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Is terrorism really the last desperate resort of the poor? Dawood Ibrahim has 430 million dollars. From Asia Times, with thanks to Jean-Luc:
While all attention is focused on Osama bin Laden and his cohorts allegedly cornered in western Pakistan, in India there is an equal amount of interest in the one man who is wanted just as desperately - Dawood Ibrahim. . . .The hunt for Dawood is taking place following Pakistan's realization that flushing out terrorists and jihadi elements has become a necessity for its own survival. Pakistan has currently amassed 20,000 troops along the Afghanistan border for what is being believed to be a decisive battle against bin Laden and al-Qaeda militants. But what might be more than a coincidence is that Pakistan's sudden willingness to flush out Dawood comes amid reports in the Indian media that a timely tip-off by the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) helped foil a third assassination plot against Musharraf. Two abortive attempts have been reported in the past few months. There is, however, no doubt in anyone's mind that Dawood is indisputably the number one criminal wanted by India, and what has rankled is that he has for long used Pakistan as a base. . . .
It is the nature of the crimes attributed to Dawood that place him at the top of India's most wanted wish list. The son of a police constable, he is the prime suspect in masterminding a series of bomb blasts that occurred in a single day in 1993 in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), the financial heart of India, killing 260 people and injuring 1,000. . . .
It is estimated that in Mumbai alone, Dawood and his family own assets worth US$430 million. This includes several buildings at prime locations such as Colaba, Crawford Market, Bhendi Bazar, Bandra, Oshiwara and Versova. Many of these are benami (fictitious names), which makes it difficult to seize them. The family has several builders, stockbrokers and jewelers fronting for it. Apart from this, Dawood has vast business interests in the hospitality industry in the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Australia and India. Several shopping malls in the West and Australia are also reportedly owned by the family. Dawood has also allegedly began operating an airline from a Central Asian republic.
Posted by Robert at February 27, 2004 7:28 AM
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One of the favorite Islamist propaganda myths is that the jihad is by poor, oppressed people with nothing to lose. "Pushed to the edge" as hashim says. The reality is much different. The jihad is financed with petrodollars, led by real estate and construction tycoons (bin laden).
The idiots who actually blow themselves up may be cannon fodder, but every army has grunts. The movements themselves are led by wealthy, educated priveleged, people who often have an intimate knowledge of the west. Remember Mohammad Atta's masters degree from Hamburg?
Posted by: basil at February 27, 2004 10:29 AMsomeone should straighten out the left wing next time they say that we should defeat terrorism by getting to the "root causes." just like basil has said, the "root causes" are the jihad elite who perpetrate their sickening ideology on their own kind who then perpetrate murder on the rest of us. left-wing terrorist sympathizers should remember that the terrorists do not sympathize for the left wingers. once they do, then they are all the enemy.
Posted by: ted at February 27, 2004 10:44 AMWell...this jackass won't be worth 430 million if all of his assets are seized......So has that started yet? or are liberals and CAIR screaming civil rights violations?
Posted by: DCWatson37 at February 27, 2004 3:25 PMDawood Ibrahim is just a gangster who likes to think of himself as a terrorist because it tickles his ego.
Oh, and thanks for reminded me that the "root causes" is full of shit. I forget that every single one of the the Taliban was a multi millionaire. Oh wait, they weren't? So root causes isn't total bullshit?
Of course the leaders of Islamic terrorist organizations are rich. They're the ideologues and the organizers, the suppliers and the commisars. But the cannon fodder? They're just in it because life sucks. Remember the Osama tape back in 2001? Where he laughed that most of the 19 didn't even know it was going to be a suicide mission?
Posted by: Wickbam at March 1, 2004 12:24 AMWhoops. Looks like I posted the exact same thing as basil except we came to completely opposite conclusions.
What I'm trying to say is, you'll always have Hitlers and Bin ladens. But what really matters is if they have a following.
Posted by: Wickbam at March 1, 2004 12:26 AMIt does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.
Posted by: Morneweck Amy at May 3, 2004 8:57 AM
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