Recently, the White House has come out swinging against terrorism. Speeches by President Bush and his staff have accurately described modern terrorism as "Islamic fascism," to the dismay of some Muslim leaders. Some of these leaders believe that this characterization of extremists may cause a misunderstanding about the Islamic religion. According to an Associated Press story, the newly elected president of the Islamic Society of North America finds that this terminology is "unhelpful" and can make some Muslims "feel uncomfortable here."

I would think that most rational people would agree that not all Muslims are fascists and advocate for world domination. However, the terrorists that we are fighting in the war on terror are trying to topple sovereign governments and are fighting under the pretext of Islamic Law. This isn't a subjective interpretation that's open for debate. How many times do we have to hear a statement or watch a video from people like Bin Laden, who are calling for a "global jihad" and want to destroy western civilization, before we can categorize them as fascists?

The Islamic Society of North America is trying to put a stop to this new phrase while at the same time welcoming former Iranian president, Mohammad Khatami to their annual convention here in the United States. It's ridiculous that the Society would be more uncomfortable about using the word "fascist" to describe fascists than they are about terrorists hijacking the Islamic religion to use as their platform to wage war on all people who disagree with them, both Muslim and non-Muslim.

Although I feel that the Bush administration is almost five years too late with their recent phraseology, at least they have come around and accurately identified for the people what most "realists" have known for quite some time. We are not in a time where political correctness and sensitivity need to be our first priority. Things are what they are, and Muslim terrorists who are fighting to establish autocratic governments ruled by dictators with strict and severe control over economies and societies and extreme suppression of opposition, are indeed Islamic fascists.

It may be that this recent attempt to describe terrorists is part of a strategy to drum up support heading into the midterm elections. It doesn't matter to me, as long as the word is getting out and everyone's on the same page. Some people may say that it's a little too late. I've always believed that if you're fighting on the side of good and for the greatest republic that has ever existed, it's better to show up late than not at all.