From Tripoli to Today: The Enduring Threat of Islamist Ideology to American Values
By Leonard Grunstein
Friday, 23 January 2026 02:02 PM EST
The terrorist Islamist regime of Iran has threatened to attack the U.S. and Israel while actively killing its own people, who are rising up to unseat an evil regime.
These threats are not idle—they were demonstrated by recent ballistic missile attacks on U.S. bases and Israel, which were miraculously defeated.
We are blessed to live in a free and open, diverse, and democratic society where we enjoy freedom of religion and speech alongside equal protection under the law. The United States Constitution provides for separation of church and state while recognizing God-given rights and freedoms.
Islamists threaten this American way of life protected by our Constitution. Their brand of Islamism functions as a parasitic political ideology that subverts host religions. They misuse religious doctrine to pursue an agenda antithetical not only to the United States but also to Islam itself.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the U.S., citizens must remember one of the earliest jihadi Islamist threats faced by America: the Barbary Pirates. These predominantly Muslim groups operated from North African Muslim-ruled states between 1500 and 1800 CE, targeting non-Muslims—especially Christians—for enslavement. It is estimated that approximately one million Christians were enslaved during their raids across the Mediterranean Sea, reaching as far north as England, Ireland, Iceland, and east to the Canary Islands.
The Barbary Pirates framed their attacks as a sacred struggle against Christian powers, often calling them naval jihad. In March 1786, Tripoli’s ambassador Sidi Abdrahaman met with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams in London, questioning why the U.S. was attacked despite having done no injury to the Barbary States. The ambassador claimed it was a religious duty under Islam. This exchange convinced Jefferson that paying protection money would not end attacks. When he became president, he refused such payments, prompting Tripoli to declare war on the United States in 1801.
Military interventions followed: the First Barbary War (1801–1805) under President Thomas Jefferson and the Second Barbary War (1815) under President James Madison. Ultimately, France ended Barbary terrorism after conquering Algeria in 1830.
Modern decision-makers must heed these historical lessons. As citizens, we must also become more enlightened about threats to our American values from a world that seeks to undermine Western culture and Judeo-Christian ethics. Islamists aim to conquer the world and enforce their version of Shariah law through violence and insidious infiltration of U.S. legal systems.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard highlighted this threat in her December 20, 2025 speech: “The greatest near and long-term threat to both our freedom and security is the ideology that fuels terrorist groups like al-Qaida, ISIS, Al-Shabaab, Hamas, and Boko Haram. This ideology seeks to create a global caliphate governed by Islamic principles.” She warned that Islamist ideology directly threatens American freedom because it justifies violence and subverts U.S. law through religious precepts.
A disturbing example emerged in New Jersey: A lower court judge denied a restraining order to a Muslim husband accused of forcing his wife into sexual relations, claiming he was exercising his right under Islamic law. The New Jersey appeals court later overturned this decision, finding the judge’s interpretation “mistaken” and affirming that religious beliefs must not override state statutes.
The good people of Iran are currently revolting against their Islamist rulers—a plague to both their nation and the world. We must support them in their struggle for freedom.
