For those alive back in 2001 during the brazen horrific attacks on September eleventh, known as “9/11,” it’s hard to believe it has already been a quarter century ago. Every American old enough to remember, recalls exactly where they were when planes hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists hit the twin towers in New York City. For those born since or not old enough to remember, those craven terrorist attacks seem like a tale from another time. Almost three thousand Americans were killed on a sunny autumn morning on our soil, Americans vowed to never forget, but did we?

Twenty-five years ago was much like today. Americans were busy going to work, raising kids, and living their lives. The daily drudge was dominated by family, work, entertainment, sports, and partisan politics, so we paid little attention to geopolitics and international threats. The news of attacks in New York City, the Pentagon, and a downed plane in western Pennsylvania made the world stand still for a moment in breathless disbelief and wonder.

There were acts of great heroism that day of average Americans overcoming their hijackers and preventing them from reaching their target and first responders rushing into burning buildings to rescue their neighbors. Heart wrenching stories of people calling their loved ones with a final farewell before succumbing to a fiery doom. It all seemed surreal, but the image of the World Trade Towers burning and collapsing made an indelible mark on our souls or so we thought.

On that cloudless blue-sky day, reality came crashing down on Americans. We had been living with the threat of terrorism for a few decades, but that always happened overseas not on our shores. We were aware some Middle Eastern terrorists were upset, but on that day, we finally realized that Jihadists had been at war with us for decades. Now bloodied, Americans swore we would finally fight back. And we did briefly in Iraq. We stayed in Afghanistan long enough to apparently forget why we were there.

Twenty years after the worst attack on American soil, we clumsily retreated from Afghanistan losing 13 Americans in the debacle and relinquishing billions of dollars in military equipment to the Taliban, the radical Islamic tribes that gave safe have to Al Qaeda, our attackers.

But it gets worse. Not quite 25 years after thousands of New Yorkers died in the twin towers and hundreds of New Yorks finest firefighters and police gave their lives trying to save them from the ruthless attacks on our country by Islamic terrorists, New York City elected a Muslim mayor who sympathizes with Islamic terrorists and even has ties to terror groups like Al Qaeda and Hamas. Joe Biden tried to claim victory in the war on terror, but now it appears those that attacked us have finally conquered us because we either acquiesce to their demands or outright elect them.

Still a tiny fraction of the US population estimated at 1-1.3%, Muslims are getting elected to office at every level beyond their slim proportions. Like any minority, they tend to concentrate together in certain areas, but where they gain a foothold, they insist on building purely Muslim communities and quietly impose Sharia Law. Muslims will deny their efforts and leftists will defend them but only look to how Islam is steadily conquering Europe and supplanting western law with Sharia Law. They exploit our principle of freedom of expression to eventually eliminate it.

The indisputable and inescapable fact is Islam is totally incompatible with western civilization and culture. Women and infidels have no rights, secular violence is justified, and they condone pedophilia by marrying girls as young 9 years old. Leftists and woke imbeciles will howl that to state this axiom is “Islamophobic,” but in reality, it is simply discerning, prudent, and realistic. The hard truth is Islam does not tolerate other religions and the Quran commands Muslims to convert or conquer all nonbelievers by the sword.

Leftists and apologists for Islam will try to draw a distinction between radical Islam or Jihadists and moderate Muslims, but that is an utterly false dichotomy. Jihadists are practicing Islam as Mohammed preached it and the Quran teaches it. Moreover, polling repeatedly shows overwhelming support for Jihadists and their terror among so called moderate Muslims. A majority of Palestinians still support Hamas and approve of their October 7th massacre. Moderate Muslims may not engage in terror or violence, but they support Sharia Law which dictates it.

Moderate Muslims like moderate Christians are at best misguided and uncommitted, but probably apostate. Leftists and so-called moderate Christians will insist we must tolerate Islam and spew some nonsense that we all worship the same god. Texas Democrat Senate candidate, James Talarico, directly contradicts the Bible claiming that Jesus Christ is NOT the only way to the Father, but rather people can choose alternate means to heaven like appealing to Allah. Talarico is a charlatan preaching false gospels.

The problem is there is only one true God. Christianity is clear that the one true God is in the trinity, the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Islam declares god is Allah and his prophet is Mohammed. That’s an irreconcilable difference. Nonbelievers, leftists, and Muslims in western nations want you to believe the abject LIE that Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all worship the God of Abraham. That’s a complete sham because Ismael never heard of Allah.

The Bible and Quran both identify Allah the same way. Several Quranic suras identify Allah has the great plotter or deceiver. One of the 99 names of Allah is ‘Al-Makr’, which means ‘The Great Deceiver.’ The Bible also identifies Satan as the father of lies in John 8:44. We are all free to choose what we believe, but the identity of Allah and Jesus Christ is indisputable in both scriptures – they are NOT the same.

Again, Americans are free to accept or reject either teaching, but we cannot distort either scripture. The truth is immutable, so choose wisely but choose you must. All Americans are free to worship as they choose, but there are consequences to your choice.

Choose Islam or simply not to believe anything, but eventually we will live in a country where other religions particularly Christianity and Judaism will not be tolerated. Muslims may worship in a Christian nation, but Christians are prohibited from worshipping in a Muslim nation – that’s fact.

The United States is a free nation because we were founded by Christians on Christian principles and values. If we forget that like 9/11 seems to be fading from memory, we will ultimately forfeit our freedom. Preserve our hard-won God given freedom. Reject the deceivers and choose the one true God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

Pete Riehm is a Navy Veteran, conservative activist, and columnist in south Alabama. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.