A Good Week for Jihadists
It’s only Tuesday, and it’s already been a very good week for the Middle East’s jihadists. First, despite America’s periodic air attacks, the Islamic State has not only taken half of Kobani, the Kurdish town on the Turkish/Syrian border, it’s also advancing deep into Iraq – taking Iraqi Army bases and moving within striking distance of Baghdad.
At the same time, the Obama administration has pledged $212 million to “rebuild Gaza,” money that will be used to purchase building materials — building materials that Hamas has a known track record for diverting to construct terrorist tunnels. But we shouldn’t be concerned, right? The administration will no doubt exercise its customary competence and due diligence to make sure that not a single American dollar is diverted to nefarious ends.
Elections do indeed have consequences. And public ignorance only magnifies those consequences, as Americans vote for leaders without understanding the threats we face or the right response to our sworn enemies. At the ACLJ, we’re doing our best to combat public ignorance on the Islamic State, Hamas, and the true nature and aims of jihad. Our book, Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can’t Ignore hit No. 3 on theNew York Times e-book list, and that’s resulted in a major paperback buy. It’s in bookstores basically everywhere today.
I’d encourage you to pick it up. It’s short and readable (much like the excellent Encounter Broadsides that many NRO writers have authored), and it’s also extremely well-documented Until the time comes for a true history of the present phase of our conflict, it’s a key resource — one that pulls no punches in describing the Islamic State (or Hamas, for that matter). So next time you’re in Barnes & Noble, or in Walmart, or in an airport, pick up a copy and share it with family and friends.
And this I guarantee: Once you read it, you’ll become a leading expert in your community on the Islamic State, Hamas, and the law of armed conflict. I’m pretty sure that’ll make you a hit at parties.
Thank you to those readers who’ve already purchased the book. Without you, we’d have never made it to the near-top of the NYT list, and it never would have achieved the coast-to-coast distribution it has today.