Exploding another media myth in FrontPage today:
Footage has emerged of Paris jihad murderers Salah Abdeslam and his brother Brahim dancing at a Brussels nightclub several months before they murdered 130 people. The UK’s Daily Mail, always determined to ignore the jihadi mindset and motivations and misrepresent both as quite other than what they are, took this as another indication that jihadis in general are not what they claim to be: “Video shows the extremists eight months before the massacre in Paris, seemingly enjoying the Westernised lifestyle ISIS claims to despise.” As always, however, reality is different from the mainstream media’s presentation of it.
We have seen this several times before, going all the way back to 9/11, when it came to light that Mohammed Atta and several of the other jihadi hijackers had been at a strip club not long before the attacks. This indicated, we were told, and have been told many times since, that contrary to their own claims, jihad terrorists are not pious Muslims acting upon the exhortations in the Qur’an and Sunnah to make war against unbelievers. On the contrary, goes this claim, these terrorists have nothing whatsoever to do with Islam, and are simply reacting to the alleged evils of the West. Because after all, what pious, believing Muslim engaged in an act of jihad would risk sullying his soul in a strip club and thereby detracting from the spiritual value of his jihad?
This question, however, betrays in itself a lack of understanding of Islamic theology – a lack of understanding that continues, all these years after 9/11, to hamstring our response to the jihad threat. What is understood by precious few counter-terror analysts is that a pious, believing Muslim who is about to engage in a momentous act of jihad may very well engage in activity that Islamic law would deem sinful, and do so freely and knowingly.
The reasons for this are set out in the Qur’an and Hadith. The Qur’an teaches that if one’s good deeds outweigh one’s bad deeds on the “scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection,” one will enter Paradise:
“And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as accountant.” (Qur’an 21:47)
When one’s deeds are weighed in these scales, the weightiest deed of all is waging jihad for the sake of Allah. Muhammad himself explains that the best of all deeds is jihad, and thus it outweighs all others:
“The Prophet said, ‘A single endeavor of fighting in Allah’s Cause is better than the world and whatever is in it.’” (Bukhari 4:52:50)
“A man came to Allah’s Apostle and said, ‘Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad in reward.’ He replied, ‘I do not find such a deed.’” (Bukhari 4:52:44)
In light of all this, Salah and Brahim Abdeslam may well have known that they were going to commit jihad mass murder when they went dancing in Brussels several months before their killing spree. If they had been planning at that point to go killing for Allah in jihad, they could enjoy a night out and even a beer or two, knowing that the sinfulness of it all would be far outweighed by their jihad.
Friends of the brothers recount, however, that their turn to Islam came after the night out captured on video: “I saw Salah joke, smoke, drink and play cards. If anything, he liked women. He was something of a ladies man and I heard he had a girlfriend at one point.” However, “that was the last time I saw them drink. Brahim started to become more religious. He would attend Friday prayers at the mosque but otherwise pray at home.”
Whether the jihad brothers actually became more religious after this night out or were already in the process of doing so, once again we see another frequently recurring phenomenon that is often denied: Muslims becoming devout in their observance of Islam and then becoming jihad murderers. And when they killed all those infidels in Paris, the Abdeslam brothers could be sure that whatever sins they had committed that night in Brussels, and any other nights that hadn’t been captured on video, they were far outweighed on Allah’s scales of judgment by the blood of 130 non-Muslims killed for his cause. Their place in Paradise was secured.

Jay Boo says
Islam’s Muhammad raped a 9 year old, had incest with his daughter-in-law married a much older woman for money.
Muhammad also promised his followers 72 virgins.
Muslims call Muhammad a noble man and the revealer of their so-called religion.
Susan B says
You forgot to mention the pearls “little boys” to rape along with the virgins. Oh don’t forget the rivers of wine. How anyone with a mind can be muslim is “mind boggling”.
salim says
Having been there myself, I fully understand why Muslims believe in Islam.
What is beyond my understanding is how western people, who are raised in civilisation, convert to Islam. Also, I find it disgraceful that Europeans and Americans accommodate and fully respect such a cult and regard its followers highly.
Islam should have been rejected by the west even if the Muslims didn’t commit a single atrocity, yet it is still a western favourite after 28.000 terrorist attacks.
jihad3tracker says
Hello salim —- We here at Jihad Watch encounter only a few commenters who have left Islam, and if they are not actively writing in, there is no chance for to pose questions. You are recently (an hour ago) active, and perhaps monitoring your post above, so I would like to take this opportunity to ask these items:
1. Were you born into a Muslim family, or if not, did you convert in youthful years?
2. At what point did your knowledge enlarge from the expectable un-harmful religious elements of the Five Pillars, into darker verses involving subjugation and violence for non-Muslims?
3. What is your family’s present relationship with Islam — a rejection of jihad, or ambivalence as to whether eventually they could change to commitment of deep immersion, and action driven by abrogations of the kind Muhammad produced after the Hijra?
When you have some time available, I and most likely many other JW readers would very much like to know.
salim says
Thanks, to answer your questions:
1. Yes, I was born into a Muslim family
2. At about 40
3. Children are ‘Muslims by name’, other relatives are Muslims of various degrees. No Muslim can reject jihad, its like rejecting the Quran, but they deny isis practices are jihad. All relatives and Muslim friends believe I am still a Muslim with a weird version of Islam, (which somehow they accept because they know I am well educated about the subject).
Ex-muslim says
Salim posted:
(What is beyond my understanding is how western people, who are raised in civilisation, convert to Islam)
Thanks Salim. I agree with you and I lost all respect for Western society for their suicidal desire to help and respect muslims while they ignore the victims of islamic brutality worldwide. Western governments and the majority of the Western societies are the real islamic Boot-lickers!
Cecilia Ellis says
Salim, thank you for your response to Jihad3tracker. Your posts are followed by many JW readers and are always permeated by an honorable insight that reflects the incredible commitment you have to truth. For that, I thank you. Stay vigilant and safe.
jihad3tracker says
For a superb assessment of WHY Muhammad should be given a trophy as one of the Most Despicable Men Ever Born, find a comprehensive item titled “The terrifying brilliance of Islam” at either Citizenwarrior or Inquiryintoislam (dot com websites).
He clearly knew his objective — conquering all of Arabia — and set about to build a system entrapping humans of average intelligence and gullibility, ensuring that his own words would be taken seriously BY CLAIMING THEY CAME FROM GOD.
Robert gives us an example of Islam’s “Get out of jail free” card with this exposition on relevant passages from the Trilogy.
zulu says
OT — Robert Spencer, have you seen this?
Islamists call for Sharia law in Pakistan after Salman Taseer blasphemy row
As many as 25,000 protesters occupied the high-security zone in Islamabad to press their demands, with some setting fire to cars. The army was deployed on Sunday to contain the rioters.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/islamist-protesters-call-for-sharia-in-pakistan-after-salman-taseer-blasphemy-row-a6956896.html
Pro-Qadri protestors continue sit-in outside Parliament on second day
An estimated 25,000 supporters of the former police bodyguard gathered in Islamabad’s twin city Rawalpindi in the afternoon to offer prayers, before turning toward the heavily-barricaded capital, which was patrolled by hundreds of police and paramilitary soldiers.
Their demands include the execution of Asia Bibi, a Christian mother-of-five who has been on death row since she was convicted in 2010 of committing blasphemy during an argument with a woman over a bowl of water.
They are also calling for Qadri to be officially declared a “martyr” and want the immediate imposition of Sharia law.
http://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/329571-ProQadri-protestors-continue-sitin-outside-Parli
Who is leading this sit-in?
http://www.dawn.com/news/1248570
Jerry says
I believe I understand these allah-idiots. They are attracted to our natural love of life and freedom that we represent, but cannot overcome the dark teachings of their faith and tradition of “hate the infidel.” And as R. Spencer pointed out, there is doctrinal justification in the teachings for this behavior, they can indulge in our sinful ways and still be a good muslim when they kill us. I think I understand the ruse here, the “sins” of jihadists are used to portray them as westernized apostates who killed for reasons other than islam. But if that’s true nobody has yet found a better explanation than that they are killing for their militant faith. If we start getting confessions from these jihadists that they kill and terrorize for higher wages or equal rights there might be a case to be made. But in the absence of any such evidence I accept muslim terror for what it appears to be: An act of war against us for the faith that declares us their enemy.
Jerry says
Sinful ways would have been better as “sinful” ways.
Jack Diamond says
Such behavior is called for in both al Qaeda and ISIS manuals as a form of deep cover, or it can be indulged “sinfulness” outweighed by the future highest deed of fighting in the cause of allah, more likely it can simply be how the “blood and property” of the kaffir, including their women, are viewed.
Ex-Muslim Abdul Kasem wrote about an experience with some pious Pakistani Muslims while they were
“overseas” in Thailand. Kasem described how while a Bangladeshi Muslim studying in Thailand, seeing three Pakistani Islamists, whom he knew to be extremely religious, enjoying themselves at a seedy joint in Bangkok. He engages one of them about their sins and the Paki laughs it off: “He told me that Thais were not Muslims; so having fun with their girls were all right. In fact, he told me that that had been the practice in Islam for centuries. Whenever the Muslims defeated the non-Muslims, they could do whatever they (the Muslims) wanted with the non-Muslims. The Muslims can use the non-Muslim women as sex slaves and please themselves as they wished. A Muslim even had the right to kill the women if he wished. In simple language the non-Muslims were not really human beings. They (the non-Muslims) were inferior even to cattle and animals. Moreover, the Pakistani told me that the Prophet had allowed to have sex if a man is living overseas….You see, the Pak army did not rape any women. They simply enjoyed the flesh of non-Muslims. Even if there were some excessive force being applied, there is no need to feel guilty about that.”
http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/abulkazem/rape_of_unbelievers.htm
“Thereupon he (the Prophet) said: Fight with them until they bear testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger, and when they do that then their blood and their riches are inviolable from your hands.” Sahih Muslim Book 031, Number 5917
Amplified in this exchange between Sheikh Omar Bakri and Wafa Sultan in 2012:
Bakri: “The general rule is that the blood and property of non-Muslims are permissible for us. Their blood and property are not inviolable. It is in their interest to have a peace treaty or dhimmi pact with me…either you accept it or we live in a state of war. The general rule is that the blood and property of infidels are permissible for Muslims…But a Muslim coexists with an infidel either through a peace treaty, a dhimmi pact, or a state of war.”
This is the real terrain of the Muslims and it is not what the Daily Mail assumes, supposes, and draws conclusions from–that carousing Western-style while in dar al-harb outrages the pious serial rapists and murderers of ISIS and signals phoniness and hypocrisy, i.e. nothing to do with Islam (NTDWI).
Jack Diamond says
Abul Kasem, correction. To quote him further: “…a Muslim man (whether married or not), while living in an infidel country, can…(…have sex) with any number of infidel women without even having the slightest fear of committing Zina (fornication) or adultery…This is what I found when I consulted the living and breathing Islam, that is, Sha’ria [the material below is quoted from the Hedaya]:
“No punishment for Zina or adultery committed in a foreign country (ref. 11, p185)…”
Sam says
Brainwashing is a very powerful tool in any dictatorial system. It is obvious why Muslims can not stand FREEDOM. The only way Islam can survive is suppression of clear thinking “submission” by force. Islam will go away eventually but it will destroy a lot of lives along the way.
What a waste of lives and energy for centuries!!!
miriamrove says
That is the Muslim mentality. Dancing, drinking, strip joints and f…..infidel women and then killing them. M
Jerry says
Yes, it’s the same mentality you might expect from a serial killer that likes to wine and dine the victim before he rapes and strangles them. Islam is a diabolical assault on our peace and freedoms. And our response so far has been to stroke that viper like a kitten with apologies, lies, and excuses, hoping it will respond by acting like a kitten. It won’t. Because weakness in the face of islam always results in the weak getting subjugated, murdered, and raped. I fear we in the west are going to learn that lesson the hard way.
miriamrove says
Hi Jerry! Yes you hit the nail! I know it all too well. I was born and raised a Muslim. m
SpiritOf1683 says
The worst thing is that history tells us the weak have been slaughtered by Muslims for 1,400 years. The only ones who escape are those willing to fight fire with fire.
Ex-muslim says
After violent gangster thugs convert to the islamic death cult of hate and murder and become jihadists they will have NO problem dancing, using drugs and alcohol or participating in sexual orgies just days before they carry out an islamic jihad attacks. They think their demonic hateful allah will have forgiven all of their sins after they die in a violent jihad.
Falsafa says
this article simply proves that these murderers had no real understanding of true Islam and were just gangsters on a delusional misguided perverted quest to commit murder. A real pious muslim wouldnt hurt a soul or inflict the slightest suffering on his/her fellow human being. Those that say anything to the contrary are either misguided and need to be corrected in their ways or are haters of all things Islam aka contributors to this blog.
SpiritOf1683 says
They understood true Islam and deception. These were pious Muslims, just like Mohammed was a pious Muslim who had 800 members of the Jewish Ban Qurayza tribe slaughtered in cold blood. He set that wicked atrocity as the example for Muslims to follow, and they’ve followed it alright. You are a simpleton who can’t fool anyone here.
mortimer says
Falsafa claimed: “these murderers had no real understanding of true Islam”
Obviously, Falsafa requires remedial English comprehension lessons, because this article proved the EXACT DIRECTIVE OPPOSITE OF WHAT HE INEFFECTIVELY ASSERTS.
Islam texts justify murder, torture, revenge, vigilantism and lawlessness…as long as it is done in the name of Islam. That much is beyond dispute and supported by fatwas and textbooks of fiqh.
Robert Spencer wrote: “Muhammad himself explains that the best of all deeds is jihad, and thus it outweighs all others”. Mohammed knows more about Islam than Falsafa.
We are appalled that he would attempt to lie on this forum (of all places) to knowledgeable people about Islam…especially when those on this forum have read the Sira and hadiths and canonical commentaries. We know Islam FAR BETTER THAN YOU DO. Falsafa is like someone walking into a police station and waiving an unloaded gun! Delusional!
I notice Falsafa did not make one quote of an Islamic reference, but merely called names. The incredibly negligible standard of knowledge among Muslims, combined with their rage-filled psychological projections are what we expect from Muslims and shows why their arguments have fury, but no substance.
Falsafa’s remarks constitute the ad hominem fallacy. Insults about a person do not influence the truth or falsehood of the facts in question. Therefore, Falsafa’s fallacies fail to support his claims that Islam does not teach jihad-terrorism as normative Islam.
Falsafa says
Mortimer
Pls refer to the hundreds of respected scholars of Islam endorsing the true tenets of Islam which are peace and advancement of humanity…link below…Scholars such as Sheikh Hamza Yusuf and Yasir Qadhi…scholars whom I and those in my local community highly respect. You can check their credentials on line, That is the standard you need to apply…all else is self serving and dangerous both within the faith and outside the faith such as yourself.
http://www.lettertobaghdadi.com
Mirren10 says
”Pls refer to the hundreds of respected scholars of Islam endorsing the true tenets of Islam which are peace and advancement of humanity…
http://www.lettertobaghdadi.com”
Robert has already deal with this meretricious claptrap, here;
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/09/robert-spencer-in-pj-media-6-elements-of-extremist-islam-that-moderate-muslims-endorsed-as-they-condemned-the-islamic-state
You’re a lying mohammedan, you’re wasting your time, no-one is falling for your bs. Bugger off.
Jack Diamond says
Would that be the same Yasir Qadhi who in 2013 gave a lecture on Shirk and said the Muslims had been “commanded to fight the people” until they testify “there is no god but Allah” (la illaha illa Allah). And he continued, “The life and property of mushrik (one who worships others besides Allah) holds no value in the state of jihad…which means if they don’t testify…(above quote)…”their lives and property are halal__that is, permitted to be taken by Muslims? Who calls Jews and Christians “filthy” (in accord with Qur’an 9:28)?
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/08/tennessee-imam-who-called-jews-and-christians-filthy-uses-ban-on-foley-vid-to-argue-for-blasphemy-laws
Is that the kind of peace and respect you mean? Or the kind of nice bedfellows mentioned here?: “NWA Flight 253 Undie-bomber Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab attended the 16-day “Ilmfest” in Houston sponsored by the Al Maghrib Institute in August 2008 and two other Al Maghrib seminars in London before that (HT: JihadWatch)… Qadhi’s Houston-based Ilmquest was selling more than a dozen different CD sets by none other than Al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki as recently as last month. Ilmquest continued to hawk Awlaki’s wares even after the Ft. Hood massacre, but scrubbed any mention of Awlaki from their site as soon as he was connected to the Ft. Hood incident.” –http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/200223.php
Let’s not forget Christmas Day bomber and Al Maghrib student Daniel Maldonado.
Selling CD sets by al-Awlaki. Puzzling. Any truth to this? “Yasir Qadhi, imam of Al-Maghrib Institute in Memphis – TN, studied under Ali al-Timimi, who was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of encouraging violent jihad against Americans, after 9/11, and Qadhi was on a terror watch list in 2006; in 2003, Timimi stated, “Muslims were overjoyed because of the adversity that befell their greatest enemy” (the U.S.).”
Prosecutors tried al-Tamimi for encouraging the Virginia Jihad Network wage jihad in India and the U.S. He was convicted on 10 counts, including enlisting people to wage war against the United States and providing services to the Taliban. Qadhi has said that Tamimi “played an instrumental role in shaping and directing me to take the path that has led me to where I am today.”
So, see, we checked his credentials.
Jack Diamond says
Mark Hanson aka Sheikh Hamza Yusuf is another Muslim Brotherhood big shot. He has tempered his anti-Americanism since 9/11; in 1995 he said: “[America] a country that has little to be proud of in its past and less to be proud of in the present. I am a citizen of this country not by choice but by birth. I reside in this country not by choice but by conviction in attempting to spread the message of Islam in this country. I became Muslim in part because I did not believe in the false gods of this society whether we call them Jesus or democracy or the Bill of Rights.”
All we need to know about Yusuf and his moderation (or the Brotherhood’s) can be summed up here:
“In September 2004, Islam scholar Daniel Pipes reported that Yusuf had recently, proudly announced (at the Islamic Society of North America’s national conference) that he had “failed” a “test” which Pipes had devised — a test containing a number of questions designed to determine whether a particular Muslim respondent is radical or moderate in his beliefs. “I took that test and I failed,” said Yusuf, meaning that by Pipes’ standards he rated as a radical. “And I want to say to all of you, I hope you fail that test too.”
The questions on Pipes’ “test” asked, among other things, whether the respondent: believed that it was wrong for Muslims to “give up their lives to kill enemy civilians” in suicide bombings; was willing to “condemn by name as terrorist groups such organizations as Abu Sayyaf, Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya,… Hamas,… Hizbullah, Islamic Jihad,… and al-Qaida”; agreed that Muslim women should “have equal rights with men”; thought that “jihad, meaning a form of warfare, [was] acceptable in today’s world”; was willing to “accept the validity of other religions”; acknowledged that Muslims may have something “to learn from the West”; believed that non-Muslims should “enjoy completely equal civil rights with Muslims”; thought that Muslims should be permitted to convert to other religions; believed that Muslim terrorists were “responsible for the 9/11 suicide hijackings”; was willing to “accept enhanced security measures to fight militant Islam, even if this means extra scrutiny” of Muslims at airports, for example; agreed “that institutions accused of funding terrorism should be shut down”; and hoped that Western nations would be transformed “into majority-Muslim countries ruled by Islamic law.”
–http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1062
Yusuf proudly failed that test. So much for his credentials. Pipes continues the elusive search….
Jack Diamond says
blah, correction. Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and Daniel Maldonado, who joined Al Shabaab. People who should have wanted nothing to do with the kindly, peace-loving, kaffir-hugging Yasir Qadhi.
Champ says
Mortimer wrote:
Obviously, Falsafa requires remedial English comprehension lessons, because this article proved the EXACT DIRECTIVE OPPOSITE OF WHAT HE INEFFECTIVELY ASSERTS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More comedy gold from “Falsify” the taqiyya artist …who’s *terrible* at lying!
Angemon says
It’s clear that Falsafa lives in a bizarro world where left means right, right means wrong, up means down and grass is blue while the sky is green. What I don’t get is the aberration of physics that allows his internet-enabled system to communicate with our world.
Mirren10 says
🙂
Champ says
For more obfuscation, about islam, then check-out the false information that “Falsify” keeps pandering on Robert Spencer’s website.
But for the Truth about islam and company, then you’ve come to the right place: Jihad Watch: exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts.
Keys says
“… for the truth about Islam, then you’ve come to right place: Jihad Watch…”
Here here, Champ.
Yes, day by day and hour by hour. JW is the best site for up to the minute muslim madness, islamic insanity, and infidel ignorance.
Best of all for me is “the Truth about Islam” complete with textual references, and more. Many thanks to Robert and the knowledgable posters here.
Don’t be jihaded !
Champ says
Exactly, Keys! 🙂
Baucent says
“The Prophet said, ‘A single endeavor of fighting in Allah’s Cause is better than the world and whatever is in it.’” (Bukhari 4:52:50)
“A man came to Allah’s Apostle and said, ‘Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad in reward.’ He replied, ‘I do not find such a deed.’” (Bukhari 4:52:44)
Robert raises an interesting point. Just how does a Jihadist recruiter approach young muslim street gang types in Paris and Brussels? What is his “sales pitch” to attract them to the way of jihad? I suspect the recruiter labours the point that they are sinners and “worldly” and that their only hope of redemption in Alllah’s eyes is by taking up the cause of jihad. A mixture of guilt and fear of Judgement may be the key motivation. The added bonus is once you are a bona fide jihadi you don’t need to change your un-pious lifestyle as the jihad deeds merit are outweighing the sin of living like a infidel.