Failure to take such steps will put at risk all U.S. diplomats who are serving in the region and their families. It will also increase the risk to our diplomats serving in Europe and elsewhere, where large Muslim populations serve as a breeding ground for Islamist fanatics.
Since 1979, when Ayatollah Khomeini toppled the Shah of Iran and Wahhabi fanatics took over the Great Mosque in Mecca, a struggle for the soul of Islam has been underway.
The forces of darkness took over Iran and won huge financial support from the Saudi monarchy, allowing them to spread their poison far and wide.
This is not our struggle, and we should not pretend we can arbitrate between “moderate” and “orthodox” Muslims. But we must ensure that America is respected around the world.
Machiavelli noted that it was far better for the Prince to be feared than for him to be loved. While that certainly holds true for monarchs and dictators who survive by force alone, it also holds true for free nations such as our own.
Ken Timmerman has spent the past thirty years reporting from and about the Middle East, and is the Republican candidate for Congress in Maryland’s 8th District.
