Posted on 08/07/2006 3:43:15 PM PDT by DAVEY CROCKETT
Tehran & Damascus Move to Lebanon Lebanon-born Walid Phares is a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Author of the recent book Future Jihad, he was also one of the architects of 2004’s United Nations resolution 1559, which called for the disarming of Hezbollah. NRO editor Kathryn Lopez recently talked to Phares about what’s going on in the Mideast, what happened to the Cedar Revolution, and this war we’re all in.
Kathryn Jean Lopez: What is “Future Jihad”? Are we seeing it in the Mideast now?
Walid Phares: “Future Jihad,” which has already begun, refers to a new and potent form of Islamic terrorism, characterized by a Khumeinist-Baathist axis. These are the two trees of jihadism, so to speak — the Salafism and Wahabism embodied in al Qaeda and the sort of jihadism led by Iran and also including Syria, Hezbollah, and their allies in Lebanon.
The alliance has not been in entire agreement as to strategy. The al Qaeda branch began its “Future Jihad” in the 1990s; its efforts culminated on 9/11 and have continued explosively since then. The international “Salafists” aimed at the U.S. in the past decade in order to strengthen their jihads on various battlefields (Chechnya, India, Sudan, Algeria, Indonesia, Palestine, etc.). “Weaken the resolve of America,” their ideologues said, “and the jihadists would overwhelm all the regional battlefields.”
As I argue in Future Jihad, bin Laden and his colleagues miscalculated on the timing of the massive attack against the U.S. in 2001. While they wounded America, they didn’t kill its will to fight (as was the case, for instance, in the Madrid 3/11 attacks). I have heard many jihadi cadres online, and have seen al Jazeera commentators on television, offering hints of criticism about the timing. They were blaming al Qaeda for shooting its imagined “silver bullet” before insuring a strategic follow up. But bin Laden and Zawahiri believe 9/11 served them well, and has put a global mobilization into motion. Perhaps it has, but the U.S. counter strategy in the Middle East, chaotic as the region currently appears, has unleashed counter jihadi forces. The jury is still out as to the time factor: when these forces will begin to weaken the jihadists depends on our perseverance and the public understanding of the whole conflict.
The other “tree” of jihadism, with its roots in Iran, withheld fire after 9/11. They were content to watch the Salafists fight it out with the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention within the West, as terror cells were hunted down. Ahmedinejad, Assad, and Nasrallah were analyzing how far the US would go, and how far the Sunnis and Salafis would go as well.
The fall of the Taliban and of the Baath in Iraq, however, changed Iran and Syria’s patient plans. The political changes in the neighborhood, regardless of their immediate instability, were strongly felt in Tehran and Damascus (but unfortunately not in the U.S., judging from the political debate here), and pushed the Khumeinists and the Syrian Baathists to enter the dance, but carefully. Assad opened his borders to the jihadists in an attempt to crumble the U.S. role in Iraq, while Iran articulated al Sadr’s ideology for Iraq’s Shiia majority.
A U.S.-led response came swiftly in 2004 with the voting of UNSCR 1559, smashing Syria’s role in Lebanon and forcing Assad to withdraw his troops by April 2005. In response, the “axis” prepared for a counter attack on the Lebanese battlefield by assassinating a number of the Cedar Revolution leaders, including MP Jebran Tueni. In short, the attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah and the kidnappings of soldiers were the tip of an offensive aimed at drawing attention away from Iran’s nuclear weapons programs and Syria’s assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri. Hezbollah was awaiting its moment for revenge against the Cedar Revolution too.
What we see now is 1) a Syro-Iranian sponsored offensive aimed at all democracies in the region and fought in Lebanon; 2) Israel’s counter offensive (which it seems to have prepared earlier); and 3) an attempt by Hezbollah to take over or crumble the Lebanese government.
Lopez: So…did the Cedar Revolution fail?
Phares: Actually, it would be more accurate to say that the Cedar Revolution was failed. The masses in Lebanon responded courageously in March 2005 by putting 1.5 million people on the streets of Beirut. They did it without “no-fly-zones,” expeditionary forces, or any weapons at all, for that matter, and against the power of three regimes, Iran, Syria, and pro-Syrian Lebanon, in addition to Hezbollah terror. The “revolution” was for a time astoundingly successful; since then it has been horribly failed, and first of all by Lebanon’s politicians themselves. One of their leaders, General Michel Aoun, shifted his allegiances to Syria and signed a document with Hezbollah. Other politicians from the “March 14 Movement” then stopped the demonstrations, leaving them with the support of God knows what. They failed in removing the pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud and brought back a pro-Syrian politician to serve as a speaker of the house, Nabih Berri. Meanwhile, even as they were elected by the faithful Cedar Revolution masses, they engaged in a round table dialogue with Hezbollah, a clear trap set by Hassan Nasrallah: “Let’s talk about the future,” he said — with the implication, of course, that they forget about the Cedar Revolution and the militia’s disarming. While political leaders sat for months, enjoying the photo ops with Hassan Nasrallah, he was preparing his counter offensive, which he unleashed just a few days before the Security Council would discuss the future of Iran’s nuclear programs.
The Lebanese government of Prime Minister Seniora also abandoned the Cedar Revolution. His cabinet neither disarmed Hezbollah nor called on the U.N. to help in implementing UNSCR 1559. This omission is baffling. The government was given so much support by the international community and, more importantly, overwhelming popular support inside Lebanon: 80 percent of the people were hoping the Cedar Revolution-backed government would be the one to resume the liberation of the country. Now Hezbollah has an upper hand and the government is on the defensive.
The U.S. and its allies can be accused of certain shortcomings as well. While the speeches by the U.S. president, congressional leaders from both parties, Tony Blair, and Jacques Chirac were right on target regarding Lebanon, and while the U.S. and its counterparts on the Security Council were diligent in their follow up on the Hariri assassination and on implementing UNSCR 1559, there was no policy or plan to support the popular movement in Lebanon. Incredibly, while billions were spent on the war of ideas in the region, Lebanese NGOs that wanted to resume the struggle of the Cedar Revolution and fighting alone for this purpose were not taken seriously at various levels. Policy planners thought they were dealing with the “Cedar Revolution” when they were meeting Lebanon’s government and Lebanese politicians. The difference between the high level speeches on Lebanon and the laissez-faire approach from lower levels is amazing. Simply put, there was no policy on supporting the Cedar Revolution against the three regimes opposing it and the $400 million received by Hezbollah from Iran.
The Cedar Revolution was basically betrayed by its own politicians and is now essentially without a head. Nevertheless, as long as the international support remains, the Revolution will find its way and will face the dangers. The one and a half million ordinary citizens who braved all the dangers didn’t change their minds about Hezbollah’s terror. The resistance and counter-attack was to be expected. Unfortunately, thus far Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah have outmaneuvered the West and are at the throats of the Cedar Revolution. The international community must revise its plans, and, if it is strongly backed by the U.S. and its allies, including France, the situation can be salvaged. The good seeds are still inside the country.
More at link...
Yes, the funds for terrorists come from America.
Until we clear the traitors out of our high offices, those who leak the secret reports to the traitor papers, then we will not win this war.
The liberals want the country weakened and they want less people on the earth, the acts of warfare, work as an adult abortion, so that there are less people to use up the earth.
You will find many liberals donate to the hizballah, I have seen the links on the liberal websites this past month.
We are sending the money to kill our own people in the military and to fight Israel with.
Most of the links were known to me, if you want to see the full picture of the money, do granny googles on those articles, it will all fall togather, it is there.
If you want to find new sites collecting money, try going to Yahoo groups and nose around in the open message groups, some of the older ones will have been taken over by them and some will be set up to raise money for muslim youth camps.
If you see sex messages, you should go and see if the muslim messages are hidden amongst them.
You will find more at yahoo, than I have in google groups.
Interesting, that the same towns keep showing up in the reports, Virginia and Michigan, Florida and Texas.
Why do we never hear the stories, such as Olga and Gennaday's, those of a real heroes?
People who did not have to get involved and died attempting to do the right thing.
Is it only 4 years since Nord-Ost? Two since the school and a bare 5 since 9-11?
So many deaths and all not needed, they served no real purpose.
and the evil ones still walk the worlds streets.
Who will publish the last magazine before the day of infamy comes again? <<<
A good question, in an important article.
The radio just reported, that the peace treaty starts Monday.
And that Israel will fight if attacked.
And that the hezbollah will fight, if one Israeli is still in Lebanon soil.
So what is the treaty for?
Could you also put this page here? If I were still on my old computer, I would not have been able to open the site, and there are many Freepers who do not have the newer computers.
Let us have it out in the open, so the whole world can know the truths of these attacks.
I am sorry that none of the trials worked for them.
This thread has a couple good photos, of the traitors in America, not arabs, but nice white faces.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1682564/posts
Anti-Freeper at Pro-Hezzbolah rally Aug. 12 2006 Washington DC. photos.
Self | 08122006 | Be4everfree
Posted on 08/12/2006 2:19:31 PM PDT by be4everfree
Just got back from the Pro-HezzEbola rally at the White House and I wanted to share a few photos.
Take the terrorism quiz!
To ensure we Americans never offend anyone - particularly fanatics intent on killing us - law enforcement and security screeners are not allowed to "profile" people in public places or security checkpoints. However, they will continue to perform random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, Secret Service agents who are members of the President's security detail, 85-year-old congressmen with metal hips and even Medal of Honor recipients. But targeting Middle Eastern male Islamists between the ages 17 and 40 constitutes ethnic profiling.
Let's pause a moment and review...
In 1968 Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by:
(a) A salesman from Utah
(b) An construction worker
(c) A college student on Spring Break
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1972, 11 Israeli athletes were killed at the Munich Olympics by:
(a) Your grandmother
(b) A Midwest auto-parts dealer
(c) A mom and her 6-year-old son visiting from Indiana
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by:
(a) A bluegrass band
(b) Dallas Cowboy fans
(c) A tour group of 80-year-old women
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
During the 1980's numerous Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:
(a) A family on their way to Disney World
(b) Jesse Ventura
(c) A Boy Scout Troop
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
(a) A pizza delivery boy
(b) The UPS guy
(c) Geraldo Rivera making up for a slow news day
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked, and a 70-year-old disabled American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard by:
(a) A girls' choir
(b) A hardware store owner
(c) A secretary
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a U.S. Navy diver was murdered by:
(a) A Marine officer with two weeks leave
(b) A plumber going to visit his mom
(c) A Catholic nun
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
(a) A college-bound freshman
(b) A cardiac surgeon on his way to Houston
(c) A waitress
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1993, the World Trade Center was bombed by:
(a) A starving actress
(b) A mom with a newborn
(c) Twin six-year-old boys
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1995, a plot to blow up U.S.-bound international flights over the Pacific was attempted by
(a) Hawaiian school kids
(b) An decorated Vietnam Veteran
(c) Twin sisters on their way to Paducah
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
(a) A local TV weatherman
(b) A dad and his two sons on a ski trip
(c) A widower going to visit his grandchildren
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2000, 17 sailors died in an attack on the USS Cole (DDG 67) in Yemen by:
(a) A child in a stroller
(b) A high school class on their way to visit Washington, DC
(c) Newlyweds on their way to Miami
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked-two flown into the World Trade Centers, one into the Pentagon and one into the ground in rural Pennsylvania. They were hijacked by:
(a) A retired police officer on a mission trip to Haiti
(b) A firefighter going to Maryland for training
(c) An paramedic on his way to vacation in Hawaii
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2002 the United States liberated Afghanistan from:
(a) USAID relief workers
(b) Jewish Pilgrims
(c) Christian missionaries
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl and other Westerners were kidnapped and beheaded by:
(a) The Peace Corp
(b) Scottish clansmen
(c) Cuban refugees
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2002, more than 330 hostages in Beslan and 130 hostages in Moscow were murdered in sieges by:
(a) Russian exchange students
(b) The Red Guard
(c) Church planters
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2003 the United States liberated Iraq from "The Butcher of Baghdad,¡" but most American military personnel were killed by:
(a) Iraqi school-girls
(b) Street vegetable venders
(c) Women without burkas
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2004, more than 200 Spanish civilians were murdered on trains by bombs in Madrid, detonated by:
(a) Morning commuters
(b) A three-year-old Chinese girl
(c) Flamenco dancers
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2005 more than 50 UK citizens were killed by bombs on trains in London, detonated by:
(a) Rail workers
(b) Those unable to hail taxis
(c) Wheelchair-bound grandmothers
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2005, there were hundreds of casualties, men, women and children, killed by bombs in Jerusalem, Riyadh and Amman. These innocent civilians were murdered by:
(a) Construction workers
(b) Farmers
(c) Christian missionaries
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2005, the city of Paris, and other European cities experienced an extended period of riots and destruction. The unrest was led by:
(a) "Youth"
(b) Soccer fans
(c) Catholic nuns
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
Since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, more than 2,500 Americans have been murdered by terrorists. 35,000 Iraqi men, women and children have also been murdered by terrorists. Most of the combat and civilians casualties were the result of bombs detonated in civilian population centers by:
(a) Fruit vendors in Baghdad
(b) Disgruntled transit union workers
(c) Iraqi schoolteachers
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2006, hundreds of Israeli civilians have been killed by rockets launched by:
(a) the Salvation Army
(b) remnants of the "Jackson Five¡"
(c) the cast of "Friends"
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2006, a plot to blow up 10 U.S.-bound planes from the U.K. was attempted by
(a) members of the royal family
(b) Japanese tourists
(c) groupies of the band "Cream"
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
Since 2001, the FBI reports that there are major terrorist cells still in U.S. urban centers. Several of these cells have been uncovered and cell members arrested. In every case, the terrorists cell members were:
(a) Southern Baptists Conventioneers
(b) Lutheran Youth Groups
(c) Presbyterian Elders
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
President George Bush said this week, "America is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation." The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued an immediate objection to the President's reference to "Islamic fascists". Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR protested, "We have to isolate these individuals because there is nothing in the Koran or the Islamic faith that encourages people to be cruel or to be vicious or to be criminal. Muslims world wide know that for sure." In light of this objection, we are left to ponder why every Islamic leader in the U.S., and the world, does not publicly condemn every terror action being undertaken in the name of the god of Islam. Their silence is deafening...
Between 1970 and present, there were more than 60 other notable examples of terrorism perpetrated by Middle Eastern male Islamists between the ages 17 and 40, but we think you get the point. Singling out "Middle Eastern male Islamists between the ages 17 and 40" is not "ethnic profiling," it's "terrorist profiling"- acting on prolific evidence.
Anyone for Terrorist Profiling?
Semper Vigilo, Paratus, et Fidelis!
Mark Alexander
Publisher, The Patriot
http://jcrue.wordpress.com/2006/08/12/take-the-terrorism-quiz/#more-3965
Rte66 has a thread with all the planned airline threats listed for Free Republic threads.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1682325/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1682448/posts
The KGB Lives, And Misbehaves
strategypage.com ^ | August 8, 2006
Posted on 08/12/2006 9:10:29 AM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
The KGB lives, and is still participating in Cold War era activities like killing enemies of the state and harassing troublesome diplomats.
Really.
The Cold War struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union is not over, sort of.
While the U.S., and its allies, won the Cold War, and the Soviet Union is gone, one part of the Soviet Union, Belarus, remains, well, rather Soviet. Belarus (formerly Belorussia, or "White Russia") was one of the parts of the Soviet Union that became an independent country in 1991. But rather than become a democracy, the Soviet era bureaucrats who used to run the place when it was part of the Soviet Union, continued to run the new state of Belarus. Little changed. Belarus still has a KGB, and the KGB still does the dirty work for the minor league tyrants that still run Belarus. A recent incident featured the KGB bugging the home of a Latvian diplomat, and passing the video, of a homosexual tryst, on to a state controlled television channel. The KGB also raided the diplomat's home, saying that is was searching for pornographic material. In fact, the Latvian diplomat was being harassed for meeting with opposition politicians. Can't have that, not in the Soviet State of Belarus.
But the KGB went too far. While the Soviet Union could shrug off the occasional abuse of diplomatic immunity (which they did), because of their superpower status, Belarus barely qualifies as a minor power. The Vienna Convention, to which all nations subscribe, prohibits violations of diplomatic immunity. Iran trampled on the Vienna Convention back in 1979, and is still paying the price. Belarus is hoping their KGB will get them out of this mess. Somehow. But the Belarus KGB is not much of an intelligence agency, in any sense of the word, having been largely taken over by a bunch of politically well connected thugs.
A Hezbollah Fighter: Nasrollah is Deputy of Leader of Iran
Shervin Sharei
10 Aug 2006
“The morning of victory.”
This is the title of a meeting organized by the Bureau of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Gilan province that was held in Rasht, Iran. One of the speakers was Mohammad Mohsen, a fighetr from Lebanese Hezbollah.
At the beginning of the gathering, the will of seyyed Hadi, the son of Seyyed Hassan Nasrollah, the leader of Lebanese Hezbollah was read out. In it, Hadi expresses his appreciation for all the mujaheddin and prays for the continuation of the spiritual and physical and support of ayatollah Khamenei, whom it calls the leader of all Muslims.
Mohsen then took the podium and delivered his talk. “The history of Lebanon, or for that matter the whole world, could be divided into two phases: The period before ayatollah Khomeini and the one after it. Before Imam Khomeini the issue of Palestine, Lebanon and Israel were complex and perplexing issues. Everything we have is from Imam Hussain’s martyrdom at Kerbala and the mornings over that event. Similarly in Lebanon we say that everything that we have is from Imam Khomeini,” Mohsen announced.
“Prior to the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Lebanese Shii were very weak. We were in absolute deprivation and in a stage of sleep until the light of Khomeini hit us from the East and his angels, seyyed Mousa Sadr and Dr Chamran came to South Lebanon and changed the conditions there. After that, our main goal was to fight Israel, maintain the unity among our groups and the Islamic umma, which is what the Imam had called form. Chamran, who was killed in the Iran-Iraq war, embarked on some basic changes in Lebanon one of which was the creation of resistance groups, training in partisan and non-classic warfare against Israel. We realized then that we could not win a classic war with Israel,” Mohsen said.
In his talk he said that despite being armed with heavy weapons, the many armed groups that existed in Lebanon, ranging from Marxists to Palestinians, were all defeated by Israel. Israel destroyed them all and arrived in Beirut in 1982. It also forced these forces to flee to Syria and to Jordon. “It was then that we then realized that we have to equip ourselves with faith,” he said.
Mohsen continued, “With the deaths of Mousa Sadr and Chamran, some of our forces went to Khomeini to get guidance on how to proceed. He told them to go and fight Israel. It is OK if you die. Following this, resistance groups were formed and other groups retreated.”
Speaking in fluent Persian, Mohsen further said, “After the death of Imam Khomeini, we benefited from the counsel of Imam Khamenei. He identified two missions for us: Fight with Israel, and maintain internal unity. The people of Lebanon too realized that we had brought in a new culture, which was that of Kerbala and the victory of blood over swords, and Islamic awakening. This is what we have learned from you. From your Imam and your war, from the Passdaran Revolutionary Guards and from the Basij militia.”
Stressing that Hezbollah had no specific military territory, Mohsen said that theirs was an irregular resistance group which after witnessing the bombardment of non-military targets, decided to target Israeli cities and disrupt the economic, social and routine life of their residents. “We did it because that land is not theirs and so we will deny that security to them,” he said.
His solution to the problem was Israel’s withdrawal from Palestine and said, “They must return to the cities and countries from which they came. They are confronting a non-regular enemy, a huge and gigantic force known as Hezbollah which has no means but is ready to die, and due to its stupidity, the whole world has become revolutionary and Hezbollahi .”
Mohsen finished his talk by saying, “Our war with Israel is an eternal one. It is a war between the poor and the rich and we take pride in that the leader (i.e. Mr. Khamenei) is happy with us.”
In his talk, Mohsen recalled a story from Nasrollah. “After the victory of 2000 and Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the leadership of Hezbollah came to Iran to meet the leadership and receive approval from it. When we arrived at Mr. Khamenei’s resident, he was happy and had a smile on his face. All our sufferings and martyrs equaled this smile because this is the smile of the Imam of our time,” Mohsen said.
In the question and answer session, Mohsen said that Hezbollah enjoyed excellent spiritual and physical condition in Lebanon, while the deputy of ayatollah Khamenei in Lebanon (seyyed Hassan Nasrollah) was managing the war in absolute calmness. He also said that they were already the winners of the war because they had achieved their goals. “We had said that we would take the Israeli forces as prisoners, and this is what we have accomplished,” he said. He repeated the call made by others that if Israel attacked Beirut, Hezbollah would attack Tel Aviv. He refrained from responding to questions regarding the financial resources of Hezbollah, where the 150 or so missiles that were fired at Israel everyday came from and said it obtained its weapons from the international intermediaries. He also said that Hezbollah specialized forces had been trained by the Passdaran Revolutionary Guards of Iran, while there were currently no forces other than Hezbollah in the war zones in Lebanon.
An interesting aspect of this meeting was the presence of the director general of Iran’s ministry of Islamic guidance who censored the questions that were asked. Cleric Pour Issa who is the director and at the same time the representative of Khamenei at Azad University in Rasht initially screened all the questions that came to him in the form of note and passed selected ones to a designated person who read them out, all of which was protested by a number of participants.
http://roozonline.com/english/017017.shtml
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1682590/posts
Prosecutor: Mackinac Bridge was target
The Saginaw News ^ | JUSTIN ENGEL08/12/06
Posted on 08/12/2006 3:11:03 PM PDT by SE Mom
Tuscola County prosecutors filed terrorism-related charges Saturday against three men who they say bought dozens of cell phones Friday in Caro in a globally coordinated plot involving the Mackinac Bridge.
They charged brothers Adham Abdelhamid Othman, 21, and Louai Abdelhamied Othman, 23, along with their cousin, Maruan Awad Muhareb, 18, with identical counts of collecting material to support terrorist acts and surveillance of a vulnerable target with intent to committ terrorism.
(Excerpt) Read more at mlive.com ...
You needed to take this quiz to the traitors, who protested at the White House today.
Call it freedom of speech, or fools.
His solution to the problem was Israel’s withdrawal from Palestine and said, “They must return to the cities and countries from which they came. They are confronting a non-regular enemy, a huge and gigantic force known as Hezbollah which has no means but is ready to die, and due to its stupidity, the whole world has become revolutionary and Hezbollahi .” <<<<
And now we see it again "the whole world".
Israel is only a practise exercise for them.
Your thoughts are wise as usual.
Does it make it worse?
That question has no answer.
I have many times heard and read that when someone dies, everyone gathers round and shares your sorrow.
But six months later, when the shock is over and you are truly lonely, the phone never rings, you are forgotten.
When you figure in the nightmare that has caused these deaths, you know the survivors will never have the thoughts far from their minds.
I don't think your efforts harm, in that, those who want to get past it will do so and not read your efforts and the others will not ever recover.
My concern is that there are so many who think that Russia has changed and has even more freedom than we have left.
From my reading, Putin takes a step backwards, with his new laws, daily, if not hourly.
People need to know who died, from the most simple of people to the millionaire.
Otherwise, it becomes like television, death is not real, they will be back next week or next season.
Before you named for us the people and showed that they each had real dreams and God given gifts, to me they were just "people", little more than numbers who were dead.
I can still see Olga in my mind, and will for awhile.
There are others, that I may not know the name of now, but I do remember that they were special and gifted, that they had something to offer the world and we are now robbed of their God given talents.
You have made the Theater people real, and I am sure the others would be also.
When they killed the children at Beslan, they killed a large part of the Russian future, as the 1000 people there that day, had their lives changed forever, dead or still alive, plus all the parents and others close to them.
Terror is ugly, no matter who commits it.
Lousy government, makes terror worse.
The pain does not go away.
August 20, 2006
http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=144&page=14
Page: 14>/23
Home > 2006 Issues > August 20, 2006
It's a hydra-headed monster
Tackle it through multi-pronged strategy
By Narendra Modi
Governance and society in times of terrorism
Terrorism is the calculated use of violence to inculcate fear, intended to coerce or intimidate governments or societies as to the pursuits of goals that are generally political, religious or ideological. International terrorism involves citizens or territory of more than one country.
The mindset that prevailed and caused the creation of Pakistan still persists. Pakistan’s internal politics is Indo-centric and as such thrives on “hate India” emotions. Pakistan takes financial help from across the world as a result of the tensions with India. These are the reasons why Pakistan is carrying out all these activities.
It is as if all international forums are now divided between those who support terrorism and those who are determined to fight it. The world is shaping into two camps. Earlier, there were two superpowers. In days to come there would be two groups—one that supports terrorism and the other that stands for humanity.
I believe that Hindustan should pledge all its goodwill and strength towards formation of such a group. All of us will have to unite to fight.
Same thing happened in Gujarat in the post-Ishrat case, with stories like ‘Modi has killed Ishrat’. The third day the media people were left with red faces with nowhere to hide when Pakistan issued a statement saying Ishrat was their operative and that they were proud that she had sacrificed her life for her country.
Post-September 11, even United States of America came out with stringent laws against terrorism. They went two steps ahead and not only have made immigration procedures rather harsh but have also created an entire new department of Homeland Security so as to ensure its territory’s integrity against terrorist-related aggression. Unless the same is done in India, there is little hope for effective action against militancy.
Pakistan has assisted insurgency in the North-east since the 1950s; supported the terrorists in Punjab since 1981; sponsored indigenous terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir since 1989 and pan-Islamic terrorism through pro-Bin Laden Pakistani terrorist organisations in the same state since 1993; and instigated trans-national mafia groups such as that of Dawood Ibrahim to commit acts of economic terrorism since 1993.
Terrorism is not confined to the western border only. It is a matter of serious concern that the entire north-east region is afflicted with insurgency. Militant groups in specified localities are keen to preserve their ethnic, religious, linguistic and territorial identity and to achieve this goal they adopt various violent means.
A criminal is a criminal, a terrorist is a terrorist, and there is no religion of a criminal or a terrorist. It should not be weighed on the scale of secularism or through communal angles. ISI has modules. Here in Bhavnagar, we broke a module, and a Brahmin boy was caught, who is serving time in prison. ISI networks should not be linked with religion. These ISI modules have identified districts and social conflicts that can be exploited, how each one of them can be synergised to create mass-level disturbances, the blueprint of which has been made by them. ISI modules are working across the nation. But Gujarat has taken up the fight to them, and to a very large extent we have been able to notch up successes in this regard.
Most of the terrorist activities are carried out in India with the covert support of the Pakistan's ISI. The role of ISI in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts was established beyond doubt during the investigation. Pakistan is still harbouring a number of key figures, including Tiger Memon, responsible for this dastardly act. Delhi bomb blasts of 1996, Mumbai bomb blasts of 1997 and 1998 were also handiworks of ISI. Attack on the American Centre in Kolkata and the Akshardham incident in Gujarat (both in 2002) revealed ISI's methodology.
One of the most dangerous developments that should cause serious concern is the manner in which left-wing extremism is establishing linkages with foreign countries. The leftists want to connect their activity to China through Nepal with Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, parts of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
The twentieth century was characterised by tremendous strides in scientific and technological advancements and explorations, including moon landings and space shuttles. Never before in any of the earlier centuries had advancements in technology been so rapid and with such far-reaching effects. It was also the century of the rise and fall of great empires, the end of colonialism, ideological conflicts, and the creation of international organisations such as the League of Nations and the United Nations Organisation.
During the arms race after the World War II, the Western economies thrived on production of ever more lethal and sophisticated weapons, and their counter-measures. The conventional weapons and equipment produced by the Western nations found their way to the Third World countries, particularly in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The armaments and defence-related industries of the West continued to flood the markets of the Third World with their sophisticated wares. The availability of weapons procured illegally made the society more and more insecure, which in turn led to more procurement of weapons and this in turn added fill-up to factories producing these arms. Unscrupulous strategists created imagined scenarios of danger resulting in more and more supply of arms. It was thus almost a commercial activity to generate fear, procure arms, use arms, again generate fear and so on so forth.
Now how do we define terrorism?
Terrorism is the calculated use of violence to inculcate fear, intended to coerce or intimidate governments or societies as to the pursuits of goals that are generally political, religious or ideological. International terrorism involves citizens or territory of more than one country.
There are several causes advanced for the act of terrorism including ideology. However, the naked truth is that behind acts of terrorism there are vested interests of those who are hungry for political power. It is convenient to camouflage their real intention behind the mask of ideology.
The essence of terrorism is its capacity as a force multiplier through exploitation of fear. The Chinese strategist Sun Tzu said: “To fight and conquer in all your battles is not the supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” This is the essence of terrorism, the breaking of an enemy’s will through exploitation of fear. In the past, it was said that terrorists were very much interested in publicity and propaganda. But looking to the increasing number of attacks world over, which have neither been claimed nor been announced, a time has come to conclude that the objective of perpetrators of terrorism has changed. Now they want people dead and spread fear. The strategy is to have minimum loss while achieving maximum gain and to create an impact greater than what could have normally been created.
Sometimes, the Western world and people, who cannot look beyond the realm of economics and day-to-day survival, attribute terrorism to poverty. This logic could perhaps apply in some countries, but when terrorism hit Punjab, it was the most prosperous state in the country. There was no poverty in Punjab; there was no hunger, still for 12 long years terrorism had claimed over 14,000 lives. What was the reason? Some say illiteracy brings in terrorism, but in the north-east there are highly educated and qualified people. Why has terrorism hit the wbestern countries, economically developed? If someone says that bread and butter are the root-cause of terrorism, it would be a very myopic view while turning away from the facts.
Terrorism has no boundaries such as national, geographical, social or emotional. This is a ruthless and callous manifestation of a sick mind whose only intention is to acquire political power so that he can rule. What ideology, for example, can bin Laden have? He is not even against any particular country and yet he is today the greatest symbol of terror. What a terrorist ideology does is to exploit the emotional facet of the people. There is a certain decency in each human being and there is a sense of justice as well. A terrorist very clearly creates an impression that appeals to the self-righteousness of a certain group of people. He creates a false sense of injustice and thus exploits the emotional susceptibilities of a section of society. As explained above, the mask of ideology is used to hide the real intent. Usually, since ideology is not easy to think up or create, religion comes in handy since it tugs at the sense of belonging and a sense of identity of the people.
I would like to thank the former Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee for all the efforts he put in during his tenure. Earlier at all international forums, there would be a debate on Kashmir, but now, thanks to his foreign policy, terrorism has taken the centre stage. It is as if all international forums are now divided between those who support terrorism and those who are determined to fight it. The world is shaping into two camps. Earlier, there were two superpowers. In days to come, there would be two groups—one that supports terrorism and the other that stands for humanity. I believe that Hindustan should pledge all its goodwill and strength towards formation of such a group. All of us will have to unite to fight. Terrorism is not just going to go away; we will have to fight it.
A major reason for the recent upsurge in terrorist violence and terrorist-related incidents is the availability of a huge post-Afghan war “surplus”. This “surplus” includes combatants and material. The majority of the combatants, termed mujahideens or freedom fighters, have turned mercenary and know no other way of life than to live by the Kalashnikov. With the communists driven out of Afghanistan and a civil war there, which is threatening Islamic unity in the region, the unemployed guerrillas seek new battlefields and new enemies to fight. These mercenaries are aided by the governments that have either used them in the past and cannot entirely discard them or by regimes that seek to use them in furthering their foreign policy and other larger aims. Many governments despite decrying the spread of terrorism have tacitly helped or tolerated the continued existence of those mercenaries and the use of their soil for subversive activities. This is specially the case with Pakistan, Sudan, Iran and a few other countries. A series of incidents beginning in 1994 and continuing through 2003 has proved beyond doubt that amongst all the nations, the breeding grounds of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sudan are spawning a monster that is going to haunt the world for a long time to come.
India as a matter of fact has a culture, set of traditions and Gandhian influence, which don’t provide a breeding ground for terrorism. Fact is incapable of producing terrorists. This is the soil that is steeped in religion, culture and a civilised way of behaviour and conduct. The normal Indian psyche is not aggressive. That is why terrorists in the form of mercenaries are injected into the Indian soil to spread terrorism in India. For instance, in Kashmir, eight out of 10 terrorists killed, at one point of time, were found to be foreigners. This in itself disproves the theory of ideology since what interest can an Iranian or an Afghan mercenary have in the political status of Kashmir.
Role of Pak ISI
Most of the terrorist activities are carried out in India with the covert support of the Pakistan's ISI. The role of ISI in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts was established beyond doubt during the investigation. Pakistan still harbour a number of key figures, including Tiger Memon, responsible for this dastardly act. Delhi bomb blasts of 1996, Mumbai bomb blasts of 1997 and 1998 were also the handiworks of ISI. Attack on the American Centre in Kolkata and the Akshardham incident in Gujarat (both in 2002) revealed ISI's methodology.
Here I would like to dwell upon yet another aspect of the terror network. There lives in every community a group of individuals who harbour dangerous and malignant intentions internally. Such people live an orderly and law-abiding life following their chosen occupation like any good citizen. But, quietly almost insidiously, they prepare the ground for terrorism to take root. This is done in a subtle manner by planting certain ideas that they know to be palpably false but because of the stature of these individuals, they gain currency. Their imaginations, under the cloak of social work, weakens the very fabric of society and denudes the authority of law. The resultant loss of prestige in governance and low esteem of the people prepares a ready launching-pad for terrorism.
Reverting to ISI, strategic objectives of Pak ISI against India could be listed as follows:
To continue with the low intensity conflicts (Operation Destabilisation, Operation K2 and Operation Garland).
Political destabilisation by aiding, abetting and sponsoring terrorism, by narco-terrorism, smuggling of weapons and explosives and by creating communal conflicts.
Economic and financial manipulation through circulation of fake Indian currency and promotion of hawala channels.
Social destabilisation by promotion of religious fundamentalism and anti-India campaign.
Utilisation of other countries’ soil as springboard for terrorist strikes against India by helping Kashmiri and Sikh terrorists through criminal syndicates and smuggling networks.
Keeping these factors in view, all pre-1997 governments in New Delhi had projected the issue as Pakistan-sponsored terrorism against India to achieve its strategic objectives, without specifically relating Pakistan’s sponsorship only to the Kashmir issue and without using formulations such as cross-border terrorism, which tend to exclude infiltration of terrorists and arms and ammunition by Pakistan through air, sea and via third countries. They also kept the focus on Pakistan’s providing safe sanctuaries and training and other infrastructure to terrorists in its territory in order to justify the need for an action against such sanctuaries and infrastructure.
This has had two results which could be detrimental to India. First, the responsibility of Pakistan for terrorism in different parts of India has got blurred and the terrorism issue has got inextricably and solely linked with the Kashmir issue. Since the international community looks upon J&K as a disputed territory, over which Pakistan has historic claims since 1947, it does not view Pakistan’s sponsorship of terrorism in J&K with the same seriousness as it would have viewed its sponsorship in other parts of the country.
The attack on the Parliament House in New Delhi in December 2001, by Pakistan-based terrorists led to considerable support for India in the international community and recognition of India’s right of self-defence. At the same time, countries such as the US urged self-restraint upon India and, simultaneously, exerted pressure on the Pakistani military dictator to act against the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistani territory. This Western pressure on Pakistan, in the face of India’s mobilisation of its troops, led to some action by Musharraf, which, as widely anticipated, proved to be more a pretence than reality. As the West’s dependence on Musharraf to deal with terrorists in Pakistani territory posing a threat to Western lives and interests has increased, its readiness to mount pressure on Musharraf to act against those posing threats to Indian lives and interests has flagged. Musharraf has been none the worse for our coercive diplomacy, which seems to have run out of steam.
The mindset that prevailed and caused the creation of Pakistan still persists. Pakistan’s internal politics is Indo-centric and as such thrives on “hate-India” emotions. Pakistan takes financial help from across the world as a result of the tensions with India. These are the reasons why Pakistan is carrying out all these activities. There is one more thing that we need to look at seriously—the ISI’s network. In our country, people are restrained, at times apologetic while targeting the ISI network. A criminal is a criminal, a terrorist is a terrorist, and there is no religion of a criminal or a terrorist. It should not be weighed on the scale of secularism or through communal angles. ISI has modules. Here in Bhavnagar, we broke a module, and a Brahmin boy was caught, who is serving time in prison. ISI networks should not be linked with religion. These ISI modules have identified districts and social conflicts that can be exploited, how each one of them can be synergised to create mass-level disturbances, the blue-print of which has been made by them. ISI modules are working across the nation. But Gujarat has taken up the fight to them, and to a very large extent we have been able to notch up successes in this regard. I congratulate Gujarat Police for these achievements.
Another development has taken place; another organisation in Pakistan has been formed. This organisation has worked out a strategy to exploit whatever societal schisms that exist today in our nation. Like, recently they went to Goa, and bombed a church. While they bombed the church they left behind literature which could be identified with organisations like RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal etc., as the 'secular' brigade in the media found it convenient to blame RSS for attacking a church, which makes a good headline and copy.
Same thing happened in Gujarat in the post-Ishrat case, with stories like ‘Modi has killed Ishrat’. The third day the media people were left with red faces with nowhere to hide when Pakistan issued a statement saying Ishrat was their operative and that they were proud that she had sacrificed her life for her country and Allah! It happens sometime, we have a love-hate relationship with the media. They get something to write for three-four days. You should have seen the section of national-level leaders react to that case, only thing left was to wrap her in the tri-color. They participated in her last rites; one political party paid one lakh rupees to the family. What warped mindsets do these people have!
Getting back to this outfit from Pakistan, they did the same thing in two-three other churches. They thought their strategy is working and decided to try their luck in Bangalore, but as fate would have it they were caught there. We were lucky that Karnataka had the Congress-ruled government. The car, computer and equipment confiscated by them revealed that all the literature that was found in Goa was printed through this equipment. It brought to light an Islamic organisation based in Pakistan, trying to create tensions between Hindus and Christians in the country. These new modules with their new approaches are what we need to be vary of. It is a very dangerous trend again, trying to exploit social conflict and through that aiming at creating grounds conducive for terrorism.
North-Eastern Region
Terrorism is not confined to the western border only. It is a matter of serious concern that the entire north-east region is afflicted with insurgency. Militant groups in specified localities are keen to preserve their ethnic, religious, linguistic and territorial identity and to achieve this goal they adopt various violent means. Their main targets are security forces, police informers, vital installations and people belonging to other community. They are principally involved in extortion, killing, kidnapping and robbery. Infiltration into India by Bangladeshi Muslims can be described as another facet of terrorism. Ostensibly, these illegal migrants cross over into India and settle down in the north-eastern states with the purpose of improving their lot by migrating to a prosperous country. However, it is these very individuals who also offer recruits to various terrorists organisations. No country in the world tolerate such a situation if for no other reason than for the mere fact that such illegal immigrants are a security threat. Yet despite large number of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, which is rightly justly objected to by the people of Assam and other states, no definitive action is being taken to deal with this menace. The soil of Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar is being used by violent groups and terrorists as centres. It is only the Government of Bhutan that took concrete and decisive steps to destroy terrorists camps in its territory. In the history of Independent India this was perhaps one of the best example on the part of a sovereign government to uphold the United Nations convention against terrorism. This diminutive country has put to shame her larger neighbours and set a magnificent example.
A case in point is ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam), a militant organisation established on April 7, 1979, under the leadership of Paresh Baruah. While secession from India was the declared goal, the organisation adopted an anti-foreigner plank since this was the popular issue gripping the masses in Assam. The Assam agitation and several rounds of talks between the Central Government and leaders of the agitation resulted in the signing of Assam Accord on August 15, 1985. In the subsequent state assembly election held in December 1985, the Assam Gana Parishad (AGP) swept to power. At this stage, ULFA emphasised its basic objective, i.e. to “liberate Assam from Indian colonial rule” and to form a “sovereign, socialist Assam” through an armed struggle. As the Assam Accord and the subsequent political settlement were inimical to this objective, ULFA continued with its violent activities even after the AGP assumed power in the state. By 1986, ULFA had established contacts with agents of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), as well as with militants from the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN). ULFA has established a strong base in Bangladesh running several training camps, setting up many income-generating projects, namely, media consultancies, soft drinks manufacturing, hotels, private clinics and motor-driving schools. Moreover, ULFA also runs a profitable narcotics business in Myanmar and Thailand.
Left-Wing Extremism
Some of the states highly affected by left-wing extremism are Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Maharashtra. There has been qualitative and quantitative rise in left-wing extremism since 2001. The year 2003 witnessed the highest extremist violence with a total of 575 incidents in Andhra Pradesh alone. Their main targets are police, ruling political class and soft targets like railways and post & telegraph. They have expertise in IEDs and landmines. There was an abortive attempt on the life of AP Chief Minister with an IED in the year 2003, in which CPML-PW and MCC(1) activists were involved. Evidence shows that they have links with ULFA, CPN (Maoist) and SIMI. Recent attacks on police stations in Koraput district of Orissa show the capability of left-wing extremists to strike at will.
One of the most dangerous developments that should cause serious concern is the manner in which left-wing extremism is establishing linkages with foreign countries. The leftists want to connect their activity to China through Nepal with Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, parts of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The ruthlessness of the Naxalites in these areas is now a matter of record. It is also a proven fact that negotiations with such armed terrorist groups have never helped. Instead, it has weakened the country’s social fabric and damaged the criminal justice system. In this background, the action of the present Government of Andhra Pradesh in opening negotiations with the People's War Group deserves to be condemned in no uncertain terms.
In the 1960’s Illustrated Weekly exposed a conspiracy to create a “Green Corridor”, by changing the demographics in a belt Lucknow upwards, which it described as a plan to divide Hindustan. Those days there was talk of this so-called secularism. Hence, Illustrated Weekly could bravely print that detailed article. It exposed a plan of dividing the nation by changing demographics. Now we have another danger that of the “Red Corridor”. Green Corridor to break up the top northern part of the country and now the Red Corridor to break the east part of the country. Maoists in Nepal, Bihar, Jharkhand and some parts of Maharashtra and then Andhra Pradesh has Naxalism—just one look at the map and you can gauge the gravity of the conspiracy. Right from Pasupati to Tirupati, a Red Corridor is being carved out through the Naxal activities. If roads are being made, they don’t let them make the roads, if roads are not being made, they agitate, these people are using emotional exploitation for fanning terrorism.
Crime and terrorism grow together as partners and expand their influence because they can exploit the democratic ideology of a free society that offers protection to everybody based on individual rights. Visitors and persons are welcomed into these free societies including those who may not respect the freedom and rights of others. A progressive democratic society that gives “equal rights and protection without discrimination” is thus vulnerable.
Over the past two decades, India has, as can be seen, been more and more engulfed by terrorism. Earlier it seemed far away, occurring only in the north-east. Terrorist violence, firstly in Punjab and then in Jammu & Kashmir, brought home the fact that no part of the country is actually free from this menace. The city of Mumbai witnessed it earlier on March 12, 1993, when a series of bomb blasts ripped the city as a consequence of an action planned by the intelligence agency of a hostile country and supported by Dawood Ibrahim group. In Gujarat, over a period of time, Gujarat police have succeeded in nabbing several criminals and terrorists who have revealed serious plans of subversion in the state. In the aftermath of the Godhra carnage, incidence at Akshardham, Gandhinagar, drives home the point conclusively that the state is an object of attention of militant groups. Indian security forces will have to be extremely vigilant if they are to deal with terrorism effectively. The pro-active role on their part will require a thorough knowledge not only of various militant groups operating within the state but also of those operating outside India but having important ramifications within India. Security forces officers will have to survey a wide canvass on which either terrorism takes roots or from where logistic support is provided to militants. For example, Taliban continues to be the primary hub for terrorists and a home or transit point for loosely organised extremist groups. Quite a few of them operate in Kashmir apart from engaging in terrorist acts throughout the world. It is not by accident that Al-Qaeda, which seeks to establish an Islamic theocracy throughout the world by overthrowing non-Islamic governments and liberal Islamic countries, was based in Afghanistan, which probably continues to be a hide-out for many of its splinter groups. Similarly, Pakistan today is perhaps the most dangerous place on this planet, largely because the administration does not understand the forces it has to deal with there, and has no policy to contain them. This is the country that possesses nuclear technology, is the home of fundamentalist terrorism and provides a regular supply of life-destroying heroin to the world. Existence of terrorist camps, where terrorists are trained and launched into India, pre-supposes that these desperadoes also move freely in the cities and towns of Pakistan. The risk that the administration of that country runs can hardly be over-emphasised. More importantly, the debilitating effect this has on the society, makes this nuclear-armed country in part ungoverned and in part ungovernable.
Development of technology and growth of communication have permitted close links between terrorism, crime and economic depredation.
Money, negotiable instruments, and electronic records can now be moved around the world in minutes instead of days. Incriminating records can almost as quickly be erased.
And money laundering is no longer a one-way street. It is a vicious circle whereby large assets can be sent out of a country in one form and be returned minutes later in another. The acquisition of real estate and legitimate businesses by organised crime has become an end in itself, the means by which organised crime figures acquire great influence in the legitimate channels of government and society.
Developing countries and emerging democracies are becoming a target for organised criminal groups operating across borders and terrorist modules within the country, because of their vulnerabilities, while their institutions are either young or in the process of being built. Often, the sophisticated modus operandi of these groups is no match to the criminal justice systems of developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The need for foreign capital to give new life to the economy and assist these countries in entering today’s competitive and demanding global market, frequently obscures the long-term threat posed by the investment of criminal proceeds. Criminal groups are keen to enter developing countries and economies in transition, not only because of their potential, but also because of the decreased risks involved. The advantages that such groups enjoy, due to the sizeable amounts of money at their disposal and their ability to eliminate competition through intimidation and violence, make risks that would daunt any legitimate business perfectly acceptable. The consolidation of their power places is a grave danger for the growing economies, particularly in terms of their future development, their competitiveness in the international arena and their stability.
The situation has become even more alarming with the expansion of organised crime and the growing tendency of organised criminal groups to diversify their operations in response to a principle that has been driving international business for reduced risks and maximization of profitability.
While retaining traditional activities, particularly those that continue to be lucrative, and finding new ways for eluding law-enforcement efforts, organised criminal groups are increasing their sophistication and turning to “borderline” economic endeavours. The advantages are obvious. Countries are still in the process of analysing the potential for malfeasance of a broad range of new economic activities and products available to individual and institutional investors, before they can even attempt to conceive, elaborate and enforce adequate regulations. In addition to the obvious advantage of concealing wealth and laundering proceeds, organised criminal groups are drawn to the great possibilities for reaping sizeable, perfectly legal profits before anyone has even realised whether there was anything wrong.
Finally, such activities come with added value—power, which organised crime has never shunned if the price for obtaining it was right. There is another feature in this type of crimes, which is both an additional advantage for criminal groups and an incalculable danger for modern societies. The successful engagement of criminals in economic crimes is often viewed by public as an act of cunning and even bravery. Social criticism for the perpetrator is directed not at the commission of the crime but at the failure to escape justice. This attitude is a sign of the times and amply demonstrates the corrosive effects that such crimes have on the social fabric. It is fundamental that this attitude be reserved, because it can prove equally or more dangerous than the offences themselves.
A significant corollary to the above is the diversion and investment of the illicit money (black money) acquired by committing such crimes, in furthering crimes, the organised and the organised trans-national kind and the hegemony of the criminal syndicates rule. The threats to the public security and eventually the national security would appear imminent as an ultimate consequence. Terrorist groups are the principal beneficiary.
Another term that is very popular is narco-terrorism. This refers to a nexus between narcotics and terrorism.
Sponsoring terrorism is an expensive affair and money for killing, kidnapping and sabotage does not come through proper channels. It comes through illegal and unofficial channels. The market value of narcotics drugs is much higher than any consumer products in the world.
Terrorism needs huge sums of money to carry out its operation. Since it is difficult to acquire that sum from official and legal sources, terrorists approach drug syndicates and underworld dons for cooperation. Following the attack on the twin towers in New York, the UN passed a resolution on September 12, 2001 to eradicate acts of terrorism and to hold accountable perpetrators of terrorism, which was followed by another resolution on September 20 (No.1373 condemning states sponsors terrorism).
The UN had passed many resolutions in the past, having a bearing on the state-sponsorship of terrorism, which is an important component of Pakistan’s proxy war, but never before had a resolution been passed in such specific terms as in UNSC Resolution No. 1373. India should have brought its entire political, diplomatic and psychological campaign against Pakistan’s state-sponsorship of terrorism within the ambit of this Resolution and drawn the attention of the international community through the UNSC and other means to Pakistan’s long history of sponsoring insurgency and terrorism in Indian territory for destabilising India and achieving its strategic objectives.
Pakistan has assisted insurgency in the north-east since the 1950s; supported the terrorists in Punjab since 1981; sponsored indigenous terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir since 1989 and pan-Islamic terrorism through pro-bin Laden Pakistani terrorist organisations in the same state since 1993; and instigated trans-national mafia groups such as that of Dawood Ibrahim to commit acts of economic terrorism since 1993.
An extraordinary similarity about various terrorist organisations has been the manner in which they are named using two, three or four alphabets. By the way of illustration consider the following:
JKLF (Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front)
ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam)
KLF (Khalistan Liberation Front)
KCF (Khalistan Commando Force)
HUM (Harkat-ul-Mujahideen)
LeT (Lashkar-e-Toiba)
CIRA (Continuity Irish Republican Army)
UDFB (United Democratic Front of Bodoland)
UPDS (United Peoples Democratic Solidarity)
ACF (Adivasi Cobra Force)
PWG (People's War Group)
LTTE (Liberation Tigers Tamil Elam)
Thus the words liberation, solidarity, commando, force or united are a common feature in the names of these terrorist organisations. It establishes clearly that their creed is violence and that human rights and sensibilities are of no consequence when they clash with their political agenda.
The law-enforcement agencies of this country will have no other alternative but stand up to this challenge. But mere words will not suffice. One of the weakest aspects of our security is collection of hard intelligence. Law and order is a state subject under the Constitution and it is the responsibility of the state police force firstly to anticipate the happening and then to act to prevent it. Unfortunately, the intelligence apparatus in most states leave much to be desired. I strongly feel that matters pertaining to intelligence should be given priority and the shroud of fanatical secrecy should be lifted so as to analyse true worth of any intelligence agency. In order to create a cadre of dedicated officers, I would recommend setting-up of an all-India service, which could be called the Indian Intelligence Service. Members of this service should be in the same manner as IAS, IPS and IFS. Be born on the cadre of a particular state and then are available for service with the Central Government on deputation basis. The advantage of such a system would be to have at hand the committed and professional intelligence officers who could then be trusted to collect hard intelligence competently.
Another aspect that needs serious consideration is to provide legal support to law-enforcing agencies. We have replaced 303 rifles and given our crack units AK-56 rifles, and other sophisticated weaponry to deal with terrorists. This is an equipment that kills or destroys the terrorists. It is ironical that while we have given such power to our police forces, we have fought shy of equipping our law-enforcement agencies with adequate laws. Police in India are encumbered with illegal disabilities and are required to deal with the menace of terrorism using antiquated laws. When a proper law is put in place, such as POTA, it is summarily withdrawn for reasons, which no one can understand but can only speculate. Post-September 11, even United States of America came out with stringent laws against terrorism. They went two steps ahead and not only have made immigration procedures rather harsh but have also created an entire new department of Homeland Security so as to ensure its territory’s integrity against terrorist-related aggression. Unless the same is done in India, there is little hope for effective action against militancy.
Next on the agenda should be development of awareness amongst the masses. Citizens in general must be associated with the countries' preparations against security threats. The actions of certain groups including those who flourish under the guise of democratic conventions must be within the sphere of knowledge. In the West, these aspects have been studied and a strategy adopted with the help of media to the optimum benefit of these countries. Media has always played a constructive role in developed countries by never highlighting a terrorist act and never belittling the attempts of government to curb the same. How such an happy synthesis between the government, the people and the media has been achieved could be a matter of study in this country for emulation.
(The author is Chief Minister of Gujarat.)
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Home > 2006 Issues > August 20, 2006
Fighting Islamic terror intelligently
By N. Kunju
No one with some common sense can believe that there are no anti-nationals among 140 million Indian Muslims.
Preventing infiltration of foreign jehadis into India at the border alone will not do; internal vigilance and extermination of their Indian agents is equally important. Terrorism is no more a cancer in one part of India’s body; it can’t be cured by a local operation in J&K or elsewhere.
The making of a jehadi often starts from the innocuous Madrasas that are supposed to teach religion along with general education and ends up in the training fields of terrorist camps in Pakistan.
Indian Muslims will have to play a more prominent and pro-active role in fighting the menace of terrorism. They are ultimately the worst sufferers of terrorism.
Patriotism is not anybody’s monopoly. Many Muslims partook in the freedom struggle and had stood steadfast for a united India. No Hindu leader was more pained than Abul Kalam Azad or Ghaffar Khan (Frontier Gandhi) when India was Partitioned in 1947. There were Muslim heroes who fought wars for India valiantly such as Brigadier Usman (Maha Vir Chakra) and Havildar Abdul Hamid (Param Vir Chakra) and laid down their lives for the Motherland.
Our so-called secularists have been proudly shouting from housetops that when Muslims in other countries were attracted to terrorism to vent their anger, the 150 million Indian Muslims were patriotic and had nothing to do with terrorist activities. The maximum they would concede is that some disgruntled Kashmiri youth might be playing a part in the militancy in the state, but then Kashmir’s was a unique case.
The rest of Indian Muslims were nationalists, they contend, enjoying democratic rights and need not resort to extra-constitutional means to get their grievances redressed. Leave aside Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav who is more Muslim partisan than the Maulanas. Even Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said not long ago “not even a single Muslim was on the rolls of Al Qaeda”.
This myth got strengthened by revelations in earlier terror attacks of suicide squads when some of the attackers were shot dead by security forces and were identified as foreign nationals, mostly Pakistanis. Moreover, terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba were based and their cadres trained in Pakistan.
However, the 11th July (7/11) series of bomb blasts in the crowded local trains in Mumbai has burst this myth - the balloon inflated and floated by vote-bank politicians to please the Muslims in general and appease their religious leaders in particular. It would not have been possible for that many Pakistanis to infiltrate into India and organise simultaneous bomb blasts in seven trains in different parts of the city, in which some 200 persons were killed and many wounded. The assumption is that the Al Qeada directed the operation and the actors were locals trained for the purpose. A few hundred Muslim youths, specially belonging to the banned SIMI, suspected to have a part in carrying out the bomb blasts, have been rounded up by the police.
No one with some common sense can believe that there are no anti-nationals among 140 million Indian Muslims. It is as absurd as saying that all 800 million Hindus in the country are all patriotic persons. All those who were caught for spying for foreign countries recently in the intelligence set-ups like RAW and Defence establishments like Naval Headquarters were high-ranking Hindu officers. And some of the secrets they leaked could have been used by Pakistan in her plots of hostility against India.
So, patriotism is not anybody’s monopoly. Many Muslims partook in the freedom struggle and had stood steadfast for a united India. No Hindu leader was more pained than Abul Kalam Azad or Ghaffar Khan (Frontier Gandhi) when India was partitioned in 1947. There were Muslim heroes who fought wars for India valiantly such as Brigadier Usman (Maha Vir Chakra) and Havildar Abdul Hamid (Param Vir Chakra) and laid down their lives for the Motherland.
Nevertheless, there is a difference in susceptibility between Hindus and Muslims as far as attraction to anti-national acts are concerned. The latter are more vulnerable. This is an uncomfortable fact on which politicians in general are reluctant to agree. They feel that believing in this proposition will be discrimination against Muslims, rather vilification of Muslims as a whole.
But the truth cannot be denied and it is based on the ideology and outlook of the two religions. For a Hindu, the lure to betray the country’s interest is material - money, better position and opportunities for himself and his children. He does it against his conscience and always with a feeling of remorse, besides fear of the consequences. And if he is religious, the fear of retribution for the sin will haunt him in this life and thereafter.
Not so to the Muslim who turns anti-national or terrorist. He could be fired by religious fanaticism to make him believe that the crime he does is his duty towards his God, his Prophet and the cause of Islam. The noted scholar on Islam Bernard Lewis writes: “In the western world, the basic unit of human organisation is the nation... virtually synonymous with country. This is then subdivided in various ways, one of which is religion. Muslims, however, tend to see not a nation subdivided into religious groups, but religion subdivided into nations.” The basis for this is historical, for the Prophet of Islam was not only a religious leader but also a ruler. The concept of secularism, separation of religion from politics, is alien to Islam. Therefore Christ’s dictum “Give unto Caesar that is Caesar’s and give unto God what is God’s” do not apply to Muslims. Moreover, Muslim terrorist does not suffer from a feeling of remorse for his act of killing innocents; on the other hand he is told that he was doing his duty as a jehadi and the eternal joy of jenneth waits for him even if he is killed in his endeavour.
This does not mean that all Muslims are potential jehadis ready to take to terrorism. Religious sanction does not mean that every Muslim takes advantage of the sanction or indulges in the sanctioned deeds. People, irrespective of their religion, are generally led by common sense. Islam may sanction four wives, but how many Muslims take advantage of the sanction? Perhaps one in ten thousand. So also an infinitely small per cent of Muslims are attracted to terrorism, which of course is more dangerous than marrying four women. But then, one in ten thousand constitutes a sizeable number in the 150 million strong population. And the resources and capacity of foreign fundamentalist organisations are enormous to misguide them to make them scapegoats at the altar of jehad.
The making of a jehadi often starts from the innocuous Madrasas that are supposed to teach religion along with general education and ends up in the training fields of terrorist camps in Pakistan, especially in Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK). Not that everyone who studies in Madrasa becomes a terrorist. But at least the Madrasa teaching helps one to make him a fundamentalist fanatic. And one with such a mindset is more vulnerable to the jehadi influence.
Coming back to the 7/11 Mumbai blasts, the government is now convinced that there are Indian hands that the foreign terrorists used to carry out their nefarious designs. The so-called secular politicians including the Prime Minister no more claim “there is not a single terrorist in the 150 million strong Indian Muslims”. The needle of suspicion points to organisations like SIMI which is banned for spreading disaffection among Muslims. The police have found the SIMI cadres that went underground have become the agents of Al Qeada. Raids of SIMI dens and arrests of its members have become a daily occurrence and several of its senior leaders are absent from their homes for years and are said to be out of the country working for international Islamic terrorist organisations.
This revelation demands a new approach in fighting terrorism. Firstly, preventing infiltration of foreign jehadis into India at the borders alone will not do; internal vigilance and extermination of their Indian agents is equally important. Terrorism is no more a cancer in one part of India’s body; it can’t be cured by a local operation in J&K or elsewhere. It has spread almost all over the country and indigenous cells vulnerable to the disease exist almost everywhere. Therefore, the infection calls for a holistic treatment.
Also panicking and knee-jerk reactions can’t help. Blaming Pakistan, halting Indo-Pak peace talks, asking Pak President Musharraf to close down terrorist outfits and breast beating at international forums are the usual exercise resorted to by the government after a terrorist attack. But these will have hardly any effect because Islamic terrorism is an international phenomenon that the Pak President can’t stop. And even if he can stop, why should he do it? Religous terrorism has been a threat to Musharraf himself and several attempts have been made on his life. So, he will be only too happy to see some of the jehadis going across the border so that the menace is reduced inside Pakistan.
Immediately after the Mumbai blasts, the Prime Minister had gone to attend the G-8 meet at St. Petersburg in Russia. Normally India would have been content to talk of environmental damage that the industrial nations are causing because of their unchecked exploitation of natural resources, unprecedented oil price hike, etc. But the Islamic terrorist attack on Mumbai trains made a disturbed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shift the focus to terrorism. There were fervent appeals to member countries to work together to help India to eliminate terrorism. Of course all the countries condemned the terrorist bomb blasts in Mumbai and showed sympathy to India. However, no one mentioned the name of Pakistan, the terrorist launch-pad against India, and the condemnation remained impersonal.
Is there any use of breast-beating at international forums for what the terrorists do to India? Others, including Pakistan, will join to condemn terrorist attacks. But India will have to fight its own battle against religious terror and cannot depend on international community to do it for us.
There is need to change the present strategy and tactics of the fight against Islamic terrorism in the light of the new revelation that it is not entirely foreign, that there is a prominent indigenous component in the terror machine. We have several models of fighting religious terrorism successfully and not so successfully. There is the Israeli one of war with no holds barred, our own Kashmir model of reacting rather than acting, the K.P.S.Gill model of encounter extermination of Sikh terrorists in Punjab, etc. However, entirely copying any of these models to confront the hidden enemy spread out in a vast country like India’s size and large population may not be effective and sometimes could prove counter-productive.
Israel is fighting a war with an enemy based in foreign lands and could afford to be unscrupulous because of the unqualified support of the USA. The Kashmir experiment has failed because it has alienated a major part of the population, which is a bad development for a democracy. This writer, as a soldier serving in an ordnance depot in Srinagar in the 1950s has seen the humility and loyalty of the Kashmiri employees, mostly Muslims, who worked under him. The atrocities committed by the Pak raiders were still fresh in their minds and they had nothing but hatred for the Islamic state. How the alienation of such a docile people over the years happened cannot be described here, but suffice to say that it was not only cross-border support but also bungling by successive corrupt state governments and the indecisiveness of the central government that led to the crisis.
As for Gill’s method of ruthless extermination, it was no doubt successful in Punjab. But India is not Punjab where half the population as a religious group had no part in the anti-national crusade and the small number of terrorists among the other group could be easily identified and dealt with a heavy hand. Such an action on an all-India basis may not be feasible.
India’s fight against foreign-inspired indigenous Islamic terrorism has to be at two levels - prevention, and pro-active remedial measures. The strategy has to be developed through national expertise and not political expediency. Religious terror should be identified as a national danger and people should unite irrespective of their religion, political division and regional differences. Trying to score political points on successes and failures, earning the applause of one section by spewing the venom of hatred against another, and above all, apathy of the general public are all obstacles to be overcome. Fighting terrorism is a national goal, rather than something to be made aware of through police advertisements.
However, the Indian Muslims will have to play a more prominent and pro-active role in fighting the menace. They are the worse sufferers of terrorism than other communities. The first danger to them is increasing alienation and becoming suspect for no personal fault of theirs. Secondly, there can be collateral damage to the community because of police raids and preventive action. Thirdly, the community’s frustration and insecurity could spread and it would help the foreign terrorist groups to get more Indian recruits.
What the Indian Muslims should do to save themselves and the nation from the danger of terrorism that goes in the name of their religion, is best spelt out by a young Muslim IPS officer Asif Jalal in an article in the Indian Express (July 30, 2006): “The Muslim community must take the extremists’ act more seriously because the consequences of terrorism on Indian soil, in a multi-religious society, are enormous... A situation where boys born and brought up in UP and Bihar plant explosives in temples and trains would certainly script a terrible destiny for over 140 million Indian Muslims.
“To eradicate this ideology, the Muslims need to take serious, perceptible and relentless efforts. Counter-terrorism requires a systematic plan of action to insulate the general youth and de-toxicate those infected with the ideology. The thinking Muslims will have to go out of the comforts of homes and work in gallis, seminaries, mosques and other public places to acquaint common Muslims of the dangers of such an ideology... Terrorism is also a battle within the Muslim community; a battle between the life instinct of the many and the death wish of a handful of lunatics. A Muslim has reason to fight and win this battle for the good of the many of their brethren, besides the larger interest of India.”
(The writer is a veteran journalist and can be contacted at 42-B, Pocket 1, Mayur Vihar Ph.1, Delhi 110091.E-mail: janunkunju@sify.com)
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