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The Third Jihad Commentary

Produced by Raphael Shore, ‘The Third Jihad’ is a documentary about the threat of Islam to the national security of the United States. The documentary was funded by the Clarion Project, an organization widely identified as anti-Muslim. The country is all too aware of the danger of terrorism, the worst of which happened on September 11th, 2001. The events of the fateful day are etched on the memories of all Americans. The documentary takes advantage of the emotions of 9/11 to come up with a new theory of cultural jihadists over radical Islamists. It proposes that the primary threat to national security is a new form of deception by radical Muslims disguised as mainstream Muslim leaders preaching peace and unity. The producer explains that by screening the documentary, we will be keeping the memory of 9/11 alive while preventing similar tragedies in the future.

The documentary makes several shocking claims. One of these is a statement by a Muslim interviewee saying, “Islam will dominate; that’s what it will be.” This statement shows that this is a belief that is entrenched among many Muslims all over the West. Many Muslim leaders are also shown in the film echoing similar claims towards an Islamic republic by 2015. The film’s whole theory is that Muslims want to turn the United States into an Islamic Republic. Abu Yahya al-Libi, an Al-Queda leader, is shown in the film preaching that Islam must dominate the whole world.

The film contains interviews with some reputable people including former New York City mayor, Randy Giuliani. He gives his recollection of events after 9/11, terming it as a time when the American spirit showed high resilience. He explains that, “As we move further away from that day, there are going to be people who don’t want to see the threat as clearly…” this statement shows that he too believes that there is a group of people within the United States working to undermine the safety and peace of the country. According to him, the whole Islamist movement hates the way of life and culture of the American people, and they are working towards destroying it.

The documentary also cites a secret document unearthed by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, outlining the plan of Jihadists to eliminate Western civilizations. The film contains many images of terror-related incidents, the most provoking of which is the aftermath of the 9/11 bombing of the World Trade Center. Such images are meant to stimulate the viewers by showing how much death and destruction have been caused by Muslims. The attack was masterminded by the Al-Qaeda, a radical terrorist group led by Osama bin Laden.

The controversial documentary is designed to evoke feelings of fear and paranoia from its viewers and audiences. The people interviewed in the film feed into this narrative by giving their opinions and thoughts, most of which have no factual basis. The existence of cultural jihadists intending to take over the West using the tactic of deception in itself is highly radical.

Works Cited

Clarion Project. “The Third Jihad” YouTube. Uploaded on 18 Aug 2009. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-aVkiLIWSs