Remembering 9/11… The Fight Goes On!
Dr. Zuhdi Jasser to speak at Temple Beth Sholom on Sunday Oct. 18, 2009.
I can still remember that day, I believe that most of us can remember exactly what we were doing or where we were when we heard the news. For our generation, 9/11 had a very similar effect to that of President Kennedy’s assassination on the generation of our parents and grandparents.
Losing one’s innocence, understanding that the world can be a cruel desolate place devoid of morals or ethics is a horrible reality to wake up to. Yet I am amazed! As much as we say we remember what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, as much as we go through the motions of trying to understand and as much as we sometimes still break into tears, I believe most of us have truly forgotten why this happened.
I refuse to admit that our country was not prepared, for how can we possibly defend and protect our country against a terrorist plot that seemed to spring to life from the pages of a Hollywood Blockbuster Movie script! Who can think of such a way to murder people in cold blood? The answer: Radical Islamist Fascists!
For those of us who have been to Israel, it is not hard to understand what the threat of Radical Islam is really like. Israel is surrounded by enemies on all sides who espouse Radical, Fascist and murderous Islamic ideologies. Even those countries like Egypt and Jordan whom Israel has peace treaties with - struggle internally to contain the threat of being “eaten alive” by that ugly monster!
I remember a cartoon that was published right after 9/11; it showed a calendar in Israel where all the days on it were marked as Sept. 11. Yes, Israel is prepared and always alert, not because it wants to but because it needs to! And still, sadly, as prepared as we can be, sometimes there is no way of anticipating what could happen next.
When you travel through Israel, if you pay close attention, when you come upon a place where a terrorist attack once took place you can see a small plaque listing the names of our fallen brothers and sisters. Instead of making grandiose monuments and pledging over and over again not to forget, Israel actually does something about it. The most important step in doing something about terror is understanding who, what and how we are fighting.
Very often I watch in disbelief how we try to apologize for the world! A few months ago, President Obama went to Cairo and delivered an embarrassing and short-sighted speech where he called on The Muslim World to join America in creating a better world.
Did anyone try to remind the President that all of these “moderate muslims” he was trying to extend his hand to were absolutely SILENT after 9/11? I vividly remember all media outlets interviewing muslims and asking them for their thoughts right after 9/11. The majority did not condemn the hijackers and their evil plot. Most of them simply remained silent.
Time and time again, the defense was used that as long as Israel existed, these things will continue to happen. Time and time again, we heard then and we hear now that Zionism is the problem – according to President Obama, Israeli “Settlements” are the problem. NO! The problem is murderers running around without restraint as we try to appease them again and again.
If we want to remember the victims of 9/11, it is important to do it by understanding that as long as we don’t face the threat of Radical Fascist Islam with open eyes and stop lying to ourselves thinking these people can be appeased – if we go through life thinking that they can understand ethics, morality and love the same way we do, then 9/11 will happen again.
In trying to understand the constant threat of Radical Fascist Islam, Temple Beth Sholom is bringing to Las Vegas an extraordinary speaker.
I would like you to mark your calendars with an important date. On Sunday Oct. 18, 2009 at 4 PM, Temple Beth Sholom will be hosting Dr. Zuhdi Jasser who is the director of The American Islamic Forum for Democracy. Dr. Jasser is perhaps one of the most outspoken critics of Radical Fascist Islam. Dr. Jasser is also a devout Muslim. He is the voice and the vision behind the documentary: The Third Jihad.
I highly recommend that you watch The Third Jihad before coming to Dr. Jasser’s lecture. Our congregation has arranged for a screening of The Third Jihad on Tuesday Oct. 13, 2009, at 7 PM here at Temple Beth Sholom. Please join us for both the screening of the documentary and for Dr. Jasser’s lecture the following Sunday Oct. 18, 2009 at 4 PM.
In closing, I would like to thank the Men’s Club of Temple Beth Sholom and the committee that oversees the Warsaw Ghetto Remembrance Garden for providing us with the necessary funds to make this program available. Every contribution made to The Warsaw Ghetto Remembrance Garden project at TBS goes to a special fund that is used to promote a better understanding of how hate and racism can be dealt with and eventually eliminated from our world.
Bellow, I have included a couple of links to some of Dr. Jasser’s appearances on CNN, FOX and other TV Networks.
Hannity – The Third Jihad – Sharia Law In America
The Third Jihad: Abridged Version