"Now is not the time to abandon the war on terror
Ak'Bar A. Shabazz
July 7, 2005
The recent bombing in London’s Russell Square should finally prove that the world needs to be more vigilant in the War on Terror. Obviously, it is too early to gauge the British resolve or reaction to the bombing. But, it would be in their best interest, as well as the entire world if they did not impersonate their European brethren and persisted in actively resisting the efforts of the terrorists.
The brutal attack on the innocent citizens of London as they traveled to work on trains and buses shows the level of ruthlessness of the attackers. It should instill a measure of determination in their leaders and the population in general. These criminals have shown their blatant disregard for human life by their willingness to target women, children, the elderly and other civilians in their quest to intimidate the world into their manner of thinking.
Similar to the Spanish reaction, many will look at the cost in lives and resources and suggest abandoning the War on Terror. These suggestions are terribly misguided and very near-sighted. If you noticed a hive of hornets gathering in your backyard, would you turn a blind eye and cower in your home for fear of being stung? Or would you accept the potential of a few stings and proceed to eliminate the threat because of the severe ramifications of allowing them to congregate and operate freely? Our plight is very similar.
Many liberal politicians and their counterparts in the media seem to be more determined to oppose President Bush’s judicial nominations than terrorists who would like to bring harm to our country and the world in general. The incident in London should bring their political motivations to rest and support our President as he defends our country in this global war.
As a Muslim since birth, I am frequently appalled at the levels of ignorance that some of our legislators have in this area. Their suggestions of abandoning Iraq and diminishing the War on Terror only encourage and embolden those that want to cause us harm, while reducing resistance movements within their countries. Contrary to popular belief in some circles, these people are driven by their twisted and fanatical ideology than their religious convictions. They are no respecters of age, sex, race or religion. They will kill their own countryman as quickly as they will anyone living in the most disputed parts of Israel. They have shown that they will blow up mosques as eagerly as they will destroy synagogues and churches. They will attempt to destroy anything and anyone that disagrees with their philosophy and actions, this writer included.
The recent bombings should encourage our country as well as the rest of the world to be more adamant about erasing terrorism. We only have two options. We can either fight them tenaciously, or choose to live under the constant expectation of a bombing. There is no middle ground. Increased diligence will weaken our opponents. A reduced level of diligence will encourage them.
The loss of innocent life affects us all. The pictures from London’s aftermath have brought back memories of our own brush with these terrorists. The scene is very familiar to American citizens as well as residents of Israel, Spain and today’s Iraq. This incident should put starch in the spines of all of those who have doubted the importance of reclaiming peace and security in our time by winning the War on Terror.
This task will not be a simple one. Our enemies will not go down easily and there will still be domestic and international naysayers that will encourage us to abandon ship in Iraq and Afghanistan while lowering our posture towards Iran and North Korea. As leaders of the free world, we must not allow the pessimists to reduce our determination. Otherwise, we’ll have more than a few hornet stings to deal with."




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