2 was over, Nazi soldiers claimed they were only following orders. German civilians claimed they were innocent victims of Hitler and his Nazi thugs. The reality, of course, is that German civilians did not sufficiently raise their voice in opposition to the Nazi party BEFORE Hitler came to power, didn't march into the streets in opposition to the Nazi party DURING its formulative years, and couldn't do anything about it once Germany had morphed into a full fledged Nazi state. The German people bore total responsibility for the catastrophe that their government perpetrated on the world. All it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing, and the Germans did nothing.
Islamic scholars have said that the modern day phenomenon of Islamic extremism can be traced back to the overthrow of the Shah of Iran in 1979. Arab terrorism is not necessarily the same as Muslim extremist terrorism, and the distinction is important if one wants to understand how such a violent form of Islam could develop. Arab nationalists have long viewed the very existence of Israel as an insult to the Arab world, and for decades the Muslim/Arab capitals of the Mideast have sanctioned "acts of terrorism" against Israel as legitimate expressions of "resistance". Now, the homegrown "resistance fighters" whom the Arab world groomed in conflicts ranging from Afghanistan to Chechnya to Israel over the last past 50 years have – for lack of legitimate alternatives in their home countries – adopted a Jihadist version of Islam to justify continuing the mayhem. The world, unfortunately, turned a blind eye to terrorism as long as it was aimed only at Israel. THERE IS NO JUSTIFIABLE "GOOD TERRORISM". Aided by western technology and endless amounts of oil money, Islamic extremism has reached a tipping point and gone global – and is now aiming it's sights on fellow Muslims as well - which proves the point that if you lie down with dogs, you get fleas.
I have no doubt that the vast majority of Muslims are regular people like you and me, and want nothing to do with Islamic extremists or Jihadists. Unfortunately, most of the terrorism around the globe is being committed in the name of Islam. Many people see the rise of Islamic extremism in the same light as the rise of Nazi fascism in 1938, and we have a moral responsibility to speak out and awaken the public. In this day and age of "political correctness", our message is sometimes intentionally mis-construed as promoting "Islamiphobia" by Islamists who are determined to control the public debate. In Europe, Islamic apologists have risen in righteous indignation – and sometimes in spasms of widespread violence - over ANY criticism of Muslim extremists, despite the bloody body of evidence strewn across the globe (Bali, London, New York, Moscow, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Dafur, Turkey, Thailand etc.).
Many Islamic apologists prefer to express their revulsion with Islamic extremism by claiming that their "peaceful religion" is being hijacked by a small minority. My response to them is that if Islam has been hijacked, then moderate Muslims have a moral responsibility to end the hijacking and reclaim their faith. The US war against Islamic extremism is not winnable in the classical sense. There are no clear fields of battle, no capitals to conquer, and no leaders to surrender. Our military can keep Islamic extremist "on their heels" for as long as our country gives them support - but an American public that is "unaware" of the magnitude of this threat runs the risk of losing its resolve. Extremists aren't attacking us for territory, or material wealth. They are attacking our way of life. One only has to look at Britain or France to see what complacence and appeasement will produce in response to Muslim extremism. They are threatening the very core of the Western Judeo-Christian values upon which America was founded – democracy, freedom and the rule of law. If we underestimate this threat, if we don't understand this threat, then we run the risk of letting this menace strengthen beyond our capacity to contain it.
If there is any legitimate criticism of the way we are currently waging the war on Islamic extremism today - and there is much to criticize, it is the fact that the average American citizen isn't "engaged" in this war on ANY level. During WW2, everyone on the home front was "chipping in" and doing their part for "the cause". That's why we are here today. The Memphis Branch of HonestReporting wants to educate and mobilize the Mid-South community to support our government, to support our troops, support our allies, and give individuals a tangible way to be a part of the struggle to defeat this enemy. There are sign up sheets in the back of the room if you would like to join our organization.
If it's true that "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing", then we want to make sure evil fails.
Thank you very much.
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