Anybody who really understands radical Islam and the mindset of an average radical Muslim will appreciate the correctness of both the timing and the choice of the countries banned. It is also important to understand the fact that Trump’s doctrine is not aimed at combating radical Islamic ideology but to contain its menace in order to preserve the freedom, and guarantee the safety and security of American citizens.
In keeping to his campaign promise, President Donald Trump has taken the first of several steps in tackling headlong the menace of radical Islam. By a stroke of pen on a controversial executive order, citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries of Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Iraq and Iran have been temporarily banned from the United States of America, for one hundred and twenty days to allow for a more effective vetting process to be put in place that will check the immigration of radical Muslims into the country. In what has become a fixated routine, the army of the “anything Trump” opposition has descended hard on this latest national security policy initiative, with blitzkriegs of harsh criticisms and tantrums on the Trump administration. These set of people are still reeling from the shock of the Trump victory and are yet to come to terms with the reality of the Trump’s era of a new world re-order, where the menace of radical Islam will be confronted without the pretensions of political correctness or moralist diplomatic finesse.
Once again, the oversubscribed international media establishment by anti-Trump interest groups have continued to fundamentally misrepresent the core of the Trump doctrine of the danger posed to America’s national security by the menace of radical Islam. The same international mass media establishment and their local protégés that didn’t see the Trump victory coming are also not seeing the truth of Trump’s perception of radical Islam. They have once again misled millions of people into mass protests and the boycott of Trump’s “Muslim ban”.
The common sense behind the ban is being made difficult. Several arguments have been advanced to buttress the inappropriateness of Trump’s Muslim ban. Some have questioned the exclusion of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and UAE, whose citizens were perpetrators of the most devastating terror attack on September 9, 2001 on American home soil. Trump has been accused of deliberately excluding these countries of the Middle East where he is alleged to have business interests but included poor economically irrelevant Muslim countries. This line of thought has been amplified by the oversubscribed anti-Trump international media establishment to the detriment of the real reasons of the ban of those seven countries and the exclusion of some others.
Anybody who really understands radical Islam and the mindset of an average radical Muslim will appreciate the correctness of both the timing and the choice of the countries banned. It is also important to understand the fact that Trump’s doctrine is not aimed at combating radical Islamic ideology but to contain its menace in order to preserve the freedom, and guarantee the safety and security of American citizens. The larger task of combating radical Islamic is the responsibility of Muslims because it is a Muslim problem.
The destruction and down fall of America is an obsession of all radical Muslims. This is why thousands of Muslims living in the West heed the clarion call to jihad of ISIS, and there is inspiration for lone wolf terror attacks by Muslim citizens of western countries, as well as their refugees.
A close look at the contemporary history of the affected Muslim countries will reveal them as having fallen apart under the weight of radical Islamic ideology, which has pervaded their entire socio-political configuration, thereby making peaceful coexistence between people of different faiths, races and sects impossible within the borders of these geographical entities. The fact that most citizens of these countries are fully radicalised, as evident in the near total collapse of those countries, should be a cause for concern for every freedom loving citizen of the free world. In addition to hate, intolerance and sectarian divides, the collective hatred of America by all the warring sects and races in the affected Muslim countries is one unifying doctrine among all of them.
America is portrayed in radical Islamic ideology as the greatest enemy of Islam and Muslims. As such, the destruction of this great enemy is an obligation on all radical Muslims. America’s open and inclusive society, which guarantees freedom to all, irrespective of religious beliefs, their race, gender, or sexual preferences; a system, which allows Muslims to freely worship without inhibitions in a Judeo-Christian country is unfortunately the very reason radical Muslims hate America. To them no other religion is permitted but Islam. Their loyalty can only be to Allah through a global Islamic state and not to an infidel American government that allows all forms of vices in the name freedom and human right.
They hate America for supporting the existence of the Jewish state of Israel whom radical Muslims regard as an avowed enemy. The ultimate goal of radical Islam is the destruction of America from within its own borders by taking advantage of the very system that guarantees freedom but which they hate very passionately. The strategy appears to be to infiltrate as much as possible and gradually destroy America from within. The destruction and down fall of America is an obsession of all radical Muslims. This is why thousands of Muslims living in the West heed the clarion call to jihad of ISIS, and there is inspiration for lone wolf terror attacks by Muslim citizens of western countries, as well as their refugees. Every Friday, the spiritual leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Ayatollah presides over chants of “death to America” because the destruction of America is a state policy of Iran.
The animosity against America is set to intensify because of Trump’s open declaration of strong arm diplomacy towards Iran, and hence a commendable national security initiative to extremely vet Iranian Muslims entering America to make certain they are not part of those chanting “death to America.” The Arab Muslim government and people of Sudan could not peacefully coexist with the black African Christians and animists as a result of extreme discrimination, leading to war and eventual break up. How possible is it for an Arab Muslim from Sudan who cannot tolerate his fellow African Christian compatriot to embrace the diversity that is America? Extreme vetting is needed.
Many have queried why Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt are not included in the banned list. The reason is simple; whereas all Muslim countries have tendencies toward radicalisation, the allies of America among these countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt have since the 9/11 attacks closely collaborated with the United States to proactively tackle terrorism within their territories.
Somalia has been a failed state since the fall of President Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991 as a result of inter-clan wars. This situation has been further aggravated by the rise of radical Islamic jihadi groups that have declared war against the infidel West. Somalia is the home of Al Shabbab, which is one of the world’s deadliest terror groups. If Somalis could not live in peace because of clan differences, is it likely that they will truly embrace the diversity that is America? Extreme vetting is surely needed with regard to them too. Libya has been overrun by ISIS and other Jihadi groups. That America’s top envoy was murdered right inside the confines of the US diplomatic enclave in Benghazi, despite America’s support for the fall of Gadhafi clearly shows the collective hatred of Libyans for America. How do you then decide which Libyan is radicalised or not? Extreme vetting needed is required on them equally. In Iraq and Syria, the Sunni and Shia populace are fighting a deadly sectarian war, which has displaced millions of Muslims desperately seeking refuge in the West. The Sunni Jihadi groups, Al-Nusra, ISIS and Al Qaeda that are fighting the Iranian Backed Shia regimes in Syria and Iraq are unified in the common doctrine of the hatred of America. Therefore, extreme vetting is needed to determine which refugee is radicalised or not coming out of the homeland of ISIS.
Radical Islamic ideology is not unique to the seven banned countries. Saudi-Arabia is very notorious for the spread of the Wahhabi theology that is usually blamed for the resurgence of radical Jihadi groups in contemporary times. Many have queried why Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt are not included in the banned list. The reason is simple; whereas all Muslim countries have tendencies toward radicalisation, the allies of America among these countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt have since the 9/11 attacks closely collaborated with the United States to proactively tackle terrorism within their territories. There is a realisation between these countries and the United States that radical Islamic Jihadi groups are mutual threats to their existence.
There is robust security cooperation between these countries and the United States. Intelligence sharing in exchange for military aides has made extreme vetting of citizens of the friendly countries possible from within their countries. This largely explains the drastic reduction in the number of Saudi nationals that are actively recruited into ISIS. Since 9/11, Al Qaeda has continuously lost legitimacy in Saudi Arabia because of the deadly attacks it has carried out in the kingdom. The largest arms deal in the history of America, estimated to be worth 80 billion dollars, is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Egypt is the second biggest non NATO beneficiary of military aid, estimated to be worth 35 billion dollars. UAE is host to the biggest American naval fleet outside the Western hemisphere. These levels of security collaborations are not available in the seven banned countries. Somalia, Yemen and Libya are failed nations. Syria and Iraq are closely allied with Iran that wishes America death.
Majeed Dahiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja and can be reached through dahirumajeed@gmail.com.
