Liberty Vs. Fundamentalist Islam

Let me begin this diatribe by asking a question.

Do you, the reader, believe that we are in a battle for the American way of life? If you answered "No" or "I'm not really sure", then perhaps you need to check your premise for that decison. The very core principles that our founders endowed our nation with have been and continue to be challenged by fundamentalist fanatics in the Islamic world. Challenged by a very aggresive and violent sector of Islam that actively fights democracy across the globe.

This unique experince in government that we call America is antithetical to Islamic governmental systems or "Sharia" as outlined in the Koran. This American way of living, our liberty, Equality, Property, Freedom of Religious Beliefs, Freedom of Expression, is repugnant to many in the Islamic World. These very bedrocks of our social system are the reasons behind the calls of Immorality of radical clerics in the muslim world. In an Islamic UTOPIA there is only one God allowed, Allah. There is only one religion allowed to be practiced, Islam, with the Koran as it's codified guiding principles. There is no liberty, no freedom of expression (anyone remember the Taliban), Limited property rights, restricted and highly regulated commerce, gender inequality, need I say more?

Perhaps you are now beginning to understand that the battles raging in the Middle East are not truly for something as trivial as oil or the institution of a western style democracy. We are truly fighting for an idea, born of religious persecution, and codified in our Contitution and Bill of Rights. Sharia, or Islamic law, leaves no place for equalty, or diversity, either in Gender, or religion. America does. The Koran, has a stated instruction for all true muslims to convert either by conviction or "Force", all peoples to islam. There is no religious freedom there.

We here in this great country of America, especially these more recent generations, have taken our liberty and way of life for granted. Until 9/11, it had not been truly openly challenged since WWII. Initially, in the horror that immediately followed the attacks in New York and D.C., Most Americans at least superficially understood that we would have to form a response to these heinous acts against innocent people. Unfortunately it seems now as if, if the mainstream media is to be believed, as if that awful day is in large part pushed to the back of our minds.

We should make no mistake. There are very real, tangible reasons why those who guide and direct the fanatics within islam. have yet to spill additional blood on US soil. By engaging this enemy abroad, by taking the fight to him, capturing, killing, or forcing into hiding the leaders of these groups, and lastly by cutting of the means by which they perpetrate their crimes, Money, America has severely limited their ability to wage war on US citizens. But these organizations, states, and individual have not backed off their objective of America's destruction. The only true victory in the conflict with these extremists comes when they are no longer able to commit their acts of terror on innocent peoples accross the globe. American resolve to strive towards this end, is all that stands between us and more innocent death and destruction.