Miniter's Notebook

"You who still have a shred of faith in your hearts, have you forgotten that to kill infidels and the enemies of Islam is a deed that has a reward above no other... Aren’t you aware that the model for us all, the Prophet Mohammed and the four rightful caliphs, undertook to murder infidels as one of their primary activities, and that the Prophet waged jihad operations 77 times in the first 10 years as head of the Muslim community in Medina?"

Can you imagine what Michael Savage would do with a quote like that?

Mukhlas’ tract points to a key failure of U.S. public diplomacy, which tends to argue against terrorism as bad in its effects. In fact, it is a ideology that needs to be confronted ideologically. Mullahs, imams and others should be employed (covertly or not) to explain why Murhlas’ understanding of jihad is wrong or doesn’t apply now. So far, the State Department has turned up its nose at getting into faith or ideological fights. It is time to drop the prissy Marquess of Queensbury rules and face facts: the enemy likes to fight on ground where we are uncomfortable. That means terrorists strike in cities where the U.S. Army hates to operate and in the world of ideas, where the State Department fears to tread.

According to The Australian, Down Under’s biggest quality paper, "the jihadist tract reportedly began its life in Bali’s Kerobokan prison, where Mukhlas was jailed until recently." Mukhlas’ call to arms ran on anshar.net web site, now shuttered by Indonesian police. Now that anshar.net is gone, will the U.S. covertly help some moderate Muslims put up something in its place?