Is a Terrorist's Culture as Valid as Any Other?

THE MUSLIM TRADITIONALISTS in Afghanistan, who are hell-bent on keeping people in the 7th century, have taken to attacking teachers who teach girls, and even have gone so far as to lie in wait and shoot girls on their way to school.

Read the story of Hashimi. She's been a teacher, even when the Taliban was in power and women were forbidden to teach. She was caught several times and beaten severely. But she was not deterred. Although now the Islamists are not as free to harass women teachers or female students, they still do, going so far as to kill them.

Why did I give you such bad news, and what can you do about it? I want to emphasize the importance of spreading information about terrorism. And to underscore the reason we cannot allow Islamists to take hold of Afghanistan, Iraq, or anywhere else. These people are relentless, deadly serious, and totally committed.

What can you do about it? You can vote, of course, but you can also make a difference in your everyday interactions. You can help by sharing what you know with others, and by working to improve how well you articulate what you know.

I've said it before: This is a war of memes and you are on the front line. What the majority of people believe about terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism will decide how things turn out. You can't change what everybody believes. But you can influence what your friends believe.

I urge you to influence your friends, especially the ones who think the U.S. should try to appease terrorists and pull out of Iraq. Read how here: Influencing Your Friends.