by Farbod Moghadam
Dear Mr. President,
I extend my most sincere condolences for the tragedy that has so disturbed the peace in your country and has taken the lives of so many innocent individuals. But I know that no such sentiment can palliate the grief you and your people suffer during this terrible period. Mr. President, it may be time to mourn, but it is also time to act. As an American and a Muslim, I hold a unique grudge against the components of radical Islam responsible for attacks like this in both Western and Middle Eastern countries. The battle against these terrorists is a battle for world peace, but it is also one for the soul of Islam as defined by the vast majority of appalled Muslims everywhere. In this time, you must recognize the attacks as an act of war on your sovereign territory.
I am a staunch Progressive within the realm of American politics, and in almost every case I am opposed to the very idea of war. This, however, is a grave situation. ISIS and similar fundamentalist organizations are a cancer, their members not humans, but animals not deserving of any sympathy whatsoever. They challenge our way of life and blindly ordain the death of any non-believers of their misinterpreted brand of Islam. They are the face of evil as it applies to the world of today and they must be destroyed with powerful military action; however, you must not go through with it alone. The assault on your land, on your most precious and iconic city, is an attack on all the free peoples of the world, all of western civilization. Introduce a resolution in NATO or the UN, and we will gladly join our French brothers in arms. As cliché as it may sound, and as many times as you may have heard it, today we are one with your people. We grieve with you, and, if you choose to do so, we fight with you.
With immense respect,
Farbod Moghadam