Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, a likely 2016 Republican presidential candidate, will give a major foreign policy address next week in London. According to early excerpts of the address, Jindal will use the speech to bash Hillary Clinton, the likely 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, and to go after radical Islam in wake of last week’s Paris terrorist attacks.
Referring to Clinton’s recent comment on having empathy for the views of America’s enemies, Jindal is planning to say, “Our former Secretary of State in America recently said that we need to ‘show respect for our enemies’ and ’empathize with their perspective and point of view.’ Well, yes, understanding our enemies as a means of destroying them, I’m all for that. But empathizing with them as if perhaps we can find some common ground, I have no interest in that kind of mindless naiveté.”
He’ll continue:
The events of the past several years clearly suggest that America’s allies are often less than certain that they can count on us, and our enemies too often do not fear us. Of course, as Americans we want all people to live in harmony, and we do not desire to have any enemies. But the simple truth is that we do, but that is not of our doing.
There are people in the world who mean us harm, who desire our downfall, and who simply detest us because we stand for freedom. I have no interest in coddling them, or pretending that bad is good. Sugar coating the reality of the situation serves no purpose, we must not be afraid to speak the truth.
A wise man once said, ‘the truth will set you free.’
And here’s what Jindal will have to say about the recent jihadist attacks in Paris, according to preview of the prepared remarks:
“Now, let’s talk very directly about the elephant in the room…that is, allow me to discuss the recent horrific events in France.
“I will warn you in advance that I’m going to say some things that are not politically correct, so brace yourselves.
“To be clear, I have no interest in defaming any religion, nor do I have any interest in assigning the maniacal acts of radical Islamists to millions of Muslims worldwide.
“I’m interested only in dealing with reality and facts.
“And the fact is that radical Islamists do not believe in freedom or common decency nor are they willing to accommodate it in any way and anywhere.
“We need to stop pretending otherwise.
“We are fools to pretend otherwise. How many Muslims in this world agree with these radicals? I have no idea, I hope it is a small minority.
“But it is clear that far too many do, and it is clear that they must be stopped.
“For example, note what radical Islamists do when given the chance in territories they control either in the Middle East or even in Europe.
“In Iraq, ISIS commits genocide, enslaves women and beheads opponents.
“And in the West, non-assimilationist Muslims establish enclaves and carry out as much of Sharia law as they can without regard for the laws of the democratic countries which provided them a new home.
“It is startling to think that any country would allow, even unofficially, for a so called ‘no-go zone.’
“The idea that a free country would allow for specific areas of its country to operate in an autonomous way that is not free and is in direct opposition to its laws is hard to fathom.
“Another example is the rise of anti-Semitism in many places, even in continental Europe.
“Over the last couple of years we have been alarmed to see blatant and astoundingly bold acts of persecution and bigotry against Jewish persons and property, to such a degree that Jewish emigration from Europe is increasing.
“How does such evil rise again in democratic countries?
“I believe it is because radical Islamists have been given too wide a berth to establish their own nation within a nation. I am encouraged to see France’s Prime Minister speak out against this travesty.
“In America we are quite happy to welcome freedom loving people, regardless of religion, who want to abide by our laws allowing for freedom of expression and a host of other democratic freedoms.
“But we will never allow for any sect of people to set up their own areas where they establish their own set of laws.
“We have to stop pretending that right and wrong do not exist.
“For example – Sharia law is not just different than our law, it’s not just a cultural difference, it is oppression and it is wrong.
“It subjugates women and treats them as property, and it is antithetical to valuing all of human life equally.
“It is the very definition of oppression. We must stop pretending otherwise.
“In my country, Christianity is the largest religion. And we require exactly no one to conform to it. And we do not discriminate against anyone who does not conform to it. It’s called freedom.
“A so-called religion that allows for and endorses killing those who oppose it is not a religion at all, it is a terrorist movement.
“I do continue to believe and hope that most Muslims oppose these bloodthirsty acts of terror.
“But that is not the point. Whether they do or not, the point is that radical Islamists do advocate the slaughter of those who reject their views.
“Free peoples everywhere must not pretend otherwise and must not coddle those who hold these views. And they must have courage.
“I favor robust debate on everything – on religion, on policy, on politics, on everything. It is called freedom.
“But when debate stops, and when a movement decides that they no longer want to debate their ideas, but rather they want to simply subdue, silence, and kill those who disagree…that is called terrorism, barbarism, and inhuman behavior, and it cannot and must not be tolerated.
“Let’s be honest here, Islam has a problem.
“If Islam does not support what is happening in the name of Islam, then they need to stand up and stop it. Many Islamic leaders argue that these are the acts of a radical few.
“Ok, it is their problem, and they need to deal with it.
“Muslim leaders must make clear that anyone who commits acts of terror in the name of Islam is in fact not practicing Islam at all.
“If they refuse to say this, then they are condoning these acts of barbarism. There is no middle ground.
“Specifically, Muslim leaders need to condemn anyone who commits these acts of violence and clearly state that these people are evil and are enemies of Islam.
“It’s not enough to simply condemn violence, they must stand up and loudly proclaim that these people are not martyrs who will receive a reward in the afterlife, and rather they are murderers who are going to hell.
“If they refuse to do that, then they are part of the problem. There is no middle ground here.
“Let’s remember what we are talking about here.
“These terrorists are not soldiers who are fighting nobly on some valiant battlefield against an opposing army.
“No. These are cowards who are walking up to unarmed civilians—men, women AND children– in the work place and the grocery store and murdering them with weapons of war.”
