WhatsappIs this a fringe element in the Islamic movement? Do they truly want to conquer the West? Islamic conquest of the USA? This is scary stuff. Do they truly have dictatorial intentions? There is no reason to not take what they say at face value.
The main argument of Robert Spencer in this short clip is that this form of Islamic theology is not fringe. It is much more mainstream than we may like to think. Not only is it not fringe. It is a direct continuation of a theology that has been in force for centuries. Jihad is not a new idea. It is age-old and there is no clear Islamic voice that is widely heard today against voices like this one.
Fringe Groups Can Become Mainstream
There are many lessons that we need to learn from World War II. One of the key lessons is to never treat a fringe group of organized lunatics as if they pose no danger. Sometimes the fringe can grow. In Germany, the Nazi party never actually received a majority of the vote. But they did grow from a fringe party in the 1920’s to a major force by the early 1930’s. Then they were able to exploit a split-vote in 1933 and rise to power. Once they had the power to, they set up a dictatorship and brought the world to an abyss that led to tens of millions of people killed in World War II. All because a small fringe group in a central country in Europe was not kept in check.
So, let’s not ignore small fringe elements – whether they are in the Middle East, Europe, or especially in the United States itself. They mean what they say, and if they could, they would take over our lives and set up an Islamic caliphate.
