The actions triggered by President Trump's temporary ban on people from seven countries in the Middle East is evidence that America is unprepared for the ideological conflict with the Third Jihad.  Those who oppose Trump's order see it as a violation of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion.  They do not recognize that the threat Trump hopes to counter is not the religion of Islam; it is from the ideology of Islam.  The Islamists have openly stated that they plan to use America's ideas of freedom of religion, social justice, diversity, and compassion to weaken the Great Satan from within so that the "way of the Prophet" will finally dominate the world.  They know they do not have the military strength to win in a war, but they believe they can achieve their goal through ideological conflict.

Americans must make a distinction between ideology and religion.  The ideology of Islam was used by Mohammad for eight years as he conquered Medina.  His actions are now being followed by Islamists.  But there is a distinction between Islamists and modern Muslims, such as Zuhdi Jasser, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and Abdel El-Sisi.  All Islamists are Muslims, but not all Muslims are Islamists.  The first are an existential threat to America, and the second are essential allies.  One wants to erode and destroy Western culture, and the other wants to become part of Western culture.  One wants to impose the authoritarian sociopolitical outer jihad of Mohammad, and the other wants the benefits of religion as understood by our founders.

An ideology is a body of doctrine and myth used to achieve submission.  A religion is a set of beliefs that allow individuals to shape their inner compass so they can make judgment between right and wrong, virtue and sin.  America cannot survive if this distinction is not understood.  Although Mohammad did not practice it, he did recognize the religion of Islam; he referred to it as the inner jihad and saw it as a struggle by an individual to overcome the baser instincts and become acceptable to Allah.  Modern Muslims follow this religion of Islam, while they oppose the ideology of Islam.

America is in an ideological conflict with a worldwide movement of Islamists, which they refer to as the Third Jihad.  The Third Jihad is an existential threat to Western culture.  It uses the means of warfare, not the military action of war or the accepted ways of peace.  Islamists are those who believe in an ideology of supremacy practiced by Mohammad, which he referred to as the outer jihad.  This movement includes Islamist militants who use violence and terror, but also Islamist "moderates," who claim that Islam is a religion of peace yet are actually a fifth column – wolves in sheep's clothing.  This would include the Muslim Brotherhood, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Islamic Society of North America, the Muslim American Society, Muslim Student Association chapters, and the Holy Land Foundation.

Americans must open their eyes and do what is necessary to achieve success in warfare against the Islamists of the Third Jihad.  Modern Muslims must know they can trust America. 

Americans need to recognize that the ideology of Islam violates the U.S. Constitution, while the religion of Islam is protected by the Constitution.

To defeat the Third Jihad, Americans need to be more skillful in the use of sanctions, covert operations, deceptions, strategic communication, human intelligence, organizing and motivating, 48-hour tribunals, insurrection, assassination, satisfying aspirations, and network-building.  For more on this subject, see VICTORY at Amazon.com.

Sam C. Holliday, Armiger Cromwell Center, LLC.