Giant step backward

Jihad Watch first reported on April 22 that some type of document had been issued at the State Department instructing officials not to use such words as 'jihad' and 'jihadi' in discussing the threat of terrorism, presumably because they linked terrorism too closely to Islam. Now Jihad Watch lists a link to an AP story talking about a government-wide effort to that end. I still don't have confirmation of this story (I guess I won't until the text of the memo surfaces).

If true, this story marks a sad day indeed for the United States as well as for its government. It's hard enough to figure out what's going on and how to deal with it when you can talk frankly; once you start censoring your speech, it's truly hopeless. The government's goal appears to be to avoid offending and alienating moderate Muslims. But any Islamist is likely to interpret this new guidance as a first step toward dhimmi submission - toward adherence to the traditional submissive position of non-Muslims in an Islamic state. At a time when we've been so successful against al-Qaeda in Iraq and when public opinion polls in many Muslim countries show a sharp drop in support for the jihadi terrorists, such a policy move would be pathetic indeed.