How did this Islam-that-has-nothing-to-do-with-Islam and this jihad-that-has-nothing-to-do-with-jihad become so widespread? Why can’t Muslim leaders teach their people properly, so as to end this massive misunderstanding of Islam? “Suspected French Jihad Recruiter Arrested in Paris,” by Elaine Ganley, Associated Press, September 11, 2014 (thanks to Twostellas):
French authorities have arrested a “particularly dangerous” recruiter of young jihadis for the civil war in Syria, the Interior Ministry said Thursday.
Mourad Fares, 30, was arrested Wednesday night at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, nearly a month after he was detained in Turkey — a transit country for fighters who want to enter Syria.
Fares, from Thonon-les-Bain in the foothills of the Alps, went to Syria in July 2013 and is a “particularly dangerous individual,” a ministry statement said. He had links to the predecessor of the Islamic State group, the most brutal among myriad jihadi organizations, then the al-Qaida linked Nusra Front, the ministry said.
French intelligence agencies have long suspected he was among those luring young French, some as young as 14, to jihad in Syria. The ministry said his role was considered “determining” in cases in Toulouse and in Strasbourg, in eastern France.
A judicial investigation was opened last July and an international arrest warrant issued. He was detained in Turkey on Aug. 16.
With about 5 million Muslims, the largest Muslim population in Western Europe, France has been particularly vulnerable to the growing phenomenon of citizens turning to jihad. Calls to become a fighter are often put out on social networks.
Authorities estimate about 900 people from France have been implicated in jihad in the Syria region. Authorities across the West fear the return of battle-hardened jihadis, saying the fighters have the will and skills to mount attacks on home soil.
New anti-terrorism legislation to combat the jihadi recruitment phenomenon will be debated by French lawmakers starting next Monday.