The Islamist threat – connecting the dots

Last week three separate events, in different places around the world, illustrated that despite the current determined and relentless efforts by Egyptian president elect Al-Sissi to degrade the Muslim Brotherhood leadership in his country, the fanatic Islamist ideology and long term plans that the Brotherhood represents – a multi-continental Jihad with the goal of reestablishing an Islamic caliphate – are growing, strengthening and gathering new recruits on a worldwide basis.    

   These unrelated events took place in France, Guantanamo Bay and the Palestinian city of Ramallah.    
   France: On Sunday French authorities announced the arrest of Mehdi Nemmouche, a French citizen suspected in the shooting spree at the Jewish Museum in Brussels last week that left four dead, including an Israeli couple.  Nemmouche had recently returned to France from Syria where he became a member of the Al-Qaeda affiliated ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria). In Syria he acquired extensive combat skills and Islamist indoctrination, and was ordered to return to France to continue the Jihad.
   Following his interrogation, French security services arrested four men who are responsible for recruiting French citizens to join Islamist rebel groups in Syria, get training and indoctrination and then return to Europe with their French passports to conduct Jihadi terrorist and suicide attacks.
   And France is not the only country concerned. Though most of the estimated 6,000 – 8000 “foreign volunteers” fighting with the Jihadist rebels in Syria are from Arab countries – about 1,000 European, American, Canadian, Australian, South American and Asian citizens are currently fighting and training with the two main Jihadist rebel groups in Syria: ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra. A lot of these are 2nd or 3rd generation immigrants from Islamic countries. However, and this is most alarming, many are non-Muslims who were converted to Islam and radicalized while serving jail sentences...at home.
   Security services around the world are very concerned that Syria has become the new Afghanistan – breeding cadres of radicalized, highly trained “lone wolf” Jihadists who are programmed to act on the ideology of a worldwide Islamic caliphate, starting in their home countries. 
  And then there is Moner Mohammad Abusalha, an American from Florida and a student at Seminole State College who flew to Syria to join Jabhat al-Nusra. Last week, on May 25, wearing a suicide bomb vest he drove a truck packed with 16 tons of explosives into a restaurant that was popular with Syrian soldiers. The restaurant, together with buildings around it, was destroyed. They are still counting the dead, including Abusalha, who was nicknamed Al-Amriki, “The American”. 
   Guantanamo: The release of five very high level Taliban leaders in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergahl is understandable. Israel exchanged many more prisoners for Gilad Shalit, and has done so several times in the past. Bringing home a soldier, especially after five years in captivity, is a primary responsibility and duty of any country.
   But – This does not alter several unavoidable consequences:

1. That every terrorist group with prisoners being held by the US will now make every effort to abduct American soldiers, diplomats or civilians.
2. That the release will be used as a recruiting tool.
3. That the high-level prisoners just released will be motivated and able to provide fresh anti-American propaganda, based on their “experiences” (real or fabricated) in Gitmo to Jihadi trainers and motivators. This exacerbates the problem detailed above.

   Ramallah: On Sunday a mass rally was held in support of the agreement between Fatah and Hamas in what is considered to be a relatively secular, moderate city. It was anything but. Speaker after speaker praised the fact that now Hamas will be in control of the West Bank, too, and that like in Gaza Sharia law will prevail. The huge crowd cheered. The most prominent flags at the rally were the black flag of Al-Qaeda and the white flag of the caliphate.
   One of the highlights of the rally was when a popular radical Imam, in the middle of a rant about the revenge of Allah, suddenly raised a scabbard, drew a sword and waved it shouting that everyone should own one to kill all the Jews and non-believers who will be hiding behind the trees and rocks “as written in the Quran”.   
 In country after country in the Middle East, where strong, moderate and mostly pro-American dictators were toppled in a mistaken belief that democracy will solve all problems and herald a new, peaceful and just  world order, the sudden void created by the absence of local and major-power leadership is being filled by Islamist extremism, both Sunni and Shiite. 
   It will take more than just President Assisi’s noble efforts to actually minimize the threat from Sunni extremists, and no-one seems to have the stomach to confront the Iranians and their Shiite terrorism proxies.
   Assisi gets it, but he can’t do it alone. Unless the super powers get involved, the next ten, twenty or hundred “Al Amrikis” may be fulfilling their self-described destinations much closer to home.
  Agree or disagree, that’s my opinion.

DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed above the writer’s, and do not represent SWJC directors, officers or members