Starting a New Counter-Jihad Organization Is Not the Solution to the Problem

A new organization has just recently been formed by two counter-jihad individuals, Robert Spencer from Jihad Watch and Pamela Geller from Atlas Shrugs, called the Freedom Defense Initiative. Almost half (or ten) of their twenty-three planned activities involve actions towards or against Islam. Although they don't call themselves a counter-jihad organization, these activities indicate that Islam is their main focus.

There are two other major organizations which, based on their activities, can also be considered counter-jihad: The International Free Press Society, and Act for America.

All these organizations are commendable. It takes a lot of energy to form a structured body for a cause. But, the FDI seems a combination of Act for America and IFPS. Therefore, I don't understand the necessity for building another organization if the issues have not been satisfactorily resolved (or are not in the process of being resolved).

The champion of these organizations, Geert Wilders, has already articulated the solution to the Islam problem. His main point is to remove the problem, not simply to defend ourselves against it. In other words, Muslims have no place in the West. And they can only be part of the West if they don't practice the sharia-based, jihad-supporting variant of Islam that is attempting to have a stronghold over the West.

As far as I can tell, none of these organizations has articulated the removal of Muslims who threaten Western civilization, and closing the immigration doors on all Muslims. They focus instead on a defensive rather than a proactive approach. This is ironic, since two (FDI and Act for America) publicize themselves as activists.

And Wilders’s positions have been articulated by another individual. Thus, both Act for America and the FDI actually have a mentor closer to home.

Lawrence Auster has proposed his points in a speech he gave for the conference Preserving Western Civilization, a year ago, and in many other articles he has published on the Islam problem.

In his speech "A real Islam Policy for a Real America" he makes the following propositions:

- With the exception of immediate family members of U.S. citizens, diplomatic personnel, and temporary visitors for business and other legitimate purposes, all entry into the United States of foreign persons known or determined to be followers of the religion of Islam, whatever their nationality or country of residence, shall cease.

- Any Muslim person with a temporary visa for business or diplomacy who advocates or promotes jihad shall lose his visa.

- Any resident alien who openly espouses jihad or who participates in any pro-jihad activities or organizations will lose his residency status and be deported.

- No resident alien who adheres to, or who on investigation is reasonably suspected of adhering to, the doctrine of jihad, will be naturalized as a U.S. citizen. In order to be naturalized, Muslims will be required to state under oath that they totally reject the doctrine of jihad and have no association with pro-jihad activities and pro-jihad persons.

- Naturalized citizens, whether they were naturalized before or after the passage of this law, who associate with jihad supporters or participate in pro-jihad activities, have shown that their oath of loyalty to the United States was fraudulent. Their citizenship shall be revoked and they shall be deported.

- All mosques, Islamic centers and schools that promote jihad or sharia in any form will be closed.

- The United States shall encourage the voluntary departure of Muslim naturalized citizens and their native-born descendants by offering all Muslim persons over the age of eighteen $50,000 each in a one-time fee to give up any claim of U.S. residency or citizenship, to return to their native land, and never to seek to return. The federal government will assure that departing Muslims will receive a fair market price for their real property, investments, and other property that they must sell prior to leaving the United States.

It is counter-productive to repeat the same things over again, without any clear progress. I’m sure that the FDI, the IFPS and Act for America have dedicated counter-jihad members, who really do go out on a limb endangering their lives and livelihoods for the cause they're fighting. But, it is surprising that they hardly pay attention to the methods their mentor Geert Wilders clearly enunciates, and Lawrence Auster, closer to home, has clearly outlined.

I will be bold and say that starting a new organization is not the solution to the problem. Starting a new organization with the mandate to solve the problem effectively, is the solution to the problem.