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The Far Right Isn’t Being Left Out
Far-right think tanks have pushed the notion of cultural jihad in which America would eventually succumb to Sharia Law. Cultural jihad is a “proactive way of advancing a jihad or accessing key Western infrastructure.” The concept goes something like this: Muslims living in America are determined to undermine democracy and implement Sharia law. The way they achieve this is by running for local offices such as school board or PTA. Once elected into these offices, they push to amend the school curriculum. Slowly over time, they change the education system and then move on to other parts of American culture until, eventually, the country is under Sharia law.
If this sounds eerily familiar, it should. But it’s not the Muslim Americans who are leading the charge on working to alter the fabric of our nation. Far-right extremists have taken the cultural jihad playbook and adapted it for their gain. Extremists such as the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and QAnon followers have taken aim at local politics and are running for local offices across the country. The goal is to influence local politics, control how towns are governed, and have a say in the education curriculum, such as pushing back on critical race theory.
It is easy to write off extremist candidates as an anomaly or fringe individuals with zero chance of being elected. However, these candidates are no longer…
