Entries Tagged 'Western media' ↓

First, Thomas Hegghammer has written a very valuable article on the rise and fall of al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia (more properly, “al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula” or QAP).  Thomas’ study is valuable because he draws on a deep well of empirical research to challenge the three major explanatory models of Islamist militancy: ideological (as they believe, so shall they fight), structural (the system is pushing them to fight), or social movement (al-Qaeda is just the violent manifestation of a larger network of like-minded people).  Thomas argues instead that QAP’s material and human resources, organizational needs, and pan-Islamic orientation, coupled with the Saudi security environment in the early 2000s, were more determinative influences on the group’s behavior.  I’m interested to know what he makes of the latest round of militant activity and arrests in the kingdom.

Second, Steve Corman of the COMOPS Monitor has created a blog aggregation service for counterterrorism and public diplomacy.  It will be a one stop shop for CT reporting and analysis.  Membership is free and it has a voting feature (”flag it”), so the cream rises to the top.  This is going to save me a lot of mouse clicks.

Abu Qatada, one of the most influential Jihadi ideologues, has just been released on bail in the U.K.  The Jordanian cleric is an extremely unsavory character and played a huge role in the development of contemporary takfirism.  Still, it’s a little over the top for Steven Wright of The Mail to claim this:

Suspected Al Qaeda leader Abu Qatada is celebrating his release from prison with the release of a book in which he urges Muslims to commit terrorist attacks in the West.

Abu Qatada has not written any book in a long time, so Wright must be referring to one of the many translations of his works that circulate online.  And sure enough, if you scroll to the very bottom of Wright’s article, you’ll find that Abu Qatada has not released a book at all; rather, Tibyan (an anonymous group that translates Jihadi texts into English) has translated one of his old booklets and is posting it to the forums.

A new booklet titled The Media War on the People of Islam (حرب الإعلام على أهل الإسلام) has been released online. Part one deals with Western insults to the Prophet and efforts to demoralize Muslims. Part two covers terms that people in the media use to discredit Jihadis, like Kharijites, takfiris (”excommunicators”), and “terrorists.” Part three is on al-`Arabiyya and al-Jazeera.

media-war-on-the-people-of-islam (حرب الإعلام على أهل الإسلام)

Since the website is dedicated to monitoring the global Jihadi Movement, I thought it only fitting that the inaugural post feature Jihadis lampooning the practice.  Welcome to the hall of infinite mirrors that is Jihadi Studies.

4-15-08-ekhlaas-watching-the-watchers