Respond, Do Not React to Homegrown Islamic Terrorism

This past year, Americans experienced what so many others have experienced this past year: the direct impact of violence sponsored by Islamist terrorism. Obviously, it’s easy to draw parallels to Taleb al-Abdulmohsen’s decision to injure hundreds at a German Christmas market despite the disinformation campaign to paint him as an AfD loving, Zionist fanatic; however, we shouldn’t forget about other Islamist based attacks that have occurred in Europe:

• A 26 year-old Syrian asylum seeker killed three and wounded eight in Germany.
• An Afghan national killed a police officer with a knife in Mannheim, Germany.
• Synagogue in France was lit ablaze by a man wearing a keffiyeh and Palestinian flag.
• ISIS Killed More than 130 people in a Moscow Concert Hall
• Taylor Swift cancelled multiple concerts in Vienna after Islamic terrorist threats were deemed credible.

We don't need to review the countless antisemitic incidents inspired by Leftist Jihadists here in America to avoid making this a 50 minute long read; instead, we can justifiably make a blanket statement that the amount of Islamist influence on our college campuses and political discourse is deeply concerning.

Many on the Left have already tried to deflect from Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s motivation on the day he killed fifteen people and injured many more, but unlike the past, we aren’t falling for it anymore. The accusation of “Islamophobia” falls short of its impact when we’ve experienced hundreds of thousands of people adorn the insignia of U.S. designated terrorist organizations like Hamas for the past fourteen months.

Unfortunately, this attack, and the greater threat of domestic terrorism born of a historical unity between Communists and Islamists does not provide as clear of a path forward as we would like. Initial reports stated he was a migrant who illegally crossed the border into Texas, but that was quickly dispelled. Had that been the case, the next steps would’ve been easily discernible, setting the ethical challenges aside. If someone illegally crossed our border, then we need to secure our border and start mass deportations; however, things are a bit more complicated.

The terrorist was a U.S. Army veteran, worked at Deloitte, and was Muslim—three very common attributes amongst a plethora of our citizens. Regardless of his veteran status, his occupation, or his religion, the most important aspect of his identity was that he was an American citizen.

Undoubtedly, this heinous act of terrorism cannot be separated from general radicalization seen on the Left, which we were always going to need to address. Whatever you think of the incoming president, one of his positives that distinguishes him from his predecessor and challenger is he has no qualms with calling a spade a spade. Our approach will change, but what I fear most is that we will react to this rather than respond to it, and yes there is a difference.

A reaction is visceral and emotionally driven; it is a wildfire ready to be sparked by a single ember. A response, on the other hand, is logical and strategic; it is a chess move played within the confines of circumstance.

Our enemies are hoping that we will react with swift and sweeping action that will quickly validate the anti-Western Left’s accusations of fascism within days of Trump’s inauguration. With an outpouring of outrage both online and IRL, the deep divide in our country will grow deeper and wider, which is exactly what our enemies want. They want us to show the world that we are hypocrites; that we are just as morally depraved as we accuse them of being; that we are just as tribalistic and despotic as they are.

But our enemies have no intention of rising to our level so their only move is to bring us down to theirs. Former CIA agent Sarah Adams eerily predicted that 2025 will consist of terrorism on the Homefront, and it took less than a day for her to be right. More than likely, there will be more attacks that cause more damage and take more lives. As a result, we will become more fearful and more skeptical of our fellow citizens, which will put the American project into a death spiral that we won’t be able to escape. It is imperative that we do not allow our enemies to throw us into such a cyclone.

To show that I am advocating for neither leniency nor weakness, here is a list of responses that I believe are warranted, legal, and within the ethos of America:

1. Deport any non-U.S. citizen who is found supporting a U.S. designated terrorist organization.
2. Investigate any U.S. citizen who is providing material support for a U.S. designated terrorist organization.
3. Enact HR 9495: Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act.
4. Create a Select Congressional Committee focused on the state of academia and the influence of Islamist entities.

Let me be clear: I wish this wasn’t the case. I am as an unabashed supporter of the First Amendment as one can find, but both those who are and are not citizens have been in violation of the law without repercussion. Instead, our leaders chose to ignore them or embolden them, and so they are now, unsurprisingly, emboldened! Radical Islamism has seeped into the roots of our most important institutions.

Even worse, the Islamists have taken advantage of their freedoms by advocating for the downfall of the same country that allots them these freedoms. This deserves our complete and undivided attention because what we do from here on out will have dire consequences. It’s why I am advocating that whatever we do is done with the calculated precision of a Grandmaster and not the whims of a pyromaniac.

This essay was written by Z.E. Silver, who publishes the newsletter, “Gam V’gam.” He is a political and cultural commentator focused on politics both in the U.S. and abroad, with an emphasis on Jewish peoplehood, antisemitism, and Israel. Find him on X @z_e_silver. Follow his Substack here.