On 26 May 2010 John O. Brennan, Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser, displayed an astonishing lack of understanding of the enemy that seeks to weaken us and cause the U.S. to withdraw from Morocco to Indonesia.

He said "We are at war against al-Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates." He should have said: We are in a struggle with a world wide movement motivated by the teaching of Mohammad. Our enemy refer to themselves as jihadists and their movement as the Third Jihad. This conflict is not war as war has been understood in the immediate past, i.e. a violent conflict between the armed forces of states. It is irregular warfare which is protracted conflict by insurgents seeking to weaken, destroy and overthrown those in authority. Al-Qaeda and its affiliates are only a part of the Third Jihad.

Brennan is correct when he states " Our enemy is not terrorism, because terrorism is but a tactic". He is partially correct when he sates that "Our enemy is not terror because terror is a state of mind." Terror is both a tactic and a state of mind. But he does not seem to recognize the nonviolent aspects, or scope, of this struggle.

He fails to understand our enemy when he states "Nor do we describe our enemy as jihadists and Islamists." Islamists is an accurate term for our enemy; that term does not suggest that all Muslims are our enemy but recognizes that the motivating factor of our enemy is Islam. It is probably wise not to call our enemy jihadists for that means "holy warriors" and gives them too much religious status. However, why did not Brennan suggest the correct name: hirabahists (unholy warriors)? Many Muslims understand that a hirabah is an unholy war, thus use of the term hirabahists would be effective in getting Muslims to take action against Islamic extremists.

Moreover, it is amazing that the adviser to President Obama on this subject does not seem to understand jihad. Jihad does mean struggle, as he notes. And the inner jihad, taught by Mohammad during his later years, does refer to a inner struggle within an individual,. However, Mohammad continued to advocate outer jihad and the submission of all non-believers. Inner jihad is not the problem. It is the outer jihad, taught and practiced by Mohammad during his early years, which threatens the U.S. and Europe. Perhaps only ten percent of Muslims are hirabahists, however, that is enough to destroy Western Civilization if the other Muslims do not keep them in check. And so far they have not.

The major actions of the Third Jihad are not violent--they involve subversion and the weakening of the will of Americans and Europeans. Brennan does not recognize this threat.This aspect of the struggle is conducted by a fifth column of hirabahists, posing as moderates, in Europe and America. For the Third Jihad this struggle can only end with a decline of Western Civilization through our destruction, conversion, or submission. Our enemies are all of those who support the Third Jihad in this struggle.

It is a tragedy that a person with such a limited understanding of our enemy is Obama's chief adviser on the subject.

Dr. Sam Holliday, Director, Armiger Cromwell Center www.armigercc.com