I've been clear since even before I started this blog when I wrote an article (that I couldn't get published) on the coming war with the jihadis and their supporters. I wrote, in part:
Above all, vigilance must not degenerate into paranoia. We must trust that our Moslem and Arab neighbors share our values. They or their parents or grandparents immigrated to America because they too cherish our freedoms and way of life. Like most Americans, they are here because someone in their family fled poverty, oppression, or both, to build a better life for their children. They are horrified and angry like all Americans. "They" are our friends and neighbors and are part of "us." Some, whether citizens or residents, will be guilty of cooperating with the enemy or even actively fighting us. This is not new. Fascism and communism had their admirers here even in our darkest hours during those fights. Those betrayers were guilty as individuals and not as members of any religion or ethnic group. Let us not descend into the logic of our enemies that the perceived or actual guilt of one condemns all similar innocents. Our enemies will have won the war in a fundamental and lasting way if we become like the terrorists even as we physically destroy our terrorist enemy.
I think we have done an admirable job as a nation in drawing a line between Moslems and jihadis even after nearly a decade has passed since the 9/11 attacks. We have not had the same problem with radicalism here that our Western European allies have had. And we do get cooperation against the jihadis from Moslem Americans.
But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be vigilant against jihadi sympathizers making inroads into our Moslem communities. We have seen some cases of home-grown jihadis. How is it doing any favor to moderate Moslems if we don't help them resist and turn back the appeal of radical Islam?
And rather than the congressional hearings representing a threat to all American Moslems, doesn't the rage of opponents of the hearings risk making more Americans think that radical Islam represents all Moslems? Seriously, if protesters insist that an inquiry into radicalism taints all Moslems, doesn't that convey the message that radicalism represents all Moslems? Don't the unfounded accusations of protesters that the hearings are anti-Moslem feed foreign jihadi propaganda rather than the hearings themselves which are advertised as focusing on the radicals within Islam?
I don't want the hearings to turn into a witch hunt against Moslems in general. That is not only morally wrong, it is a mistake that will harm our fight against the Islamo-fascists both here and abroad.
The hearings should be a tool to focus on which people we need to hunt. Protesters and defenders of the hearings should be able to find common ground in making sure our war on terror is focused on the right people and that our efforts support Moslem moderates in defeating the appeal of radical Islam (and I worry that we are failing to support moderates). If these hearings can advance that objective, they will be a success.
