Informed Comment
I heard Michael Scheuer, the former CIA Bin Laden analyst, a couple of times this morning, once on NPR's Morning Edition and once on the Diane Rehm show. I thought his comments compelling.
He found the statement issued by a "secret jihad" web site similar in form and content to typical al-Qaeda communiques, including the threats against other countries (Italy and Denmark). He was sure this was an al-Qaeda operation. He noted that Bin Laden had called off any ceasefire and had several times threatened to hit the United Kingdom.
[...]
Scheuer believes that al-Qaeda is an insurgent ideology focused on destroying the United States and its allies, because its members believe that the US is trying to destroy them. Al-Qaeda members see the Israeli occupation and oppression of the Palestinians, backed by the US; US support for military regimes like those of Pakistan and Egypt; and US military occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq as evidence of a US onslaught on Islam and Muslims aimed at reducing them to neo-colonial slavery. That is, specific Western policies are the focus of al-Qaeda response, not a generalized "hatred" of "values."
In the past I've talked about the long-term dream for an Islamic empire by Al Qaeda and Arab nationalists have had a wish for Arab unity, even a supercountry for a long time. I suspect the central core of leadership hopes to see a worldwide caliphate, but the average Jihadi recruit feels like neo-colonial slave and will do anything to strike back at America.
One point I haven't heard so far: The trial of Abu Hamza Misri began a couple of days ago, and I suspect has something to do with all this.
It's very interesting that mainstream media hasn't picked this tid-bit up. It seems an obvious association and has received good coverage in Britain:
Newsday.com
He faces trial on 15 counts, including nine of soliciting the murder of others, "namely a person or persons who did not believe in the Islamic faith." Three of the charges add: "in particular Jewish people." He also faces four counts of using threatening or abusive language designed to stir racial hatred, one count of possessing threatening or abusive recordings and one count of possessing a document likely to be useful in terrorism -- the "Encyclopedia of the Afghani Jihad." Al-Masri pleaded innocent to all charges at a hearing in January.
"From my point of view and Abu Hamza's point of view, we don't see Muslims as terrorists, we see the Western governments as the real terrorists," al-Masri's spokesman, Abu Abdullah, said in a telephone interview.
British prosecutors charged al-Masri on Oct. 19, pre-empting a U.S. bid to extradite him on terrorism-related charges. His extradition hearing had been due to start the same day. Under British law the domestic charges, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, take precedence over the extradition case. The United States plans to resume extradition proceedings once he is convicted or cleared of the British charges.
Al-Masri, 47, is former head preacher at London's Finsbury Park mosque, which has been linked to terrorist suspects including alleged Sept. 11, 2001, plotter Zacarias Moussaoui and "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.
The Egyptian-born cleric -- who has one eye and hooks for hands, which he says were lost fighting Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s -- has called the Sept. 11 attacks a Jewish plot and the invasion of Iraq a war on Islam. He denies involvement in violence and says he is only a spokesman for political causes.
This guy is not friendly and has a pretty well documented connection to Al Qaeda.
Juan Cole made a statement that surprised me and I find myself in the unusual position of disagreeing with him. Scheurer has a viewpoint that the US needs to have a active counter-terrorism (I presume, not counter-insurgency) effort.
Scheuer opposes any attempt to configure the struggle against al-Qaeda as simple crime-fighting. He believes that they must be addressed through a thorough-going counter-insurgency effort. All of this seemed sensible to me, and more sensible than most other analysts I heard.
I find it hard to believe Cole would openly support a position that the The Boston Phoenix describes as advocating a slash and burn approach to counter-terror:
...a military campaign that includes "killing in large numbers" and "a Sherman-like razing of infrastructure" as part of "relentless, brutal and blood-soaked defensive military action until we have annihilated the Islamists who threaten us."
Juan, did you miss this little detail? Or are you joining the Crusaders?
Newsday.com
Trial for Radical Cleric Opens in U.K.
By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press Writer
July 5, 2005, 6:45 PM EDT
LONDON -- Neatly shorn and bespectacled, Britain's best-known Islamic radical appeared in court Tuesday, charged with encouraging the murder of Jews and other non-Muslims.
The fiery cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri sat uncharacteristically silent in the dock at the Old Bailey as lawyers outlined legal arguments ahead of his jury trial.
Tuesday had been set for the trial's beginning, but the first session was taken up with legal arguments, which are expected to continue all week. Court orders forbid any reporting of the arguments, which take place without a jury present.
Wearing a blue smock with hair gray hair and beard trimmed, al-Masri was surrounded by four guards in the dock of the wood-panelled courtroom.
He faces trial on 15 counts, including nine of soliciting the murder of others, "namely a person or persons who did not believe in the Islamic faith." Three of the charges add: "in particular Jewish people."
He also faces four counts of using threatening or abusive language designed to stir racial hatred, one count of possessing threatening or abusive recordings and one count of possessing a document likely to be useful in terrorism -- the "Encyclopedia of the Afghani Jihad."
Al-Masri pleaded innocent to all charges at a hearing in January.
"From my point of view and Abu Hamza's point of view, we don't see Muslims as terrorists, we see the Western governments as the real terrorists," al-Masri's spokesman, Abu Abdullah, said in a telephone interview.
British prosecutors charged al-Masri on Oct. 19, pre-empting a U.S. bid to extradite him on terrorism-related charges. His extradition hearing had been due to start the same day.
Under British law the domestic charges, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, take precedence over the extradition case. The United States plans to resume extradition proceedings once he is convicted or cleared of the British charges.
Al-Masri, 47, is former head preacher at London's Finsbury Park mosque, which has been linked to terrorist suspects including alleged Sept. 11, 2001, plotter Zacarias Moussaoui and "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.
The Egyptian-born cleric -- who has one eye and hooks for hands, which he says were lost fighting Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s -- has called the Sept. 11 attacks a Jewish plot and the invasion of Iraq a war on Islam. He denies involvement in violence and says he is only a spokesman for political causes.
Al-Masri is fighting the government's 2003 decision to strip him of his British citizenship. He also is wanted in Yemen on charges of hostage-taking and conspiracy in connection with a December 1998 incident that left four tourists dead.
* __
Associated Press Writer Thomas Wagner in London contributed to this report.
Copyright 2005 Newsday Inc.
1 comment:
Dear Dave:
No, I mean counter-insurgency, and when you do counter-insurgency you have to do the political side. That's the point Scheuer is making. It is code for knocking the Israelis' and Palestinians' heads together and getting a settlement; for scaring some sense into the Shiites and the Kurds in Iraq to stop marginalizing the Sunnis, etc.
cheers Juan
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