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Comment RSSMatthew Alexander: Build the Mosque; Help Defeat al Qaeda
August 21, 2010 # 5:55 pm # Armed Conflict, Education, Foreign Policy, Human Rights, Intelligence, International Law # One Comment
Matthew Alexander
Former Air Force interrogator, who writes under the pseudonym, Matthew Alexander, has an outstanding piece over at The Huffington Post in support of building Cordoba House– the proposed Muslim community center and mosque. Alexander writes:
The debate over the mosque in lower Manhattan has caused our country’s political volcano to erupt. Republicans and Democrats, among them Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, have argued that the designated site for the Cordoba House, a Muslim community center and mosque, is too close to hallowed ground. President Obama defended the mosque supporters’ Constitutional right to build it where they choose.
But there is a much larger rationale for building a Muslim community center near the former site of the Twin Towers: It can be used as a weapon to defeat al Qaeda.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, our counterterrorism strategy has focused on stopping terrorist attacks. That’s an important goal, but only part of the equation. A comprehensive strategy should include a greater focus on removing the root causes of terrorism. The only way to deliver a sustainable defeat to al Qaeda is to both destroy its leadership and cut off its ability to recruit.
Building a Muslim community center near the site of Ground Zero will bolster our ability to do the latter. Imagine an al Qaeda recruiter attempting to sway a potential charge by citing an imaginary American war against Muslims but having to face the counterargument that Americans built a Muslim community center near the site of the former Twin Towers.
The Cordoba House would be a powerful symbol of U.S. tolerance and freedom that will stand in direct contradiction to al Qaeda’s narrative that Americans hate Muslims. As a symbol, its construction demonstrates that the U.S. is not at war with Islam and that Muslims are welcome in America. It communicates a message of moderation that stands in stark contrast to al Qaeda’s bankrupt ideology.
As I discovered as a high-level interrogator of al Qaeda members in Iraq, symbols like this matter. Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and the policy of torture and abuse handed al Qaeda its number one recruiting tool. Those who think al Qaeda will not be able to spin this controversy to their advantage are disastrously mistaken — but it can be a victory for America as well.
The political uproar over the Cordoba project, and in particular the use of harmful, bigoted rhetoric by some opportunists, leaves America facing a choice. It can project one of two symbols: One of integration, acceptance and positive affirmation of American values; or one of intolerance, rejection, and animosity. The former will work to undermine al Qaeda as part of a long-term strategy to defeat them. The latter will bolster Islamic extremists’ arguments that America is an intolerant country hell-bent on war with Islam, aid recruitment efforts and add support for more terrorist attacks.
The choice is obvious. Let’s build the Cordoba House.
Well said.
(HT: Neal Sonnett)
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Great article Dr Arend!
I really feel that the construction of this mosque is a great idea, as it will help bring the US one step closer to winning the ‘War on Terror’. I think the previous administration was ridiculous to mention ‘crusade’ after 9/11 as this portrays an anti-islamic sentiment straightaway – something the extremists/terrorists were looking forward to. This mosque would facilitate a change in the minds of many Muslims all over the world and hopefully increase the reputation of the U.S.
However, I feel now that because the population has been so divided because of this, if the mosque does get constructed, will its “symbol: [One] of integration, acceptance and positive affirmation of American values” still hold true? Because many extremists will still flaunt that it was extremely difficult to build the mosque and that there is still so much Anti-Islamic sentiment in the US, “So we must still commence a ‘Jihad’ on them.”