Friday, September 11, 2009

Political Islam in Tennessee

A reader sent me the following article: http://www.politicalislam.com/blog/universal-jihad/

It is by Vijay Kumar and entitled “Radical Islam’s Worldwide War on Liberal Democracies.” I don’t disagree with the tenor of what is being said. In fact I said some of those same things. Radical Islam does hope to overthrow all the infidels and spread Islam across the world. But I part company with Kumar in his assessment of our war against Radical Islam. He admits, for example, that Afghanistan is a “client state” of Radical Islam but doesn’t think it important to fight against the Radical Islamic forces in Afghanistan. His assessment of our successes, of the ongoing threat, and of how we can defeat Radical Islam sound naïve to me – as though he is very young.

But he isn’t. I found him on http://www.kumarforcongress.com . He competed for the Republican nomination for the 5th Congressional District of Tennessee in the last election – and was defeated. This is what he said about his defeat:

“This past August 7, 2008 I ran the first ever major party run for U.S. Congress on an Anti-Sharia Platform. I knew it would be controversial but necessary in this age of increased worldwide Jihadist activities. Tennessee voters selected my opponent to be the standard bearer for the Republican Party in the general election.”

Even though I have been outspoken against Radical Islam for several years, I probably would not have favored Kumar if I lived in the 5th Congressional District of Tennessee. I mean, does Tennessee really have a Sharia problem?

I was attracted to President’ Bush’s vow to hold those nations who supported Radical Islamism accountable. Bush did that in Afghanistan, but Kumar doesn’t approve. He declares the efforts in Afghanistan a failure. But they are not. Countless members of Al Qaeda (Radical Islam’s flagship) have been killed or captured, and the chief organization that supported Al Quaeda, the Taliban, has been harassed and chased about the countrysides of both Pakistan and Afghanistan..

As to Kumar’s conspiracy theory, i.e, that Pakistan’s ISI (the equivalent of America’s CIA) created Al Qaeda and the Taliban . . . and is exporting terrorism. Gosh, I don’t think you have that right, Kumar. I have never read a reference to the ISI having any input into the development of Radical Islam. I wonder if Kumar has heard of S. Abul A’la Maududi or the Deobandi school in Pakistan. The “poor students,” that is, the Taliban, came out of the Deobandi school, not the ISI.

I’m sure that if I happened to be in the 5th District and a Radical Islamic Group invaded Tennesse, Vijay Kumar and I would be fighting on the same side. But, but, but . . . Vijay, I think you need to do a bit more studying before the next election – also, I think you need a better platform.

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