Summing Up the Summit: Three Days Wasted

Summing Up the Summit: Three Days Wasted

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

February 20, 2015

Barack Obama hosted a three day summit on countering violent extremism which seemed more like a student government meeting at a local high school. The cost was in the millions of dollars, was three days the attendees will never get back and an exercise in fecklessness.

Representatives from more than 60 nations participated in this summit which, from all prior description, was to be a study of both domestic and global terrorism. Sixty nations, yet James Comey, Director of the FBI was not invited. However, Comey’s Russian counterpart was in attendance. How a discussion pertaining to fighting domestic terrorism did not include the director of the FBI is nonsensical and shortsighted.

Who the summit also included was Salam Al-Malayati from the Muslim Public Affairs Council. It was Al-Malayati who said “Israel should be a suspect in the 9-11 attacks.” This is another example of with whom Obama associates. After all, one is the compendium of those with whom one associates.

This was yet another failed waste of time by Obama that achieved nothing – after all, he still has yet to address the enemy in the war on terror by its proper titles – Islamic extremism, Muslim extremism, radical Islam, and radical Muslims. It’s hard to fight an enemy when one cannot even identify the enemy. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld described the administration’s lack of a positive accomplishment as a “leadership vacuum.”

It was not a random attack in Paris when Jews in a kosher delicatessen were murdered. Forgive the stereotype, but who did Obama think would be shopping in a kosher deli mere hours prior to Shabbat? Philippe Braham, Yohan Cohen, Yoav Hattab, and Francois-Michel Saada were Jewish, may their memories always be for a Blessing.

For nearly a week Obama did not recognize that the 21 Egyptians beheaded by ISIS were Coptic Christians, simply calling them Egyptian citizens. They were slaughtered not because they were Egyptian, but because they were Christian. May their memories always be for a Blessing. The leader who spoke in the video called their prey “The people of the cross… the followers of the hostile Egyptian Church…,” and “we will conquer Rome,” he continued in perfect English. The Muslim terrorist added that the slayings are “A message signed in blood to the nation of the cross.”

And while Obama remains intentionally obtuse about who the enemy is – actually Obama knows who the enemy is, he simply refuses to acknowledge what they are – this when the enemy calls themselves holy warriors and declaring itself THE Islamic State.

Obama did acknowledge that “We have to address the grievances these people express.” What grievances? The Muslim extremists who are carrying out the slaughter of innocent Christians, Jews, and other Muslims only seem to be hell bent on the destruction of Western Civilization and the creation of a global caliphate of loyal drones and minions. Do their grievances include not having enough money to carry out their barbaric deeds? Do their grievances include not being able to kill more people at a faster rate?

Or are we to believe words of Marie Harf, deputy spokesperson at the State Department who unfathomably said “We cannot win this war by killing them. We cannot kill our way out of this war.” Harf called for, and Obama agreed, getting to the root causes of the terror; that these animals simply are from poor families with disjointed upbringings, lacking education that simply need job opportunities. In reality, most of this terror class is educated and from middle class families who simply have bombastic and extreme views of their Muslim religion – a religion for which they commit their heinous acts of barbarism – according to their own claims.

Western Civilization is at war with Muslim extremists who are not seeking a sit-down, a conference call, or a negotiation. There is no kum-by-ya moment to be had here. This is an enemy that simply needs to be eradicated – eviscerated – destroyed – killed. If the United States does not take the lead on this all important operation, the dearth of leadership that will be felt globally will be vacuous.

While Jordan has gotten involved in a small way since the unfortunate incineration of one of its pilots at the hands of ISIS, that small country can’t do the heavy lifting. All countries where Islamo-terrorism has been a factor, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, not to mention virtually the entirety of the Middle East, should be participating in this war against a global caliphate.

But it is also time for the so-called moderate Muslims to step up to the plate. Recalling an emotional scene in the 1989 film Glory, featuring Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, Freeman’s character Rawlins says to Washington's Trip, “Gonna come a time when we all gonna hafta ante up. Ante up and kick in like men. LIKE MEN!”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi understands this and delivered a brilliant speech before Al-Azhar University in Cairo on December 28, 2014.

“I am addressing the religious scholars and clerics… We must take a long, hard look at the situation we are in… I am referring not to ‘religion,’ but to ‘ideology’… It has reached the point that this [ideology] is hostile to the entire world… You cannot see things clearly when you are locked [in this ideology]. You must emerge from it and look from outside, in order to get closer to a truly enlightened ideology. You must oppose it with resolve. Let me say it again: We need to revolutionize our religion…       Honorable Imam, you bear responsibility before Allah. The world in its entirety awaits your words, because the Islamic nation is being torn apart, destroyed, and is heading to perdition. We ourselves are bringing it to perdition.”

Bold, brave, necessary words spoken by President Al Sisi. Words from which Obama can, should, and must learn and act upon.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.