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Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

Raymond Ibrahim: A Dead Caliph vs. the Hydra of Jihad

Nov 14, 2014 11:08 am By Raymond Ibrahim

al-Baghdadi[Via FrontPage Magazine]

Is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-styled “caliph” of the Islamic State, injured or dead, as some in the media are eagerly speculating?

Better question: does it really matter?

For almost a decade now, every time an Islamic jihadi leader is killed, the Western mainstream media exult, portraying the death as a major blow to the jihad.  And, for almost a decade now, I have responded by posting an article that I first wrote in 2006 for Victor Davis Hanson’s website, Private Papers.

Although I changed the names of the jihadi leaders killed to suit the occasion—first Abu Mus‘ab al-Zarqawi, then Abu Laith al-Libi, then Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayub al-Misri, and finally Osama bin Laden—my conclusion has remained the same:

The West’s plight vis-à-vis radical Islam is therefore akin to Hercules’ epic encounter with the multi-headed Hydra-monster.  Every time the mythical strongman lopped off one of the monster’s heads, two new ones grew in its place.  To slay the beast once and for all, Hercules learned to cauterize the stumps with fire, thereby preventing any more heads from sprouting out.

Similarly while the West continues to lop off monster heads like figurehead Zarqawi [or bin Laden, al-Baghdadi, etc.] it is imperative to treat the malady — radical Islam—in order to ultimately prevail.  Victory can only come when the violent ideologies of radical Islam are cauterized with fire.

But alas, the Hydra-monster is myth, while radical Islam is stark reality.

Eight years later, this “stark reality” has manifested itself into a head-chopping, infidel-crucifying, mass-murdering, female-enslaving Islamic State.

And yet, in the previous years, proclamations of “victory” were habitually made by media and politicians whenever a top jihadi was killed.

Recall all the exultation that took place in 2006 after al-Zarqawi—the forefather of the Islamic State, or “Al-Qaeda Second Generation”—was killed.   Then, almost every major politician, including President Bush, Prime Minister Blair, and Iraq’s Prime Minister Maliki, gave some sort of victory speech.  The New York Times called his death a “major watershed in the war.”

Similarly, in 2008, after Abu Laith al-Libi was killed, Congressman Peter Hoekstra issued a statement saying that his death “clearly will have an impact on the radical jihadist movement.”

More myopic triumphalism was in the air after Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayub al-Masri were killed in 2010 during a joint U.S.-Iraqi operation.  Then, U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden said the “deaths are potentially devastating blows to al-Qaeda in Iraq [the original name of the Islamic State],” adding “This operation is evidence in my view, that the future of Iraq will not be shaped by those who would seek to destroy that country”—an assertion that has now proven woefully wrong.

Similarly, U.S. commander Gen. Raymond Odierno asserted that “The death of these terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to al-Qaeda in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency,” adding that it would be “very difficult” for the al Qaeda network to replace the two men.

And who could forget all the media triumphalism, if not hysteria, surrounding the 2011 death of Osama bin Laden?  Then, CNN security analyst Peter Bergen declared that “Killing bin Laden is the end of the war on terror. We can just sort of announce that right now.” Insisting that the “iconic nature of bin Laden’s persona” cannot be replaced, Bergen further suggested that “It’s time to move on.”… Keep reading

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Filed Under: Al-Qaeda, Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, Daesh), Useful idiots


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Comments

  1. Salah says

    Nov 14, 2014 at 11:44 am

    Killing the jihad hydra-monster by killing the character of the founder of Islam:

    http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2010/12/perfect-man-of-islam.html

    • mortimer says

      Nov 14, 2014 at 1:31 pm

      Indeed. We only need to kill one Muslim…Mohammed. It must be considered ‘uncool’ to act like this pedophile psychopath.

      • Jay Boo says

        Nov 14, 2014 at 8:51 pm

        Abu Bakr al-Bag Lady is well educated.

        Does he actually believe Muhammad’s toxic spiel or is he just an opportunistic jackal?

  2. mccode says

    Nov 14, 2014 at 11:45 am

    These clueless dhimmi politicians must all have sprained arms from slapping themselves on the back in delusional self-congratulations.

  3. Lester says

    Nov 14, 2014 at 11:57 am

    How it is possible today for Any human being, acknowledging the Creator God and his Inspired word given to mankind, to ignore promises in the Written Word?. We soon will experience the True Living Word in the Holy Bible yet, mankind for most part refuses to believe that the Jews are the “Apple of Gods eye” and are the only people on the face of the earth that have land granted by stated borders stated in his Holy Bible! ( God holds the title) Judgement is promised to any who divide or try to possess Gods proclaimed Holy City of Jerusalem, yet the whole world believes the Lying Arab nations that possess 90% of all the lands in the Middle East, yet are intent of destroying the tiny nation of Israel blaming the Jew for all the unrest today. Further evaluation would show that Israel cares for many wounded soldiers and terrorists who don’t get the medical attention as well as children and innocent bystanders from all the rockets fired into Israeli land. Nations are blessed by the Jews received from their God! Jews are not trespassers or invaders but rightful owners to the land of Israel, long before Islam was ever established by Satan and using a false ungodly immoral prophet to dedicate a book of murder, wars and contradiction using a made up new deity named Allah’ who is a back-up for all the unfounded atrocities claimed in a single book written while on the run, hiding from being killed, taking refuge in a cave! Not until 50 years later were all the pages and things remembered by friends placed in his book that was admitted to have verses given by Satan himself. Dying a long and painful death after being poisoned by a Jewess whose husband was murdered by this prophet, was his life ended. Still Liars today are adding to all the contradictions found in his writings that are not permanent as the Holy Bible, which has a God that never changes–but is the same today, yesterday, and Forever. Today is the day of salvation-for those who believe in the only name given in heaven or earth, whereby we must be saved in the blood that removes all sin, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will be returning soon. Don’t be found deceived in wicked mans religions, but faith in Truth! Truth will Set you Free!

    • Laura says

      Nov 15, 2014 at 6:58 am

      If ever mankind needed ‘god’ it’s right now, but where is it and why is it doing nothing to save us from the evil of Islam?
      Could it be that it approves of the slaughter?
      The philosopher Epicurus, on the subject of evil and suffering asked,
      Is god willing (to alleviate suffering/evil) but not able?
      Then he is not omnipotent.
      Is god able but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
      Is god both willing and able, then whence cometh evil?
      Is god both unwilling and unable, then why call him god?

      • BC says

        Nov 15, 2014 at 9:10 am

        All religion is insanity and Islam is that insanity taken to its ultimate
        psychopathic state. It shows this by its constant claim of ‘look what you made me do because you will not submit to Allah, it is all your own fault not mine’.

      • lester says

        Nov 15, 2014 at 9:49 am

        God is Holy! This term is unknown to most people. Perfection is the only term we can compare it with. It is far higher than humans view of religious, but God is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. We are only equivalent as a blade of grass, short lived, then wither and die returning to the dirt. But.. We are made in Gods image, of body, soul and spirit, having eternal quality as angels, But–angels that sin have no redeemer! They must stand in judgement as Satan and his followers the demons and spend eternity in the lake of fire and brimstone! Since Adam, the first man, we are conceived in sin and need a man redeemer–One that is sinless and not earth born under sin of Adam. Blood of animals, once only covered sin for short times. Jesus Christ was the only way we could attain any holiness in our selves, so we accept the blood of Jesus to remove our Sin to stand before a Holy God, to stand accountable for our deeds we performed after we die. We as humans can in no way be as smart and know what An Awesome Creator and still being the provider for this planet and universe. “God Never Sleeps” and is aware of All taking place and accountability will be required at the judgement seat. * “We should Not Judge what we don’t know”!! Read the Word of God, the Bible as to what we are expected to do until Jesus returns. According to predictions–it should be soon, Sooner than most believe. Be ready and ask Jesus to forgive your past and receive you into his coming kingdom. He will truly accept All willing to believe by faith!

  4. John C. Barile says

    Nov 14, 2014 at 12:01 pm

    The khalifa is dead–long live the khilafah. Or something like that.

  5. ECAW says

    Nov 14, 2014 at 12:06 pm

    And yet al-Baghdadi is more important than the others because he proclaims himself caliph and so is far more directly identified with the global jihad.

    I was glad to learn that he was not killed and wish him well in his endeavours including the jihad he has called for in Saudi Arabia. This is not because I relish the horrors that he is unleashing on the Middle East but because if he expands and sets off a cataclysmic war with Saudi Arabia engulfed in civil war and perhaps even the odd nuclear weapon, preferably landing on Mecca, the West stands a chance of destroying Islam’s credibility as a winning ideology. Perhaps Muslims around the world would shake their heads and say “Looks like it was a load of balls from the start. Might as well join the modern world”.

    Without such a confrontation what can we look forward to in the West? Only ever more Muslim immigration and government appeasement until we reach the tipping point of abject surrender or Europe wide civil war. If it’s to be a choice of civil wars I’d rather it take place in the Middle East.

  6. tpellow says

    Nov 14, 2014 at 12:12 pm

    “Islamic State: Diary of life in Mosul”

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29600573

  7. marc says

    Nov 14, 2014 at 12:15 pm

    “Better question: does it really matter?”

    maybe less than Schrödinger’s cat

    there are some prophesies about how many caliphs need to die before the mahdi (anti-Christ) arrives etc. that they take very seriously, so to islamists it matters, but to us it makes little difference to the only reality, that they want us to submit or die.

  8. CogitoErgoSum says

    Nov 14, 2014 at 12:21 pm

    The stump of the Hydra is Islam …… Islam……not “radical Islam” ….. just Islam. “Radical Islam” sprouts from the trunk……..Islam. To end “radical Islam” the trunk must die. Yet Islam lives in the hearts of men …… so men must change their hearts or those men with hearts infected by Islam must die. Ayman al-Zawahiri is abolutey correct when he says the struggle between Truth and Falsehood transcends time. The Truth is the Truth and is always the Truth. He simply does not know the Truth or way to the Truth. Islam (the Lie) stands blocking the path ……… and it must be removed …. one way or another. Stark reality.

  9. Jay Boo says

    Nov 14, 2014 at 12:38 pm

    It is worse still

    Since the real monster is Islam, the media feeds the heads while it is not the heads being lopped off, but merely the tails.

  10. mortimer says

    Nov 14, 2014 at 1:27 pm

    The ‘cautery’ required is ideological warfare against the IDEOLOGY of political Islam.

    Our governments must prosecute this ideological warfare against Islam to prevent a world war caused by political Islam.

  11. DiMu says

    Nov 15, 2014 at 9:01 am

    We need to cut the heads off the hydra at home where their nests are growing. Ban Sharia Law and its preaching/prosecute Muslims for Hate crimes – against women, against infidels and against their own apostates/ challenge Freedom of Speech laws by exposing Islam’s atrocities in the public space, including all media/ revise Treason Laws (giving aid and comfort to the enemy) and use them to confiscate ME oil money invested in all our institutions and prosecute local Muslims from doing the same, and fighting jihad.

  12. Jerome from Layton says

    Nov 15, 2014 at 1:51 pm

    Do these people follow the Sunni role model [election from a Council] or the Shia role model [hereditary lineage]? This difference goes all the back to the death of Mohammed. Either way, killing one leader just opens the doors for another; except in the Sunni model, the next leader can be up and running in hours, not days.

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