Shamsud-Din Jabbar posted videos declaring his support for ISIS and drove a pickup truck with an ISIS flag into a crowd in New Orleans. By so clearly associating his murderous rampage with a recognized terrorist group, Jabbar could not have intended more clearly for the incident to be a terrorist attack. In response, FBI assistant special agent in charge Althea Duncan said at a press conference, “This is not a terrorist event… simply improvised explosive devices.”
The Washington Post’s headline was, “Truck rams New Orleans crowd,” and only mentioned ISIS ties in the second subheading. NPR, NBC, and ABC all ran articles about the attack without using the words “terror,” “Islamic,” or “Islamism,” opting not to specify exactly what sort of “attack” it was.
Evidently, law enforcement, in addition to the press, is fearful of naming the problem. The FBI did later state in a press release that it was investigating the incident as a “terrorist attack,” but they should never have hesitated to call it such. Fear of calling terrorism what it is is extremely problematic in and of itself and draws a strong parallel to the Harry Potter series.
For most of the Harry Potter series, very few characters aside from Harry can bring themselves to even say the name of the most dangerous wizard of all time—Voldemort—not unlike the small number of politicians and law enforcement spokespeople who call radical Islam and terrorism what they are. Even Harry’s professors who teach defense and employees of the Ministry of Magic, the governing body in Harry’s world, generally can’t bring themselves to say Voldemort’s name, at least above a whisper. But as Harry’s friend Hermione so wisely puts it, “Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself.”
Far too few members of U.S. government bodies are willing to say the words “radical Islamic terror” or even “terrorism.” As Westerners live comfortable, Western lives, perhaps they are less afraid of terror attacks themselves than the backlash that may result from accusations of “Islamophobia.” Even Muslim leaders of Muslim-majority countries who took action against violent Islam were censured by Foreign Policy magazine as “the world’s most powerful Islamophobes,” indicating that nobody is safe from accusation.
In the final book of the Harry Potter series, Voldemort’s cronies begin to track anyone who says “Voldemort” out loud, rather than the common euphemisms for the evil wizard, either “You-Know-Who” or “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.” It’s incredibly clever because his cronies know that the only people who say Voldemort’s name are those who are serious about taking him down. Were everyone willing to say his name, the system would be useless.
Everyone who opposes violence should contribute to making an equivalent system useless—if it existed for the phrase “radical Islamic terrorism” and similar phrases—by calling Islamic terrorism exactly what it is. Refusing to name the problem doesn’t make it go away; it only increases fear of the thing itself.
Certainly, a fear of causing offense should never be a reason to avoid working on a threat that literally costs human lives. Besides, there are nearly two billion Muslims and 50 Muslim-majority countries, making it all but impossible to find a group of people that’s less of an underdog.
If the New Orleans truck rammer were a white supremacist, no one would hesitate to call out white supremacy for what it is. But radical Islamic terror is the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named of the left and, in some cases, law enforcement. Like Voldemort for most of the Harry Potter series, he is only growing stronger. The least we can do is not have fear of the name and thereby mitigate fear of the thing itself.
Among the 2 billion muslims, and 50 muslim-majority countries, is England one of them? I ask since Britain appears to have adopted Sharia on many levels, and 12 yr. old British girls have become its victims. Having read Andrea Widburg’s January 5, 2025 American Thinker piece “Sex and Islam…and the Decline of the West”, we see that it isn’t simply Media and Law Enforcement, but fathers, men in general who refuse to protect women from this abomination forced on us in the West, and it really isn’t just Britain. It’s Germany, France and yes, the United States where George Bush lectured us the day after 9/11 that Islam was a “religion of peace”. He omitted the part where Islam is a “religion of subjugation and kind of rapey, too”.
A real man whose daughter was treated as described in the above piece, would have gotten 6 of his closest friends together and TCB without resorting to police. British men don’t really exist, do they? But, hey, that’s Britain and they gave up their guns. What about this country?
In today’s PC, woke world, exclaiming the truth is considered heresy, and speaking the name of evil is considered “racist”.
Well, if making the obvious observation that almost all terrorist events in this country are committed by Muslims (radicals actually, but who knows who is radical and who is merely supportive of that radicalism) makes me a racist, then I proudly proclaim myself a card-carrying racist.
Guilty as effing charged!!
The reason that thugs, vandals, thieves and rapists run free and act without shame is because there are no men to do take the place of the law now that it is has become corrupt, useless and worse than the perps. There are so many ways to do things that Columbo could not imagine. These men don’t even have the imaginations necessary to do the job needed to eliminate recidivism. They are cowards to the core. Anyone not willing to die for their children and grandchildren does not deserve to live anyway.
The problem is the religion of Islam, which from its forming has been nothing more than a political movement gussied up and wearing religious finery, pomp and circumstance. I saw an interview that Jordan Peterson conducted with a man - you’ve probably seen him - who was raised in Gaza but has become well known for condemning both Hamas (of which he once was part) and Islam for being a barbaric - bereft of rhyme and reason as well as any actual connection to God - farce.
He, himself, at the age of 5 was raped - but then realized that according to the “Religion of Peace” if he told anyone then both the rapist and the object of the rapist - were supposed to be put to death. Ultimately, as a man, his father disowned him and called for his death - much like these cowardly “fathers” in England who don’t do what should be done.
Here is the interview, as powerful and compelling a denunciation of the depravity that underlies Hamas and its supporters and member as I have ever seen:
Anyway, I don’t know if you have ever seen this piece written by Winston Churchill re Islam but if not - me thinks thou whilst find it worth thy while to read!
Winston Churchill said of Islam in 1899
"In every country where Muslims are in the minority, they are obsessed with ‘the rule of law’ and minority rights. In every country where Muslims are the majority, there is no ‘rule of law’ nor minority rights.
I ask that anyone who is able to show where this is not true to please do so.
How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia [rabies] in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy.
The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.
A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property – either as a child, a wife, or a concubine – must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.
Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the faith: all know how to die but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.
Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome."
– Winston Churchill (1899)