The extremist ideology is in collapse

[igloo]

September 10, 2004, 10:00 a.m.

Jihad in Chaos

The extremist ideology is in collapse.

On this third anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, we have much more to be thankful for than some of our political leaders would have us believe. Islamist terrorism's global scourge has been unable to launch anything more than verbal tirades at America. And while the jihadists have won successes in lesser form — the train bombings in Spain that unseated a government, hostage-taking dramas in Iraq that forced minor players from the global antiterror team, and Iran's successful effort to sow divisiveness in the West about its nuclear ambitions while harboring much of al Qaeda's senior leadership — the fact remains that they have not been able to execute a spectacular strike in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Osama bin Laden's global vision — of jihadists crawling from the cracks in every enemy state to strike out at infidels with weapons of mass destruction — is drowning in a swamp of confusion among senior jihadists debating who to attack next, how to do it, and for whose benefit. In short, global jihad has turned on itself, and is being destroyed from within — one botched and more wretched attack at a time.

This is largely a function of the sacrifices made by our fallen heroes — the men and women of the U.S. armed forces, and their Coalition colleagues — in the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Their courage and valor in conflict zones has battered the very thesis — that the enemy is too corrupt of mind, too decadent in spirit, and too weak of body to sustain the battle to victory — on which bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, have sent thousands of "martyrs" to their deaths.

Zawahiri's appearance on al Jazeera this week to once again threaten the U.S. was particularly poignant, since it was the Egyptian physician who, in his infinite wisdom, wrote in 2001 prior to the September 11 attacks that if the "jihadist vanguard" improperly executed its plans to spread Islam's words by force, the movement would become isolated and separated from the Muslim masses. He was right, and is now desperately trying to rekindle the unified spirit al Qaeda had achieved prior to the 9/11 attacks.

Zawahiri went so far, at that time in 2001, to set forth the thesis of "shock-and-awe" terrorism as a way to galvanize the Muslim masses against the infidels and win the hearts and minds of the feeble in the Muslim world. And so it was that he conceived the attacks of September 11. Galvanize he did, but the wrong masses. And now global jihad is showing real signs of coming apart.

Just look at recent terrorist acts to see how desperate the jihadists have become to regain their footing among Islam's increasingly skeptical masses. The most informative example is what happened in Russia last week.

The massacre of innocent children at Beslan, where terrorists turned guns on each other to coerce obedience to the plan, demonstrated the very failure of extremist Islam's ideology to inspire — and how the hideousness of their actions could sow doubt in even the most criminally hardened minds. When even the terrorists are at a loss to see how killing over 150 schoolchildren can help their cause, you know they have a problem. Most Chechens have now turned away from the very radicals who seek to free them because they see the horrific lengths to which the extremists will go, and realize that they too could be the targets of the assassins.

Like him or not, Vladimir Putin's resolve to stare down Beslan's terrorists — about whom he understood nothing — will (if by accident) be seen one day as a turning point in the war against extremism, because the depravity of Beslan's architects has turned the silent majority in the Muslim world on its ear. Editors, political leaders, and mullahs from Jeddah to Istanbul to Jakarta are decrying the insanity of the Beslan murders. And they are beginning to realize that always blaming others for their woes won't help elevate their disaffected people or spread the word of their failed vision any faster or better.

We Muslims (I am an American whose faith remains that of the humane and dignified Islam) have no legs to stand on anymore when those who proclaim our religion are willing to put a gun to a child's head, pull the trigger, and call it an act of martyrdom. Islam no longer carries a message of hope, only the indelible impressions of cruelty. Its purveyors are bankrupt of ideas that inspire, and have failed in an ideology that in its very heart today has become hypocritical. To top it all off, America's Muslims — whose freedom to craft and convey an opposition to the terrorist cancer is protected by the very people those terrorists seek to destroy, sit silent — stone cold silent.

Islam's "vanguard," as Zawahiri called it, has an opportunity to redefine the message and turn away from the extremists. America will win the war against extremism because America's values are righteous, and because God, whatever you conceive Him to be, is at our side. But Islam will surely lose its credibility as a great religion if its benefactors don't stand now and drive the final nail into the coffin of the terrorists who have hijacked a noble faith.

The terrorists have turned on themselves because they have no morality and no code. Let's now finish the job and rise up against them en masse with ideas that reflect human values, not just Islamic values: to mobilize the Muslim masses against their own extremist creed for the good of humanity. To do otherwise is to show the ultimate disrespect for our fallen heroes, both here in America and now in the fields of Beslan, where the innocence of our children was lost as well.

— Mansoor Ijaz negotiated Sudan's offer to share intelligence data on Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda with the Clinton administration in April 1997, and jointly authored the cease-fire plan for Kashmir in 2000. He is chairman of Crescent Investment Management in New York.

[obby]

This is largely a function of the sacrifices made by our fallen heroes — the men and women of the U.S. armed forces, and their Coalition colleagues — in the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.

God bless our troops and Coalition forces.

[igloo]

God bless our troops and Coalition forces.

Amen to that

[mursa]

..i hope that would be the case , but unfortunatly Anti-american sentiment has never been stronger around the world , therefore extremist ideology is on the up aswell ...doesn't take a genious to make that assumption .

1+1= 2 right ?

[italia23]

..i hope that would be the case , but unfortunatly Anti-american sentiment has never been stronger around the world , therefore extremist ideology is on the up aswell ...doesn't take a genious to make that assumption .

1+1= 2 right ?

anyone who has terrorist ambitions against the United States has always had them, regardless of the current U.S. activity in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[igloo]

anyone who has terrorist ambitions against the United States has always had them, regardless of the current U.S. activity in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is amazing that peope can't understand that or pretend that this is a probelem that simply "came up" once Bush took office. A section from an article I posed before;

The last three decades have taught Americans that extending aid or help to the Islamic world is almost as bad as warring with it, inasmuch as the Middle East apparently admires strength of any sort but despises magnanimity as decadence. Here at home there will always be a retired Clintonian diplomat or Council on Foreign Relations grandee to assure us that "the Bush foreign policy" is what stirred up the previously sober Middle East or alienated those once courageous French and Germans — as if the last decade did not lead logically to September 11.

[obby]

It is amazing that peope can't understand that or pretend that this is a probelem that simply "came up" once Bush took office.

Amazing is a good word but it can also be described as a "lack of knowledge"

[igloo]

Amazing is a good word but it can also be described as a "lack of knowledge"

so true

[babbo]

..i hope that would be the case , but unfortunatly Anti-american sentiment has never been stronger around the world , therefore extremist ideology is on the up aswell ...doesn't take a genious to make that assumption .

1+1= 2 right ?

[/QUOT

extremeism in the defense of liberty...is no vice- barry goldwater!!!

[babbo]

..i hope that would be the case , but unfortunatly Anti-american sentiment has never been stronger around the world , therefore extremist ideology is on the up aswell ...doesn't take a genious to make that assumption .

1+1= 2 right ?

[/QUOT

extremeism in the defense of liberty...is no vice- barry goldwater!!!

lets embrace the moderate arab muslim voices- and obliterate the terrorists

[mursa]

anyone who has terrorist ambitions against the United States has always had them, regardless of the current U.S. activity in Iraq and Afghanistan.

that doesn't take away the fact that presently there are more people who dislike us than for example ...in 1994 .

No arguing that . nuff said .

[mursa]

anyone who has terrorist ambitions against the United States has always had them, regardless of the current U.S. activity in Iraq and Afghanistan.

that doesn't take away the fact that presently there are more people who dislike us than for example ...in 1994 .

No arguing that . nuff said .

[mursa]

Amazing is a good word but it can also be described as a "lack of knowledge"

Have I ever told you how much of a Amazing sheep you are ?

[italia23]

that doesn't take away the fact that presently there are more people who dislike us than for example ...in 1994 .

No arguing that . nuff said .

If you have no plans of harming American citizens, then you can think what you want to think. I don't care if you dislike my country, chances are I don't like yours. Geo-political images and opinions are constantly changing. They always have, always will.

[fliptoniaaa]

anyone who has terrorist ambitions against the United States has always had them, regardless of the current U.S. activity in Iraq and Afghanistan.

this is correct....but anti american sentiment is on the rise reguardless of that.....people only choose to see what they want to believe in!!!!!!!!!! what inspires them!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to make them feel more safe within their own skin....but doesnt mena they are right or wrong, on either side!!!!!!!!!!

when will we start teaching world community over country!?!?!?!?!?!?!??! my guess is never.....so as ive said countless times.....humans have made their bed...now they must wait the course and lie in it till we go to sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so enjoy it while u can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mursa]

If you have no plans of harming American citizens, then you can think what you want to think. I don't care if you dislike my country, chances are I don't like yours. Geo-political images and opinions are constantly changing. They always have, always will.

Say whatever you want , but the truth of the matter is that ANY RIGHT MINDED AMERICAN would perfer to have world opinion/support on their side ...

(Do you perfer to be admired/liked or hated ??? )

..

...but unfortunatly it's presidents like this which "polarizes " it's own population and at the same time pisses off the rest of the world .

[babbo]

Say whatever you want , but the truth of the matter is that ANY RIGHT MINDED AMERICAN would perfer to have world opinion/support on their side ...

(Do you perfer to be admired/liked or hated ??? )

..

...but unfortunatly it's presidents like this which "polarizes " it's own population and at the same time pisses off the rest of the world .

to be admired, or liked, not important right now- whats important right now- is to defend the usa and its allies. world opinion doesnt mean squat when a bomb goes off in an israeli bus, or a nyc office building, or a russian school- where kids are murdered. if world opinion means so much...where was worl opinion when hitler waged war, and where is world opinon when the terrosrists murders pople..agasin, embrace moderate thinkers,obliterate the terrorists, and dam world opinion

[mursa]

to be admired, or liked, not important right now- whats important right now- is to defend the usa and its allies.

When you have countries that sympathize with you ,chances are they are gonna be more useful in combating world terror ......thats all im implying with the "world opinion" portion of my reply .

This president has missed the boat by disrespecting the UN .........big mistake .

[babbo]

When you have countries that sympathize with you ,chances are they are gonna be more useful in combating world terror ......thats all im implying with the "world opinion" portion of my reply .

This president has missed the boat by disrespecting the UN .........big mistake .

mistake- ok- i can agree with that- in the meantime fanatics wants all ' infidels" dead, now- the hell with world opinion- lets embrace moderates- and obliterated the fanatical murderers..I dont give a hoot about opinion when people are getting murdered every day

[igloo]

This president has missed the boat by disrespecting the UN .........big mistake .

....disrespecting the UN riiiiight.....just Bush, and Bush alone...it was something unique to Bush........what a clueless, blind, ignorant moron you are

[mursa]

....disrespecting the UN riiiiight.....just Bush, and Bush alone...it was something unique to Bush........what a clueless, blind, ignorant moron you are

Your an idiot by even trying to make that point ..

... Bush asked for the UN's hand to fight a now proven unjustified war (WHERE ARE THE WMDSSSSSSSSSSS !!!) and when they got the cold shoulder , quickly proceeded to point its middle finger at the UN . ... thats direspect .

Bush = bush administration ...dumbass

[babbo]

Your an idiot by even trying to make that point ..

... Bush asked for the UN's hand to fight a now proven unjustified war (WHERE ARE THE WMDSSSSSSSSSSS !!!) and when they got the cold shoulder , quickly proceeded to point its middle finger at the UN . ... thats direspect .

Bush = bush administration ...dumbass

you seem to be missiing the point, in all of these conversations- PEOPLE ARE MAKING PLANS TO KILL US- whether or not bush is 100% correct in iraq, or the UN--is a minor minor detail- there are people plotting our destruction all over the globe- wake up- you you seem to miss that point- or your appeasing it-

[igloo]

Your an idiot by even trying to make that point ..

... Bush asked for the UN's hand to fight a now proven unjustified war (WHERE ARE THE WMDSSSSSSSSSSS !!!) and when they got the cold shoulder , quickly proceeded to point its middle finger at the UN . ... thats direspect .

Bush = bush administration ...dumbass

CLUELESS

[jtk4]

you seem to be missiing the point, in all of these conversations- PEOPLE ARE MAKING PLANS TO KILL US- whether or not bush is 100% correct in iraq, or the UN--is a minor minor detail- there are people plotting our destruction all over the globe- wake up- you you seem to miss that point- or your appeasing it-

by going to iraq and not using the troops for a better reason then bad intelligence and not having a plan in place so that our troops are not being used to combat terrorism. Right now they are just being police and baby sitters. They could be used to hunt down terrorists in afghanistan or southeast asia, or russia. That is not a minor detail.

[babbo]

by going to iraq and not using the troops for a better reason then bad intelligence and not having a plan in place so that our troops are not being used to combat terrorism. Right now they are just being police and baby sitters. They could be used to hunt down terrorists in afghanistan or southeast asia, or russia. That is not a minor detail.

my opinion- troops shouldnt be in iraq at all- we should have only deployed heavy artillery- or better- had hussein assisnated from the beginning- agreed- manpower better used in other places- agreed