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The big story in Niger has nothing to do with loafer-clad unappealing Joseph Wilson or his outwardly attractive trophy wife, but rather with the Saudi money that has helped to transform the practice of Islam in formerly easygoing, syncretistic Niger. This has been reported on by students from Niger who have in recent years returned home from living abroad (in France, for example) and have been horrified at the transformations in the mosques and in the practice and attitudes of the Muslims of Niger.
Someone of my acquaintance, a black African, raised as a Muslim and now a Muslim-for-identification-purposes-only Muslim, recently returned to his home in Niger after having lived in France for the past five years. He came back to France shaken, for everywhere, he said, Saudi money had transformed the mosques. Women who had never paid any attention to rules about dress were now burkaed; a new spirit had infected the mosques, with their Saudi-supported imams. Whatever easygoing, syncretistic religion, marabouts and all, he had experienced, had been definitely transformed out of all recognition.
Why such attention to Niger from the Saudis, one wonders? Perhaps it is going on everywhere. Or perhaps Niger, as the most important source of uranium available, is especially dear to certain hearts? Forget about Joseph Wilson's lightning expedition. Who -- French, American -- is minding the store, and keeping track, of what is going on in Niger, in West Africa (where even a putatively Christian ruler, like the despot who runs Togo, or Obasanjo in Nigeria, can do the bidding of Muslims who are able to manipulate them, through bribery, threats, or other means)? One would like to know how Saudi money is pouring into Niger. Niger produces uranium. And even if it was not supplying Saddam Hussein, the idea that uranium from Niger is not coveted by assorted Muslims with mayhem on the their mind is ridiculous.
Meanwhile, in several African states Muslims openly enslave blacks -- Mali, Mauritania, Niger -- and in others the practice goes on a bit more discreetly.
Good God. Is there no end to the stupidity -- on our side? Who is looking into this? Who thinks it is important? Who is minding the uranium store? Is there any limit on the fecklessness of the Western world? Are these developments being monitored in the Pentagon? Is anyone watching, like those famous hawks they are so often said to be, what is happening with the wahhabization of the last remaining outposts of marabout-diluted Islam in sub-Saharan Africa?
Why not a whole department of anti-Jihad, jointly supported by the Pentagon and the State Department, and devoted to "non-Arab Islam" -- with a subdepartment devoted specifically to West Africa? Would that be too much to ask? Would that be too expensive, given the half-trillion that goes for Baby-Huey boots-on-the-ground to "fight them over there so we won't have to fight them over here"?
Round about 1900, Alfred Thayer Mahan wrote a book entitled "The Influence of Sea Power on History." In 1942 the Russian emigre, then a proud American citizen, De Seversky, wrote "Victory Through Air Power." Sea Power. Air Power.
Here's an idea for a book: Victory Through Brain Power. There are plenty of brains all over America, that could figure out all kinds of things to weaken the force, the appeal, the strength, of the Jihad and of Islam. Those brains are not being picked. They are being ignored. No one, or no one in a position of power, in Washington is seeing the world through Muslim eyes. It’s a zero-sum game with two sides: the Believers and the Infidels. Anything that strengthens the Believers -- it could be a Pakistani or Iranian bomb fueled by uranium from Niger, or it could be a few trillion dollars in OPEC oil revenues used to support mosques and madrasas worldwide, or it could be new converts to Islam -- is morally acceptable. In Niger, and everywhere else.
Is anyone in the C.I.A. doing its own study of what is going on in Niger? Or will there be a big surprise for everyone when they finally discover what they could find out right now simply by sending a student back to Niger to get the goods?
Enough surprises for the C.I.A. and the rest of the Western world's security services.
Enough.
Posted by Hugh at December 4, 2006 9:19 AM
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I still don't get why Africa and much of Asia are ignored by the West when it comes to the Islamic menace. These might be backwaters with little news appeal but I fear that events in these places will become quite well known and hair raising in the future. It's just like Afghanistan in the 1990's-who gave a damn about that place back then? We now are all too aware of what went on there and look what it gave us? It is indeed disgusting to know what all that money we pay for our oil is going to-you might as well say that the West has financed the increasing radicalization of places like Niger thanks to those cancerous Saudis who pretend to be the best friends of the West. I'm beginning to develop a disgust for these people rivaling the disgust I have for the palestinians.
Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 4, 2006 9:33 AM
IslamsForLosers,
I bet they'll start paying attention when the uranium starts flowing out of Africa to the Islamic states!
Cheers,
http://doctorbulldog.wordpress.com
Posted by: Doctor Bulldog at December 4, 2006 9:42 AM
The reason Niger is ignored when it comes to the Islamic threat is simple, the US and Western governments still don't see the threat as Islam. As long as the "religion of Peace" nonsense continues to dominate elite Western thinking, as long as there is no "anti-Jihad" departments in US and allied intelligence agencies, the threat in Niger, Europe, India, The Balkans, etc. will never be addressed in a comprehensive manner. They will not be seen as what they are, fronts in Islam's war for domination.
Those of us who are Jihad aware understand it, but until the governments do, this madness will continue and get worst.
Posted by: Proud Infidel at December 4, 2006 9:52 AM
The Islamists smell potential victory. Can you name a day in recent months when you could not read reports of Muslim bullying somewhere on the globe? This story makes perfect strategic sense from the point of view of the Wahhabi element that makes up at least 50% of the Saudi elites. Saudi Arabians are fueling the Islamic lobbyist machine around Washington, DC -- providing funds for the explosion of mosques and Islamic schooling in the United States and Europe and Scandinavia and Australia -- and now, horror of horrors, it appears they are providing inroads to future uranium supplies for nuclear production in the Middle East.
God only knows what will become of these efforts but I can make an educated guess: the destruction of millions of lives in most of our lifetimes, due mainly to the shortsightedness and ignorance and stupidity and cowardice of Western governments.
History books are readily available in every library and bookstore in the United States and all free nations. I strongly urge our leaders to make use of them, go to the WWII section and find a book about Winston Churchill, and flip to the year 1938.
Read. Learn. Wake the Hell up!
Posted by: Foehammer at December 4, 2006 9:52 AM
Doctor Bulldog-
That flow has probably been going on for a while now. Nobody has bothered to really dig into that story yet.
Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at December 4, 2006 9:54 AM
There are plenty of brains all over America, that could figure out all kinds of things to weaken the force, the appeal, the strength, of the Jihad and of Islam.
A couple of students perhaps.
Those brains are not being picked. They are being ignored. No one, or no one in a position of power, in Washington is seeing the world through Muslim eyes.
Those brains are being silenced by PC/Multiculturalism, and by CAIR/Saudi money all through Washington.
I believe that ultimately, islam will win this world war. How can it lose?
I and a lot of people however will not "give up" but no doubt will be driven "under-ground" to continue the meager skirmishes here and there.
God help us all.
at December 4, 2006 10:15 AM
"So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak." Sun Tzu
Africa can be exploited due to its lack of strong governments. It has many natural resources that can be used for the purpose of Islamic expansion. Once again if someone living in 500 B.C. China like Sun Tzu can figure it out then why does our leadership seem so clueless? Why is it we never take advantage of the weak points in Islam (which there are many) but they always take advantage of ours?
Posted by: greatcometof1577 at December 4, 2006 11:48 AM
Meanwhile, we get a supposedly hard-hitting unflinching look at African politics in the new blockbuster movie, Blood Diamond. I would bet my entire bank account it only pussyfoots around the subject of Islam, at best; particularly as directed by an inveterate Leftist.
Posted by: remote_control at December 4, 2006 12:00 PM
I don't about the rest of you, but if a Black African "muslim" was shaken I think we've got problems! HUGE ones.
Verily!
Posted by: pneumatikon at December 4, 2006 1:35 PM
infidel, it's even worse than that- the far left mentality is one of 'victimization for everyone' (but of course they only mean islamics) and the far left secretly desire a totalitarian government here in the U.S where the government becoimes the people's surrogate parents, telling us all what to do, how to do it etc. The only hting standing in their way is Christianity with our morals, and liberty rights- erode both of these and walla- you've got a socialism government that rules everything. Terrorism represents the far left's ideals of enstating a government such as this- We're facing an eroding of security measures, and moral values, and it won't be long before the evil radical Islam is incorporated, much to the delight of the far left. http://sacredscoop.com
Posted by: CottShop at December 4, 2006 2:45 PM
why nigir is being ignored the CIA is really quite simpleall we have to do is look to see who was in charge of the CIA two presidents back i.e. Bush Sr.who like his son is in the pocket of the seven sisters i.e. Big oil and while niger has uranium does not have oil well Iraq does in all honesty I do not think as long as Bush is president and a Texas oilman we are going to see anything done about niger despite the fact that giving Islamists a resource of radioactive oar i.e. uranium ore bloody dangerous given how Islamic world wants access to nuclear weapons.
Posted by: islamakapigeaters at December 5, 2006 1:28 AM
This extreme islamization is not only true about Niger, but also about many formerly mellow "Muslim" countries in Africa and Asia.
The Saudis have had free hand to thoroughly arabize those hapless countries, often in the name of "Education" and "Development".
This all under everyone's nose.
Posted by: rocky at December 5, 2006 4:53 AM
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