SK: You have often found yourself exposed in risky situations where you didn’t know how the situation would end. Do you purposefully seek out risk?
Mekhennet: I sought out these meetings because I believe they are the only possibility to speak to these people, to understand their motivations, and then to deliver counterarguments.
Their “motivations” are not hard to understand. They are a puzzlement only for those who keep denying what is in the Qur’an and Hadith, including 109 verses that refer to waging Jihad, and several verses that call for “striking terror” in the hearts of Infidels. The Jihadis of IS tell us themselves. Its members quote from the Qur’an before and after raping Christian and Yazidi women, as the victims have testified.
Michael Adebolajo, one of the killers of Drummer Rigby, said:
“I killed Lee Rigby because I am a soldier of Allah.”
He also wrote a note to his children:
“Know that to fight Allah’s enemies is an obligation… Do not spend your days in endless dispute with the cowardly and foolish if it means it will delay you meeting Allah’s enemies on the battlefield.”
As they were sentenced, Adebolajo and Adebowale were carrying and kissing their Qur’ans.
The leader of ISIS, Abu Baker Al-Baghdadi, when he still appeared in public, regularly quoted from the Qur’an and spoke of being engaged in the kind of battles in which Muhammad himself took part, as described in the Hadith. Members of ISIS, and of Al-Qaeda, have been videotaped chanting Qur’anic verses as they decapitate kneeling Infidels. The magazine of the Islamic State, Dabiq — just like the terrorists themselves — is full of those verses from the Qur’an that command Muslims to engage in violent Jihad, and to “strike terror” in the hearts of Infidels. Yet Souad Mekhennet, despite all this evidence, is still trying to seek out the “motivations” of the Jihadis she interviews. She refuses to believe them when they point to the Qur’an and Hadith.
Souad Mekhennet: In my book, you can read about a discussion I had with an IS commander in a car that only went up to a certain point. Up to the moment when he placed his hand on his right-hand trouser pocket. I knew he had his weapon there, so I had to dial back my critical questions. But, naturally, it’s about how I tried to argue with these people and to understand how they have become the way they are. Only then can we think about the possible counteractions we can take as a society.
How hard is it to “understand how they have become the way they are”? Apparently very hard for Souad Mekhennet, because as long as Islam remains the great unmentionable, the behavior. of these Jihadis must remain a puzzlement. And how can she “argue with these people” if she cannot bring herself to recognize what the Qur’an inculcates, and that the Jihadis are doing no more than following its commands? She might more fruitfully investigate why many Muslims, fortunately, choose not to follow the Jihad verses and the example of Muhammad as described in the Hadith.
SK: You are trying to understand the men and women of the so-called Islamic State. Have you found anything out that we do not already know?
Mekhennet: Although we see IS as a homogeneous group, it is very heterogeneous in and of itself. I know that there are conflicts between individual nationalities. It would be very problematic if we were to see it as relating to Islam and say that these people hate the West because they are Muslims. Thatʹs exactly what they want. They want a religious conflict to arise. We should not do them the favor.
It is not true that we in the West “see IS as a homogeneous group.” Souad Mekhennet assumes we are ignorant of the various ethnic conflicts among IS members and, more generally, among Muslims in the wider umma. We Infidels already know that there are “conflicts between individual nationalities.” Early in the war in Afghanistan we learned all about the clashes between the Uzbeks and Tadzhiks in the north, with Pashtuns in the south, and about the Shi’a Hazara, attacked by several different uber-Sunni groups. We discovered in Iraq just how much the Kurds resent the Arabs. When our troops were in Syria, we saw the hostile attitude of the Turks toward the Kurds, and the Turkish attacks on the Kurds in Rojava. We could see, all over the Middle East, the distinct unease with Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman dreams, for many Arabs, remembering their centuries of subjugation by the Ottomans, still resent the Turks. And there are many other ethnic and national conflicts within the umma, such as the Berbers who chafe under Arab cultural and linguistic dominance in North Africa, and the Somalis who have been at daggers drawn with Eritreans. We Infidels understand perfectly well that “the conflicts between individual nationalities” exist in IS, which Souad Mekhennet seems to think have been insufficiently recognized. But we also recognize — as Souad Mekhennet does not — that these ethnic conflicts are of far less importance, for the fanatical Muslims who join IS, than their shared faith.
Mekhennet, whose views on Jihadis receive attention they do not intrinsically deserve because she is a reporter for the Washington Post, is determined to focus not on what unites, but on what divides the members of IS, and to refuse even to consider the ideology of Islam as the cause of Muslim terrorism. I have the distinct feeling that Souad Mekhennet, born into a Muslim family, may never have read, that is, never allowed herself to read, the complete Qur’an, for fear of what she might discover. She may have skimmed over, or omitted altogether, the verses about Jihad and “striking terror” in the hearts of Infidels. Or perhaps she knows these verses perfectly well, and has heard her Jihadist interlocutors referring to them, but she simply can’t bring herself to take them seriously, because that would force her to recognize that the ideology of Islam is the explanation, both necessary and sufficient, for Muslim terrorism. And this she will not do.
Tom says
This is not about religion, at least not from the Christian perspective. Christians, every day, allow Muslims to openly practice their religion in Mosques that are scattered throughout western countries, in fact Christians protect the right to religious freedom that Muslims have under western democratic governments.
From a Christian perspective this terrorizing of the west by Islamists is a political war in which Islam is the aggressor. Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood have openly declared that they will infiltrate and subvert the west through any means necessary. Islamist terror groups have attacked, killed and maimed, thousands in the west and Muslims that have been a part of the mass migration are refusing to integrate into western societies that welcomed them with open arms. No Go areas and ghettos are springing up in what was once peaceful residential areas of western cities.
Islamists have infiltrated western political parties and gained influence as well as being elected to governments, influencing western government policies.
From the perspective of a devout Muslim follower of Allah and the Koran there is NO separation between politics and religion because their prophet and the Koran is interpreted and followed in such a way that both are irrevocably interconnected to govern the everyday life of the Muslim.
Because it says that Islam is all encompassing and must be the only way, Muslims who follow Islam devoutly believe that Islam must rule the world and all others must submit to Islam and its Sharia.
THAT perspective is why there is war between Islam and the west. It is ALL on Islam and not on the west. It has nothing to do with past transgressions between the west and the middle east, it is ALL about subjugation to Islam and its way, and always has been.
gravenimage says
Tom wrote:
This is not about religion, at least not from the Christian perspective. Christians, every day, allow Muslims to openly practice their religion in Mosques…
…………………..
True, Tom. Unfortunately–as you know–the full practice of Islam involves not just things like prayer and fasting, but also conquering the Infidels and forcing them to submit to brutal and oppressive Shari’ah law.
Ken Olson says
Why do you suppose the willful ignorance of 80% of the public exists even after those of us who have read any of Spencer’s fine books have shown so much light on the dark Muslim Brotherhood ?
Tom says
Gravenimage of course it involves all of those things because Islam, unlike any other “religion” is a composite of religious dogma and political ideology that leads to geopolitical aspirations of conquest. Which is why it needs a reformation.
Carol the 1st says
Tom…Without violence, misogyny etc. Islam would be nothing more than a stained and empty carcass. Unburdening the world of such a ‘religious’ poseur would be an undisguised blessing. Just press DELETE and spare everyone the wasteful indignity of scrounging around in the garbage.
The video below may seem a little off-topic but the interview is excellent (glad to see Kevin J. Johnston still going strong) and we can see via Myanmar the patterns of muslim predation. The expert Nick Heizman outlines the history as well. The goal of the everbreeding Bengali Muslims (basically Bangladeshis/so-called Rohingya) is to wipe out Buddhism – and the West is oddly complicit in how it aids them and slants the story:
The Truth About The Rohingya Lie With Burma Expert Nick Heizman – The Most Important Video of 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmaHrMiQre0
dan christensen says
Souad Mekhennet probably is aware of the grim truth about islam.
1) She knows that it is politically incorrect to oppose islam.
2) As a ‘public’ figure she is more exposed to Jihadist retribution if she tells the truth about islam.
3) It is safer to follow the Elites’ opinion uncritically if you want bread and butter.
So, to abstain form serious criticism of islam and play dumb, is a very life-prolonging attitude.
mortimer says
So, dan, you are calling her a propagandist who intentionally whitewashes jihadist terror. She is providing whitewash for her Western globalist bosses to suit their globalist agenda.
Souad Mekhennet is basically spouting the Marxist theory that all conflicts are based on economic inequality.
dan christensen says
Non capisco. Please elaborate.
Souad Mekhennet’s explanations look extremely evasive and ambiguous.
mortimer says
Response for dan: Here’s what I discovered about Souad Mekhennet … she holds a degree in international relations, political science, sociology, psychology and history from the University of Frankfurt. She attended the Henri-Nannen-Journalism school in Hamburg.
So is she a neo-Marxist? Grad of U of Frankfurt … very likely a Marxist or heavily indoctrinated in Marxism.
She did not have much time to study the jihad doctrine, taqiyya doctrine, near-enemy doctrine or Al Walaa wal Baraa (Islamic apartheid). She probably hasn’t a clue about them and doesn’t even feel any curiosity.
gravenimage says
I haven’t heard her specifically chalk up Jihad to poverty or being “disenfranchised”, but this is certainly a standard form of Muslim apologia.
mortimer says
Souad Mekhennet places the blame for ‘RADIALIZATION’ squarely on the DISCRIMINATION and “MARGINALIZATION” COMING FROM THE DIRTY KUFAAR. Muslims are not to blame for jihad … it’s those nasty white American KUFAAR who make Muslims feel uncomfortable. She is trying to DISCULPATE MUSLIMS and ISLAM from any blame. “What could possibly be wrong with Islam?” … she seems to say.
Here’s what I could find … Muslims don’t like Western ‘hypocrisy’ or discrimination … that’s all she’s got. If Westerners are ‘hypocritical’, then Muslims blow things up.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ywz5vx/asking-jihadists-why-they-hate-us
“At the same time, she’s trying to send a message to the Muslim community. “Even if you feel marginalized sometimes or discriminated against, which I have been through at some point of my youth, don’t go towards those who are telling you that the only way out is by giving up your place in society,” she said. “You might have to endure more obstacles, but don’t just go for the easy answers.””
So here’s her assessment … MUSLIMS GET REALLY MAN AND BLOW PEOPLE UP WHEN THE NASTY WESTERNERS EXPRESS DISLIKE FOR ISLAM.
Hey! Souad Mekhennet felt discrimination herself! So why didn’t she BLOW UP NEW YORK?
gravenimage says
Thanks for that link, Mortimer. I read the article.
One of the most absurd things she says is this:
Mekhennet says that Abedi and his brother displayed signs of radicalization long before the Manchester attack. But she emphasizes that such language can lead young Muslims to feel like victims on the basis of their religion, especially when politicians make no effort to differentiate between moderate Muslims and extremists.
…
In other words, what supposedly drives Muslims to wage violent Jihad is the ‘filthy Infidels’ noticing that Muslims wage violent Jihad. How often have we heard *this* claptrap before?
mortimer says
GI, she is using Marxist lingo with ‘marginalization’ and ‘victimization’. Everything in Marxism is about ‘victimization’. The bad guys are Westerners who defend freedom in her MELODRAMA. Except, Souad Mekhennet likes working for the DIRTY KUFAAR in New York. Her solution is for Muslims to work with her in New York and then they won’t feel ‘marginalized’ or ‘victimized’ and then they won’t be interested in jihad.
dan christensen says
It seems that you are right about her globalism. She received some kind of globalist award by a couple of globalist organisations; the “Global Panel Foundation” with others.
Globalists support islamic migration by pretending that islam is a respectable religion.
mortimer says
I would like to know whether Souad Mekhennet has read the hadiths, Sira and canonical commentaries of Islam (tafsirs) and whether she has read Sharia law or the books of Maududi, Qutb or Muhammad Faraj.
If she has not read MOST of that, then how can she speak knowledgeably to JIHADISTS??? She most certainly cannot.
If Souad Mekhennet is so crashingly UNINFORMED about the JIHAD DOCTRINE, then why is she writing on it and PRESENTING HERSELF as an EXPERT ON JIHAD… when CLEARLY Souad Mekhennet is NOT an expert on jihad and not even a reasonable beginner.
Souad Mekhennet is running her mouth without having studied the JIHAD DOCTRINE AT ALL.
She’s a blathering KNOW-NOTHING.
If she HAS read any of those books, Souad Mekhennet is a professional DISINFORMATIONIST. Either way, she cannot be relied on for accurate information about JIHAD TERRORISM.
gravenimage says
Yes–this seems to be Taqiyya.
mortimer says
GI, after researching her articles and book reviews, I think she’s just very naïve about Islam. Her summary is this: Westerners are irritating Muslims, so Muslims turn to jihad. The solution is for Westerners not to irritate Muslims and for Muslims to get well-paying jobs in New York City like Mekhennet. Problem solved.
Michael Copeland says
Former Christian Michael Adebolajo – now Mujahid Abu Hamza – is perfectly clear about Islam’s orders, as explained to him by Anjem Choudary. As well as the above quotations he said:
“We are forced by the Koran, in Sura at-Tawba…”
Sura at-Tawba is chapter 9 (see it online at http://www.corpus.quran.com), which commands, at verse 5:
“Kill the non-muslims wherever you find them….”
Question for Souad Mekhennet: “Which word don’t you understand?”
Savvy Kafir says
Christians & other religious people in the West (as well as godless heathens like myself) need to realize that an exception must be made regarding Islam — which cannot continue to be protected by laws safeguarding freedom of religion. Because Islam is a complete system in which religion, government, legal system, and militaristic imperialism are all rolled into one vicious, violent worldview, we cannot afford to treat it as if it were merely a religion.
Islam must be banned in the civilized world, if it is to remain civilized. All Muslims must be deported, or encouraged & motivated to self-deport. We cannot continue to make them feel welcome here. We cannot continue to act as if we don’t understand the Muslim imperative to conquer & subjugate non-Muslims. We’ve got to do whatever it takes to prevent the free, relatively-enlightened societies of the West from becoming hellish Islamic societies, like those scattered around the world, anywhere Muslim invaders & colonizers have been successful.
gravenimage says
We successfully fought Fascism without having to change our laws. I don’t think we should change our laws for Muslims.
Savvy Kafir says
This is a very different sort of conflict; so different solutions are required.
During World War II, there weren’t millions of Nazis living in the U.S., Canada, Australia, & Britain. The current conflict, World War III, is unique, in that we have allowed the enemy within the gates, in very large numbers. And they will never stop trying to conquer & subjugate us. So they need to go. How is that going to happen, unless new laws are passed, singling out Islam (and Muslims) as a unique threat?
gravenimage says
There were actually more Nazis and Nazi sympathizers here than you might think. For instance, the was a huge Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden, and there were Hitler Youth camps held in several states.
Changing our laws for savages is seldom a good idea.
Savvy Kafir says
These savages are different. Muslims have pursued their goal of global domination for 1,400 years, whenever they have had opportunities. Their religion has real staying power. And, motivated by fantasies of an eternal life in Paradise (or Hell), as well as a visceral hatred for infidels, they will never stop trying to subjugate us.
Even though they make up less than 10% of the population in Western nations, and in some countries, far less than that, Muslims (and their PC allies) have managed to shut down free speech in some European countries, as well as having schools serve halal meat to all kids, and organize field trips to mosques, etc., etc. They’ve coerced businesses into providing prayer rooms, and special breaks (for Muslims only) for prayer time, etc., etc. As far as I know, the Nazis & their sympathizers in the U.S. & Britain never had that sort of influence & power. Imagine the power fast-breeding Muslims will wield when they make up 25% of populations … or 51%.
Graven, you said that “changing our laws for savages is seldom a good idea”. But in Western Europe, laws are already being changed to accommodate Muslims and to protect their religion from criticism. And I’m not sure why changing our laws in order to deal with a new threat from savages who were not here 100 years ago is a bad idea. Situations change. New remedies are sometimes required. And laws are changed all the time, for reasons far less compelling than this.
If Muslims are allowed to remain in Western nations, one day they will dominate those countries, entirely — creating Islamic societies like those in Afghanistan, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, etc. That is an unacceptable outcome. We need to do whatever it takes to prevent that, including changing laws so that Islam is banned and Muslims are expelled.
Islam is unique. It poses a unique threat. If we don’t treat it (and Muslims) as a unique threat requiring unique remedies, the West is doomed.
Carol the 1st says
I agree with you Savvy Kafir. I don’t know what ideals are motivating GI but I think at this time stopping the danger is perhaps higher on the list. I hope you watch the video I just supplied regarding the Rohingya crisis and what expert Nick Heizman has to share. We can learn a lot from it (and I think it’s in this video he states that our politicians are *only*influenced by MONEY or VOTES so we have to let them know that they WON’T get our votes if they don’t protect us and our values).
Emilie Green says
“Let’s Not Make This a ‘Religious Conflict’”
Okay, tell it to the Muslims.
gravenimage says
Spot on, Emilie.
thebigW says
” I have the distinct feeling that Souad Mekhennet, born into a Muslim family, may never have read, that is, never allowed herself to read, the complete Qur’an, for fear of what she might discover. ”
This Hugh Fitzgerald feller seems determined to find a way to save this Muzzlima from the only conclusion we should make, that’s she’s just another lying taqiyyist. I coulda told you that without even reading her bullcrap.
gravenimage says
Hugh Fitzgerald is as staunch an Anti-Jihadist as you can find anywhere. This is more a rhetorical device than apologia for Muslim behavior.
thebigW says
Then Hugh is lying when he says he has a “distinct feeling” that this Muzzlima “may never have read, that is, never allowed herself to read, the complete Quran for fear of what she might discover”? I don’t get the rhetorical device he’s supposed to be using. Why not just get to the damn point and call her a liar?
gravenimage says
Mekhennet: I sought out these meetings because I believe they are the only possibility to speak to these people, to understand their motivations, and then to deliver counterarguments.
………………………..
Uh…right. What “counterarguments” has Mekhennet ever provided? And why would pious Muslims ever want to hear them?
And yes–the motivations of Jihadists are crystal clear for anyone paying the least attention.
More:
Souad Mekhennet: In my book, you can read about a discussion I had with an IS commander in a car that only went up to a certain point. Up to the moment when he placed his hand on his right-hand trouser pocket. I knew he had his weapon there, so I had to dial back my critical questions. But, naturally, it’s about how I tried to argue with these people and to understand how they have become the way they are. Only then can we think about the possible counteractions we can take as a society.
………………………..
How can you have a rational discussion with someone who is poised to *pull out a weapon* if you so much as ask them a tough question?
The only counteractions we can take as a society are to counter Islam, not to fret about the feelings of the Jihadists.
More:
SK: You are trying to understand the men and women of the so-called Islamic State. Have you found anything out that we do not already know?
Mekhennet: Although we see IS as a homogeneous group, it is very heterogeneous in and of itself. I know that there are conflicts between individual nationalities.
………………………..
So what? There have been conflicts between Fascists and Communists, as well–that does not change any of their core convictions, nor make them any less dangerous to those around them.
More:
It would be very problematic if we were to see it as relating to Islam and say that these people hate the West because they are Muslims. Thatʹs exactly what they want. They want a religious conflict to arise. We should not do them the favor.
………………………..
How often have we heard *this*? Ignore the motives of Muslims, because understanding what drives them is–supposedly–playing into their hands.
Recall that Mekhennet herself is Muslim–this is just more whitewash of Islam.
Great analysis by Hugh Fitzgerald.
Michael Copeland says
Mekhennet says,
“It would be very problematic if we were to see it as relating to Islam and say that these people hate the West because they are Muslims”.
Newsflash for Mekhennet: Islam INSTRUCTS muslims to hate the West.
“You should hate them, disown them and their religion and be proud of your religion.”
From Alminbar.com
“Allah (SWT) tells you to … hate those whom He tells you to hate … Therefore you must love the Muslims … and hate the kuffaar … .”
From Muslims Against Voting
“There has already been for you an excellent pattern … animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone.”
Koran 60:4
“Battle, animosity and hatred – directed from the Muslim to the infidel – is the foundation of our religion.”
Osama bin Laden, The Al Qaeda Reader
Carol the 1st says
Myanmar/Burma expert RICK Heizman has reached the conclusion that muslims must be kept strictly to their OWN TERRITORY (whatever part of the world is concerned and affected). I think Graven Image has a similar viewpoint. He believes that presently they are intent upon ending peaceful BUDDHISM (see my video above please)>
ntesdorf says
For the most part, Islam is engaged in a political struggle for ascendency over the Christian World. Every now and then ‘religious’ ideas might surface, but for the most part, the action is political, supported by acts of subversion, acts of invasion and acts of terror. The devout Muslim followers of Allah and the Qur’an see no division between politics and religion. They wish to impose Sharia Law on the whole World and are directed to do so by the Qur’an, Haddith and Sunna of Mohammed to do so using any method, moral or immoral, to do so.