U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville has taken tremendous criticism for sounding the alarm about radical Islam and its growing influence in America. He has specifically raised concerns about Alabama and has repeatedly warned against allowing Sharia law to gain a foothold in Alabama institutions.
Alabama already has numerous mosques and Islamic centers. Instead of simply dismissing Tuberville’s concerns as intolerance, perhaps Alabamians should be willing to ask what is happening, who is funding organizations, what they teach, and whether any organization advocates ideas fundamentally opposed to our Constitution.
We must also understand the difference between the way Americans often think and the way organized extremist movements operate. Americans live in a world of instant results. We want everything today—instant news, instant answers, and instant gratification. Long-term ideological movements can think in decades and generations.
While America watches the clock, extremists can watch the calendar.
That is why complacency is dangerous. Evil does not always kick down the front door. Sometimes it looks for a crack and patiently works to make that crack wider.
We need to keep America’s doors crack-free against terrorism, radicalization, and any movement seeking to replace constitutional liberty with religious tyranny.
This does not mean that we have to lash out at Muslim people to stand firmly against radical Islamist ideology. We can treat people with dignity while refusing to stay silent about beliefs or movements that threaten our Constitution, our freedoms, and our way of life. This nation was built on a Christian tradition that teaches the God-given worth of every person and has deeply shaped our understanding of freedom and individual rights.
This is why it is so important that we teach our children the history. Teach them about al-Qaeda, ISIS, the Taliban, and other extremist movements. Teach them what happened when extremists gained power and what happened to people who refused to submit to them. It may be a hard conversation, but it is necessary for the freedom of this beautiful country, OUR country.
Our children should understand that freedom of religion means something much greater than simply being allowed to worship. It means government cannot force you to worship, force you to abandon your faith, or punish you because you refuse to bow to another person’s religion or ideology.
Twenty-five years after September 11, America cannot afford historical amnesia.
While America watches the clock, extremists can watch the calendar.
So remember September 11. Teach it to your children and grandchildren. Defend the Constitution that generations before us sacrificed to preserve.
And keep your lamps filled, Americans.
Stay awake. Stay vigilant.
NEVER FORGET.
Laura Johnston Clark is a wife, mother, and businesswoman. She grew up in the Wiregrass and now lives in Birmingham with her husband, retired Air Force Colonel David Etheredge. She is a member of the Alabama Republican Party.
