Claims that the threat of radical Islam is an Israeli government “op” have entered mainstream conservative debate, but the facts tell a very different story. In late December 2025, Tucker Carlson told The American Conservative that warnings about radical Islam as America’s greatest threat were propaganda, arguing that he does not “know anyone in the United States in the last 24 years who’s been killed by radical Islam.” Similar claims quickly followed from other anti-Israel commentators, including Candace Owens, who asserted that the real danger to America is “the Israeli occupation of DC.” These remarks came in response to a Turning Point USA poll conducted at AmericaFest in December 2025 showing that most conservatives identify radical Islam as the top threat facing the United States.
The Reality of Islamist Violence in America
The claim that Americans are not being killed by Islamist violence is factually false. Since 9/11, more than 162 Americans have been murdered on U.S. soil in attacks motivated by Islamist ideology. This is not ancient history. In 2025 alone, at least 17 Americans were killed in Islamist attacks, including a firebombing in Colorado, a shooting in Washington, D.C., and a vehicle-ramming attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people. These cases are documented by sources including the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dismissing these victims because they do not fit a political narrative does not make the threat disappear.
Why Terrorism Is Only Part of the Threat
Reducing radical Islam to body counts alone misses the core issue. The danger posed by Islamism is not limited to terrorism. It is a comprehensive political ideology with explicitly stated goals that extend far beyond isolated attacks. On December 20, 2025, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told AmericaFest attendees that Islamist ideology represents the greatest threat to the United States precisely because it seeks power, governance, and control. As she explained, Islamism is a political movement aimed at establishing a global caliphate governed by sharia law, replacing existing nation-states and their constitutional systems.
Sharia Law and Its Conflict With Western Values
Sharia law is an authoritarian legal system derived from the Quran and classical Islamic jurisprudence. It prescribes punishments that are fundamentally incompatible with Western concepts of liberty and equal protection under the law. These include the death penalty for rejecting Islam, corporal punishment for alcohol consumption, and the requirement that non-Muslims pay a special tax, known as jizya, as a condition for being allowed to practice their religion. The Quran itself contains repeated commands to fight those who do not believe in Islam and to enforce Islamic law within society, including the directive in Quran 9:29 to fight non-believers until they submit and pay the tax “fully humbled.”
The Ideology of Modern Islamism
Modern Islamism is built on the belief that social, political, and moral problems can only be solved by replacing existing governments with systems rooted entirely in sharia law. This ideology is not fringe or theoretical. Major transnational movements openly articulate these goals. The Muslim Brotherhood, one of the largest Islamist organizations in the world, has repeatedly declared that jihad is an obligation against unbelievers and has worked to embed Islamic law into national constitutions. Hizb ut-Tahrir, another global Islamist organization, has explicitly stated that its objective is the re-establishment of a universal Islamic caliphate governed by sharia law.
Islamist Political Strategy Inside the United States
The Islamist project does not rely on violence alone. It also seeks to exploit Western legal and political systems from within. Even the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which presents itself publicly as a moderate civil rights organization, has issued calls to action encouraging the use of American legal and political mechanisms to advance sharia law. According to documented reporting, CAIR has outlined plans to expand Islamic political influence in Washington, D.C., including efforts to place dozens of Islamist-aligned lawmakers in Congress and position tens of thousands of Muslims in strategic industries. These efforts are framed in the language of civil rights while advancing a distinctly ideological agenda.
A Growing Political Flashpoint
These concerns are no longer abstract. In Michigan, Islamist activist Abdul El-Sayed, now running for the U.S. Senate, has pledged to pursue censorship policies under the banner of combating “Islamophobia.” Critics argue that such measures would be used to suppress legitimate criticism of Islamist ideology and shield political Islam from scrutiny, further demonstrating how ideological goals are pursued through institutional power rather than open debate.
Why Dismissing the Threat Matters
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard summarized the issue bluntly when she warned that Islamism is fundamentally incompatible with America’s foundation of individual freedom and liberty. Treating the threat of radical Islam as an Israeli psyop is not merely inaccurate; it actively blinds Americans to an ideology that openly declares its intentions. Israel did not invent Islamism, and it does not need to exaggerate its goals. The movement’s own texts, leaders, and organizations state them plainly.
The Bottom Line
Radical Islam is a real and documented threat to the United States. That threat includes terrorism, but it does not end there. It also encompasses a totalitarian political ideology that seeks to impose sharia law, undermine constitutional governance, and expand its influence through both violence and institutional capture. Denying or minimizing these facts in order to score points against Israel is intellectual malpractice. It leaves Americans unprepared for a challenge that has clearly stated its aims and has already demonstrated its willingness to pursue them.
