Our war on radical Islam has been
hamstrung by political correctness from the start. First, we couldn't
call the campaign to strike back at al-Qaida a "crusade" because
Muslims found it historically offensive.
Then we couldn't define the enemy as "Islamic terrorists" because it
insulted Islam — even though it accurately described the Muslims
committing murder and mayhem in the name of Islam.
To appease critics, we narrowed the terminology, confining it to the
jihadist element within Islam. And so officials in recent years have
frequently referred to "jihad" or "jihadists" in public.
Only now they can't describe terrorists as "jihadists," either,
because Muslim leaders complain that it, too, gives Islam a bad name.
But jihad, or holy war, is a central tenet of the faith. In fact, jihad
is often referred to as the "sixth pillar of Islam."
Even "mujahedeen," or Islamic freedom fighter, is a no-no in the new
watered-down Washington lexicon. And "Islamofascism" is definitely out.
The Homeland Security report, titled
"Terminology to Define the Terrorists: Recommendations from American
Muslims," does not say which Muslims made the recommendations.