Anti-Jihad Caucus

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

Posted 4/12/2007

War On Terror: Maintaining a high level of vigilance against an enemy is wearisome business, especially in this war. We salute those who have not succumbed to 9/11 fatigue.

One tireless watchdog is Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., who earlier this year founded the Anti-Terrorism/Jihad Caucus to educate fellow lawmakers and Americans in general about the threat from militant Islam.

"The general public doesn't understand the threats we face from radical jihadists — who they are, what they want and what we can do about the threat," the feisty Myrick says on her Web site. "Americans are not being properly informed about the nature of the jihadist threat and their plans to do us harm."

This is an understatement. The media and academia have whitewashed jihad or ducked the issue entirely, petrified as they are of looking intolerant toward Muslims. Meantime, well-funded apologists such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations have gone on the offensive against the few critics who have spoken out, further confusing Americans about the gravity of the threat.

"The jihadists have become incredibly advanced in their public relations efforts," Myrick lamented. And we have limited tools to counteract their propaganda, thanks to institutionalized religious tolerance even for creeds hostile to our way of life.

The Anti-Jihad Caucus dares to right that imbalance. Its main goal is to educate members of Congress about the Islamic threat so they can talk candidly to their constituents about it. Myrick has already recruited more than 80 members to join her — including even some Democrats, such as Bud Cramer of Alabama and Ben Chandler of Kentucky.

"The group is currently learning about a variety of issues involving jihad, such as the history of Islam, the differences and similarities of Sunni and Shia Muslims, terrorist financing, terrorist use of the Internet, and terrorist infiltration techniques," Myrick said.