On September 11^th 2001 America was attacked by cowardly terrorists who killed nearly 3000 American civilians. The civilians were not collateral damage or somehow accidentally killed, but killed because they were infidels. It was the day when terrorism was truly brought home to America. How much do we remember that day and how seriously does the West take the threat posed by Islamic terrorism?

I will quickly move beyond the leftists who demand that the term “Islamic Terrorism” is racist or bigoted. Nearly everyday someone somewhere in the world dies from a terrorist who kills because of his faith while screaming “Allah Ackbar.” Those fools may wish to have their head in the sand and ignore reality, but I do not wish to indulge them further here. My main focus is an attempt to communicate the size of the threat posed by “radical Islam.”

Nearly every time the issue of terrorism reaches the national dialogue we are assured ad infinitum that those who kill in the name of Islam are a tiny minority of radicals. What does this mean? There are between 1.1 and 1.8 billion Muslims in the world. Assuming 1,500,000,000 (a number in the middle), that would mean if 9 out of 10 are “moderate” we are at war with 150,000,000 radicals. Germany currently has approximately 82,000,000 inhabitants (a little over half the number of radicals we face if 90% of Muslims are moderate) and I suspect few would see going to war with Germany again as easy.

With these frightening figures we have already gotten ahead of ourselves; how do we define moderate? Do we define moderate as nonviolent? Today the “moderate” Fatah movement claimed responsibility for their suicide bombers attacking a shopping area full of civilians in Israel. How do we differentiate them from the “radical” Hamas? Can we then define “moderate” as being decent people (indecency doesn’t necessitate terrorism, but decency certainly helps prevent it)? There are many social ills in the world, but there are a few that are particularly disgusting. Predominately in Muslim nations there is a practice of female genital mutilation. Parents and religious officials take their young daughters (usually under 8) and hold them down while someone cuts off their clitoris. Recently the New York Times reported that 96 percent in Indonesia (most Muslims reside in Southeast Asia) had done this to their daughters before the age of 14. How far is someone who would so disgustingly harm their own little daughter for their faith from harming others for their faith? How are so many able to so quickly shrug off this issue as an insignificant minority?

Are we at war with all Islam? No, a war against 1.5 billion cannot be won. Are all Muslims evil?  No, many Muslims were appalled at 9/11. Many others celebrated. Those Muslims who participate in terror, approve of terror, or even those who harm their own daughters constitute a great number of amoral people that represent a great threat to the world. They desire us dead or submitted to them. I believe, particularly nearing an election, this war needs to be better understood as the greatest issue of our time. All of civilization is at threat and the Islamo-Fascists desire to submit us all to their brand of Islam and Barack Obama will not be able to sit down and talk everything out with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

I fear for the world every time when I see a poll that shows how many Americans no longer see how great this threat is. Before you go to the polls tomorrow (for many of us) and especially in November try to imagine living under Sharia law or what would be done to your daughter if the Islamo-facists were successful. It will be no easy task to stop them.