Conservative commentator and author Glenn Beck told Newsmax2 on Tuesday that Americans are too focused on past terrorist attacks and are missing what he described as a broader, long-term Islamist strategy aimed at destroying the West, as tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States continue to escalate.
On "The Todd Starnes Show," Beck, CEO of Blaze Media, said the larger danger is not limited to attacks such as 9/11 but what he portrayed as an ideological and political campaign operating over decades.
When asked what he meant by the "long game," Beck replied, "Global caliphate."
He argued that Islamist groups and leftist extremists can work toward a shared objective even if their ideologies differ sharply.
He said he had warned for years about what he called a "Green-Red Alliance" of Islamists and Marxist radicals working "hand in hand" because "they have one goal in hand and that is the destruction of the Western world, the destruction of capitalism."
Beck cited the Blaze Media documentary "The Islamist Blueprint for Conquering the West" and said a handbook tied to the project would present documents that he said show extremists "in their own words, what they're saying they're doing to America."
To underscore his point, Beck pointed to Osama bin Laden and recalled a prediction he said he made in 1999 after reading bin Laden's words.
"I'm telling you within 10 years, there will be blood, bodies, and buildings in the streets of Manhattan," Beck said. "And it will have his name on it."
Asked whether American churches are doing enough to educate Christians about Islamist ideology, Beck said many in the broader Christian community do not fully grasp the threat as he sees it.
He then framed the issue in explicitly religious terms, saying some factions in Shia Islam, especially "Twelvers" in Iran, view world events through apocalyptic theology.
"They are fighting a religious battle," Beck said. "Whether you like it or not, it doesn't matter."
Beck escalated his warning into explicitly apocalyptic terms, saying he believes "there is a possibility that we are living in the end of days" because of the religious fervor of Iranian "Twelvers."
The phrase "end of days" refers to a concept in religious belief that marks the last phase of history. It is thought to be the time when the world approaches its ultimate judgment, destruction, change, or completion.
His comments came as fighting involving Iran, Israel, and the United States pushed the Middle East closer to wider war.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the U.S. military was preparing to deploy about 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East as Iranian attacks and regional tensions continued.
Beck also invoked Thomas Jefferson and the Barbary Wars to argue that the United States has long faced threats rooted in militant interpretations of Islam.
"We must pay attention to these people," Beck said, quoting Jefferson. "They are serious about their religion."
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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