The West is Defeating Radical Islam by Gregory Hilton

The West appears to be winning its battle against radical Islam. Moreover, we are doing so with the help of moderate Muslims, including those in Arab countries. They have been dying at the hands of al Qaeda and its various allies in much greater numbers than anyone else involved in the war on terror.
The Pakistani government is finally raiding Taliban strongholds. In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Islamic country, the local al-Qaeda affiliate has been marginalized during the past eight years as democracy continues to grow. In Egypt, the oldest and most prestigious institution of Islamic learning, Al-Azhar University, now “routinely condemns jihadism,” according to a cover story in this week’s Newsweek.
Saudi Arabia was stunned by a series of terror attacks in 2003 and 2004, and now authorities have made such progress in taking on al Qaeda that General David Patraeus recently praised their role. That progress has included a fatwa, issued by the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, banning Saudis from engaging in jihad abroad; a statement by one of al Qaeda’s own theorists renouncing the killing of civilians; and an open letter by one of bin Ladin’s mentors lashing him for “fostering a culture of suicide bombings.”
American politicians such as former Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) are advocating brute force against any and all Muslim countries in response to terror attacks. That would only turn the clock back by failing to distinguish between moderates and extremists. It would also spawn hundreds of new radical jihadists, whose numbers are currently so low that leaders of al Qaeda are reportedly worried, for the first time, how they can export their brand of terror. There’s a lot to be said for what national security professionals call “soft power.”

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