By Brigitte L. Nacos
As brazen and lethal as today’s attack on the headquarters of the satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo by jihadist gunmen was, it did not come as a complete surprise for those following the online propaganda and recruitment calls by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). AQAP for a good number of years and ISIS more recently call relentlessly on their followers in the West to strike the enemy in the diaspora instead of joining the “brothers” in Yemen, Syria, or elsewhere.
The typical propaganda tract first describes the deadly sins of the enemy. A good example is the following passage published in INSPIRE, the online magazine of AQAP:
“Outrageous slander, blatant smearing of Muĥammad, desecration of the Qur’ān, and the insulting of over a billion Muslims worldwide are done under the pretext of “freedom of speech”. They are never called what they really are: a deeply rooted historic hatred for Islām and Muslims. Yesterday it was in the name of Christianity; today it is in the name of Democracy.”
Passages like the above one explain why fanatical followers of the mentioned terrorist organizations targeted the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a newspaper known for its satirical depictions of politics and religion. While Christians, too, have often been outraged about the treatment of their religion in the newspaper’s cartoons and stories, they did not go on a killing spree in the editorial offices like the angry jihadists. The latter, like their AQAP and ISIS masters, consider the civil liberties in democracies as a shield in the West’s alleged attacks on Islam. But as French President François Hollande said during his visit of the site of horror, the attack on Charlie Hebdo was an assault on freedom of the press. Just as the violence following the publishing of the Danish cartoons a decade ago were attacks on fundamental values and rights in Western democracies.
Recognizing that a large number of participants in terrorist plots are easier to detect and foiled by the enemy, AQAP and ISIS recommend attacks by “lone wolves” and tiny cells in the West to strike the infidels.This was summarized in the following appeal published in ISIS’s online magazine Dabiq:
“It is very important that attacks take place in every country that has entered into the alliance against the Islamic State, especially the US, UK, France, Australia, and Germany. Rather, the citizens of crusader nations should be targeted wherever they can be found…Every Muslim should get out of his house, find a crusader, and kill him. It is important that the killing becomes attributed to patrons of the Islamic State who have obeyed its leadership. This can easily be done with anonymity. Otherwise, crusader media makes such attacks appear to be random killings. Secrecy should be followed when planning and executing any attack. The smaller the numbers of those involved and the less the discussion beforehand, the more likely it will be carried out without problems. One should not complicate the attacks by involving other parties, purchasing complex materials, or communicating with weak-hearted individuals.”
Similarly, an Inspire article instructed,
“There are many Muslims [who] believe that in order to defend the ummah they need to travel and join the mujahidin elsewhere and they must train in their camps. But we tell the Muslims in America and Europe: There is a better choice and easier one to give support to your ummah. That is individual work inside the West…”
Often, these instructions note that the fewer people involved in a plot the smaller the risk of discovery by the authorities.
While Europe and especially France have been the preferred targets in the latest series of attacks, every Western country is well advised to heed these threats. As for the American homeland, it is noteworthy that whenever the jihadists enumerate their enemies, the U.S. is mentioned first.
In line with this post, it's worth reading President Bush's speech to the nation on September 20, 2001 to remind ourselves of the nature of the contest:
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html
"Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.
Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see right here in this chamber -- a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms -- our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other.
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These terrorists kill not merely to end lives, but to disrupt and end a way of life. With every atrocity, they hope that America grows fearful, retreating from the world and forsaking our friends. They stand against us, because we stand in their way.
We are not deceived by their pretenses to piety. We have seen their kind before. They are the heirs of all the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions -- by abandoning every value except the will to power -- they follow in the path of fascism, and Nazism, and totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way, to where it ends: in history's unmarked grave of discarded lies.
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This war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with a decisive liberation of territory and a swift conclusion. It will not look like the air war above Kosovo two years ago, where no ground troops were used and not a single American was lost in combat.
Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes, visible on TV, and covert operations, secret even in success. We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.
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These measures are essential. But the only way to defeat terrorism as a threat to our way of life is to stop it, eliminate it, and destroy it where it grows.
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This is not, however, just America's fight. And what is at stake is not just America's freedom. This is the world's fight. This is civilization's fight. This is the fight of all who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance and freedom."
Posted by: Eric | January 07, 2015 at 08:09 PM