There is nothing more innocent or beautiful than the birth of a child, especially in places where children can grow into well-developed adults. But there are other parts of the world where a staggering number of children are being used, abused, and brainwashed into becoming the world's worst nightmare: future terrorist suicide bombers in our own backyards. So, I am sounding the alarm.
The photo that sticks in my mind is one I took in 2010 while covering a coffee conference in Sana'a, Yemen. It was a time when Yemen was balanced between emerging as a prosperous, peaceful country or the Houthi-held terrorist state it is today. The descent felt rapid, and the world sat silent.
On that trip, I saw group of girls, colorfully dressed, with knapsacks and sketchbooks adorned with characters who were happily leaving school. It was a time when America was greatly admired in the Middle East. Juxtapose this against the 1 million children forced to attend terror training summer camps, a number proudly released by the Houthi-led Foreign Ministry.
To take the souls of these children, robbing them of a life of liberty, learning, and fulfillment, is sacrilegious and an evil most of us can't imagine. The world has turned a blind eye too long to the plight of others in foreign lands, and this lack of understanding will ultimately cost Western civilization its freedom and lives. The UN has identified 14 countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, where children are .
