On Sunday morning (September 16th 2001) Martin Lewis was a guest on CNN - discussing his latest column - which calls for moderate Islamics to wage an ideological war against radical Islamics - concurrent with American military attacks on terrorists.

ANCHOR: From the damaged Pentagon to the command center at Camp David - in homes and over water coolers - a common question is being asked. "What is the best way to fight terrorism?" There's a loud clamor for retaliation.

Political commentator Martin Lewis warns that striking back without first understanding the terrorist mind set could backfire. He joins us now from Los Angeles.

Hello Martin. Good morning.

LEWIS: Good morning.

ANCHOR: In your commentary - you suggest that it's not sufficient to simply bomb or attempt to annihilate the principle perpetrators. Why is that?

LEWIS: All the civilized world calls out for some reaction and of course we want to stop these terrorists. However - we have to look more deeply.

The people that we call terrorists are not just terrorists - that is their means of action. That is how they fight. But they are driven by an ideology. A very perverse one - and it is THAT that you have to deal with.

In the Second World War - we didn't just defeat the Nazis - we went into a program after the war of de-Nazification. We went to the German people who had been brought up in this evil philosophy - and we reversed it. And what has to happen now is that we have to go to the people... the children and make sure that they are enlightened as to how perverse this philosophy is.

ANCHOR: Absolutely - and I think it's important to make that distinction. That we're not just talking about those of the Islamic faith or of Arabic backgrounds. It's this extremist attitude that we really have to fear. And I fear personally for the seven million Muslims that we have here in this country - considering this kind of attitude.

LEWIS: Yes - and it's very pleasing that the Vice President this morning and other members of the administration have made this very clear. There's nothing wrong with the Islamic faith per se. These terrorists are perverting it.

For example.. We know that there are people who oppose abortion in this country and they are entitled to that view. But when they go out and say that they wish to kill abortion doctors or firebomb abortion clinics - we say that is wrong - that is perverting Christianity. That's not a representation of Christianity. And it takes moderate Christians to say that is wrong.

By the same token - what we need is moderate Islamic leaders to say "Our faith is a good one - we believe in God - we believe in Allah - we don't believe in taking innocent lives."

They need to ostracize Bin Laden and these other terrorists and say "THEY are the infidels - they are perverting the word of God." Let us ostracize them and throw them out and have those children start to suspect that their parents are evil. That has to happen along with military action.

ANCHOR: And yet isn't that a very dangerous stance for moderates to take?

LEWIS: Yes - it's absolutely dangerous - but no more dangerous than leaving things as they are at the moment. Because what will happen in the West... there will end up being a war between those in the West and those of Islam - which is unfair. And therefore their entire way of life and their religion stands to be decimated because there will be such a clamoring from extreme people in the West saying "we can't have these people around."

You're already hearing the "nuke 'em all" brigade. And that is wrong. What we have to do is appeal to the moderate Islamics to say:

"You must save your own religion. You must stand up to these terrorists. We'll stand up to them militarily - you stand up to them ideologically. Tell the children - and make sure that that message gets out. That these people are perverting the word of God and Allah. THEY are the infidels. Smite them out - ostracize them."

And so it becomes both military and ideological.

ANCHOR: Martin Lewis joining us live from Los Angeles. Thank you for your time on this Sunday morning Martin.

LEWIS: Thank you.