TERRORISM: Welcome Home, Your Jail Cell Is Waiting
Strategy Page
July 4, 2005: Saudi Arabia continues to be the source of most active Islamic terrorists. It's believed that as many as 5,000 Saudis have gone to Iraq to fight the "infidel invaders." Islamic radicals all over the Islamic world, and Europe, are eager to go to Iraq and join the fight. Moslem countries are under pressure from the United States to halt these movements. But, this is difficult to do. Young men are constantly traveling abroad to look for jobs. Unemployment and poverty continue to be major problems in Islamic countries, even those with large oil exports. It's this economic failure, combined with religious practices that discourage self-reliance and personal responsibility, that fuel the Islamic terrorist movement. Governments in these Moslem nations are glad to see their radicals go off to Iraq, usually to get killed. The same thing happened in the 1980s with Afghanistan. But there are several differences this time around. In Afghanistan, most of the Afghans backed the Islamic militants that came to their aid. In Iraq, it's quite the opposite. Also, the chances of the Islamic militants surviving combat in Iraq are much lower than they were in Afghanistan. The most important difference is that, when these Islamic militants do come home, they are now often arrested. Governments saw what trouble makers the Afghan veterans were, and do not want to go through that again. So while the Americans are told, "we can't do anything," it is noted who is traveling to Syria, and when they return. Those who survive their jihad are hauled in for questioning, and often arrested for planning to overthrow the state. The Islamic terrorists have noted this trend, and many are going to Europe instead, where it is easier to operate underground.
Islamic militancy has seized the imagination of a generation of Moslem men. Not all of them, but a significant minority. Millions of men, actually. Most are poorly educated and lack useful skills, but many are well educated and capable. Their belief in terrorism is grounded in religious faith. So their minds are hard to change. Based on historical experience with this sort of thing, the generation of Islamic terrorists will only be gone when it grows old and dies, or members are killed in action.
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