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The mainstream continues to awaken to the fact that jihad terrorism is not a product of poverty, and that it is ideologically driven. The Times mentions in this article that it is just now picking up on a three-year-old study; you might have read about it at this site when it first came out.
By Andrew Norfolk in The Times (thanks to Jeffrey Imm):
...If someone hates us so much that he is prepared to sacrifice his own life in order to commit mass murder, then we want to find a rational explanation in his personality or his background to separate him from the rest of us.He would ideally have grown up in deprivation, with a dysfunctional family, few friends, minimal education, a poverty of expectation and a world view that can be easily moulded by the Islamist zealots whose nihilistic creed offers a simple, deadly solution to all of life’s problems.
The reality, disturbingly, is very different. A study of 172 al-Qaeda terrorists conducted four years ago by Marc Sageman, a forensic psychiatrist and former CIA case officer in Pakistan, found that 90 per cent came from a relatively stable, secure background.
Three quarters were from middle-class or upper-class families, two thirds went to college and two thirds were professionals or semi-professionals, often engineers, physicians, architects or scientists. The average age for making an active commitment to violent jihad was 26, and three quarters of the terrorists were married, most of them with children. Only one in a hundred had shown any form of psychotic disorder. Two thirds became drawn towards a terror group while living in a country that was not their homeland.
Dr Sageman’s findings, published in 2004 in Understanding Terrorist Networks, led him to conclude that “most of these men were upwardly and geographically mobile”. He wrote: “Because they were the best and brightest, they were sent abroad to study. They came from moderately religious, caring, middle-class families. They spoke three, four, five, six languages.”
Unlike the lone serial killer, these men functioned well in groups. Indeed they depended, isolated as they were in a foreign country, on a close circle of friends who reinforced and legitimised their beliefs. “You could almost say that those least likely to cause harm individually are most likely to do so collectively,” Dr Sageman wrote. Yesterday he told The Times that the existence of a terror plot involving foreign doctors should surprise no one.
[...]
Those searching for an identity that is neither Western, nor the passive Islam of their parents, are presented with a seductive call to duty, and a ready-made sense of belonging, by those espousing the Manichean tenets of radical Islam.
Here is a black and white world of good, the global ummah, and evil, in the form of everyone and everything nonMuslim. Because the West is seen as engaged in a global war against Islam, jihad in the name of Allah is seen as the duty of every Muslim.
That jihadist terrorism is abhorrent to the vast majority of Muslims, and Muslim doctors, living in Britain was emphasised yesterday when a coalition of groups calling itself Muslims United took out advertisements in national newspapers to condemn the car bomb attacks.
“Not in our name,” they said, quoting a verse from the Koran: “Whoever kills an innocent soul, it is as if he killed the whole of mankind. And whoever saves one, it is as if he saved the whole of mankind.” Your educated, middle-class jihadist will point out that the full verse actually prohibits the killing of another human being “except as a punishment for murder and other villainy in the land”.
The Koran’s fifth chapter continues: “Those that make war against God and his apostle and spread disorder in the land shall be slain . . .” For some Muslims, especially those who have lived in or near Iraq, it does not demand a great leap of faith, whatever their profession, to include the United States and Britain among those “that make war against God”.
Astonishing to see a mainstream publication quote Qur'an 5:33, which in full is rather gruesome, even in part, after noting the misleading use of 5:32 by self-proclaimed moderate groups.
Anyway, read it all.
Posted by Robert at July 8, 2007 8:54 AM
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background to separate him from the rest of us.
here again they just need one more leap to connect the dots,, its ISLAM!
Posted by: ZenaWarriorPrincess![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at July 8, 2007 9:20 AM
Just ask yourselves this series of simple questions:
"If the 'War on Terror' is with a 'tiny minority of extremists', why haven't they run out of extremists yet? And why has this war lasted longer than World War II? And why do so many talking-heads and so-called experts claim/admit that this war will continue for 'generations to come'?"
Good questions, eh?
Posted by: Foehammer at July 8, 2007 9:22 AM
Excuse me folks while I start a slightly different but relevant thread ... From the BBC link in UK, Terror fight 'may take 15 years' Admiral Sir Alan West said he hated the phrase "war on terror"
The battle to deal with radicalisation in the fight against terrorism could take up to 15 years to achieve, says the UK's new security minister.
....
How can anyone ever come out with worthless statements like in fifteen years we would eradicate Islamists!!
These clowns should go and talk to Israelis/Indians who have been at it over fifty years. I am surprised that the British are not demanding his resignation. No one can predict five years head with good probability, let alone fifteen.
The war on terror is here forever unless we do something radically different, for instance Muslim deportation springs to my mind, unless 'Sir' West has a better idea.
Posted by: MusHuntCowboy at July 8, 2007 9:40 AM
Did the "Muslims United" group mention that "Infidels" aren't considered "innocent" by Muslims? Nah, I didn't think so - "kitman" right there.
Didn't the illustrious Dr. Alan "MoonBat" Krueger of Princeton recently inform us in "What Makes a Terrorist" ("WSJ") that the blame lies with "social inequalities?" LOL! Nope, it's the ideology, stupid!
Here's this Princeton hotshot with all sorts of awards, appointments, memberships, fellowships, prizes, degrees, and honors - and knows nothing about Islam or the Koran. And yet feels qualified to expound upon these subjects! Ostrich Alert - MoonBat Academic Head in Sand!
Also, concerning his generic "What Makes a Terrorist" title - I assumed he had the Reindeer People of Northern Finland in mind as his "Terrorists," didn't you?
Posted by: darcy at July 8, 2007 9:44 AM
Foehammer ask's the most important question's while officials like 'Sir' Alan West, give incoherant, and
psychotically stupid answer's. Like most UK and US officials do. Fifteen year's of azz kissing wont get rid of muslim hegemoney, it will just give the Islamist's more time to graduate more 'educated' terrorist's. Another version of this psychosis has Mitt Romney in favor of giving more aid to Arab nation's, to pump them up economically. 'We must strengthen those land's so the people will choose us', say's Romney. In other word's keep giving them money so that they will like us. Another throw money at it liberal. You can give Islam money and they will take it, but they still hate you, and will try to kill you when the time is right.
Britain and the US could end a lot, but not all, of terrorism in a week if they applied the right lever's. But they are too cowardly and stuck on stupid, so we get 15 year estimate's of terror.
How many blow up's can Islam create in fifteen year's? The west need's leader's who have not lost their sanity. Unfortunatly politicians like that are a scarce as 'moderate' muslims...
at July 8, 2007 10:03 AM
Robert,
donw know if you are aware of the intense interest there has been in this glasgow airport worker who took on the terrorists, he hs been hailed as a hero all over the UK, websites praising him are popping up all the time..
well on Youtube there are many of his videos, one in particular uses the soundtrack from Braveheart with the words of Johh and ends with the famous Braaveheart "Freedom" speech of William Wallace... I believe this is going to be released as a cd in the uk and it will be a bestseller... I think your readers would really enjoy this video..
JOHN SMEATON GLASGOW HERO TERRORISTS BEWARNED
: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA03kEPnf-k&mode=related&search=
Finally, when asked by the Media , did he have a message for the terrorists, ..
John replied : "This is Glasgow - we'll set about you!".
keep up the great work, Purinuch
Posted by: purinuch at July 8, 2007 10:12 AM
Thomas Sowell wrote a book called 'The Vision of the Anointed'(1996) which I feel would be well read by all concerned people. In this book, Sowell parses how Western society has arrived, like a frog boiling in water, in a state steeped in dangerous confusion. Sowell describes the back office details of the contractors job paving the road to Hell. As our justice system delapidates before our eyes, Sowell holds a torch high on a hill for those thirsting for some sense of reason to strive for. "The Quest for Cosmic Justice" is another powerfull essay of his on the dangers of political correctness and the industry of protecting 'mascots' and defining 'targets' within the realm of political maneuvering. Justice is supposed to be blind, right? But she's not deaf. That means she can't favor the protection of any group, especially when she can HEAR their direct threats spoken and threatened in actual words. Please insist on empiracle evidence in the real world when setting public policy.
Posted by: volsella at July 8, 2007 10:22 AM
It would have been delightful if they had detail innocent and villainy or mischief
Posted by: KAOSKTRL at July 8, 2007 10:26 AM
It would have been delightful if they had detailed innocent and villainy or mischief
Posted by: KAOSKTRL at July 8, 2007 10:27 AM
purinuch
There is a report that Scotlands First Minister Alex Salmond went to Glasgows main mosque the following day to reassure Scottish muslims but waited 4 days before thanking the Scots workers at the airport. True or false?
Posted by: Fred at July 8, 2007 10:31 AM
If the Qur'an were all just blood and guts negative, then Islam would be easy to expose and would lack any appeal. It is its ambiguity, and its often subtle, but violent implication that uppity unbelievers are perfidious that makes it so dangerous.
The guy who wrote this article is smart enough to see this distinction, but it will take a lot more work before the insidious nature of Islam is widely acknowledged. Keep going, JW!
at July 8, 2007 10:32 AM
"If the 'War on Terror' is with a 'tiny minority of extremists', why haven't they run out of extremists yet?
Posted by: Foehammer
Because of population growth. They're constantly breeding new ones. The world moslem population is often put at 1.3 billion. With a growth rate of only 1% (a conservative figure; it's much higher in many moslem countries), that's 13 million new ones each year. If only one in a thousand moslems becomes an extremist, that's 13 thousand more each year.
at July 8, 2007 11:06 AM
There are active jihadists and passive jihadists. The latter give psychological support and financial aid to the former.
The truth about Islam is that "the real Islam" is a violent, conquer-the-world-for-Allah ideology. The Truth About Islam, one of many information sites, exposes the whitewash of Islam.
I note that the site is presently accepting book reviews from interested readers. Maybe some interested readers here would want to submit reviews. Of course, Robert's The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam is listed front and center at the site.
Keep up the good work here, Jihad Watch. Inch by inch, even the mainstream media will have to stop denying the truth about Islam!
Furthermore, I have noted in talking to everyday Americans that most are well aware of the Islamic threat--despite the msm's dhimmitude.
Posted by: Always On Watch at July 8, 2007 11:27 AM
Just adding a bit more to my previous post. The terrorists are just the sideshow. Demographics is the main tent. Even without considering the terrorism, look at the problems European countries are having already with moslem populations of only 3% to 5%: moslem-only this, sharia-that, honor-killings, rioting, massive increases in crime rates, etc., etc. Wait until the moslem proportion reaches 12% or 15% or more, as it surely will unless the Europeans stop their block-headed policies. Europeans need to (1) stop all further moslem immigration; (2) deport all "undocumented" ones; (3) create policies favoring larger native European families. If they continue much longer having only 1 or 2 children per family, they're doomed. Many European countries already have negative natural-growth rates.
Posted by: ebonystone at July 8, 2007 11:30 AM
Re: "The mainstream continues to awaken to the fact that jihad terrorism is not a product of poverty, and that it is ideologically driven".-Robert
Yes, the cat is definitely out of the bag. This is primarily due to people like Robert and their "Joe Friday" approach to facts. In the long term that will win the day.
I read recently a comment by Billy Herndon (Lincoln's law partner) re Lincoln. He noted that Lincoln developed a very logical mind by his love for facts and truth and the study of formal logic (self taught). He said that Lincoln's love for the truth made it almost impossible for Lincoln to fall into logical fallacies and that this made Lincoln formidable. Herndon said the habit of truth-fact-logic was so ingrained in Lincoln that Lincoln could not fall into fallacy if he tried. Honest Abe was not of the stuff of Flying Imams. Their deception clouds their mind. Deception makes one lose one's best friend-your true self.
That goes against self-interest in the long term.
at July 8, 2007 11:40 AM
As I thought about it, it was not Herndon that noted that re Linclon, but Samuel Parks, an attorney from Springfield who knew Lincoln well. (We have to stick to facts-it's in our self interest-LOL).
Posted by: Frank at July 8, 2007 11:58 AM
That's exactly what the Pope meant when he brought up the irrationality of religions (Islam as an example).
Naturally Muslims proved his point.
Posted by: atheling at July 8, 2007 11:58 AM
Fred
alex salmond visited Glasgow airport the day after the attack and thanked the staff and the members of the public...
he couldn't have visited the mosque because that was ( is) under police investigation... the police carried out a number of controlled explosions on a car in the mosque's car park
ps, dont take any notice of Salmond
Purinuch.
at July 8, 2007 12:38 PM
West, Brown, et al. should read Michael Coren's hard-hitting column in yesterday's Toronto Sun:
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Coren_Michael/2007/07/07/4320680.html
Posted by: Josephine at July 8, 2007 12:49 PM
This profile on the typical Islamic terrorist ought to scare the living daylights out of the left wing appeasers and incompetents within the gov't.
Because it points to a ideologically driven terrorism that pervades all levels of Islamic society from the dirt poor of Pakistan to the educated elite of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.
It also points to something else, that being the more devout a Muslim is, the more he is inclined to fundamentalism and supporting or actually engaging in Jihad.
Posted by: waltc at July 8, 2007 1:07 PM
waltc:
The left won't be scared of this profile because they are more scared of Christians and conservatives. Remember Rosie O'Donnell? She's the poster child of the Left.
That's the 5th column of Islam which we have to contend with. Their obstruction causes more headaches than any measures we need to take in order to win.
Posted by: atheling at July 8, 2007 1:56 PM
"The unexpected profile of the modern terrorist"
Not so unexpected, they're cloakers.
Posted by: sounder at July 8, 2007 2:07 PM
Not sure where you would find an innocent sole.
Then it is the same arguement, bin-laden not from deprived family. That is the Palestinians arguement they are so poor. Where does all this money go and they still have nothing? Poverty and screwed up parents that would do the trick! I'm so glad I took psychology in school quick! I sure did not want to treat my kids the way I was treated. Plus I wanted to know why? Why? Why?...,
at July 8, 2007 3:11 PM
From the article:
the Islamist zealots whose nihilistic creed offers a simple, deadly solution to all of life’s problems
No, their beliefs are not nil, nor are they nihilistic. They are the opposite of nil, they are all-encompassing. Every thing they do during the day must be done in accordance with Allah's wishes. Everything that happens is due to Allah's will. Allah tells them how and when to pray, what clothes to wear, how to wash their hands after going to the bathroom, whom they can befriend, whom they can lie to, and so on.
Their beliefs are the opposite of nihilistic. They are concerned only with eternity. Their life here on earth is only transitory. What happens to their corporeal body is unimportant. If they can just kill enough infidels, Allah will allow them to stay in heaven till the end of time.
It is incorrect to claim that Islam is "the Noble Religion" or the "Religion of Peace". It is equally misleading to dismiss Islam as nil or nihilistic. It's neither, and it needs to be answered honestly and forthrightly.
And if the claim is that I am talking about Islam, while he is talking about a small twisted extremist version, then the distinction must be made: What different texts do they each follow? What beliefs separate one from the other? Who are the respective leaders of each faction? How can we distinguish which faction a follower adheres to?
Posted by: special_guest at July 8, 2007 4:56 PM
Their backgrounds further reinforce our takes...
terminator units
Reminds me of watching Star Wars III with my nephews and the sith lords "execute order #66"...according to the storyline, the once-faithful cloe soldiers suddenly turned on their masters & allies and killed them all, because of one simple overriding priority that could be implemented any time-and supercedes any and all other programming.
Interesting...most interesting.
at July 8, 2007 5:11 PM
For an upwardly mobile muslim, becoming a Jihadist would the most natural thing in the world.
After all, Islam ensures that Jihadist go to paradise and collect their 72 virgins.
Posted by: Voltaire at July 8, 2007 5:34 PM
For an upwardly mobile muslim, becoming a Jihadist would the most natural thing in the world.
After all, Islam ensures that Jihadist go to paradise and collect their 72 virgins.
Posted by: Voltaire at July 8, 2007 5:34 PM
special_guest-
I have this fantasy of a famous quote from JW, 100 years from now, sort of like from Garrison's Liberator Magazine, where a famous quote is quoted and at the end it says "Special_Guest". People will look at the brilliant quote and say: "Who the hell was "Special_Guest"?
God writes straight with crooked lines, Special_Guest. It's not serendipity.
Posted by: Frank at July 8, 2007 5:42 PM
For any that are interested in reading this, here is an article of a large gathering of Muslims this weekend in Hartford, CT at its convention center.
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-islamic.artjul08,0,4875102.story
Comments are welcomed.
Posted by: bigcatgirl13106 at July 8, 2007 6:00 PM
"Yvonne Ridley, a British journalist who converted to Islam after she was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001, said the rules for keeping women separate from men and requiring them to wear modest clothing are meant to be respectful, not oppressive.
She added that although domestic violence has been a problem in some Islamic countries, violence against women is not condoned in the Quran, and "it's wrong, it's wrong, it's wrong." She said polygamy is allowed in Islam, but the religion requires that men who have two or even three wives must treat each one equally. Honor killings also have no place in Islamic culture, she said."
Talk about Stockholm Syndrome! She says "its wrong it's wrong it's wrong" like some weird mantra. She is full of only empty rhetoric which belies the FACTS we've witness and read about Islam.
Islamo delenda est!
at July 8, 2007 9:16 PM
from the courant
"The Quran does not give greater value to the life of a Muslim than to that of a non-Muslim," Badawi said.
It doesn't? Who knew? Must be my reading skills, because I sure thought it does.
HWaldman- you might want to read his source.
at July 8, 2007 9:39 PM
Wow, Good job Michael Coren! He gets it!
Posted by: Borg at July 8, 2007 9:44 PM
Frank, unlike Hugh, I have no problem with receiving compliments. At least in my experience, they are few and far between in life. That's the nicest thing anyone has said to me in years. Thank you, sir.
Would it be logrolling to comment on how cogent and enlightening your Civil War/slavery censorship posts have been? They are really excellent.
As for JW 2107, I hope Robert and Hugh get the recognition they deserve. This is important stuff, and they have been right on target for years now.
Posted by: special_guest at July 8, 2007 10:39 PM
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