Excellent article:
http://www.aei.org/news/filter.all,newsID.21286/news_detail.asp
Know Thine Enemy
The Beheadings Are about Them, Not Us
By Michael A. Ledeen
Posted: Monday, September 27, 2004
Accustomed as we are to believing that everything in the world has to do with us, we've misunderstood what the recent beheadings are all about. The terrorists are not trying to make us cower. They are not using the beheadings as a technique to drive us out. Insofar as the slaughter of Westerners affects the policies of Coalition members, the same effect could be accomplished by other forms of murder; a government that is prepared to be routed from Iraq will turn tail when its public demands it, regardless of how its citizens have been killed.
This is not about us--it is about them. The beheading films are recruitment tools. They've been around for a long time, part and parcel of the first generation of "jihad" home movies, circulated mostly in North Africa to excite homicidal fanatics and lure them into the Islamist bands. The main difference between then and now is that their marketing and distribution have improved, thanks to their comrades at al Jazeera and al Arabiya, and the Internet. (snipped)
http://siteinstitute.org/bin/articles.cgi?ID=publications8104&Category=publications&Subcategory=0
The Unique Ninja Book for the Vigorous Mujahid
By SITE Institute
September 25, 2004
On September 13, 2004, a new booklet entitled “The Unique Ninja Book for the Vigorous Mujahid” was posted on a number of Islamist websites. The author, an avowed supporter of the Mujahideen, believes that “true information on the Ninjas and their role in the Japanese History . . . could, God willing, be useful for the Mujahideen.”
The booklet describes the history of Ninjas and their role in Japan, their combat and training methods, their use of weapons and explosives, and more. The author argues that the Mujahideen should draw on Ninja methods and learn from the historical experience of Ninja warriors. The booklet concludes with a song praising martyrdom and Jihad. The very last page contains only one phrase, written in large bold red letters, reading: “Americans, we have brought slaughter upon you - so expect it [once again].” (snipped)