Wake Up! What You Should Know But May Not Know… Or May Not Want to Know - Part 5: Wake Up! Islamofacism is a Threat to the West and Not Just to Israel - 3/14/25
Dear Friends,
This is the fifth monograph in my eight monogram Wake Up! series. The first four were:
• Part 1: Wake Up! We are Already in a Wider Conflict. (Published on February 20, 2025)
• Part 2: Wake Up! It’s Not About Dividing the Land. (Published on February 25, 2025)
• Part 3: Wake Up! The Path to Peace Lies Through Victory Not Ceasefires. (Published on February 28, 2025)
• Part 4: Wake Up! The United Nations is Deeply Biased, Antisemitic and Profoundly Broken… And It is Not Alone. (Published March 7, 2025)
If you did not receive them, but are interested in reading these earlier monographs, they can be accessed at Substack.com by clicking on the following link that will take you to all of my earlier monographs, including those two: tonybrenner.substack.com.
Please note that unfortunately on Substack.com, the footnotes – which I think add a great deal of background information and depth – can only be found at the end of the monograph. On the PDF version, the footnotes are shown on the page upon which they first appear, making them easier to access and integrate while reading the monograph. Please also note I have attached a PDF version at the end for those of you who prefer to print it out and read it in that format.
Let me now turn to the topic of my fifth monograph: Part 5: Wake Up! Islamofacism is a Threat to the West and Not Just to Israel
Sitting here in the United States, it is easy to think that events in the Middle East are a long way from America and have little to do with us and conclude that we should just mind our own business and not get involved. The conflict in the Middle East is often framed in a simplistic fashion – as being a religious war between the Muslims and the Jews, without solution.
Somehow, we have developed collective amnesia with regard to terrorist actions that had nothing to do with Israel. Have we all simply forgotten:
· September 11 Attack on the United States (September 11, 2001) – 2,977 killed and over 6,000 injured in a coordinated attack involving four hijacked commercial airplanes that were used as weapons of mass destruction and crashed into both buildings at the World Trade Center as well as the Pentagon.[1]
· Bali Bombings (October 12, 2002) – 202 killed and over 200 people injured in two separate coordinated bombings that targeted two tourist destinations in Bali – the Sari Club, and Paddy’s Bar. A third bomb was placed outside the U.S. Consulate but caused no casualties.
· Madrid Train Bombing (March 11, 2004) – 191 killed and over 2,000 injured in 10 coordinated explosions on four commuter trains that were detonated by remote control at rush hour within three minutes of each other.
· London Transport Bombings (July 7, 2005) – 52 killed and over 700 injured in a coordinated attack again at rush hour with bombs exploding on three Underground trains within 50 seconds of each other and a fourth bomb exploding on a double-decker bus less than an hour later.
· Mumbai Attacks (November 26-29, 2008) – 166 killed and over 300 injured in coordinated attacks spanning three days across major locations in the city including the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the Oberoi Trident Hotel, CST railway station, Leopold Café, Cama Hospital, and the Nariman House (a Jewish community center).
· Boston Marathon Bombing (April 15, 2013) – 3 killed and over 260 injured in two separate explosions that occurred near the finish line of the Boston Marathon after bombs filled with nails, ball bearings and other shrapnel were placed in backpacks and left on the ground in order to cause the maximum injury possible.
· Paris Attacks (November 13, 2015) – 130 killed and over 350 injured in a coordinated series of shootings and bombing across Paris with suicide bombers attacking the Stade de France during a soccer match and gunmen opening fire inside the Bataclan concert hall as well as into crowded restaurants and cafes.
· Nice Truck Attack (July 14, 2016) – 86 killed and over 450 injured when a large truck was deliberately driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France.
· Sri Lanka Easter Bombings (April 21, 2019) – 269 killed and over 500 wounded in coordinated suicide bombings targeting three churches and three luxury hotels across Sri Lanka.
· New York City Truck Attack (October 31, 2017) – 8 killed and 11 wounded when a pickup truck deliberately targeted pedestrians and cyclists on a crowded bike path along the Hudson River.
· New Orleans Truck Attack (January 1, 2025) – 14 killed and over 35 wounded when a pickup truck was deliberately driven into a crowd on Bourbon Street celebrating New Year’s Eve in the early morning hours.
Clearly, none of these terrorist attacks had anything to do with Israel. The cause was something else entirely. Well, what was it? To answer that, let’s look at the perpetrators of each attack:
· September 11 Attack on the United States: al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden involving 19 terrorists (15 Saudis, 2 Emiratis, 1 Egyptian and 1 Lebanese).
· Bali Bombings: Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), an al-Qaeda-linked Southeast Asian Islamist terrorist group comprised of Indonesians.
· Madrid Train Bombing: Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda, but not directly controlled by them. The attack was carried out by a group of Moroccan, Tunisian and Algerian extremists.
· London Transport Bombings: Islamist extremists, all of whom were British citizens of Pakistani or Jamaican descent.
· Mumbai Attacks: Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistani terrorist group.
· Boston Marathon Bombing: The two Tsarnaev brothers, who were ethnic Chechens born in Kyrgyzstan.
· Paris Attacks: Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS) terrorists who were citizens of France, Belgium and Iraq.
· Nice Truck Attack: ISIS-inspired lone attacker born in Tunisa and living in France.
· Sri Lanka Easter Bombings: National Thowheed Jama’ath (NTJ), a Sri Lanken terrorist group.
· New York City Truck Attack: ISIS-inspired lone attacker born in Uzbekistan and living in the United States.
· New Orleans Pickup Truck Attack: ISIS-inspired lone attacker who claimed to have joined ISIS in 2024 and was a U.S. Army veteran born in the United States.
While the perpetrators of these attacks came from many different groups that spanned numerous nationalities, they all had one thing in common – they all shared radical Islamic beliefs! Because it is not politically correct to state the religious theme that runs through all these terrorist attacks, the mainstream media throughout Europe, Asia and Americas tends to minimize this obvious truth.
In most Western media and government statements, people refer to radical Islamic beliefs as Islamist. I prefer to call it Islamofascism. To me, the more commonly used term, Islamist, seems to indicate that all religious Muslims who practice Islam embrace this ideology.
Islamofascism accurately describes the underlying ideology of the perpetrators of each of these terrorist events, even though the usage of the term Islamofascist has sparked significant debate and criticism due to its “perceived offensiveness.” Sadly, you cannot begin to address a problem if you refuse to recognize it for what it is.
So, what exactly is Islamofascism? Its core beliefs are rooted in a blend of extremist interpretations of Islam in combination with authoritarian ideologies, that most often include the following principles:
· Rejection of Modernity and Secularism: Islamofascists advocate for a return to what they consider the “pure” form of Islam practiced during the early days of the religion. They reject secular governance, intellectual pluralism, and modern societal norms, viewing them as corruptions or deviations from Islamic principles. For example, groups like ISIS condemn secular laws as un-Islamic and aim to establish governance based solely on their interpretation of Sharia law.
· Takfir and Sectarianism: A central belief of Islamofascists is takfir, the practice of declaring other Muslims as apostates (non-believers), which justifies violence against them. Groups like ISIS have prioritized targeting Muslims they deem heretical over non-Muslims, leading to widespread violence within the Muslim world. Far more Muslims have been killed by Islamofascists than in conflicts with Israel. In fact, over the 25-year period between 1979 and 2024, nearly 90% of the 250,000 or so people killed by Islamofascists worldwide were killed in Muslim-majority countries, although not all were Muslims.
· Global Jihad and Militarism: Islamofascists view jihad as a violent obligation to establish an Islamic state or Caliphate. They glorify war and violence as a means to achieve their goals, often framing it as a battle between “Dar al-Islam” (the House of Islam) and “Dar al-Harb” (the House of War). This militaristic worldview aligns with fascist ideals that romanticize conflict and conquest.
· Authoritarian Governance: These groups seek to impose strict social controls, often using religious police and harsh punishments to enforce their interpretation of Islam. Practices such as public executions, destruction of cultural heritage, and suppression of dissent are common. Again, very much in line with fascism.
· Anti-Pluralism: Islamofascists reject diversity within Islam itself, condemning other sects like Sufis, Shias, or even moderate Sunnis. They also oppose non-Islamic religions and ideologies, often engaging in genocidal campaigns against minorities living in their countries such as Yazidis or Christians.
· Imperial Ambitions: Similar to classical fascist movements, Islamofascists aim to expand their influence through territorial conquest. Groups like ISIS sought to establish a global Caliphate by waging war and subjugating populations under their rule. Others seek to do so through overthrowing existing secular societies and replacing them with strict Sharia rule.
To be clear, these beliefs reflect an extreme distortion of Islamic teachings, making them distinct from mainstream Islamic thought, while sharing clear parallels with historical fascist ideologies. The problem, however, is not a small one. If only 5% of the world’s Muslims ascribed to these views, it would represent approximately 65 million people around the world. And even at 1%, Islamofascism would still represent approximately 15 million people.
The threat from Islamofacism is not directed solely at Israel as witnessed by the wide-ranging targets of these attacks. While the war being waged by Islamofascists is focused on destroying Western civilization, it also wants to wipe out more moderate Islamic society that is willing to co-exist with the Infidels. If you think that this is hyperbole or that I am exaggerating, I assure you that I am not. There is a reason that Islamofascists refer to Israel as “Little Satan” and the United States as “Big Satan”. In the eyes of Islamofascists, the United States is the main event.
So, what is the nature of this threat? The danger is not one dimensional. Islamofacism represents a grave menace to the West at multiple levels:
· At its heart, Islamofascist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaeda (and many others) seek to destabilize Western nations through acts of terrorism. The groups reject Western values and seek to impose their interpretation of Islamic law, using violence as a means of achieving this goal.
· Unfortunately, this is but the first layer of the threat. Islamofascists promote anti-Western rhetoric, portraying democracy and secularism as hypocritical and corrupt, fostering division within Western societies and undermining democratic values.
· Islamofascists operate through transnational networks that include recruitment, financing and propaganda. These networks exploit globalization to spread extremist ideology and coordinate attacks.
· They also seek to radicalize Western Muslim communities, creating home-grown terrorists, and further straining societal cohesion and increasing security risks. I will discuss this threat from within in a later monograph in the Wake Up! series.
Douglas Murray, a well-known British author, journalist, political commentator and war correspondent, is one of the few to clearly speak out on the Islamofascist threat facing not only Israel, but all of Western civilization. In addition, he has also been a staunch defender of Israel’s right to defend itself in the wars precipitated by Hamas and Hezbollah’s attacks upon it.
Murray has a great deal to say about Islamofacism and has written many excellent and insightful books on this subject. He argues convincingly that Islamofacism poses a significant danger to the West on multiple fronts, including at a cultural and ideological level as well as to the West’s physical security. He believes that the United Kingdom and Europe have been asleep to this threat, and the consequences are now playing out on the streets of Western capitals.
Murray contends that the mass immigration from Muslim countries combined with the failure of Muslim immigrants to integrate are eroding Western identity and values. Although governmental policies to integrate these Muslim immigrants may have fallen short, Murray believes that the overriding reason for their failure to integrate lies with the total lack of desire to do so on the part of large numbers of these recent Muslim immigrants.
For many of these immigrants, the goal is to convert the West to their values. This stands in sharp contrast to the path followed by most immigrants historically, which has been to embrace the values of their adoptive countries, while still retaining their original identities.
Exacerbating the problem, Murray warns that Europe is succumbing to cultural exhaustion and guilt caused by the embrace of the “Oppressed/Oppressor” narrative that is being taught in our schools and echoed by our cultural institutions. In this narrative, by definition, all Oppressed are good and all Oppressors are bad, with the U.K. and Europe (as well as the United States) falling into the later camp.
In this world view, no value is ascribed to the many positive advances stemming from Western civilization, such as the Enlightenment, the embrace of human rights, or the amazing scientific breakthroughs that have stemmed from this quest for knowledge. Revolutionary concepts such as the Magna Carta in England and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in the United States are sadly often dismissed as little more than historical footnotes and receive only passing mention.
Murray believes that the lack of knowledge about our own history and concomitant absence of pride in it has made the West vulnerable to Islamofascist ideologies. And he adds that problem caused by mass immigration is not limited to the U.K. and Europe. The same is equally true for Canada, which has also allowed the mass immigration of Muslims from Middle Eastern countries such as Syria. In Canada’s embrace of multi-culturalism, Murray believes that Canada has lost much of its national identity.
Murray sees the United States heading down this same path. However, he believes that the magnitude of the threat from Islamofascism in America is about a decade behind that facing Europe and Canada, principally due to the lower levels of immigration from Middle Eastern countries. We, living in America, should consider ourselves fortunate that America still has the luxury of time to address the dangers stemming from Islamofascism before it becomes even more embedded in our society.
To understand the extent of this threat, all anyone has to do is look at the violent demonstrations that have occurred throughout European capitals from London to Paris and Berlin since October 7, 2023. The media might claim that these are simply Pro-Palestinian marches, but the truth is something very different. These are not peaceful demonstrations, but rather aggressive and violent protests. Nor are they spontaneous in nature.[2] And don’t kid yourself – these protests are not simply Pro-Palestinian but manifestly anti-Western.
Calls for “Death to All Zionists” (aka Jews) are proudly chanted by the protestors, who are typically a mix of Muslim immigrants and homegrown radicals. However, it is not only Israeli flags that are being burnt and trampled. So too are American flags, British and European flags. The hatred for the West radiates from these protestors. To give you a sense for what is happening, here is a link to short videos from two protests, one in the United States and the other in England: Manchester UK // New York City.
The most extreme manifestation of this antisemitic violence occurred in Amsterdam on November 7, 2024, following a soccer game between an Israeli team and a Dutch team. Groups organized via social media, many of whom were Uber drivers, roamed the city assaulting Israeli fans with knives, clubs, and fireworks in coordinated attacks. Israelis were beaten and kicked as they walked along the streets of Amsterdam, often while lying helpless on the ground.
The police were nowhere to be found either because they were outnumbered and felt powerless to stop the violence or because large numbers of them condoned it. If it were for the former reason (they were outnumbered), it would speak to the magnitude and breadth of the threat. If it were for the later (they condoned it), it would speak to the depth of the threat and the degree to which it has permeated Dutch society. The violence was condemned as “completely unacceptable” and “antisemitic” by Dutch officials, including the Dutch Prime Minister, Dick Schoof.
Amsterdam’s Mayor, Femke Halsema, initially referred to the attack as a “pogrom” before having to walk back the comments due to the term’s “politicization”. But that was exactly what happened – innocent Jews were attacked in a premediated fashion by rabid antisemites, the vast majority of whom were recent Muslim immigrants to the Netherlands. I ask, if this was not a pogrom, then what ever would be one? To call it anything else is to camouflage the reality of what transpired.
The threat from Islamofacism is not limited to Israel or to the Middle East. It represents a clear and persistent danger to Western civilization, including to us here in America. It is an ideology that doesn’t hide its intent and objective. Wake Up!
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I hope that you have found this monograph informative and of value. The next monograph in the Wake Up! series is: Part 6: Wake Up! There are Two Heads to the Octopus, Not Just One. Please look for it in your inbox on March 24, 2025.
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Take care,
Tony
[1] The fourth plane, likely targeting the White House or the U.S. Capitol, was thwarted by passengers onboard the plane as they attempted to overpower the hijackers.
[2] I will discuss this topic in greater detail in later monographs in the Wake Up! series.