Media coverage of successful counter-terrorism operation operations has been lacking and points to an overall lack of awareness toward well-funded, well-coordinated Jihadist efforts inside the U.S., a prominent Muslim-American has warned. Hatred of the West and the U.S. in particular was the primary drive force behind a plot that involved the potential use of explosives and missiles, according to a complaint filed in New York this past May.

The four suspects had planned to discharge explosives outside Jewish community centers and to attack U.S. military aircraft with missiles, authorities claim. This follows on the heels of a planned Jihadist assault on the Fort Dix military base in New Jersey last year that was also thwarted.

“The arrest of these four individuals in New York, three of whom appear to be U.S. citizens shows that the homegrown Islamist-inspired terrorist threat is a clear and present danger,” said Dr. M Zuhdi Jasser, founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD). “It also important to note several of the suspects had previously been in prison, which is fertile ground for Islamic radicalization.”

Jasser serves as a narrator for a new film entitled “The Third Jihad,” which explores some of the techniques sophisticated Islamists have used to exploit America’s legal system and civil liberties. The documentary’s title invokes the history and roots of the religious war known as Jihad and its role in radical Islam. The first Jihad took place between 622-750 AD impacting the Middle-East, Central Asia, North Africa and parts of Europe. The second Jihad occurred between 1071-1683 AD  when the Turks invaded the Balkans.

The film suggests a Third Jihad is underway right now that targets western nations, especially the U.S. But instead of using overt, violent means radical Islamists are advancing their agenda by way of stealth. In 2003 the FBI uncovered a document called the “Grand Jihad Manifesto” authored by the Muslim Brotherhood in North America that figures prominently in the documentary.

This 15 page document outlines goals and strategies for the infiltration and domination of America by creating a network of seemingly moderate Muslim organizations that are in fact the byproduct of radical influences. The manifesto calls for a “cultural jihad” that aims to replace western freedoms with Sharia Law. These same Islamic groups that now have foothold in America believe they can transform the U.S. into theocratic Muslim state by 2050.

“The Islamists are crafty,” he said. “They wrap themselves in religious ideology to avoid any criticism of what are really political activities. They understand the west and want to exert a creeping influence. Anytime someone raises questions they scream Islamophobia.”

Although the Islamist threat to the U.S. may not seem as imminent now as it does in Europe, the 2050 timeline some radicals have set should not be blithely dismissed either, Jasser said. Wihabism, the radical Saudi brand of Islam, is continuing to gain ground in the U.S., he points out.

This warning is substantiated by 2005 study put out by the Center for Religious Freedom that reveals a sizable percentage of U.S. mosques have Wihabe-trained and funded religious leaders. The study also discovered that much of the official Saudi-supplied literature found in American mosques contained incendiary teachings about non-Muslims.

“For Americans to defeat radical Islam they need to relearn what it means to be an American and why separation of church and state is so important,” Jasser said. “We need to counteract the ideas of the Muslim Brotherhood and provide the overwhelming majority of Muslims in America who believe in freedom and democracy with a stronger platform.”

To this end, Jasser is preparing a new initiative called “the Jefferson project.” It will involve the translation and circulation of books steeped in the philosophy of Jefferson and other western thinks like John Locke.“That’s why America is so important,” Jasser said. “It’s good place to help begin with reform for Islam because there is so much religious freedom.  Unfortunately, this same freedom provides an opening for the spread of radical Islam. Right now we are playing too much defense.”

The news media's inattention to the threat of radical Islam is a major theme of the film. When the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officially cut ties with the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) there was essentially a media blackout on the story, with the exception of Fox News, commentators point out in the film.

 “Third Jihad” was produced by the Clarion Fund, non-profit group that specializes in national security issues. It draws on the expertise of counter-terrorism experts and human rights activists who have firm understaning of "Creeping Sharia" and what it could potentially mean for America in the 21st century. The film was recently screened in the National Press Club. 

—Kevin Mooney is a freelance investigative reporter specializing in environmental and government corruption issues.