and avoid the repercussions of its terrible and even dangerous decision. But the facts remain the same: The Islamic Society invited and was planning to fête a man who has supported Hamas not only in word but also in deed, by raising funds for the terrorist group. In this case, the Islamic Society of Wichita can blame only itself for increased tensions in the community.

The event featuring Sheikh Taleb was canceled, yet it is critical for Kansans and all Americans, both Muslims and non-Muslims, to take a long, hard look at some of the key instigators and ideologies of extremist sentiment: the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the other Hamas-sympathizing, Muslim Brotherhood–tied individuals and groups passing themselves off as mainstream.(CNN) At the age of just four, Satabraq finds soldiers and rockets more normal than classrooms and schoolmates.

Satabraq meanders the alleyways in the Old City of Mosul, a place that is both her home and a frontline. Dressed in red floral pajamas, she is led by Iraqi troops who laugh and play with her between firing mortar rounds.

"The first environment she has ever been exposed to is the police. She loves them more than she would students in a school," Abdullah, her father, said. "She plays with them and they bring her sweets."

Satabraq's family is among the estimated 400,000 civilians, about a quarter of Mosul's pre-war population, trapped in the Old City, according to the United Nations.

The densely populated historic center of Iraq's third largest city once bustled