A Lesson for All Americans

Forget the political correctness and all the people who will not come out and directly say it: the New York based Arab-Islamic organization known as "The Cordoba Institute" wants to build a mosque at the site of the 9/11 attacks in order to establish a symbolic victory marker in the battle of jihad (holy war) against the United States. The name of their organization reveals their intention.

The historic city of Cordoba, Spain was originally Christian, but was overtaken by Islamic marauders and turned into an Islamic stronghold in the 8th century CE. The Islamic seizure of Cordoba began in the year 711 CE by Berber tribesmen who had recently converted to Islam. They crossed the 14 mile stretch of ocean between North Africa and Europe into what was then called Al-Andalus, which is now modern day Spain.

Grand Cordoba became home to what was known as the "Caliphate," an Islamic political paradigm wherein the leader is regarded as a direct successor of the founder of Islam, Muhammad (570 - 632 CE). Emir Abd ar-Rahman I--who arrived from Damascus, Syria--took control of Al-Andalus. It was under the rule of he and his descendants that the Caliphate reached its peak based at Cordoba. Under various successors, there was always a part of Spain which remained under Islamic control until the year 1492.

To radical Muslims of today, few symbols are as resonant as the downfall of the Caliphate at Cordoba, Al-Andalus. In the same way that Americans remember their defeat at the Alamo and use its name as a rallying cry in battle; Cordoba, Al-Andalus is a rallying cry for Islam.

Upon the coalition bombing of Afghanistan in October of 2001, Osama Bin-Laden released a video stating: "Let the whole world know that we shall never accept that the tragedy of Andalusia would be repeated in Palestine...." Bin-Laden's chief deputy, al-Zawahiri, later swore that "the tragedy of Al-Andalus" must not be repeated. References to the once-Muslim empire of Al-Andalus are common among Islamic terrorists because one of the goals of radical Islam is the stated desire to control the entire world; specifically and firstly, the lands they lost on the battlefield, including cities such as Cordoba.

If you follow Al-Qaeda, you learn that what they desire is a "Great Islamic Caliphate" that would stretch across the world. According to Islamic religious belief, there are only two conditions in which society exists: Dar Al-Islam and Dar Al-Harb:

Dar al-Harb (the world of war) refers to the territory under the supremacy of unbelievers (non- Muslims), this includes countries such as the United States.


Dar Al-Islam (world of Islam) refers to the lands and people under Islamic control --or that will soon be under Islamic control.
For Muslims that seek Dar Al-Islam, the only way to get there is through the use of jihad-war.

The New York based 'Cordoba Initiative' that is demanding to build an Islamic center and mosque at the site of the attacks on New York City has the word 'Cordoba' in its name not because it is striving to revive some romantic mythological tolerance which allegedly existed in Spain among Muslims, Christians and Jews, but because they want to demonstrate victory over the United States. The 'Cordoba Initiative' recalls an 'Islamic Alamo' and an ideological victory over the United States. The location of their desired mosque is the same location where 19 faithful Muslim hijackers fulfilled their jihad mission by murdering 3,000 innocent civilians.

No matter how the construction of a mosque at 'Ground Zero' may be perceived by the Mayor of New York City, the City Council or any other well-meaning Americans, the construction of a mosque on the spot where Islam brought jihad to the United States will incontestably symbolize an initial conquest of the USA to the worldwide forces of Radical Islam.

This is not a time for political correctness, on the contrary, we should speak up and do everything we can to stop it.

-By Shelomo Alfassa