President Bush declared war on terrorism by warning governments around the world that, "You're with us, or you're with the terrorists." Osama bin Laden answered him by urging Muslims to choose between "the camp of the faithful and the camp of the infidels (non-believers)." The stage was set for a clash between Western civilization and Islamic terrorism.

WHAT IS ISLAMIC TERRORISM?
Islamic terrorism is a worldwide effort to overthrow the non-religious governments of the Arab world and replace them with governments ruled by strict Islamic law (Sharia). Terrorists, such as Osama bin Laden, also want to destroy the United States and Israel because they believe the Western way of life and Israel's existence are the main obstacles preventing unification of the Muslim world. As American Jews, it's doubly important that we understand the threat against our country and our Jewish homeland.

THE SEED OF ISLAMIC TERRORISM
Since World War II, Arab countries in the Middle East have struggled to keep up with the social and economic progress of the Western industrialized powers. Secular (non-religious) Arab leaders borrowed many ideas from America and Europe, with the hope of modernizing their countries. For the most part, they failed. As life became more difficult, radical Muslim leaders blamed the problems on the influence of Western customs. They said that Arab suffering was the result of people abandoning traditional Islam. If Muslims would return to "true" Islam, they argued, the glory of Arab culture would be restored.

HOW ISLAMIC TERRORISTS HAVE HIJACKED ISLAM

Muslim extremists, like Osama bin Laden, have taken two religious ideas from Islam to convince others to join their terrorist campaign. First, they took the belief that the world is divided into opposing camps: Dar al-Islam, the world of Islam, and Dar al-Harb, the world of heresy (those who reject Islam).

According to the radicals' interpretation, the forces of heresy primarily the US and Israel have plotted to destroy the culture and religion of Islam. In order to protect it, bin Laden seized the second religious idea: jihad, the declaration of a holy war against Islam's enemies. His fatwas (religious rulings) proclaim that it is the religious duty of all Muslims to become permanent soldiers in the service of Allah (the name of the God of Islam), and to strike the enemy wherever they are found.

Certainly, not all Muslims agree with Osama bin Laden's brand of Islamic terrorism. In fact, many Muslim organizations have denounced the recent terrorist acts claiming, "No cause could ever be assisted by such immoral acts."

IMPACT ON ISRAEL

Terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, which attack Israel regularly, have embraced bin Laden's extreme version of Islam. And yet, an association of Islamic governments recently blocked agreement on a United Nations treaty designed to combat international terrorism. The 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) demanded that the treaty not apply to terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. A spokesman for the OIC claimed, "they have the right to fight if the peace process [with Israel] is broken."

Now that you understand the roots of Islamic terrorism, do you think that the international community's treatment of Hamas and Hezbollah is a double standard?