The Terrorists Win Again

Josh Marshall says it:

What's gotten far less comment is an at least as potent pragmatic or perhaps better to say strategic argument. Quite simply, the furor of opposition to the Cordoba House project and the spasm of Islamophobia is the best recruiting tool that bin Laden and his imitators could possibly hope for. As Ali Soufan, a near legendary FBI counter-terrorism interrogator has just written in Forbes, in the wake of the anti-Mosque furor, bin Laden's "next video script has just written itself."

What is important to recognize is that this opinion is close to universal among people in the counter-terrorism business. And by this I mean, people who actually operationally work in counter-terrorism, people who work in public diplomacy for the US abroad and people who study trends in counter-terrorism and Islamic radicalism both in the US and abroad. In this regard, it's important to distinguish people in the counter-terrorism business or what we might call counter-terrorism professionals from what we might term counter-terrorism or anti-radical Islam activists, of whom almost all the high profile opponents of the Cordoba House project fall. These are the Pam Gellers, the Robert Spencers and David Horowitzes and all the rest. You can disagree or agree with their arguments about Islam -- and I've made my own views on that point pretty clear. But very little of what they even talk about has to do with the actual nuts and bolts and heading off the growth of terror networks and taking them down once they're coalesced into existence.

So if the 1st Amendment and the American tradition of pluralism doesn't float your boat, you can always fall back on what's more or less likely to help terrorist recruiting and get you and your family blown to smithereens. Both point in the same direction.

Bin Laden, honestly, can make a highlight reel of our news coverage the last couple of weeks, spread it about and he will most likely double his recruitment. It's a no-brainer. Not sure why people can't grasp this aspect of the non-troversy.

Paddy K emailed this anecdote:

I really just can't stand the fact that so-called "reasonable" people are using this line:

* not all Muslims are bad
* this mosque is just insensitive.

I'm sorry, I don't care how many family members you lost on 9/11, you do NOT get a free pass. WHY do you feel the Park51 project is insensitive? Things aren't insensitive or offensive for no reason, there has to be a reason why it bothers you. You then have to ask yourself: am I right in being offended?

No one seems to want to go through this simple mental algebra.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I propose we build towers at Ground Zero with at least three Muslim community centers in them. It seems the best way to combat both Bin Laden and ourselves.

I am Frank Chow and I approved this message