Why We Fight

Overshadowed by last week's US elections was an act of utter barbarism in the Netherlands that illustrates precisely why the War on Islamist Terror must be fought and won. Last Tuesday, Theo Van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker, was murdered in the streets of Amsterdam by an Islamist fanatic. This BBC report explains why:

Van Gogh, 47, had received death threats after his film Submission was shown on Dutch TV.

It portrayed violence against women in Islamic societies.

The film was made with liberal Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali refugee who fled an arranged marriage.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has been under police protection since the film was aired. She has also received death threats and has renounced the Islamic faith.


The November 4 Guardian offers some additional, gruesome details:

On his knees, the eyewitnesses said, Van Gogh twice begged for mercy. But the suspect, described as having a beard and wearing a long jellaba, fired again and then drew two butcher's knives, slitting his victim's throat before driving the blades into his chest. Police found a letter on the body, but have yet to reveal its contents.


The contents of that letter are now public, and the Associated Press has provided some translated excerpts. Anyone who doubts that we are at war with a totalitarian ideology of death should read it:

Ms. Hirsi Ali and the rest of the extremist unbelievers: Islam has withstood many enemies and repressions throughout history. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, you will break yourself to pieces on Islam!

Islam will celebrate victory by the blood of the martyrs. There will be no mercy for the wicked, only the sword will be raised against them. No discussion, no demonstrations, no parades, no petitions, only death will separate truth from lies.

I know definitely that you, Oh America, will go down. I know definitely that you, Oh Europe, will go down. I know definitely that you, Oh Netherlands, will go down. I know definitely that you, Oh Hirsi Ali, will go down.


The invaluable Web site Watch has an excellent collection of article links on the Van Gogh murder and its ramifications.

Osama bin Laden, in his recent nauseating plea to the American people, denied that he and the radical Islamist movement are enemies of freedom:

Security is one of the important pillars of human life, and free men do not take their security lightly, contrary to Bush's claim that we hate freedom. Let him explain why we did not attack Sweden, for example. Clearly, those who hate freedom – unlike the 19, may Allah have mercy on them – have no self-esteem. We have been fighting you because we are free men who do not remain silent in the face of injustice. We want to restore our [Islamic] nation's freedom.


The barbarian who murdered Theo Van Gogh put the lie to this statement. Van Gogh was not murdered as an act of retaliation for the invasion of Iraq, or for anything Israel had done. His life was taken in order to silence a voice that dared to point out the abominable treatment of women in much of the Muslim world. His murder was an act of blood-stained censorship. It was the ultimate attack on freedom.

It is interesting that bin Laden would ask "why we did not attack Sweden". During the May 29, 2004 massacre in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, the terrorists spared the life of an American who happened to be a Muslim, yet brutally slaughtered a Swede, along with Filipinos, a South African, and Indians. Read the gleeful account of one of the surviving terrorists for yourself. Wiping out "infidels" and "polytheists" was the goal, regardless of their country of origin.

The actual record of jihadist atrocities exposes bin Laden's plea for the disgusting deceit that it is. Yes the Islamists hate what we do, because they hate us and therefore view our actions accordingly. Attempting to satisfy or mitigate their grievances by changing our policies will only lead them to find new grievances to justify their atrocities. Nothing short of complete submission to their demands will satisfy the jihadists. As the murder of Theo Van Gogh demonstrates, this would inevitably involve surrendering our freedom as well as our foreign policy. We cannot have peace with this enemy except by abandoning every value we claim to hold dear. Victory is the only option.