Identifying the Enemy: Radical Islamist Terror

On Thursday, September 22, 2016, Muslim Reformer Shireen Qudosi will testify before Chairman Scott Perry for the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency of the House Homeland Security Committee of the U.S. Congress. The hearing, titled “Identifying the Enemy: Radical Islamist Terror,” is one of a series of hearings this year that has been instrumental is drawing political attention to political Islam and the obstructions to effectively dealing with the problem with the full potential and resources of the United States government.

Along with co-reformer Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, Qudosi will testify on the importance of identifying the real enemy to American freedom and national security. That enemy is radical Islamic ideology that is a political parasite protected under freedom of religion.

Pivotal to her testimony are three key areas that impact national dialogue on radicalism and its offshoot, Islamism:

1. Muslim Reform acknowledges that Islam must change in order to be compatible with life in our free society.

2. Islamism is neither a harmless alternative lifestyle nor a collection of harmless beliefs; it is a political system with definable ideas, an intellectual history and, alarmingly, a relatively robust base of support within the United States.

3. A government and civil society emphasis on combatting “Islamophobia” actually prevents any hope at Muslim Reform, because it protects Islam from criticism from non-Muslims and Muslims alike. It must be stopped.

Qudosi stresses that Islam is both “peace and war,” and that repeating a mantra of peace in response to growing extremism is detrimental to greater efforts to combat Islamic ideology. She denounces Islam as a race and with it the accusation that attacking the idea of Islam is somehow “Islamophobic.” Islam is not a race. It is an idea and just like any other idea, it needs to be pushed, provoked, and tested. In addition to outlining the case for reform, Qudosi’s testimony calls on political leaders to cut the reigns on language so that Americans can have a free and full dialogue without the threatening our First Amendment rights with “hate speech” or “racism.”

Her testimony offers three key recommendations for immediate impact. First, identify and understand the ideological convey-belt Islamists use to create jihadists, both outside and inside the United States. Second, immigrants need to share our values, which means restricting the ability of known Islamists to travel and gain residency or citizenship. And finally, initiate outreach efforts that require new Muslim immigrants to engage outside of ethnic and religious enclaves; this means engage with Muslim Reformers and other secular Muslims.

Qudosi is a conservative, a feminist, and an American Muslim of Pakistani and Afghan heritage. She traveled through Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey, and was a refugee in Germany before becoming an American citizen. The experience that shape her identity offer a unique position from which to view the war against radical Islam.