David Ignatius writes in the Washington Post of the internal battle within the Dar al Islam over the future of that faith of over a billion people. The Salafists, or radical Islamists, are a cult, Ignatius avers, and it is up to Muslims to take back their religion from them. America is essentially powerless in this struggle. Along the way, he gratuitously dumps on Karen Hughes, the new head of public diplomacy in the State Department, but he also highlights the importance of Jordan, arguably the most moderate of the Aran states, but also one of the most precarous, with its large population of Palestinians.

Hat tip: Ed Lasky

Thomas Lifson   9 18 05