Must terrorism be the new normal?

Are the increasing incidents of terrorist attacks in Europe the “new normal”? And must we endure more meaningless bromides about not “overreacting” because we might play into the hands of terrorists who promote the notion that the “Christian” West is at war with Islam?

Well, there is a war—a war between civilizations, and the West is trying to fight it with the proverbial “one arm tied behind its back.” Following the Brussels bombings, Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens noted his country has a law banning police raids on private homes between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. This is not a joke. Authorities think the mastermind behind last November’s terrorist attack in Paris, which killed 130 people, might have been holed up for at least two nights in Brussels. It’s possible he initially avoided capture because of this indefensible law.

The jihadists, of course, have no laws controlling their nocturnal or any other behavior.

It is the same with America’s “rules of engagement” in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Does our restraint restrain the killers? Are we converting any of them to our way of life? Hardly. It is more likely they are encouraged by what they regard as our weakness.

Osama bin Laden revealed what he and many radical Muslims believe about American weakness in a 1998 interview with John Miller of ABC News: “We have seen in the last decade the decline of the American government and the weakness of the American soldier who is ready to wage cold wars and unprepared to fight long wars. This was proven in Beirut when the Marines fled after two explosions. It also proves they can run in less than 24 hours, and this was also repeated in Somalia.”

He added that jihad is a “form of worship” and, “We do not worry about Americans’ opinion, or the fact they place a price on our heads. As Muslims, we believe our fate is set. Even if the whole world decides to get together and kill us before our time has come, we will not die.”

This week in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Lanham, Md., the largest mosque in America will open. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will attend the ceremony The Turkish government is underwriting the cost of the $100 million “cultural” and worship center.

In Northern Virginia there is also a large mosque named Dar al-Hijrah, which is suspected of being a Hamas front. It was the home of the terrorist spiritual leader Anwar al-Awlaki, who was accused of mentoring two of the 9/11 hijackers.

What a perfect setup for a jihadist pincer movement on the nation’s capital from Maryland and Virginia.

Historically there are four stages to Islamic dominance of non-Muslim countries. The first is infiltration. That is occurring now in Europe and the United States.

Also worth remembering is a statement by Turkish President Erdogan: “There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. Islam is Islam and that’s it.” Why would we not take seriously statements by bin Laden and Erdogan? Denying symptoms and refusing to see a doctor does not make an ailment disappear. Neither does denying the terrorist threat diminish the threat.

There is still time for the United States to turn things around, less so in Europe. Stage 2 of Muslim conquest—namely, consolidation of power—is rapidly approaching. We had better be serious about this and respond accordingly, as we have to other threats in the past. Both history and current events prove the jihadists are serious.

© 2016 Tribune Content Agency LLC.

Listen to Cal Thomas’ commentary on The World and Everything in It.