"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of man?" So began the introduction to one of the most popular radio dramas of the early 20th century. Later featured as a masked film hero dressed in black, "The Shadow" used his villainous traits to fight evil.

The plot to each story played out to an announcer's sinister voice and ominous laugh. It was an eerie mix for listeners -- for while the hero fought for good, his character gave rise to a lingering air of being sinister. Nonetheless, listeners came to understand the hero sought to eliminate a hidden evil lurking within.

The June 13 request to U.S. inspectors general of various federal agencies for an inquiry of the Muslim Brotherhood's reach into the halls of U.S. government, signed by U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., and four other members of Congress, gives rise to a similar sinister air -- initially, at least.

One person of concern identified by Bachmann is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Muslim top aide, Huma Abedin. Abedin isn't accused of being a Muslim Brotherhood spy but a U.S. law compliance question is raised in granting her high level security access without fully investigating family members' linkage to the Muslim Brotherhood as she "has three family members -- her late father, her mother and her brother -- connected to Muslim Brotherhood operatives and/or organizations."

The inquiry generated criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike in Abedin's defense.

It is a shame the letter and responses have put the focus on Abedin -- for doing so only clouds the real issue of primary concern: Is the U.S. government under Muslim Brotherhood influence?

To walk through the issue, we need ask and answer the following:

1. Is it of concern to U.S. citizens Muslim Brotherhood may be exercising influence over their government?

2. If yes, is it important to understand how the Muslim Brotherhood may be doing it?

3. If yes, isn't the best way to do so to examine Muslim Brotherhood's own statements concerning Muslim Brotherhood intentions concerning U.S. interests?

An analysis of the third question answers the first two.

A 1987 document in Arabic found hidden post-9/11 in a secret room of a Muslim Brotherhood member suspected of planning terrorist activity clearly set out the organization's blueprint for destroying America: "The process of settlement is a 'civilization-jihadist process' with all the word means. The Ikhwan (brothers of an Islamic religious militia) must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and 'sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions."

Deception is to be used to replace U.S. law with Islamic (Shariah) law -- including the right, Muslim Brotherhood believes, to lie to enemies as to their true intentions.

This document was cited in September 2010 by a non-partisan panel of national security experts in a report entitled "Shariah: The Threat to America." It stated the Islamist strategy "for destroying the United States is to get us, specifically our leadership, to do the bidding of the Muslim Brotherhood for them.

"The Muslim Brotherhood intends to conduct Civilization Jihad by co-opting our leadership into believing a counterfactual understanding of Islam and the nature of the Muslim Brotherhood, thereby coercing these leaders to enforce the Muslim Brotherhood narrative on their subordinates."

The Islamist document calls for their strategic plan to be implemented slowly, in phases that enable Shariah to "creep" into U.S. culture.

To work, it requires Muslims gain influence in various ways including: expanding Muslims' physical presence here via high birth rates, immigration and refusing to assimilate; keeping locals "in the dark" over human rights infringement by ensuring they don't study Shariah doctrine and its impact; controlling the language Muslims use to describe non-Muslims as "the enemy" lest it raise concern; forcing compliance with Shariah at local levels; employing the offensive use of lawsuits and threats of lawsuits to silence critics of Islam; claiming Muslim victimization; subverting the U.S. education system through the introduction of dominant U.S. Middle East studies programs; demanding the right to practice Shariah in segregated Muslim enclaves and demanding its recognition in non-Muslim spheres; and, ultimately, demanding Shariah replace Western law.

Following this plan, Islamists vow the flag of Islam will one day fly over the White House.

Every single one of these tactics has been employed to date by members of the Muslim community to implement Muslim Brotherhood's agenda. Islamists recognize, to maintain a low profile for Shariah's forward "creep," they must move quickly to criticize or intimidate those who disrupt their efforts. This is done via a complex network of "benign-appearing" Muslim organizations, such as an unindicted co-conspirator in a 2007 U.S. criminal case -- the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Its mission is to spread militant propaganda, raise money and criticize U.S. domestic criticism.

CAIR was among 50 such organizations that have become political "gunslingers," rushing to attack criticism and claim Muslim victimization, as it did with Bachmann's letter.

A clear conspiracy by Muslim groups like CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood to contribute to the creep effort escapes scrutiny by a U.S. media focused only on sounding the conspiratorial alarm about Muslim Brotherhood's critics. The media do a great disservice by not peeling back the complex layers among various individuals and organizations involved in the creep initiative to expose their inter-connections. Doing so would reveal Muslim Brotherhood's Civilization Jihad is in full swing -- already providing Shariah with a footprint negatively impacting on individual rights of US citizens.

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 as an extremist group seeking to use violence to achieve its mission of global Shariah influence. Today, it is the world's most influential Islamist movement. Although it later renounced violence, Muslim Brotherhood has been farmed it out to splinter groups -- thus modifying its approach but not its ultimate objective.

Bachmann's critics describe her letter as "sinister." Though well-meaning, their political correctness attacks are what Muslim Brotherhood banks on. Just like "The Shadow's" sinister overtone, a similar overtone attaches whenever questioning of Islamic influence arises, with the focus then shifting to the questioner's intentions and not the Muslim Brotherhood's.

The real issue we need confront isn't Huma Abedin but understanding -- based on its self-declared intentions -- what evil lurks in the heart of an Muslim Brotherhood whose influence permeates so much of Muslim culture, especially as it establishes a foothold in America.

Sadly, political correctness deters us from doing so. Instead, we adopt a "don't ask, don't tell" policy, turning a blind eye to the Muslim Brotherhood even when its blueprint for destroying America is right there in front of us.

(James. G. Zumwalt, a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, heads Admiral Zumwalt and Consultants, Inc. He is author of "Bare Feet, Iron Will -- Stories from the Other Side of Vietnam's Battlefields" and "Living the Juche Lie -- North Korea's Kim Dynasty.")

(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)