Hillary got it backwards

In the Democrat debate on Saturday, December 19, Hillary Clinton said, "I worry greatly that the rhetoric coming from the Republicans, particularly Donald Trump, is sending a message to Muslims here in the United States and literally around the world that there is a clash of civilizations, that there is some kind of western plot or even war against Islam, which then I believe fans the flames of radicalization."

This is a typical demagogic ploy: argue against a premise that hasn't even been asserted--a classic straw man. I have never heard any politician call for a war against Islam. Bill Clinton initiated the "war against terror" and some have called for war against the Islamic State, not no one has called for a war against Islam, no one! Actually, Hillary has it exactly backwards: certain factions within Islam believe the Quran calls for a "clash of civilizations" and has declared, in the name of global domination, war against the west. We did not start this war. And those who did start it are recruiting, not because of our response to their attacks, but because they consider it to be their divine mission to conquer the world for Islam.

This is called Jihadism--the call to all devout Muslims to bring the non-Muslim word to its knees before Allah. Perhaps all Muslims do not subscribe to this definition of Jihad. But if only one-tenth of 1% do, that means there are about 1.6 million people out there who are fully committed to converting us, either through persuasion or violence. And often it's their use of violence against a few that they use to persuade the many. It seems to me that since the Islamic State is currently the front line of the Jihadi movement, we ought to declare war against it and start turning some of their cities into ashes. I suggest starting with Raqqah.