"We are here for jihad.”
Five men from Alexandria Virginia were arrested in Pakistan, last week, in one of the latest cases of homegrown terror on U.S. soil. According to an article in the Washington Post, “the men had contacted extremist organizations, including two with links to al-Qaeda, and proudly told their Pakistani interrogators, "We are here for jihad.””
The Post reports that the men had met in a youth group at a small mosque affiliated with ICNA. They had been in touch via e-mail with groups like the Taliban, in their desire to battle American soldiers in Afghanistan, although they were ultimately rebuffed because of concerns by the groups that they were part of a sting operation.
The New York Times reports that they were all relatively young—ranging from their late teens to mid 20s—and that, according to Pakistani police, they were all U.S. citizens.
Some thoughts on this:
One in four young Muslims in America thinks suicide bombings are sometimes justified. Five of them emerging from one small mosque is a huge number. This does not mean the mosque’s imam radicalized these youth. It does not mean ICNA is to blame (although terrorism expert Steven Emerson has raised concerns about the group in testimony before Congress). But something went awry in their friendship that was missed by everyone around them.
At the moment, it appears these men were acting solo, with the internet having played a significant role in their journey. However, online recruitment would probably not have been the primary factor influencing their decision to pursue terrorism. As the Post writes
In most cases, experts said, potential recruits are the ones who reach out to radical Web sites and chat rooms in the hopes of finding someone to introduce them to a militant group. "A recruiter does not radicalize a person from scratch," said Manuel R. Torres Soriano, a terrorism expert in Spain, where the Internet played a key role in influencing some of the perpetrators of the 2004 Madrid train bombings. "They deal with people who are already ready to die."
According to U.S. officials, homegrown terrorism is on the rise, with 2009 the most dangerous year since 2001. These young men are far from isolated cases, and, based on recent statistics, for every uncovered plot, there may be thousands of men and women who are sympathetic to the cause.
Traditionally, some of the leading Muslim groups in America have been quick to condemn, but silent when it comes to providing substantive solutions to the problem in our midst. For the sake of our children and our communities, the silence must end, and a substantive solution must be found to this growing problem.
Comments
@joseph kesterke
YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER OF LIMBAUGH THE CLOWN , COULTER THE BIG MOUTH, GINGRICH THE HATER!
PLEASE TO SAY THAT ABOUT OUR PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ONE OF THE BEST PRESIDENT OF THE BEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD IS LUCICROUS AND OBSCENE. (NEO NEO-NAZIES AND RACIST HAVE JOINED AL QUEIDA ALONG WITH COMMUNIST AND ALL OTHER RACICALS) SHAME ON YOU!
@joseph kesterke
You are so right about Obama!!!!!!!!! He is a very evil man!!!!!!!!!
This world is a war between those who think they can win heaven by their own effort vs those who accept they cannot.
Islam radicalised these evil people.It is a false,dangerous and violent man-made ideology,which does not hide its intentions.To them,jihad is the surest way to their perverts' paradise,but any muslim who does not take part in,support or condone jihad(war against all non-muslims),dies as a hypocrite.
Even the ayatollah khomenei stated that "there is no moderate islam,only islam",with all of the hatred and destruction which it entails.This is why the wider muslim community does not protest against terrorists-they are obeying their false god's commands and therefore are good muslims.
The difficulty with Islam is that every Iman is his own boss. There is no vertical structure to provide a top down guide to teachings and sermons so interpretations vary widely. May be there should be a Council of Imans to make appointments to approved Mosques. The government endorses council appointments, accepts recommendations and the Chairman of this council reports periodically back to the country's government. Without some sort of oversight there will be no control over the radicalisation of muslim communities within western societies. ...Kanwi, New Zealand
I totally agree with "Alfred Ferguson" we have to wake up here in the UK and put stringent measures into place too because they have stated that they will take our countries over by getting into high positions in government bodies and infiltrating positions of power in the West, or by violent means if needs be!!
Is anyone listening out there and taking this on board?
We have to for the survival of our countries and our way of life!
Is there anybody who reads this blog considered that barack obama(b.o.) is a fundamental muslim who is trying to weaken america to prepare the way for the 12th immam? anybody who works to weaken America is of the spitit of antichrist(isaiah 14:12).
Islam has been on the war footing from the day one,ie from the times of Mo-ham-mad .For so long the muslims have been fooling the Infidels about the false history, and we the non muslims have been taken for ride by them for centuries ,but no more we are now wiser them they(muslims)think. We can read their Quran and see how EVIL it is.Sura 48:13"And if any believe not in Allah and his messenger,we have prepared for those who reject Allah,a Blazing Fire" Would you all go to YouTube and in search column type "john alembillah azumah" and please listen to it. It would be eye opener for Americans,especially Afro-Americans.
Muslim (islam) has many rules and ways witch can be justified in your own sence if takin in considaration the wrong way,this now will implicate your sence(the islam believer) in a total turn over in the "verry" wrong way. The people whom you lead to believe is the bad one is infact inoccent,you need to look at the people writing the laws of Jahid and imperoir-ing them apon the Muslim man. Islam is a way of life,they have to realise its not life,but in fact just a way, as written in there holy book. We can not fight these people due to many implications and the fright of destoying political rights,is there any hard proof that islam is the way?is there any proof that christanity is?books is paper with ink,made by a man to lead others into a mind state belief.
It's all written in their "holy" text, the Koran--repeatedly. To please Allah, their savage god, the world must become Muslim. As for "non-believers" or "infidels"these must be killed or enslaved.
What's the mystery? These people, Muslims, have fanaticism structured in their belief system--fanaticism, and death and destruction to all who will not "submit" ("Islam" means "submission").
All that, plus "paradise" for the "warrior" who is killed in the never-ending battle against the "infidel."
The failure of America and the West generally to recognize that we are in deadly battle against this so-called "civilization"--barbaric, merciless, rooted in superstition of the Middle Ages, at best--means a great sorrow is scheduled to come, that will make 9/11 and all the other horrors look petty by comparison.
on 9/11 there were american muslims dancing in our own streets cheering what happened. not long after the tragedy i was allowed into a mosque and heard seditious and vile comments against our country by american muslims. there is a reason we don't hear constant vocal outrage, there is a reason we don't see substantive options against home grown radicalism, and that's because the majority support and are part of the decades long effort to islamize the world. they talk about it constantly and yet we cover our ears and refuse to recognize it. they're telling us what they want and how they're going to get it, and yet we ignor it. we've been warned and it's up to us to do something about it.
Perhaps these American Islamic Terrorists can be extradited to the Obama administration's new Illinois prison to further their terrorist training with real al Qaeda fighters?