Charles Krauthammer identified the 1990s as a “Holiday from History”—where the civilized part of humanity ignored the barbarizing part, namely the rising tide of Islamist terrorism.  That holiday ended on September 11, 2001.

It is tempting to turn away from that same Islamist terrorism, or pretend it is not our business.  But, meantime, tens and tens of thousands of Christians and others are being slaughtered by Islamist and Arabist movements in the Middle East and Africa, to very little alarm here. These horrifying violations of human rights, this ongoing civilizational abuse, can be ignored for only so long before we completely nullify any notion of human rights or face another savage end of a holiday we cannot afford.  Or both.

Western civilization and values are not vouchsafed by osmosis, which is why it is no accident the Jews and Christians, that make up Judeo Christian civilization, are being killed with impunity. 

One side must win—and one must lose.