Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein released the following statement:
The ZOA sends our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and innocent young victims of the radical Islamic terrorist attack in Manchester. Our hearts break for the 22 murdered children and young adults, and the dozens of children and young people injured – many of whom suffered damage to major organs or will lose limbs. We are praying for all the injured to recover, and find strength, comfort and healing.
After every such horrendous attack, we all ask: “What can we do so that this never happen again?”
We try to improve counter-terrorism reporting and intelligence. That of course helps, and has thwarted numerous attacks. But it’s not enough. Time and again, known Islamic extremists have slipped through the cracks and achieved their hideous objectives. This occurred in Boston, in Orlando, in Brussels, and now in Manchester. According to reports, a UK police anti-terrorism hotline and US officials were warned about Salman Abedi’s violent views. (“Manchester Attack Latest: Woman Arrested In Connection With The Attack As Police Probe ‘Network’,” The Telegraph, May 24, 2017.)
We try to improve immigration vetting. That would help – but our courts have been blocking those efforts. And radicalization also occurs in domestic prisons and communities. So, it’s not enough.
We try to harden venues where people gather – such as our concerts, conferences and airlines. That again helps a great deal. But as we saw with the Ataturk (Istanbul) and Brussels airport attacks, and sadly now again in Manchester, the Islamist terrorists still ensnare crowds by moving the point of attack a little further out – to the entrance to the security gate or the concert hall foyer. And softer targets abound in civilized society.
We try to root out the Islamists in their strongholds, and destroy their training camps, missile arsenals and terror tunnels – in Afghanistan, Raqqa and Gaza. This helps too. But this too is not enough.
And we’ve also tried appeasement – but that only increased terrorism.
So what else can we do?
First, it’s time to “delegitimize the ideology of jihad,” as White House adviser Dr. Sebastian Gorka put it. “Sebastian Gorka’s Plan To Defeat ISIS – Simple But Devastating,” by Garth Kant, WND, June 26, 2016.)
President Trump described how to achieve this, during his speech in Riyadh, when the President stated:
“Religious leaders must make this absolutely clear: Barbarism will deliver you no glory – piety to evil will bring you no dignity. If you choose the path of terror, your life will be empty, your life will be brief, and YOUR SOUL WILL BE CONDEMNED.” (“President Trump’s Speech to the Arab Islamic American Summit,” May 21, 2017.)
In other words, every Imam and Islamic leader throughout the world must repeatedly announce from the pulpits in mosques and on television, and on Facebook and on twitter, and in press conferences and proclaim to every Muslim that any Muslim who murders or aids in murder shames Islam, is a disgrace to Islam, and will immediately go straight to hell.
And with no exceptions. Every Imam and Muslim leader must put an end to the concept that: “Muslims don’t kill the ‘innocent’ but infidels and those with different beliefs are not innocent.” That deviant concept encourages murders of Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims of another sect, Israelis, Americans and Europeans, women, etc. Every Imam and Muslim leader must teach the value of every life.
And second, it’s time to “starv[e] terrorists . . . of their funding,” as President Trump put it during his excellent speech in Riyadh.
We must finally pass the Taylor Force Act to cut funds to the Palestinian Authority until the PA stops inciting and paying terrorists to murder Jews; and defund UNRWA’s support of Palestinian Arab incitement and terror against Israel. We must persuade Russia and Turkey other nations to cut off economic deals with Iran and ISIS that fund Iranian and ISIS terror. We must take serious steps to stop Qatar from continuing to fund Hamas. We must leave no terrorist stone unturned. (“ZOA: U.S. State Department Should Designate Qatar A State-Sponsor of Terrorism, and Suspend Qatar Airways FAA License – Unless Qatar Ceases Its Financial Support of Hamas; Columbia, Cornell, G-town, Brookings Should End Relations With Qatar,” Aug. 21, 2014.)
In sum, all of us – especially including Muslim leaders – must take every possible step to stop another monstrous act like the one that destroyed so many lives in Manchester. If we don’t, none of us will be safe.