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The War on Terror at Five--Steven Emerson assesses who's winning–and why.
FrontPageMagazine.com ^ | August 22, 2006 | Bill Steigerwald

Posted on 08/22/2006 7:26:46 AM PDT by SJackson

With British Muslims hatching plots to blow up airplanes with liquid explosives and our all-out war on terrorism nearing its fifth anniversary, it's a good time to check in with Steven Emerson.

Emerson, whose prescient warnings about militant Islamic activities in the United States in the late 1990s and in May of 2001 went unheeded, is an award-winning investigative journalist and international terrorism expert. I talked to him Wednesday, Aug. 16 by telephone from his offices in Washington, where he is director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism:

Q: How is the war against terrorism going in the United States?
A: I think it's going pretty well, insofar as the FBI and other law-enforcement agencies have interdicted various operations and infiltrated terrorist groups. It's taken a while -- close to five years -- but we've not been hit and most of the cases that have been brought have shown the ability of the FBI to get on the inside of these groups.

Q: Is that what we are doing most right?
A: Intelligence collection is the bottom line in any successful campaign against terrorism. There's no doubt the government is getting better at collecting that intelligence that comes from the inside of these groups.

Q: What is your major criticism of the war against terrorism?
A: In general, I'm a bit concerned about the degree to which there is a legitimization of radical Islamic groups that operate under a false veneer as either civil rights groups or advocacy groups. I think that undermines legitimate moderates in the Muslim community.

Q: That's one of the complaints you made when I talked to you in 2004.
A: There's still a bureaucratic impulse to engage in the "Kumbaya" dance and embrace groups that should not be legitimized.

Q: What do you make of the foiled plot in Britain? Was it the real deal?
A: Everything I've been told is that it was the real deal. Still, we don't know the particulars until those who were picked up are arraigned. But everybody I've spoken to says it was real.

Q: Looking back over the past five years, what can you say about the way American Muslims -- in general -- have acquitted themselves in the war on terror?
A: I think that there's still a problem with the institutional leadership of the Muslim community that is tethered to an agenda that is not moderate. These Islamic groups and leaders have condemned or criticized virtually every counterterrorist operation that is carried out by the U.S. government. These groups continue to portray the war on terrorism as a war against Islam, which can cause incitement. So I think there is still a major problem regarding the agenda of the people who control these Muslim organizations.

Q: In Britain they seem to have a problem with homegrown terrorist cells, but in America we don't seem to have that problem.
A: Well, we've had cells in Lackawanna, cells in Seattle, cells in Florida, cells in Toledo. We haven't seen the sophistication of the cells as we've seen in Canada and Britain. Also, the U.S. is much more aggressive in interrupting cells before they actually get operational. Other countries allow them more string.

Q: To what do you attribute the fact that there has been no act of terrorism in the United States since 9/11?
A: It's a combination of things. A combination of good police work -- at all levels. There are aggressive efforts overseas to take out terrorist groups. There's deterrence. And there's good luck.

Q: Some people contend that we are wasting resources on security for political purposes, that we're unnecessarily scaring the populace about terrorism and generally exaggerating the threat of terrorism here. Do you think any of those criticisms are valid?
A: No. I don't think those are valid criticisms.

Q: Is the war on Islamic terrorism winnable or is it going to be with us forever?
A: I think ultimately it is winnable. But it's going to be a long time before there is a victory declared. There are different bouts and rounds, but it's not going to be like it is in the movies. The end is just not going to be that way. We're going to need to see more efforts within the Muslim world to reform itself.

Q: In 2002, you told me we'll know we've won the war against Islamic terrorism "when we see the appearance of many Muslim comedians."
A: Yeah, well, that's still true. There are some Muslim comedians. But I don't know that we're going to know we're at the end of the war until we go through a sufficient period of time when we don't see groups like Hezbollah or Hamas. They have not spent their popularity and it's going to be decades before that happens.

Q: James Fallows in The Atlantic Monthly contends that al-Qaida has been broken up, defeated and reduced in prestige and that we'd be better off if we declared that we have won the war on terror against al-Qaida and concentrate on homeland security and diplomacy.
A: I agree with him that al-Qaida has been hurt and degraded but al-Qaida's legacy is still around in terms of radical Islamic groups trying to carry out operations, whether that be in London or Canada or the U.S. No. 2, there's a commonality to all the militant Islamic groups from Hamas to Hezbollah to al-Qaida insofar as they all believe in the hegemony of Islam in their respective arenas. That's not dissipated, so we shouldn't prematurely declare victory.

Q: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was in town this week and he said he thought we are safer than at any time since 9/11. Do you agree?
A: I think we are safer. That's absolutely true, but we're not safe yet. I think that's a very apt and correct assessment.

Q: And the way to continue to stay safe is ...
A: To continue to collect intelligence, to be one step ahead of the bad guys. It's easier said than done, but we -- we being the West -- are showing good examples of penetrating terrorist groups


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: wot
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1 posted on 08/22/2006 7:26:48 AM PDT by SJackson
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To: SJackson

What year was his documentary done? 1993? 1994?


2 posted on 08/22/2006 7:30:01 AM PDT by P-40 (Al Qaeda was working in Iraq. They were just undocumented.)
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Comment #3 Removed by Moderator

To: SJackson
This map was published by Steve in 2002.  More Mosque's have moved in across the United States since.


4 posted on 08/22/2006 7:36:05 AM PDT by SheLion ("If you're legal, you can fly with the Eagle!" - Michael Anthony)
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To: SJackson

Q: Is that what we are doing most right?
A: Intelligence collection is the bottom line in any successful campaign against terrorism. There's no doubt the government is getting better at collecting that intelligence that comes from the inside of these groups.


(Muslim) Informants in American Service
The Strategy Page ^ | June 4, 2006 | The Strategy Page

http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/1643576/posts
Posted on 06/05/2006 7:56:30 AM CDT by Little Ray


A recent terrorist trial, and conviction, of an Islamic terrorists in New York City brought out the extent to which police have infiltrated Moslem communities in order to uncover terrorist plots. While most of this counter-terrorist activity within Moslem communities is kept secret, enough information has leaked out to make it clear that it's no accident that the United States has not suffered another terrorist attack since September 11, 2001.

There is an extensive informant network within Moslem communities all over the United States. The FBI was pleasantly surprised right after September 11, 2001, by the number of calls they got from American Moslems, reporting suspicious events in their communities, or volunteering to keep an eye on things. It turned out that there was a substantial number of American Moslems, most of them recent immigrants (legal and illegal) that were pro al Qaeda. These attitudes had been causing distress among American Moslems since the 1990s.
(snip)


5 posted on 08/22/2006 7:37:15 AM PDT by Valin (http://www.irey.com/)
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To: SJackson

As I said to my son on 9/11 just after the Pentagon had been hit...'this will be a forever war. The bad guys are everywhere. You cannot negotiate with people who have no regard for their own lives. You can only have peace if both sides want it. They don't want peace so we will have to kill them all'. Such a sad state of affairs. I pray every night for our troops, our leaders and our country.


6 posted on 08/22/2006 7:39:51 AM PDT by originalbuckeye
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To: SJackson

Q: James Fallows in The Atlantic Monthly

If you get a chance to read this piece I'd recomend it. It's in the Sept. issue.

As a plus there's a great piece by Robert D Kaplan "Hunting the Tailiban in Las Vegas", about the Predator UAVs.


7 posted on 08/22/2006 7:43:52 AM PDT by Valin (http://www.irey.com/)
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To: originalbuckeye

"You cannot negotiate with people who have no regard for their own lives."

Well said, and completely true. I hope one day the left will realize this.


8 posted on 08/22/2006 7:44:48 AM PDT by brownsfan (It's not a war on terror... it's a war with islam.)
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To: dennisw; Cachelot; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; Lent; GregB; ..
If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. also

2006israelwar or WOT

..................

9 posted on 08/22/2006 7:47:14 AM PDT by SJackson (The Pilgrims—Doing the jobs Native Americans wouldn't do!)
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To: SJackson

Q: To what do you attribute the fact that there has been NO ACT OF TERRORISM in the United States since 9/11?
A: It's a combination of things. A combination of good police work -- at all levels. There are aggressive efforts overseas to take out terrorist groups. There's deterrence. And there's good luck.

Great, keep repeating that lie.

Forgot about the Beltway Snipers so soon?

From this article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/05/25/wsnipe25.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/05/25/ixnews.html

Malvo testified that Muhammad, driven by hatred of America because of its "slavery, hypocrisy and foreign policy" and his belief that "the white man is the devil", planned to kill six whites a day for 30 days.

Malvo alleged that Muhammad had said: "We are going to go to the Washington DC area and we are going to terrorise these people."

They then intended to move to Baltimore for stage two of their campaign, to shoot a policeman and then blow up explosives at his funeral.

More explosives would target the ambulances that would then rush to the funeral. Another plan to kill three busloads of schoolchildren was thwarted because the pair were arrested when Malvo fell asleep while keeping watch at a Maryland petrol station.

Muhammad's ultimate plan, Malvo testified, was to indoctrinate 140 young homeless men at a Canada compound who would "shut things down" in cities across America, unless they received £5 million.

From the Patriot Act:

SEC. 802. DEFINITION OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM.
(a) DOMESTIC TERRORISM DEFINED- Section 2331 of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)(B)(iii), by striking `by assassination or kidnapping' and inserting `by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping';
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking `and';
(3) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and inserting `; and'; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
`(5) the term `domestic terrorism' means activities that--
`(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;
`(B) appear to be intended--
`(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
`(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
`(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
`(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.'.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT- Section 3077(1) of title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
`(1) `act of terrorism' means an act of domestic or international terrorism as defined in section 2331;'.


10 posted on 08/22/2006 7:51:02 AM PDT by Marius3188 (Happy Resurrection Weekend)
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To: SJackson

"Q: What is your major criticism of the war against terrorism?
A: In general, I'm a bit concerned about the degree to which there is a legitimization of radical Islamic groups that operate under a false veneer as either civil rights groups or advocacy groups. I think that undermines legitimate moderates in the Muslim community.

Q: That's one of the complaints you made when I talked to you in 2004.
A: There's still a bureaucratic impulse to engage in the "Kumbaya" dance and embrace groups that should not be legitimized."

Exactly.
And the former pres. of Iran, Khatami, should not be legitimized either by allowing him to come here next month and spread his lies and propaganda.......

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1687907/posts


11 posted on 08/22/2006 7:54:38 AM PDT by nuconvert ([there's a lot of bad people in the pistachio business])
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To: SJackson
We're going to need to see more efforts within the Muslim world to reform itself.

Amen to that.

12 posted on 08/22/2006 7:56:04 AM PDT by Michael.SF.
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To: originalbuckeye
"They don't want peace so we will have to kill them all'.

The sooner we start the sooner it will be over.

13 posted on 08/22/2006 8:12:02 AM PDT by Eagles Talon IV
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To: SJackson
In general, I'm a bit concerned about the degree to which there is a legitimization of radical Islamic groups that operate under a false veneer as either civil rights groups or advocacy groups. I think that undermines legitimate moderates in the Muslim community.

Let's pin the tail on CAIR, AKA The Brotherhood, a group with a goal of extending Sharia law over the rest of the world.
14 posted on 08/22/2006 8:13:58 AM PDT by GarySpFc (Jesus on Immigration, John 10:1)
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To: GarySpFc; SJackson; nuconvert; originalbuckeye; Cindy; Eurotwit; NormsRevenge; Grampa Dave; ...
Let's pin the tail on CAIR, AKA The Brotherhood, a group with a goal of extending Sharia law over the rest of the world.

**********************************************

Europe especially is the next target

********************************************

Thanks for the opening to get this info from the Blogosphere posted on FreeRepublic:

********************************************

From the CounterTerrorism Blog:

Islamists Have a Plan, We do Not
By Douglas Farah

***************************************

Europe has become the focal point for recruitment and expansion for several strands of Islamist thought and activity, from the Muslim Brotherhood to salafists fighting in Iraq and recruiting for Afghanistan. There is some tension between and among these groups, but what these groups have in common is a clear sense of what they are doing and why.

Perhaps the most interesting move, and one with long-term implications, is the (largely successful) efforts by these groups to buy large amounts of real estate, territory that effectively becomes "Muslim" land once it is in the hands of Islamist groups. Some groups are signing agreements to guarantee that they will only sell the land to other Muslims.

The Brotherhood, particularly, is active in investments in properties and businesses across Europe, laying the groundwork for the future network that will be able to react rapidly and with great flexibility in case of another attempted crackdown on the group's financial structure. My full blog is here.


15 posted on 08/22/2006 9:20:46 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (History is soon Forgotten,)
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To: SheLion
On my 2004 vacation trip, my motorhome was repaired at a radiator shop right across the street from a mosque in Gallup, NM. They had erected a portable chain link fence all the way around it, but it had still been run into and crushed... The expensive cars that came to one of their "prayer meetings" really shocked me!!!

I was glad to be leaving with my new water pump and heading for home... not too awfully far from Lodi... (snort!)

16 posted on 08/22/2006 10:46:41 AM PDT by SierraWasp (I'm voting on everything except CA Governor this year cause there's NOTHING to vote "for"!!!)
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To: SierraWasp
On my 2004 vacation trip, my motorhome was repaired at a radiator shop right across the street from a mosque in Gallup, NM. They had erected a portable chain link fence all the way around it, but it had still been run into and crushed... The expensive cars that came to one of their "prayer meetings" really shocked me!!!

Oh yes.  They sure are one rich bunch and they live large!  They want for nothing.

17 posted on 08/22/2006 10:48:50 AM PDT by SheLion ("If you're legal, you can fly with the Eagle!" - Michael Anthony)
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To: SheLion; Ernest_at_the_Beach
Do you think it's because Ronald Reagan effectively killed off the USSR that now the Musler world has turned it's sights on the USSA as the big infidel?

Seems we'll be longing for the return of the "Cold War," if this neverending religious war begins to wear on our nerves!!!

18 posted on 08/22/2006 10:54:40 AM PDT by SierraWasp (I'm voting on everything except CA Governor this year cause there's NOTHING to vote "for"!!!)
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To: SierraWasp
Do you think it's because Ronald Reagan effectively killed off the USSR that now the Musler world has turned it's sights on the USSA as the big infidel?

Really, I don't know.  I didn't start to get into politics until Klintoon became President.

But the Mosque's are here to stay and I know they aren't all bad, but when the terrorists come across our borders, they have to find a place for shelter.  What better place then in their own Mosque's?  Every family has their black sheep you know.

19 posted on 08/22/2006 11:01:38 AM PDT by SheLion ("If you're legal, you can fly with the Eagle!" - Michael Anthony)
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To: SheLion
"I know they aren't all bad, but when the terrorists come across our borders, they have to find a place for shelter. What better place then in their own Mosque's? Every family has their black sheep you know."

Well now, wait a minute! Don't try to manufacture a moral equivalence between a typical family's "blacksheep" and one of these mass murderous Muslers for Pete's sake!

Even Muslims that "aren't bad" will allow someone to stay overnight, or even longer in their mosque without questioning too strongly what their recent activities have been. The "blacksheep" you lightly refer to could have their hands drenched with blood and no one would be the wiser!!!

You should probably stop thinking in terms of "conventional wisdom." It doesn't work anymore!!!

20 posted on 08/22/2006 11:39:11 AM PDT by SierraWasp (I'm voting on everything except CA Governor this year cause there's NOTHING to vote "for"!!!)
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