The greatest challenge of the 21st century

American politician and Director of National Intelligence in the Trump administration, Tulsi Gabbard, during her appearance at America Fest 2025 finally named clearly the greatest threat to life in the West: Islamism. Every minute this truth is suppressed out of misplaced tolerance, political correctness, or fear of being labeled Islamophobic, moves us further away from the freedom and human rights we enjoyed in the West before this phenomenon emerged. Every minute of silence means another woman murdered or raped, another person silenced for criticizing religion—a right we in the West fought hard for.

Tulsi Gabbard's speech did not received the attention it deserved because, unfortunately, the West is already under the influence of this ideology, and many people are afraid to speak out. I compare Islamism to National Socialism and Communism. All these phenomena are similar in their claim to truth, the oppression of people according to a social system they consider the only right one, and the brutal violence it uses against dissenters and those who deviate from the norm. I call Islamism the fascism of the 21st century, and the future will prove me right.

I am writing this article to warn you, so that we do not lose another century to brutal wars and civil wars. We must immediately recognize the first signs of a mass psychosis that paves the way for the rise of brutal dictators. We must examine our thoughts and feelings every minute: Are we being honest, or are we already following the current down a path of injustice? Every minute we tolerate injustice and lies leads to the entrenchment of evil in our society, opening the door to poisoning our own lives and the future of our children. We bear the responsibility for our world, our lives, and our future: We must not pave the way for evil to gain power. That is why contributions like Tulsi Gabbard's at America Fest 2025 are of immense importance.

I came across a response on social media from a US citizen originally from the Middle East. Her moving post testifies that we have a greater responsibility to rescue people fleeing inhumane regimes than those who come to us from those regimes, bringing with them a dehumanizing ideology. Here is the original text.

"As someone who lived under an Islamic regime and Sharia law for 23 years and now lives in America, I've experienced both worlds firsthand. I wasn't just near it, I was a practicing Muslim, and I studied the religion deeply. I'm sharing this because I want you to hear it from someone who actually lived it. I speak up because I don't want my children or any of our children to ever experience what we went through. Many of us who escaped are now watching from the outside: helpless, often voiceless, and frequently attacked simply for warning people about what we know this ideology looks like when it gains power. We don't want the countries that gave us safety and opportunity to be damaged by the same ideology we ran from. But too many people still don't understand what is at stake. When people like me talk honestly about Islamic teachings in practice, especially what it means to be a woman or a child under Islamic governments, we get hit from all sides. Not because we hate people, but because the truth threatens narratives. One side is the liberal left, which too often romanticizes Islamist politics under slogans like "freedom of religion," "inclusivity," and "anti-imperialism." As if Islam is not built to override individual freedom, as if it is not historically one of the most intolerant systems toward dissenters, LGBTQ people, and religious minorities, and as if its political vision isn't expansionist. Worse, in many places the left hasn't just excused Islamists, it has effectively embraced them and merged with them into a single political unit, treating Islamist movements as allies and laundering their ideology through progressive language. The other side is the far right, so addicted to conspiracies, especially obsession with Jews, that it can't focus on reality unless everything is forced into "the establishment" or "the Jews" controlling the world. It is intellectually ridiculous, especially when you compare a global Muslim population of nearly 2 billion to about 15 million Jews. Even if Islamists recruit 10% of the entire Muslim population, it is 200 million soldiers who are ready to kill and believe that they will be rewarded for that in heaven... Look at your societies. Be honest about what you see. This isn't about hating Muslims. It's about defending democratic values: equal rights, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the rule of law. History shows that when Islamist movements gain enough power, they strip rights, punish dissents, and society becomes a cage, sometimes slowly, sometimes overnight. In the UK, people are already being punished for speech that challenges Islam. In September 2025, blogger Pete North was arrested by Yorkshire police over an online meme that included the phrase "F*ck Islam." Do not wait until it's too late to take ideological extremism seriously. Protect liberal democracy while you still have it."

Sana Ebrahimi (on X: @__Injaneb96)