I was recently interviewed by Folks Magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief, U. Mahesh Prabhu. The whole interview is here, along with some prefatory material that embarrassingly praises me overmuch, but if you can get past that, the interview may be of some interest — although I see in retrospect that I was a bit terse. Here is a section:
UMP: There is something called as “Stealth Jihad” your site often refers to it. Can you describe it in few words?
RS: Stealth jihad is the attempt through non-violent means to achieve the same goal as that of the violent jihadists: the imposition of Sharia upon non-Muslim states.
UMP: Fighting Islamists in USA seems easier than in India. Do you buy that point?
RS: Not necessarily. In both countries the problem of jihad has been drastically misdiagnosed by the authorities, leading to numerous policy errors.
UMP: With multimillion petrodollars the Arab Shaikhs have been funding these pro-Islamist organizations for a long time now. Given their financial muscle and infrastructure do you think their antagonists stand any chance?
RS: Yes. We certainly stand a chance. We have the truth on our side.
UMP: How many Muslims in the world, do you think, are “moderate Muslims”?
RS: It depends on how one defines “moderate.” If by it you mean those who are not engaged in violent jihad, then the number is huge. If you mean those who actively disapprove of violent jihad and Islamic supremacism in general, and are working against the jihad imperative, the number is minuscule. If you mean those Muslims who simply aren’t concerned with such matters, the number is considerable. […]
UMP: Which is more dangerous – Terrorism Jihad or Stealth Jihad?
RS: They are two fronts of the same war and two aspects of the same initiative, so it is impossible to distinguish between them in this way….