MIKE POMPEO: The threat from radical Islam is now inside our gates. Biden ignored it. Trump must act
If the horrific attack in New Orleans underscored the failures of the Biden administration to keep America safe from the threat of radical Islamic terror, the pro-Hamas march in New York City only hours later emphasized just how deep this problem runs. Stopping the spread of radical Islamism within America’s borders and abroad must be a focal point for the incoming Trump administration.
The Biden administration has spent the past four years countering conjured political ‘threats’ to America – such as targeting Catholics or parents attending school board meetings – instead of dealing with the very real threat posed by radical Islamic terror.
In truth, this is but one manifestation of a broader blindness afflicting America and the West. Driven by the progressive left ideology preached throughout our schools and mainstream media, an alarming portion of the population now believes it is permissible to support antisemitic, anti-American radical Islamist groups under the guise of morality or free speech.
In the past year, we have seen these radical Islamist sympathizers marching on college campuses and through the streets of our nation’s cities spewing antisemitic hate speech.
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This ugliness manifested itself most recently in New York City on New Year’s Day. Just hours after the horrific terror attack perpetrated in New Orleans by an assailant claiming allegiance to ISIS, hundreds of demonstrators could be found in Times Square calling for an "intifada revolution," the destruction of Israel, and support for the terrorist organization Hamas.
These protesters knew exactly what they were doing: they took an iconic American space generally reserved for revelry and celebrating the arrival of the new year, and they turned it into a massive platform for radical jihadism. This grotesque display, which celebrated the same ideology embraced by the thug who killed 15 innocent Americans, should make every American sick.
We should drop any remaining misguided thoughts that these groups have a humanitarian motive, or are the least bit interested in building a better future for the Palestinian people. They aren’t.
What they really want is to undermine America, attack and harm the Jewish people, and spread their radical ideology in an effort to destroy the West. Indeed, in New Orleans, a group called New Orleans Musicians for Palestine announced it was planning a "Procession for Palestine" on Jan. 6, just days after the attack, to "demonstrate (its) continued solidarity with the people of Palestine and make visible (its) vision for a world after war, colonialism, capitalism and white supremacy."
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None of these things have anything to do with the Palestinian people today. Fueled by a progressive ideology that is anti-American and antisemitic, the focus of these protesters has always been on the destruction of the West and the core values that have given rise to the most generous, most prosperous civilization in history.
These displays are the result of an education system that has misled generations of Americans about the goodness of our country, as well as failed leadership at the very top. The Biden administration has failed to address rising antisemitism and radical Islamism in America during its tenure, a fact that was most clear in the wake of the horrific October 7 attacks on Israel. College campuses became a focal point for spreading radical Islamist goals, while threats to our homeland metastasized further – and the Biden administration did nothing to stop it.
The incoming Trump administration must take the threat posed by radical Islamism seriously, especially because it is now deep inside America’s gates. No university that receives federal funding should permit calls for intifada, threats to Jewish students, and threats to America to be held on its grounds.
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The college campus ‘protests’ we saw in the wake of October 7th were, in fact, violent, pro-Hamas mobs threatening and attacking Jewish students by spreading antisemitic hate. President Trump should also use his position as president to advocate against the claims of these protesters and make clear that America stands firmly against this bigotry.
Additionally, President Trump must once again take the fight to radical Islamic organizations abroad. After four years of the Biden administration, groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS are making a forceful comeback, especially in the wake of Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. As these groups expand and prosper overseas, so too does their capability to build effective networks inside America that threaten our people.
We cannot simply sit on our hands and expect this threat won’t eventually come home to hurt the American people – we need to go on offense and ensure that groups like ISIS do not have the capacity to threaten the United States or radicalize our citizens.
For four years in the Trump administration, we kept America safe by doing just that. I am confident President Trump can deliver for the American people again.