Posted on 12/01/2005 8:40:27 AM PST by MikeA
MONCEAU-SUR-SAMBRE, Belgium (Dec. 1) - How could a young woman turn from Belgian baker's assistant to Baghdad suicide bomber?
Belgium has been shocked by revelations that Muriel Degauque, an unassuming woman who grew up near the rust belt city of Charleroi, had entered Iraq from Syria and detonated explosives strapped to her body in a failed attack against U.S. troops.
The 38-year-old woman's mother, Liliane Degauque, told local TV networks that her daughter was "so nice'' - but began to change when she married an Algerian man and turned to Islamic fundamentalism.
The case underscored the growing reach of international terrorism.
"It is the first time that we see that a Western woman, a Belgian, marrying a radical Muslim, and is converted up to the point of becoming a jihad fighter,'' federal police director Glenn Audenaert said.
In her younger years, Muriel Degauque lived a conventional life in an industrial belt of southern Belgium. Media reports said she finished high school before taking on several jobs, including selling bread in a bakery. They also said that as an adolescent she had run into problems with drugs and alcohol.
Authorities say Degauque went on to become a member of a terror cell that embraced al-Qaida's ideology. It included her second husband, a man of Moroccan origin who died in a separate terror attack in Iraq.
"This is our Belgian kamikaze killed in Iraq,'' read the headline of Thursday's La Derniere Heure newspaper, over a picture of a smiling young woman looking into the camera.
When Liliane Degauque saw police coming to her doorstep on Wednesday, she immediately knew what it was about. She had heard reports the evening before there had been a terrorist attack on Nov. 9 by a Belgian woman.
"For three weeks already I tried to contact her by telephone but I got the answering machine,'' she told the RTBF network on Thursday.
Authorities on Thursday formally arrested 5 of the 14 suspects detained in dawn raids the day before and charged them with involvement in a terrorist network that sent volunteers to Iraq, including Muriel Degauque.
Nine were released. Those placed under arrest were a Tunisian and four Belgians, three of whom had North African roots.
"This action shows how international terrorism tries to set up networks in western European nations, recruit for terror attacks in conflict areas and look for funds to finance terrorism,'' said Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt.
In France on Wednesday, police in the Paris region arrested a 15th suspect, a 27-year-old Tunisian man thought to have had contacts with the Belgian group.
Authorities said the Belgian network had been planning to send more volunteers to Iraq for attacks.
The raids in Brussels and three other cities across the country involving more than 200 police officers followed media reports of the Belgian woman's suicide.
Nine of the 14 suspects were Belgian citizens. Three were Moroccan and two were Tunisian.
Police carried out raids and detained 11 people in the capital Brussels, and one each in southern Charleroi, northern Antwerp and eastern Riemst.
Belgium has been mentioned as a breeding ground for terrorists in the past and there are currently 13 Belgian and Moroccan nationals on trial for allegedly being members of an Islamic group suspected in recent bomb attacks in Spain and Morocco.
Islamic radical groups linked to al-Qaida terror network are suspected of setting up networks in Belgium and other European nations with large Muslim communities.
For many in Belgium though, Wednesday's arrests were a chilling reminder that no one is immune.
"Belgium is directly involved in the terrorist threat,'' said Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx.
Glad it was a failed attack. She can simmer in Hell! How can Euro-peons be surprised at this after London last summer and the number of Brit and Aussie jihadis from Iraq and Afghanistan that have been imprisoned, not to mention Jihad Johnnie from Marin!
This is really a pathetic case.
This poor woman was seduced, brainwashed and recruited by a follower of this evil cult.
I noticed that HE didn't blow HIMSELF up.
There are a lot of lonely gullible women in the west who can fall prey to these secuctive fiends and their foul belief system.
This once again underscores the incompatibility of Islam with western civlization, and the incredible stupidity of equating the followers of this vicious cult with any other religion.
Islam should be banned from the west and restricted to those areas where it is currently the predominant religion, or these people will enforce Dhimmitude on all of us.
INstead of excoriating this poor woman, you should be attacking the vile monster which recruited her and the belief system which produced him.
It doesn't surprise me at all. I have been to Belgium a few times in the past few years, and I work with Belgians on a daily basis. From my experience, both while there and among those I work around, they make very little effort to hide their complete contempt for Americans.
I work with people from various Western European countries and get along pretty well with all of them, except Belgians. And no, I don't work with any French lol.
Hey, don't hold back Mike, tell us what you really think!
But...but...islam has the "heart of benevolence" (Condi said so!). How is this possible?
When are we going to get realistic and stop harassing normal people at the airports...like this medium brown haired, blue eyed woman.
Whew! For a second there I thought we were talkin' 'bout a Yunzer, 'n'at.
We should be equally concerned in the US. I heard the other day that something like 25% of convicts currently held in prison are muslim or muslim converts.
If the religion is so peaceful, why are so many of them imprisoned?
America has some very big problems ahead of us when these radical indoctrinated convicts hit the streets. They have nothing to lose.
She lit up the sky and had her second of fame.
Then she trudged down into hell to get her 72 virgins.
I suspect her muslim husband told her he was going to give her the biggest 'bang' she'd ever experienced and she believed him...
Bush's fault.
Hmmm... puzzling.
"began to change when she married an Algerian man and turned to Islamic fundamentalism."
It sure beats paying alimony.
"Well now, the result of last week's competition when we asked you to find a derogatory term for the Belgians. Well, the response was enormous and we took quite a long time sorting out the winners. There were some very clever entries. Mrs Hatred of Leicester Said 'let's not call them anything, let's just ignore them' ... (applause starts vigorously, but he holds his hands up for silence) ...
and a Mr St John of Huntingdon said he couldn't think of anything more derogatory than Belgians. (cheers and applause; a girl in showgirl costume comes on and holds up placards through next bit) But in the end we settled on three choices: number three ... the Sprouts (placard 'The Sprouts'), sent in by Mrs Vicious of Hastings... very nice ;
number two..... the Phlegms (placard) ... from Mrs Childmolester of Worthing; but the winner was undoubtedly from Mrs No-Supper-For-You from Norwood in Lancashire... Miserable Fat Belgian Bastards. (placard; roar of applause) Very good - thank you, Carol."
- Monty Python
I wonder if the Belgian press will turn her into a martyr?
I wonder too.
>>But...but...islam has the "heart of benevolence" (Condi said so!). How is this possible?<<
Why does Bush and company continue to ignore the elephant with the suicide vest standing in the room? I cringe when I hear moronic statements like Condi's "heart of benevolence" tripe. If it's truly a benevolent religion, they would get rid of the radicals kneeling next to them in their mosques.
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