While there are still many out there who believe we are in the midst of a politically motivated war in Iraq, anyone who is paying attention understands we are in the thick of a religiously motivated war. This war, or jihad, has been conceived, endorsed and perpetrated by fanatically fundamental sects of the Islamic faith who seek the destruction of all who don’t embrace the literal teachings of the Quran. These fanatics have managed to capture the hearts and minds of perhaps a few generations of Middle Eastern peoples.

Here’s a news flash for everyone who believes President Bush is waging a war for oil, or a war for political gain, or a war just for the hell of it, President Bush is responding – finally – to the declaration of war that Islamic fundamentalists have declared on our country and our culture. He is responding to a plethora of attacks that have spanned decades with only a few significant responses from us, the most significant being the Gulf War.

Many ridiculed President George H. W. Bush for not "finishing the job” in Iraq during the Gulf War. I believe we are seeing exactly why he chose not to. He understood that in the context of the Gulf War removing Saddam Hussein from power would’ve been viewed by many in the Middle East as an act of aggression even though the US actions were responsive in nature. This time things are staggeringly different. This time around they, the Islamic fundamentalists in the form of al Qaeda and terrorists sympathetic to their cause, crossed a reluctantly tolerable line, a line drawn with the blood of 3000 plus Americans in New York.

Just in case some in the anti-Bush crowd are too busy preparing hateful signs for the Republican National Convention I would point out that an overwhelming majority of those the coalition forces are now confronting are not Iraqi, they are insurgents. These insurgents are from across the Iraqi borders and are comprised of hardcore Islamic fanatics and members of terrorist organizations. The number of former Ba’ath Party members and Iraqi Republican Guard now fighting the coalition troops in Fallujah and Najaf are minimal at best. This is because the current conflicts in those cities aren’t about Iraqi sovereignty. The Iraqi people are thrilled Saddam Hussein is gone and look forward to democracy at their own hand. The current conflict is about jihad, a holy war against the ideals and beliefs of the Western culture; it is a conflict between fanatical Islam and Western Civilization.

The question needs to be asked, how could a group of people be so filled with hate as to commit genocide in the name of religion? I ask myself this question to a lesser extent about those who harbor hate for President Bush, the man who brought us through September 11th but I digress.

The hate stems from the socio-political takeover of the Islamic religion by extremists that exist within that religion. Because many governments in the Middle East are based in the laws of Islam it is easier for the Clerics, Imams and Ayatollahs to progress their political agendas through their religion. They preach their extremist interpretation of the Quran, be the interpretation genuine in nature or contrived to achieve a political goal, in the schools, poisoning young minds into believing the most extreme of interpretations of Islam’s religious message. And because Islam has no political boundaries these teaching are not unique to any single country.

Perhaps two of the most disturbing aspects of fanatical Islam are the ideas they literally brainwash their children into believing; that anyone who doesn’t accept Allah as the one true God is an infidel and that all infidels must die. It is then taught that if one dies as a martyr in the act of eliminating an infidel they will be sent to paradise and bestowed 72 virgins. For many who live in the compromised socio-economic climate of the Middle East – by that I mean not being of a royal family or dictatorial regime – the idea of escaping the "surly bonds of earth” by pleasing their God and glorifying themselves as a martyr can be attractive.

Because fanatics in Islam have such a hold on the religion and politics of those who practice it, it can be argued that peace will never be achieved until the fanaticism is removed from Islam, both in the religious aspect and the political aspect. Common sense mandates that one cannot live in peace with their neighbor if their neighbor is bound by their religious and political beliefs to kill him.

The Catholic Church has done a good job of keeping the teachings of its religion relevant and coherent throughout its existence. Two events that helped them to keep the teachings of the church in sync with the progression of our societies were Vatican I and Vatican II. These "conferences” allowed the church to translate the teachings of Catholicism into language that could be understood given the circumstances of the day. It didn’t change the message; it changed the way the message was received.

It is time for the responsible religious leaders in the Islamic community to call for an inclusive Islamic conference not unlike the Catholic Church’s Vatican conferences. It is time for them to renounce violence in total and redefine the "elimination of the infidel” as an idea that inspires education instead of violence. It’s time the responsible in the Islamic community demand their ancient religion’s teachings be translated into a message that doesn’t require the use of genocide and terrorism. Only then will there be the slightest chance of a prolonged peace.

The time for this translation is now. If the responsible among the Islamic faith wait any longer it could be too late.

Frank Salvato is a political media consultant and the managing editor for The New Media Journal.us. He served as an editor and is a contributing writer for The Washington Dispatch. He writes regularly for GOPUSA, OpinionEditorials, Men’s News Daily, Canada Free Press & AmericanDaily. His pieces are regularly featured in Townhall.com. He has appeared as a guest on The O’Reilly Factor, The Kevin Matthews Radio Show (Chicago) and The Brad Messer Radio Show (San Antonio). His pieces have been recognized by the Japan Center for Conflict Prevention and are occasionally featured in The Washington Times and The London Morning Paper as well as other national and international publications.