Over at FrontPage today I discuss why Marie Harf’s notorious claim that the jihadis just need jobs is wrong: they already have jobs.
State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf was widely ridiculed in February for saying of the Islamic State (ISIS): “We cannot win this war by killing them, we cannot kill our way out of this war. We need, in the longer term, medium and longer term, to go after the root causes that leads people to join these groups, whether it’s lack of opportunity for jobs.” Harf’s statement looks even more ridiculous now that it has come to light that the Islamic State’s parent group and semi-rival, al-Qaeda, treats potential recruits very much like job applicants.
The al-Qaeda application, released this week along with a large amount of other material found in Osama bin Laden’s compound, is an interesting transposition of contemporary Western workplace culture to the age of savagery: as matter-of-fact and routine as asking for references or people to contact in an emergency, it asks, “Who should we contact in case you became a martyr?”
The entire application is a similar blend of jihadist piety and bureaucratic officiousness. “In the name of Allah the compassionate and merciful,” it begins, “Important remarks before you fill in the application: 1. Please answer the required information accurately and truthfully. 2. Please write clearly and legibly.” It contains a uniquely Islamic confidentiality clause: “Please refrain from sharing the information you provide on the application with each other because it is a trust to Almighty Allah.” Any questions? “If you would like to discuss any further issue, please tell your direct brother supervisor.”
The form then asks for the applicant’s name, the date according to both the Gregorian and Hijri calendars, “Nickname/Alias,” “Father’s Occupation,” and other personal information, before getting down to brass tacks:
Date of your arrival in the land of Jihad:………………..
How long do you plan to stay in the (jihadi) theater?………
After asking about the applicant’s education level, the form asks: “When did Almighty Allah bless you with this gift?”
Then come questions about the level of the applicant’s knowledge of Islam – questions that John Kerry and Joe Biden and David Cameron and the others who insist that jihad terror groups have nothing to do with Islam must assume the applicants answered with “None,” “No,” and “No one”: “How much of the holy Qur’an have you memorized? Did you study Shari’a? Who was your instructor?” It also asks, “Which shaykhs do you listen to or read often?” and “Which shaykhs or Muslim dignitaries do you know?”
Clearly al-Qaeda was not looking for the poor, uneducated, misled, manipulated youths that fill jihad groups according to media myth. It asks: “Have you invented or researched anything in any domain?” Sounding like an application for summer camp but probably looking for young men who spent their summer days building homemade bombs, it asks, “Any hobbies or pastimes?” Other superficially innocuous questions have a clearly ominous edge, given the context: “Do you know anyone who travels to Western countries?” “Do you know any workers or experts in chemistry, communications, or any other field?” And above all: “Do any of your family or friends work with the government? If so, would he/she be willing to cooperate with or help us?”
“List the types of passports you possess,” the application directs. “Did you use a real or forged passport for your current travel? Provide details on how you arrived here. Did you encounter any difficulties on the road to this place?” Now that you’re here, when will you be going?: “Do you wish to execute a suicide operation? What objectives would you would like to accomplish on your jihad path? What ideas and views do you, your family, and your other acquaintances have about jihad in Allah’s sake here?”
And finally, after getting the name, address and phone numbers of those to be contacted after the applicant’s Islamic martyrdom, the application concludes: “Praise Allah, Lord of all worlds.” Not that this has anything to do with Islam, of course.
The application places the global jihad in a whole new light. It’s not just a vocation, it’s a job. Marie Harf and John Kerry are placing their hopes on the idea that those in the employ of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State will be willing to switch careers: from warrior for Allah to, say, Wal-Mart greeter. It is, unfortunately, unlikely that al-Qaeda’s pious applicants will find that a good career move.
Jovial Joe says
‘Do you suffer any mental illness: psychopathy, sociopathy, paranoid schizophrenia?’ ‘Yes’.
‘Do you think Kuffar are filthy animals, worse than cattle?’ ‘Yes’.
‘Do you possess underpants spacious enough to house explosive or volatile materials?’ ‘Yes’.
‘Do you vote Democrat?’ ‘Yes’.
Congratulations, when can you start?
nacazo says
Ouch!
-Marie Harf after reading this article.
mortimer says
LAUGHABLE! NAIVE! UNINFORMED! PREPOSTEROUS!
These ill-informed, hollow naïfs promoted above their levels of competence by an incompetent president are the LAUGHING STOCK OF THE JIHADISTS!
Whenever they fail to recognize the cause of jihad, the jihadists laught themselves silly, emboldening the jihadists to try harder!
Only by learning the JIHAD DOCTRINE and the KAFIR DOCTRINE can the cultural Marxists at the State Department learn the REAL motivation of jihadists: to kill the evil kafirs who think Mohammed is a false prophet.
THE ONLY WAY TO KILL JIHAD IS TO KILL THE JIHAD IDEOLOGY…through COUNTER-jihadist ideology.
CALL ROBERT SPENCER NOW FOR QUICK RELIEF OF JIHAD CONFUSION!
duh_swami says
They don’t seem to be looking for beginners. That seems to be more of an ISIS thing. Al-Qaeda is looking for young men who already have their PHD in Allahsmanship. ISIS seems willing to take most any warm body they can get…
Lesley says
Our State Department is allowing the US to be flooded with Muslim immigrants under the direction of the United Nations and the OIC. They are passing money to our religious groups to settle these groups. Please watch this video and spread the word. It’s not just ‘illegal’ immigration that is posing a security risk. This is a ‘legal’ lottery system:
Oliver says
Why not help the ISIS and Al queida meet their goals? Send them plane loads of Muslims, so that they can all get killed-and quickly
Bezelel says
As long as they stop allowing round trips.
Peggy says
So if lack of opportunities is driving these nutters to join IS why don’t we see people from any other religion joining some group dedicated to doing evil?
Are Muslims the ONLY ones who don’t have jobs?
How does Marie explain people like that doctor who left Australia to join? He was looking for a better job?
How dare people like her insult our intelligence.
Know Thy Enemy says
Pious Muslims canNOT become Wal-Mart greeters or do other forms of honest work. Here is what Muhammad had to say about work that any non-Muslim would consider honest work-
Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
I heard the Apostle of Allah say: When you enter into the inah transaction (become businessmen), hold the tails of oxen (become cattlemen), are pleased with agriculture (become farmers), and give up conducting jihad, Allah will make disgrace prevail over you, and will not withdraw it until you return to your original religion. – Sunan Abu Dawud Book 23, Number 3455