Raising awareness concerning radical Jihadists at UVSC

Two weeks ago was Islamo-fascism Awareness Week nationwide. The Davy Crockett Society and the American-Israeli Alliance based at UVSC participated with on-campus speakers and events. 

With grant help from an affiliated group called the Leadership Institute based out of Washington D.C., they were able to bring Colin Hanna, founder and president of Let Freedom Ring Inc., to present at a UVSC forum on Friday, Oct. 26. Hanna spoke about the differences between traditional Islam and radical Islam and what the radical Islamists message is. The purpose was to spread the knowledge of what Jihadists are saying about the Unites States, Western civilization, Christianity and Israel.

He spoke of a Web site created for the purpose of people being able to see and read for themselves what is being said by Jihadists. The Web site www.TheirOwnWords.com features updated videos and news of statements made by religious extremists.

Brett Nielsen, president of both the Davy Crockett Society and the American-Israeli Alliance, said the objective of bringing Hanna to UVSC was not only to make students aware of what is happening with radical Islam but also to spark debate among students about what is happening, to make people more aware of what radical Islamists are saying-not all Islamic people, but the radicals. Nielsen said that people need to understand differences between traditional and radical Islam, but that we should not ignore what the radicals are saying.
The clubs’s alleged purpose of bringing Hanna to speak was to promote education and ideas on the subject, and was not a political statement, because the clubs believe this a bipartisan issue.

Chris Clark, a member of both the Davy Crockett and the American-Israeli Alliance and attendee at the Colin Hanna presentations said that his impression of what is being said is alarming. "We want solutions-not only know the threats, but move toward a solution," Clark said.

Brett Nielsen said that the defining issue of our time is the outcome of our War on Terror. The existence of peace in the Middle East and of freedom and democracy at home and abroad is how we confront the challenge of radical Islam.

The Davy Crockett Society is a student club out of UVSC founded on 2006, which promotes traditional American values, belief of individual liberties, personal responsibility and limited government. The American-Israeli Alliance club is also based out of UVSC and looks to promote American relationships with the Middle East, in particular with Israel, and to fight against American and Israeli threats in the Middle East, promoting peace in Israel.