Bret Stephens writes about Our "Moderate Muslim" Problem.

He points out that the media has been fooled before when it comes to declaring some high-profile Muslim a "moderate."

First there was Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki, who was declared by the New York Times as a leader capable of "merging East and West." That was 2001 right before the 9/11 attacks. Two of the 11 hijackers worshiped at his mosque. Furthermore, Al-Awlaki mentored the Christmas Day bomber and Fort Hood killer Nidal Malik Hason. President Obama has since authorized the military to assassinate Awlaki. Some moderate.

Then there was Aasiya Hassan, the architect, who along with his wife in 2004 started his own Muslim television network to build "bridges" between their culture and the West because they were so disturbed by the negative images of Muslims in our country. Mr. Hassan would later cut off his wife's head for daring to divorce him.

The latest moderate celebrated in the press is Feisal Abdul Rauf is the man behind the building of the so-called Ground Zero mosque to built in what used to be the shadow of the World Trade Center. Yet Rauf called the U.S. an accomplice in the attack against it. And refuses to acknowledge that Hamas is a terrorist organization. Some moderate.

Stephen's concludes his excellent piece:

As for the professional charlatans and secret radicals who claim to be moderate, it would be well if their cheerleaders in the media could inspect their credentials a little more carefully before lavishing them with praise. Because, when it comes to heralding the arrival of the long-awaited moderates, there's nothing more embarrassing than a case of premature congratulation.

Stephen's notes there are plenty of true Muslim moderates, people who understand the evil danger posed by the radical strain of Islam, the one that condones terrorism, that it needs to be stamped out. It is these worshippers of Islam, we should be listening to and lauding. Not the fraudulent "bridge builders" who can't point to a terrorist organization and call it what it is.