US Terror Threat: Britain Turning 'Blind Eye' to Extremists, Warn American Analysts

American security and political experts are warning that jihadists
in Iraq and Syria will return to Europe with their newly-acquired
terror training

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain has been too relaxed about the threat to transatlantic flights from Islamist terrorists, a series of America-based security experts, political analysts and academics warn

The threat by terrorists to blow up airliners travelling to the United States has been ignored for too long by Britain, a series of American-based analysts have said.

American officials on Wednesday publicly demanded enhanced security for airports in Europe and the Middle East which have direct flights to the US. They did not say whether they had intelligence about a specific plot, but their actions suggested alarm, and a Homeland Security Department official said the request was "based on real-time intelligence".

On Friday, France announced that it was stepping up security checks at its airports, in response to the US warning.

But many American security and political experts said that Britain had turned a blind eye to the threat for too long.

"British governments have allowed indoctrination centres in mosques and cultural centres, they have turned a blind eye to recruitment operations and they have asserted the rights of those who want to impose sharia rule in their own areas," said Frank Gaffney, former assistant secretary of defence under President Ronald Reagan.

"They have embraced extremists who are just as determined to overthrow us by professed peaceful means as violent jihadists.

"This has inexorably led to a situation where any good jihadist calculates that it is time to wage violent struggle." » | Philip Sherwell, New York, David Millward in Maine and Harriet Alexander | Friday, July 04, 2014

From Prison to Jihad: Islamists Seek Supporters among German Inmates

Muslim prison chaplain Husamuddin Meyer
visits a jail in Wiesbaden, Germany, several
times a week as he attempts to connect with
prisoners and prevent them from adopting more
extremist forms of Islam, like Salafism.

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Radical Islamists have found a new place for recruiting fresh followers: German prisons. In some jails, Muslim chaplains are successfully promoting a more moderate approach to the faith, but many more of them are needed.

The evening sun shines through the barred windows onto the 18 men. They're wearing ruby-colored T-shirts and black pants. Some nudge each other's shoulders out of sheer boredom, while others linger in groups at the corner of the sparse room. The men speak Turkish, Arabic and German. One keeps glancing out the window into the prison yard.

A man with a full beard and violet-colored turban strides before the prisoners, his colorfully striped linen robe flowing behind him. Husamuddin Meyer rolls out his prayer rug and begins to pray. Swaying back and forth, he seems almost to be singing the Arabic verses.

The men stand silently in two rows in front of Meyer, backs straight and eyes staring straight ahead. They then kneel, lowering their heads until their foreheads touch the ground. They repeat this four to five times before chanting, "Allahu akbar," God is great. Meyer gestures with his hand and the prisoners form a semi-circle around him to listen to him telling a story from the Koran. Nobody interrupts.

Meyer is a Muslim chaplain; he wears a beard, a turban and a ring on his finger as prescribed by the Sunna. He also walks with a wooden cane, whose thud announces his arrival when he swiftly makes his way through the prison corridors. He visits the correctional facility in the central German city of Wiesbaden three times each week, where he prays together with Muslim prisoners and provides them with religious counseling.

Meyer is hoping to show the prisoners the path to Allah. More importantly, though, he is seeking to sway the faithful away from more radical interpretations of the Koran. He warns in particular against Salafism, the fundamentalist stream of Islam that is currently enjoying growing popularity among young men. When he discusses the issue, his generally pleasant voice suddenly hardens. "Salafism is like a disease," Meyer says. "Once somebody has it, they start infecting others." » | Lisa Schnell | Wednesday, July 02, 2014

Jihad 2.0

Read The Dish article here

Malaysian Muslim Groups Call for Jihad on Cadbury after Pork Traces Found in Chocolate

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Islamic groups angry at Cadbury Malaysia after two batches found to contain pork DNA

Muslim groups are calling for a boycott of Cadbury after two of its products sold in predominately Islamic Malaysia were found to contain traces of pork.

The discovery was made during a periodic check for non-halal ingredients in food products by the country's Ministry of Health, which confirmed porcine DNA traces in bars of Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut and Cadbury Dairy Milk Roast Almond.

Cadbury Malaysia, like most food makers in the country where Muslims make up more than 60 per cent of the population, has all of its products certified halal to conform with Islam's dietary restrictions, one of which is a prohibition on pork. » | Josie Ensor | Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Panorama: From Jail to Jihad

The current affairs programme investigates the radicalisation of some Muslims within the prison system, as Raphael Rowe interviews extremists about their experiences inside.
Watch the programme here | Monday, May 12, 2014

Jihad: British Fighters in Syria Urge Others to Join Them

THE INDEPENDENT: Rebel group Isis have released a video urging British citizens' participation

A British citizen fighting with an extremist rebel group in Syria has issued a call for others to join the country’s civil war.

In a video posted online, a masked man speaking in a London accent says that “the doors of jihad are still open,” and claims that he has helped three other Brits make the journey to Syria.

The man is believed to be a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) – an extremist Islamist rebel group formerly affiliated with al-Qa’ida and similar in ideology. He has appeared in several other videos uploaded by a group called Rayat al-Tawheed, which claims to be the distributor of English-language materials for Isis.

The plea from the rebel fighter comes as UK authorities are becoming increasingly concerned at the number of British citizens travelling to Syria to join extremist groups in the three year old civil war. British and other non-Syrians travelling to Syria tend to gravitate towards al-Qa’ida-type groups that espouse global jihad. » | Richard Hall | Thursday, March 20, 2014

Terrorist Group Releases British 'Suicide Bomber' Martyrdom Video

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Abdul Waheed Majeed smiles and poses for the camera with fellow fighters minutes before he carries out what is believed to be the first suicide attack by a Briton in Syria

Looking calm and relaxed, it is hard to believe these are the last moments of Abdul Waheed Majeed's life.

The jihadist, thought to be the first British citizen to carry out a suicide attack in Syria, poses for the camera with his hands nonchalantly in his pockets, dressed in a white Muslim robe and black scarf on his head bearing the insignia of an extremist Islamist group.

Minutes later he would drive a truck laden with explosives into the gates of a nearby prison, killing himself and scores others.

Today, Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda-aligned group to which he belonged, released a 46-minute "martyrdom" video showing the moments leading up to his death.

Standing next to the truck he would use in his mission, he is approached by the cameraman and asked in Arabic to say some final words. Majeed appears not to understand and a third voice interrupts to explain that he speaks English. (+ Telegraph video) » | Josie Ensor | Friday, February 14, 2014

Syrian Spillover: Deadly Violence in Lebanon as 'Al-Qaeda Ideology Spreads'

Humanitarian agencies are evacuating people from the besieged Syrian city of Homs as a ceasefire between the government and opposition is extended for another three days. Peace talks resumed in Geneva this week to try and end the war that's plunged the region into chaos. And neighbouring Lebanon is one of the countries worst affected, with not only the deadly violence, but also a radical ideology that's spilling over the border. RT's Maria Finoshina reports on the shocking revelations on who's joining the rebels from across the Syrian border.

Syria: Western Recruits Turning to Islamic Terrorism

The Syrian government has confirmed its participation in the next round of Geneva peace talks, that are set to take place on Monday. Meanwhile radical factions are believed to be gaining momentum in the war. Islamists are thought to have recruited tens of thousands of foreigners, which, potentially cause an intelligence headache in their homelands. Tesa Arcilla reports.

Syria Becoming Magnet for Young French Muslims

U-T SAN DIEGO: PARIS (AP) — Two high school classmates, both French Muslims, headed off to Syria this month instead of going to school. They were located, brought home — one fetched by his father — and are now being investigated on terrorism-linked charges.

The unfolding drama of the teenagers, aged 15 and 16, highlights how Syria has become a magnet for a vulnerable fringe of young Muslims in the West. It is among a small wave of cases that are putting French authorities, and some families, on edge.

The bloody three-year-old conflict in Syria has drawn thousands of Muslims to join the ranks of battalions trying to topple the regime or other fighting groups looking to conquer the region in the name of Islam.

French authorities say that more than 600 French have gone to Syria, are plotting to go or have returned, and more than 20 French have been killed in fighting. As of mid-January, a dozen French adolescents were in Syria or in transit, according to authorities. » | Elaine Ganley | Associated Press | Saturday, February 01, 2014

Salafist ruft Muslime in Deutschland zum Jihad auf

Euro-Jihad? Radicalised EU Citizens Raise Terror Spectre on Home Front

There are real fears that terrorists cutting their teeth in Syria could spread across the EU. Europeans make up a big chunk of the 17 thousand foreign jihadists thought to be in the war-torn country. The biggest European contributor is France. As many as 700 of its nationals could be in Syria right now. Belgium and the UK are also in the top three. The worry is what happens when they return home. RT's Sara Firth caught up with one British citizen, who lost his brother to a war thousands of miles from home.

'Living Suicide Bomb' Rejoins Al-Qaida after Saudi Deprogramming

Ahmed Al-Shayea was known as the "living suicide bomb"

THE OBSERVER: Ahmed al-Shayea's return to arms along with other jihadis raises questions over Saudi Arabia's de-radicalisation initiative

Ahmed al-Shayea was known as the "living suicide bomb" – the young Saudi driver of a fuel tanker bomb in Iraq who survived to renounce violence and warn his countrymen of the dangers of jihad.

In the process he became Saudi Arabia's poster boy for a high-profile jihadi de-programming initiative whose secondary purpose is to discourage Saudis from joining al-Qaida.

With his burned face and mangled hands, Shayea was presented as a vivid warning to young Saudis about the perils of jihad and the untrustworthiness of al-Qaida, which he claimed had tricked him into driving the tanker bomb, which killed 12 people in 2004.

That was until November. Then Shayea disappeared from Saudi Arabia, only to reappear reportedly in Syria where – his Twitter feed reveals – he has rejoined the ranks of an al-Qaida franchise, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is engaged in a civil war with other rebels fighting the Assad regime.

The case of Shayea raises questions about the effectiveness of the jihadi de-programming efforts, including the well-known Saudi model, which has boasted of rehabilitating and releasing several thousand former jihadis, including some returned by the US. » | Peter Beaumont | Saturday, January 18, 2014

Anjem Choudary's Daughter Urges Jihad on Twitter

MIRROR: The teenager, who used the name Hediyag Bint Anjem, echoed many of the radical views spouted by her father before her account was deleted

The 16-year-old daughter of radical preacher Anjem Choudary has been using Twitter to urge fanatics to wage holy war in Syria.

Hediyah Mehraj tweeted: “The ultimate way to help Syria is not Muslim aid or temporary convoys, rather it is to take authority via Jihad and implement Allah’s law.”

The teenager, who used the name Hediyag Bint Anjem, echoed many of the radical views spouted by her father before her account was deleted.

The former head of the banned extremist group Al-Muhajiroun and spokesman for Islam4UK has repeatedly made incendiary speeches.

He has praised the terrorists behind the 9/11 attacks and London bombings and said murdered soldier Lee Rigby would “burn in hellfire” . » | Nick Owens | Sunday, September 22, 2013

Californian Muslim Goes to Syria to Wage Jihad

HT: Robert @ Jihad Watch

Op-Ed: Western Christians Are Out Fighting en Masse for Islam

ARUTZ SHEVA: For these converts to Islam, there is only Jihad, the war for heaven and for hell.

The latest video of Jihadist propaganda from Syria shows the black flag proclaiming allegiance to Allah and a man who calls himself Abu Abd Al-Rahman.

"I am French," he says. His parents were baptised as Catholics - as was he - and they know him as Nicolas. He is a 30-year-old convert from a middle-class background in Toulouse, where four Jews were gunned down last year. His mother works for the French army. In the the video, Nicolas appears in military fatigues, a Kalashnikov rifle across his legs.

French intelligence believes there are 220 Frenchmen who have gone to fight in Syria so far. 40 of them are Christian converts. The estimates of Westerners fighting in Syria range from 600 to 1,000 fighters. The vast majority are "white converts to Islam" or "naturalized immigrants with a Muslim background".

His name was Ibrahim Giuliano Delnevo. He was a regular guy from Genoa, Italy's biggest sea industrial location. Raised as a Catholic, Giuliano converted to Islam and was killed as a "martyr" in Syria. He was fighting with the jihadists against Bashar el Assad's secular regime. » | Giulio Meotti* | Wednesday, August 28, 2013

* The writer, an Italian journalist with Il Foglio, writes a twice-weekly column for Arutz Sheva. He is the author of the book "A New Shoah", that researched the personal stories of Israel's terror victims, published by Encounter. His writing has appeared in publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, Frontpage and Commentary. He is at work on a book about the Vatican and Israel.

'I Am the Shooter': US Army Major Nidal Hasan Declares as He Faces Court Martial over Fort Hood Massacre

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A US army major and self-styled "soldier of Allah" admitted gunning down 13 of his comrades in cold blood on Tuesday, calmly telling their families that "war is an ugly thing" as he finally stood trial over the Fort Hood massacre.

Nidal Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, declared: "I am the shooter" after being accused of trying to "kill as many soldiers as he could" during a shooting rampage at the military base in Texas four years ago.

In an extraordinary scene, Hasan, who is acting as his own defence lawyer, told the hearing that he had "switched sides" and was now a "Mujahideen" waging a holy war against America.

The bearded defendant, who is in a wheelchair and paralysed from the waist down after being shot at the end of his rampage, addressed the small wood-paneled court room at Fort Hood Texas, in a soft, controlled, and accentless voice.

In a statement lasting barely a minute he said: "Panel members, Good morning. On the morning of Nov 5, 2009, 13 US soldiers were killed and many more injured. The evidence will clearly show that I am the shooter.

"The bodies found that day show that war is an ugly thing. Death, destruction and devastation are felt from both sides, from friend and foe.

"The evidence will show I was on the wrong side. The evidence will also show that I then switched sides. The evidence will show we Mujahideen are imperfect soldiers trying to establish a perfect religion in the land of the supreme God.

"I apologise for any mistakes in this endeavour." » | Nick Allen, Fort Hood, Texas | Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Joining Jihad: Self-radicalized EU Youths Flood Syria's Frontlines

Syria could see the influx of European weaponry, that's if EU leaders make a decision on supplying lethal aid to rebel fighters. Thursday is an unofficial deadline for a decision to be made it was set in May and lobbied for by the UK and France.However since then EU ministers seem to have had a change of heart concerned by a surge of foreigners now fighting in the country. RT talked to Dimitri Bontinck, whose son went to Syria to join jihadist forces.

Caucasus Report: Syrian Fighters Tell North Caucasus Muslims 'Wage Jihad at Home!'

RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY: In a short video address dated July 30, a group of Syrian fighters has appealed to Muslims in the North Caucasus to wage jihad in Russia rather than travel to Syria to participate in the fighting there. Specifically, they refer to the recent appeal by self-styled Caucasus Emirate leader Doku Umarov to prevent the holding of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in February 2014.

The address is delivered by a wheelchair-bound fighter identified as Salakhuddin who appears to have lost both legs. He is surrounded by seven masked fighters armed with heavy machine guns and grenade launchers.

Speaking in accented Russian, Salakhuddin begins by conveying Ramadan greetings to Muslims across Russia, and specifically to Umarov, whom he refers to as “our amir.” (He is wearing a black T-shirt bearing the slogan "Caucasus Emirate.")

Salakhuddin says there has been a “huge influx of volunteers” from the North Caucasus to join the armed opposition in Syria. He attributes that wave of volunteers to a widely held belief that "Syria is where you go to join the jihad."

Salakhuddin says it is understandable that Muslims from those areas of Russia where there is no jihad underway should share that belief, but that Muslims in the North Caucasus have an obligation to remain at home and fight there, even though conditions are far more difficult in terms of weaponry, support, and the possibility of withdrawing from the front to the rear. He cites a sura from the Koran in support of that argument. » | Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Italy: "Fighting in the Name of Allah"

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: According to Italian law enforcement officials, some of the Italian jihadists have links with a Belgian Salafist group, "Sharia4Belgium," and are actively seeking to recruit fellow Muslims to overthrow the democratic order in Italy.

Italian counter-terrorism authorities are monitoring several dozen Italian Muslims who have obtained combat experience in Syria and are now promoting jihad, or holy war, in Italy.

Somewhere between 45 and 50 Italian citizens -- mostly Muslim immigrants from North Africa, but also some Italian converts to Islam -- have been to Syria at least once to fight alongside rebel forces seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Many of these individuals, including several women, have returned to Italy and are using the Internet to spread jihadist propaganda and to communicate with other Islamic radicals.

Some of the Italian jihadists have links with a Belgian Salafist group, "Sharia4Belgium," and are actively seeking to recruit fellow Muslims to overthrow the democratic order in Italy, according to Italian law enforcement officials.

The revelations were made after a 24-year-old convert to Islam, Giuliano Ibrahim Delnevo, became the first Italian to die in Syria. Delnevo, who was raised in a Roman Catholic home in the northern Italian port city of Genoa, converted to Islam at the age of 20 after meeting a woman during a visit to Morocco.

In an interview with the daily newspaper Il Giornale, the director of Italy's Security Intelligence Department (DIS), Giampiero Massolo, said that Delnevo became increasingly radicalized due to exposure to Islamic propaganda on the Internet. » | Soeren Kern | Tuesday, July 09, 2013