Posted on 12/11/2004 2:57:31 AM PST by Straight Vermonter
Recent statement by the departing Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge that a profile of a terrorist must be described in a different way is an encouraging sign. Ridge said that al-Qaeda is actively recruiting terrorists among the white race: Bosnians, Chechens and among the Muslims integrated in the Western society, in particular, women. The new profile of a terrorist - the white al-Qaeda - removes another constraint in the battle against the islamic terrorism that has become a world struggle.
The bad part of the Ridge's statement, however, is that it has come relatively late, and that it is partially true.
The proof that Ridge's statement is true could have been heard immediately after 9/11. For example, immediately after the hit on the World Trade Center, I was summoned by a Belgrade TV Politika where I alluded that the central threat to the West may not come from al-Qaeda members recruited from Arab countries or Asia, but from the members and sympathizers of these terrorists mingling among the white races of Europe. The rationale is simple: since the al-Qaeda attacks on US will not end, and all Middle Eastern visitors to the US will immediately become suspects, terrorists need killers that will go unnoticed by the authorities and, increasingly, the suspecting public.
Since the middle eastern racial type is unique, and despite all efforts by the US government to respect all racial types, whether they like it or not, this racial type will be profiled. Precisely because of this, al-Qaeda has decided to recruit its terrorist killers among muslims that have a racial blend in a western society and a large pool of this racial type is found in the Balkans among Albanians and Bosnian Muslims.
Also important is that the 9/11 attack should be understood as the Islamists do: that it was a prelude designed to test al-Qaeda's possibilities and explore American vulnerabilities that are to be used in the final assault. Al-Qaeda wants the final assault to inflict a mortal blow to America or inflict sufficiently large damage so that US would become a desert that will never be able to recover into an oasis of freedom.
If the aim is a mortal attack on the US, then acts of the 9/11 type seem to be important to the terrorists only as morale boosters for their allegiance. But to achieve destruction of America, islamic terrorists want to hit targets such as nuclear facilities or the stockpiles of the atomic weapons, or use the weapons of mass destruction that will kill all alive but keep the material wealth of the US which islamic terrorists covet.
In December 2003 I've also alluded to this nuclear and WMD threat on a Belgrade TV show, and unfortunately it seems not early enough: soon thereafter, the news came that at least 10 top secret disks pertaining to the US nuclear program have been stolen from the Nuclear Laboratory in Los Alamos. The more bizarre is that this was the second time that top secret nuclear files have been stolen from that laboratory.
The repeat of the theft would not have happened unless some serious security holes exist and not just as absence of sufficient security personnel but, more importantly, as a political refusal to look into the eyes of the truth. Because of this, there is a real possibility that the institutions such as the one in Los Alamos will become infiltration centers that will lead the terrorist activities in the US and the peoples best suited to infiltrate these institutions and destroy America from the inside are the "white al-Qaeda" found among the Muslims of the Balkans - most notably the Muslim Albanians and Bosnians. That is why al-Qaeda is actively recruiting among them.
Ridge has made a similar mistake by not including into the new terrorist profile the islamic Albanians, or more precisely, their organized political-criminal hybrid that dominates Europe and has recently dethroned the Italian Mafia in the US as the leading criminal enterprise. This failure may be a tragic result of the Balkan policies that US has had in the Balkans and it compounds the political and security mistakes that the ex-Yugoslav and now Serbian authorities are making.
In treatment of the islamic problem in the Balkans the accent of the problem was always shifted onto the Bosnian Muslims while, in the case of Albanians, the phenomena of islamic fanaticism was downplayed.
When analyzing the Albanian society, for example, the typical depiction is of a conglomeration of 3 religious groups, and that the Islamic one is made up of Sunnis and many other dervish sects among whom the Becktesh was the largest. The cliché was that Albanians have overcome all of their religious differences and achieved national unity so, the cliché goes, religion does not matter to the Albanians. Therefore, the impact of Islam on the politics of Albanians was neglected and with that the potential influence of the al-Qaeda type organizations was also neglected.
Many superficial elements did give this clichéd impression. Albania was ruled by an atheistic regime for 50 years and it was removed only recently with the fall of communism; all Albanian separatist groups that operated in the Balkans had a distinctly marxist outlook and were nostalgic of Albania that was stalinist at the time.
The clichéd political profile of Albanians in the Balkans suggested that the Albanians are secularized society with a negligible Islamic influence. Along with the neglect of the force of Islam among Albanians, whether deliberate or not but nevertheless a false religious picture was also portrayed of the Albanian population. For example, the much touted "Balkan expert" Stephen Schwartz recently made a claim that 15% of Albanians in Macedonia are Christian while a more realistic picture is a negligible decimal. Similarly, in Kosovo, claims are made that hundreds of thousands are Catholic when in fact the Kosovo Albanian Catholic congregation led by Bishop Mark Sopi is at 20,000 - just below two percent.
In addition to the overwhelming numbers and behind the surface of clichés attempting to whitewash the Islamic influence among Albanians are cultural practices that suggest a much more "Islamic" character of Albanians then Bosnian Muslims.
For example, even during the years of hyper-atheism of the communist Yugoslavia, Albanian recruits in the ex-Yugoslav army refused pork products at an overwhelmingly larger rate then did the Bosnian Muslims; Albanian soldiers demanded that the toilets be outfitted not with paper but water hoses; belief in djenet and huria (Islamic heaven's virgins) that are waiting for the devout ones is much more widespread among the Albanians then the Bosnian Muslims. What's more alarming is the spread of the Wahabism among the Albanians across Balkans. In fact, the most prominent Kosovo Albanian clergyman, Redzxep Boya, is a Wahabi schooled cleric and exerts tremendous influence on the political landscape of this province. In Albania itself, furthermore, Muslims are increasingly renouncing moderate Henif-Islam and flocking to the militant Wahabism.
The Wahabi Redzxep Boya was recently removed from the leadership position and along with these traditional Islamic practices of takhiyah that require a Muslim to deceive the infidel in order to bring victory to Islam; the upsurge in Islamic fanaticism among Albanians; sheer scale of population numbers; general cultural predisposition to the extreme Islamic practices, as well as the vast and brutal criminal network that stretches across the world... all represent a terrorist profile that should alarm the West and in particular, the US.
The profile should be even more alarming because the al-Qaeda has already established a good terrorist network among the Albanians in the Balkans. During the mandate of the post-communist President of Albania, Sali Berisha, al-Qaeda infiltrated that country with great deal of help from Berisha's chief of security (SHIK) Baskim Gazidede who may have organized bin-Laden's visit to Albania. Gazidede also organized the secret training camps for the Albanian gunmen, KLA, in Albania itself, Kosovo and Macedonia, and some of the financing for the camps came from al-Qaeda.
After the fall of the Berisha government, Gazidede allegedly flew to safety to Syria. Despite his departure and presence of the NATO troops in Albania and Kosovo, the goal of Islamic terrorists is unchanged for this region: to create a large, majority Albanian and Muslim state in the Balkans by annexing territories from Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Greece to Albania and to use that islamic state as a launching pad for destruction of the West.
With its support for the extreme islamic forces in the Balkans, the US has contributed greatly to the spread of terrorism and insecurity in the region. Extremists used this support very well and now are ready to repay it back to America and the payment may be too dangerous to collect.
By Marie-Louise Moller
BRUSSELS - NATO criticized Balkan countries on Thursday for not helping to bring indicted war criminals to justice and called on them to live up to their international obligations.
NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer also urged Kosovo Albanians to remain calm in the event that the United Nations war crimes tribunal decided to indict Kosovo's newly elected Prime Minister Rasmush Haradinaj for war crimes.
[ . . . ]
Last month, del Ponte said Serbia's lack of cooperation with The Hague was "the single most important obstacle" to the court completing its work, and singled out the Serb half of Bosnia for failing to arrest a single war crimes suspect.
[ . . . ]
Del Ponte is under pressure from the Security Council to wrap up all investigations by the end of 2004, finish all trials by 2008 and close down by the end of 2010.
She is considering whether to prosecute Haradinaj for war crimes committed during the 1998-99 Kosovo war, a move which western diplomats say could trigger unrest in the Serbian province, where the alliance has 17,500 troops.
Haradinaj is a former regional commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which fought Serbian troops, and is set to become prime minister under a coalition deal that parliament is expected to vote on this month after elections in October.
"There is an absolute need for Haradinaj and his followers to behave responsibly if he is indicted by the (tribunal)," NATO Secretary-General de Hoop Scheffer said.
NATO members have agreed to keep the present number of troops in Kosovo because of the level of tension there, he said.
28 October 2004
As this bitter and partisan election draws to a close, a new bombshell may spell trouble for Senator Kerry. Evidently, he has accepted campaign contributions from the chief fund-raiser for an Albanian terrorist organization known as the Kosovo Liberation Army [KLA, or UCK in Albania]. According to federal election records, Florin Krasniqi, a KLA fund-raiser who had raised over $30 million for the group, contributed $2,000 to the Kerry campaign this past July.
The KLA, whose main objective is to separate Kosovo from Serbia, reportedly has ties to the Iranian government and Osama bin Laden.
In 1999, the Washington Times obtained intelligence documents indicating that al-Qaida has trained and financially supported the KLA.
The Jerusalem Post offered further documentation in 1998, indicating that "Selected groups of Albanians were sent to Iran to study that country's version of militant Islam," and that "millions of dollars have been funneled through Bosnia and Albania to buy arms for the KLA. The money is raised from both Islamic governments and from Islamic communities in Western Europe, particularly Germany."
Kolo, you obviously don't know mark, who has been on these threads forever providing "objective" information in support of Balkan Muslims. He is not alone, as there are a couple of others -- one with a Greek mythological nome de plume who, I know, is more than partial when it comes to Allah. p My policy is simple: I do not negotiate with Muslims. This is not my idea, but theirs. Former Bosnian Muslim boss, Alija Izetbegovic, wrote in his Islamic Declaration "there can be neither peace nor coexistence between the Islamic faith and non-Islamic social and political institutions."
Mark, I believe that wholeheartedly. With people like that -- there is simply nothing to negotiate.
In 1912, the Serb army liberated Kosovo after nearly 500 years of Ottoman occupation. In post #35, Mark says that Serbs "invaded and took over" Kosovo. Truly "objective" and historically "accurate."
Mark you are peddling fraud. Kosovo belonged to Serbs when it was invaded and taken over by the Mohammedan hordes of the Ottoman Empire. In 1912 the Serbs took back what was theirs to begin with.
But to an unsuspecting reader, your "objective" accounts are easily mistaken for genuine rather than twisted truth that you offer.
btt
Albanians are essentially Mohammedans. 25% or so are Christian of the Albanian Orthodox church. (Which was John Belushi's heritage.) The Albanians who stole Kosovo were Muhammadans. Do you even know what Dar al Islam is? Because Kosovo now belongs to that realm of Islam. It used to a mostly Christian nation but the Islamic Jihad pushed them out slowly but surely, culminating with our bombardment of Serbia and Kosovo.
Now, Kosta--after 500 years since the last time the Serbs were in charge of Kosovo, you ought to be able to see why to someone living there in 1912 it did not look like liberation when the Serb military crossed the border and by force of arms established Serbian sovereignty over Kosovo and the people living there (OK--is that more objective and accurate than "invaded and took over"?).
"there can be neither peace nor coexistence between the Islamic faith and non-Islamic social and political institutions." .... With people like that -- there is simply nothing to negotiate.
OK, but he's Bosnian, he's dead, and he had nothing to do with the Albanian-Serb conflict in Kosovo.
Mark you are peddling fraud. Kosovo belonged to Serbs when it was invaded and taken over by the Mohammedan hordes of the Ottoman Empire. In 1912 the Serbs took back what was theirs to begin with.
I don't exactly know when irredentist claims to long-ago conquered lands expire, but I'd say it should be at some point under 500 years.
In any event, I understand the cultural importance of Kosovo to Serbia. What you have to confront is that it was the decidedly un-Christian and non-Democratic nature of Serb rule in recent years over the Kosovar Albanians that has put you in the position where Kosovo Polje is once again no longer under Serbian dominion. And the likelihood of final status negotiations returning Kosovo to full Serbian sovereignty is slim as long as Serbs fail to even acknowledge the atrocities they committed, much less bring those responsible to justice.
Far less than 500 years. Christian Serbs were a majority after WW2. Slowly the Muslims whittled down the Christian population in Kosovo via legal/illegal immigration, via out breeding Serbs, by driving Serbs out of Kosovo
Exactly the same thing happened in Lebanon. I'm sick to the gills of Muslims hijacking Christian nations and multi ethnic nations. Your kooky Muslims have another tactic in India. A few provinces in India are heading to Muslim majority and your Muzzies want to cleave them off to make mini Pakistanis from them. Muslims will never live in peace next to non Muslim populations. Not for extended times.
This a fraudulent statement. No Muslim nation or province ever agrees to live under Christian rule. After a war perhaps, but not voluntarily. Serbia could "acknowledge atrocities" for the next thousand years and Kosovo Muslim would not agree to live under Serb administration. Your statement shows a huge misunderstanding of Islam and Jihad. One that many Europeans have so now they get anti Muslim moviemakers assassinated in their streets with seven page declarations of Jihad stuck onto the victim via a knife plunged into his chest.
You're right, until we eliminate the Mullahs (and I mean what appears to be the majority of them) and their Madarassas, we haven't begun to even approach solving the problem.
A good one--I read P.J. O'Rourke's "Bad Capitalism" chapter on Albania in Eat the Rich while I was there--made it twice as funny.
Unfortunately, P.J.'s take on Major Tom is pretty true to life. Although law enforcement was part of the original IFOR concept, the focus was on simply keeping the factions apart. It wasn't until later with SFOR and the arrival of international civil police and better training for local police that individual crimes began to get addressed.
dennis, you need to beat feet over to Kosovo and tell them this!!! Without your tutelage they have grievously erred--they have elected a Catholic (Rugova) as their president!!!
And on your way, stop in Tirana and record some public interest announcements for Albania as well. They have somehow also managed to also elect a Catholic president (Moisiu) to go along with their Orthodox Christian Prime Minister (Nano).
Those tricky Muslims didn't do that just to make you look foolish, did they? Or maybe you managed to do that all on your own.
I was going to publish excerpts, but it is just too lengthy and detailed to objectively pick and choose crimes, the majority of which were committed against non-Albanians. If you choose to read it, be sure to visit the hyperlinked footnotes.
Alabanians/KLA = good, serbs = bad.
Would it be a fair comment to say that because you're boots were on the ground, that doesnot make you an expert in the history of Balkans?
Orthodox Christians appear to be the one clearly identified christian group who have had to stand-up against islamic conqueror's in the balkan region over many centuries.
There's no need to claim a false objectivity in your comments, show your personal bias against serbs and orthodox christians, it comes shining through anyway.
BTTT
From the State Dept Religious Freedom Report on Albania:
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. The generally amicable relationship among the religions in society contributed to religious freedom.
Section I. Religious Demography
The majority of citizens are secular in orientation after decades of rigidly enforced atheism under the Communist regime, which ended in 1990. Despite such secularism, most citizens traditionally associate themselves with a religious group. Citizens of Muslim background make up the largest traditional religious group (estimated at 65 to 70 percent of the population) and are divided into two communities: those associated with a moderate form of Sunni Islam and those associated with the Bektashi school (a particularly liberal form of Shi'a Sufism). In 1925 …the country became the world center of Bektashism…Bektashis are concentrated mainly in the central and southern regions and are estimated to represent approximately one quarter of the country's Muslim population.
The Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania (referred to as Orthodox) and the Roman Catholic Church are the other large denominations. An estimated 20 to 30 percent of the population belong to communities that are traditionally Albanian Orthodox, and 10 percent are associated with Roman Catholicism.
... estimates are that 30 to 40 percent of the population practice a religion.
Foreign religious representatives, including Muslim clerics, Christian and Baha'i missionaries, members of Jehovah's Witnesses, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and many others freely carry out religious activities. ... there are 28 different Muslim societies and groups active in the country ...[and] 42 Christian societies representing more than 100 different organizations and 2,500 to 3,000 Christian and Baha'i missionaries. The largest foreign missionary groups are American, British, Italian, Greek, and Arab.
bump for later read.
This won't last very long. However my reference was to Muslim Kosovo never agreeing to live under Christian Serbia. To rejoin Christian Serbia
And on your way, stop in Tirana and record some public interest announcements for Albania as well. They have somehow also managed to also elect a Catholic president (Moisiu) to go along with their Orthodox Christian Prime Minister (Nano).
That won't last long either. It's a freak of nature and against Muslim principles.
Those tricky Muslims didn't do that just to make you look foolish, did they? Or maybe you managed to do that all on your own.
I met a Chechen muslim prostitute in Dubai. She could have easily passed as a co-ed from Iowa. I was quite surprised to find out her religion and nationality considering she smoked, drank (and had sex for money). She was a friendly and extroverted girl.
I was just at the CIA fact book on Albania. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/al.html
Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.