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I spoke a few days ago at the University of Wisconsin in Madison -- three times, in fact -- and after the second talk a gentleman came up to me and posited that all the conflicts between Islamic and non-Islamic forces around the world can be explained in terms of local political and socioeconomic factors, and that if what I was saying was true about the religious motivations of the Islamic forces, one would expect to see at least some conflicts, or even one, proceeding along religious grounds only without these political and socioeconomic factors present.
I answered by explaining that there is no distinction between the sacred and secular in traditional Islam, such that the religious and the political are not so easily separated in the Islamic world, and by explaining that defensive jihad, which is the only kind of jihad that can be waged legitimately today according to the classic canons of Islamic law, became an obligation on every Muslim when a Muslim land was attacked -- hence the need to point to such pretexts.
If I had been thinking on my feet I might also have noted the phenomenon that presents itself again in this story -- the movement of jihadists from one country to another. If the struggles against Israel and the Philippines were merely two discrete nationalistic conflicts, why would anyone travel from one to fight in the other? The religious linkage is the only thing that explains the international travels of jihadists.
From AFP (thanks to Sr. Soph):
MANILA - Authorities arrested a former Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) member in the southern Philippines, a report said Saturday, amid suspicions he was involved with local Islamic militants.Immigration, police and military personnel arrested Yussof Umar Animour, 41, also known as Yusop Omar, in the town of Sibalu in the southernmost islands of Tawi-Tawi on November 1 for illegally staying in the country, an Immigration Bureau report said.
However sources in the intelligence community believe he has ties with local Muslim militants who have battled the government.
Intelligence reports say that in 2000 he was spotted in a Philippine camp with insurgents of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) while the military was launching an assault against the group.
It was unclear what he was doing in the Philippines at the time of his arrest.
Omar was as a communications specialist with the PLO in Lebanon from 1982 to 1984, then went to Manila to study in 1986. However schools rejected his application because he did not have a student visa, the bureau report said.
Posted by Robert at November 10, 2007 9:08 AM
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This reminds me of the links in 70's and 80's between international terrorist groups seeking independence and secession from their nations. The IRA had links withthe Spanish Basque seperatists and the PLO. check out the Northern Ireland murals celebrating the PLO "struggle".
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://markhumphrys.com/Bitmaps/plo.ira.jpg&imgrefurl=http://markhumphrys.com/ni.nationalists.html&h=360&w=540&sz=62&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=nAk7zqwlPeM3AM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=132&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dplo%2Bira%2Bmurals%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
(sorry for the massive link address)
Posted by: leonthepigfarmer![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at November 10, 2007 9:44 AM
There is also a link between the PLO, IRA and Basque seperatists.
I believe that Libya also funded the IRA with money and weapons.
check out the pro PLO murals in norther Ireland.
Posted by: leonthepigfarmer at November 10, 2007 9:52 AM
http://markhumphrys.com/index.html
mr humphrey's has collected an awesome amount of data on religion and the IRA and jihadwatch related articles.
this is amazing.
http://markhumphrys.com/index.html
(sorry for the double almost identical posting but my first one never appeared?)
at November 10, 2007 9:53 AM
“I might also have noted the phenomenon that presents itself again in this story -- the movement of jihadists from one country to another. If the struggles against Israel and the Philippines were merely two discrete nationalistic conflicts, why would anyone travel from one to fight in the other? The religious linkage is the only thing that explains the international travels of jihadists.”
from Robert Spencer’ s comments above
From a posting two years ago:
“How much evidence, and of how many different kinds, from different places, with Saudis in Bosnia, and Yemenis in Indonesia, and muhajiroun running around all over Europe, will it take to get people to pay careful attention to, assemble in their own minds, and comprehend, what is going on, and why? Simply ask: what does Islam teach? (this is not the same thing as what taqiyya-and-kitman or filial-piety Muslims necessarily tell you). Is there reason to think that Islam is not quite like other religions, that possibly it is also a geopolitical ideology, and that its tenets -- Jihad above all -- are actually taken quite seriously by a great number (and not a "tiny handful") of its Believers, and that those few who are not fully aware of its bloodier teachings, when they discover them, are more likely to accept than to reject them? And does the theory of Islam accord with the practice -- and how shall we find out, if not by studying what went on in 1350 years of the history of Jihad-conquest and the subjugation of non-Muslims? How else can we possibly judge?
One more bit of evidence: Muslims in London pay for violent Jihad against India, a country devastated by Islamic conquest. See K. S. Lal, see Sarkar, see Srivastava, see Elliott and Dowson's anthology. These happen to have been people from the subcontinent. But they could have been Saudis. Or Kuwaitis. Or Yemenis. All they had to be, to support attacks on India in Kashmir, were to be Muslim.
[Posted by: Hugh at March 15, 2005 9:28 AM]
Posted by: Hugh at November 10, 2007 10:48 AM
tax evasion within the MCB organisations.
Posted by: leonthepigfarmer at November 10, 2007 11:12 AM
Just to add to Leon's comments - in Jacques Ellul's Un Chretien Pour Israel, when he discusses the first Lebanon War in which the Israelis dislodged the PLO from Beirut, he spends some time reflecting upon the School for Terror (which I would argue had two wings: the School for Jihadis, and then the School for Stupid Infidel Destabilisers) which the PLO conducted in Beirut. Ellul remarks upon the interesting fact that the Israelis did manage to capture a LOT of PLO documents which in their hurry to bolt the PLO had not been able to destroy - documents with information about 'graduates' from that school, and information about who was supplying money. He saw it as the single most important piece of loot the Israelis captured.
But that is an aside. What we must grasp is that all non-Muslim 'rebel' movements, such as the IRA or the Basques, who accepted 'help' and training from groups such as Libya or the PLO, were fools. Did they have any idea that what was really going on was an ancient and well-oiled jihad tactic - Dividing the Camp of the Infidels, Sowing Division and Confusion, Weakening Dar al-Harb? The jihadis were using these idiots to do the pre-invasion 'softening up' razzias FOR them! The IRA may have thought they were fighting for One Ireland - but the moment they allied with the PLO or Libya, they became agents for the subversion of both Ireland and the UK and the eventual subjugation of both to the Empire of Islam.
All non-Muslim 'revolutionaries' who are considering accepting 'help' of whatever kind from plausible Muslim sponsors, should have their noses rubbed in the story of the silly Irish girl, probably an IRA camp follower, who fell in 'love' with a handsome PLO operative - who got her pregnant and then packed her off onto a plane with hugs and love and kisses...and a suitcase stuffed with enough explosives to blow her, the baby, the plane she was on, and everyone in it, into oblivion.
at November 10, 2007 3:26 PM
"the silly Irish girl, probably an IRA camp follower, who fell in 'love' with a handsome PLO operative - who got her pregnant and then packed her off onto a plane with hugs and love and kisses...and a suitcase stuffed with enough explosives to blow her, the baby, the plane she was on, and everyone in it, into oblivion."
The year was 1986. The PLO operative was Nezar Hindawi, and the trusting, dopey girl was Ann Mary Murphy, a colleen who should have stuck to thinking about how things were in Glocca Morra rather than run around with quick-to-impregnate Arabs bent on Jihad, and entirely willing to blow her and the baby en ventre sa mere to smithereens.
It's a variant on the old theme of the scamp who leaves a young girl seduced and abandoned. But at least in our, Western version, the cad in question doesn't seduce, and then get pregnant, and the become affianced to, the girl, and then, to top it all off, hands her a bomb to carry on-board that will, he knows, blow her up. blows her up.
Posted by: Hugh at November 10, 2007 4:03 PM
How about Bin Laden's Jihad against the Saudi regime?
Posted by: Archimedes2 at November 10, 2007 4:15 PM
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