Huffington Post attacks Trump for vowing to fight “radical Islamic terrorism”

Why? Because the HuffPo is on the side of radical Islamic terrorism, as I have pointed out for years. Liaquat Ali Khan here hits Trump for not talking about Russia or China as security threats. Are Russia or China shooting people in gay nightclubs or Christmas parties, and driving trucks into crowds? Are they vowing to fly their flag over the White House? He also complains that Trump said “Islamic terrorism,” because terrorism, he insists, has nothing to do with Islam. Khan is above all terrified that Trump may actually identify and counter the jihad ideology. Let’s hope he does.

“Trump Declares Holy War Against Radical Islamic Terrorism,” by Liaquat Ali Khan, Huffington Post, January 21, 2017 (thanks to Chris):

In his inaugural address, President Trump singled out radical Islamic terrorism as the sole enemy. He did not even mention Russia or China as threats to the security or prosperity of the United States. In terse and clear words, Trump said: “We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate from the face of the Earth.” In fighting against radical Islamic terrorism, Trump asserted that “We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement. And most importantly, we will be protected by God.”

What Trump Means

There are three points worth consideration to understand Trump’s speech on radical Islamic terrorism. Each point is rooted in history and academic literature, and each point carries serious implications for the peace and security of the United States and the world.

First, radical Islamic terrorism is presented as a threat to “the civilized world.” Historically, the phrase “civilized world” was coined in the era of colonialism to refer primarily to the European nations and by implication to the “uncivilized world” such as Native Americans in Americas, slaves from Africa, and the colonized populations in Asia. Under contemporary standards of global discourse, the phrase “civilized world” is rarely used by diplomats, heads of states, or academic scholars. There is a new understanding that the world is blessed with numerous diverse civilizations, including the Islamic civilization that spans over centuries in all continents of the world. It is unclear whether President Trump includes fifty-six (56) Muslim countries as part of the civilized world.

Second, the phrase “radical Islamic terrorism” was invented to argue that Islamic violence emanates from the religion itself and not from any concrete geopolitical grievances for which Muslim militants are fighting in various parts of the world. The phrase “radical Islamic terrorism “was popular with neoconservatives who wanted to shift the focus from grievances to Islamic psychology. For example, the phrase implies that the Palestinians as Muslims are addicted to violence that has nothing to do with occupation or misery they face as a people. Likewise, the phrase would suggest that the Taliban as Muslims are hooked to religiously-inspired warfare and their violence has little to do with the invasion of Afghanistan. By adopting the phrase during his campaign and mentioning it in his inaugural speech, President Trump has bought into the idea that a radical version of Islam is inherently brutal and will find excuses to perpetrate violence throughout the world even after all the problems have been solved.

Third, Trump has added a holy war component to the eradication of radical Islamic terrorism from the face of the Earth. In addition to seeking protection from “the great men and women of our military,” Trump claims that “we will be protected by God.” This simply means that God is on the side of the United States in its wars against various nations and populations, particularly radical Islamic terrorism. This understanding of God’s partisanship in human wars is the cardinal principle of the holy war whether the concept is invoked by Catholics, Protestants, Shias, Sunnis, or Shiv Sena….