“The Prophet said, ‘War is deception.’” This is among the most famous hadiths — authoritative accounts of the sayings and doings of Mohammed that have scriptural status in Islam — drawn from the Riyad al-Salihin collection, in a chapter called “Obligation of Jihad.” Back when I was investigating and prosecuting terrorists and those who abet them, it was a theme we heard constantly: the doctrinal rationalization for lies (such as the pose of moderation by sharia supremacists in the West) intended to lull the enemy into a false sense of security.

In a post yesterday after the joint American and Israeli

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