Let the Forces of Religion Expel Terrorists

Today, the leaders of Hezbollah have every reason to claim victory in their latest encounter with the West. This, despite the fact that the radical Muslim fundamentalist organization has been forced to seek ways to limit the damage to the movement brought about by Israel’s abduction of Hezbollah’s spiritual and military mastermind, Sheik Abdel Karim Obeid.

They celebrate as surely as civilized people mourn the brutal murder of Marine Lt. Col. William R. Higgins. They celebrate the confluence of opinion of European leaders, some media pundits and self-proclaimed terrorism experts who have conveniently placed the blame for the murder and plight of Western hostages squarely on Israel’s shoulders. They surely revel at the videotapes showing Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole lambasting Israel for recklessly “free-lancing” the Obeid operation without apparent consideration for its chief ally, the United States. And Hezbollah’s patrons in Iran and Syria must take special satisfaction at the spectacle of President Bush’s statements, so carefully crafted to distance his Administration from the Jewish state.

Let us be unmistakably clear: The actions and ideology of Obeid mean to impact far beyond the confines of the current Arab-Israel conflict. He said it best himself: “We’re not worried about Lebanon . . . Hezbollah doesn’t believe in Lebanon; it doesn’t recognize borders . . . What Hezbollah wants is a world Islamic republic. What we’re trying to do now is convert the whole world.”

It is the civilized world itself that is being held hostage in Lebanon.

The so-called war against terrorism has been virtually ground to a halt. We know it, and so do the terrorists. The most powerful offices in the world have seen their role in this “war” reduced to little more than writing condolence letters to the next of kin and public bemoaning of the difficulties of pursuing the elusive enemy.

The current operative “rule of engagement” is to never put the lives of Western hostages at risk. In reality, our leaders have opted to heed the counsel of some prominent former hostages. In simple language, this means no war shall be waged on terrorists unless and until all innocents are out of danger! An admirable approach, perhaps, but one that clearly plays right into the hands of terrorist groups that, by their nature, will always hold hostages.

Unfortunately, recent history has proven that an anti-terrorist policy based on rhetoric rather than action merely ensures repeat performances by terrorists on the world stage.

Have all but the bereaved families of the victims forgotten the pledge of the United States and Britain to bring the bombers of Pan Am flight 103 before the bar of justice? Officials correctly asked for time to pinpoint the identity and whereabouts of the international criminals. But can anyone take that commitment seriously in wake of the Hezbollah leader’s capture? Here we have a case where an ally, Israel, has pinpointed the man who planned every aspect of the kidnaping of an American citizen. Yet not one senior U.S. official has stepped forward to endorse the call of Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) to extradite Obeid for trial.

This kind of public hypocrisy cannot be a substitute for policy. Indeed, the current course of action will only guarantee that there will be many more men and women likely to suffer the horrible fate of Col. Higgins.

To finally stem the tide of terrorism, President Bush should immediately ask Congress to formally declare war against terrorist groups that have engaged in violence against American citizens and interests. He should encourage his allies to do the same. Such a declaration would give the President immediate power and political backbone to order surgical strikes and covert operations against those who mock international law and morality.

The world cannot rely exclusively on political leaders to solve this problem when the murderers are speaking in the name of religion. It is time for religious leaders of Christianity, Islam and Judaism to speak out in one voice and immediately publicly renounce adherents who justify hostage-taking, terrorism and murder in the name of God.

Indeed, there are many who believe that if the Roman Catholic Church had excommunicated Adolf Hitler and his followers in the 1930s, the Nazi terrorist state might have been stopped before it dragged the whole world into the abyss. Recent events make it incumbent that the spiritual leaders of Islam consider such an option.