Are we at war with terror or jihad?

Back in the days of the Cold War, some in the U.S. recognized the threat posed by the Soviet Union but missed the threat posed by socialism.

Since the implosion of the Soviet Union, even fewer recognize how socialism still threatens our very way of life.

In fact, by any standard of measurement, the U.S. is threatened more by socialism today than at any time in its history.

As a country, we’re embracing it at every turn.

Likewise, today we are faced with a new enemy only some recognize – the Islamic jihad, a movement that seeks to impose its laws and values on us and everyone else in the world.

It’s easy for most Americans and law enforcement officials and even politicians to see that violent jihad, more often referred to incorrectly as mere “terrorism,” as a problem.

But, as Robert Spencer argues in his new book, “Stealth Jihad,” the more insidious and, therefore, longer term threat to our way of life comes from those waging a different form of struggle against us – “the transformation of American society and the imposition of Islamic law here, subjugating women and non-Muslims to the status of legal inferiors.”

In other words, just like socialism, the conflict with jihadism comes in two forms – one overtly violent and the other a long-term stealth struggle. The only difference between them is a matter of tactics.

“Radical Islam,” Spencer points out, represents far more than the violent jihadism of al-Qaida and other terrorist groups.

It’s time for Americans to defend their way of life, their freedoms and their Constitution from all those who attack it – no matter the tactics and strategies used.

Will we accept socialism and tyranny if it is imposed on us non-violently?

I won’t. I hope most Americans won’t. Nevertheless, can we honestly look around us today and deny that it is happening?

Likewise, will we accept the imposition of Shariah law on us if it comes non-violently through the infiltration of our political and cultural institutions?

I won’t. I hope most Americans won’t.

There are many more groups and individuals seeking to subvert the American way of life through stealth than there are through violence and terrorism. We must begin to recognize, though, that it is an evil ideology we battle (jihadism), not a tactic (terrorism).

Many of those being actively embraced or, at least, accepted in our country as “moderate” Muslims are jihadists, though they might not be, at the moment, terrorists.

Just as most Americans today clearly do not comprehend the ever-present threat of socialism to our way of life, most do not understand a threat that has all but defined world conflict and history for the last 1,300 years.

Understanding the challenges we face is imperative to resistance and victory over them.

America is under siege simultaneously from two evil ideologies – socialism and jihadism.

If you don’t understand why these two ideologies are evil and antithetical to the American way of life and your most cherished and basic freedoms, you can learn what’s at stake by reading just two books – one old, one new:

• F.A. Hayek’s “The Road to Serfdom” should have real resonance for all Americans today as we experience first hand the failures of socialism. America is getting a wakeup call right now regarding socialism. That is why our economy is failing. Hayek showed us many years ago why this would be so if we followed the failed roadmap of socialism. It’s not too late to learn these valuable lessons.
• Robert Spencer’s “Stealth Jihad,” just published, shows us that a fight against “terrorism” is one in which the enemy has been misdefined. Just as we won the battle against socialism and lost the war, we are at risk of making the same strategic error when it comes to Islamic jihadism. It, too, is tremendously important book – vital, even, to our national security.

Are freedom and prosperity in America worth the investment of time?

I hope you will agree they are.

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