Extremist Preachers Now Radicalising Young Muslims In Private Homes, Says Senior Government Security Adviser

From The Telegraph:

Third world charities set up to raise money to help people in Pakistan and Bangladesh are also being used as front organisations to fund terrorism, according to the Home Office’s top anti-terrorism adviser.

Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks who was killed by US forces in Pakistan last year
Charles Farr, the Director General of the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism, also said that Al-Qaeda was now at “its weakest state” since the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Mr Farr, who was once tipped as a future head of MI6, added that it was “possible to talk of the demise of parts of Al Qaeda” because the revolutions in the Middle East had weakened support for them.

The news came amid the continuing row over the European Court of Human Rights' refusal to allow Britain to extradite Abu Qatada - once described as “Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe” - to Jordan to face terror charges.

Mr Farr said extremist Muslim preachers could no longer radicalise young people at mosques and universities because of the increasingly effective activities of the Security Services on mainland Britain.

He said that increasingly "it takes place in private premises, simply because the people who are doing the radicalising are now much more aware of the activities that we are conducting

“There has been a trend towards much greater use of private venues, simply because for obvious reasons they feel that they are much more secure.”

He said that radicalisation often “rapidly migrates into a private house where people are brought together, usually under the excuse of there being a faith-based meeting, and the discussion rapidly develops into something much more about terrorism and the legitimacy of violence.”

There was some radicalisation going on in Britain, but in “no more than one or two per cent” of the mosques in the UK, he said. Charities were also being used as fronts to raise money to fund terrorism.

Mr Farr said: “We can see some activity going on in charitable organisations, often with the pretext of raising funds to be sent overseas for good works, for example to Pakistan or indeed Bangladesh.”

Mr Farr, who hardly ever speaks in public on the record, made the remarks last Autumn to the Home Affairs Select Committee. The comments were published quietly on the committee’s website in part-redacted form this week.

He said Al-Qaeda was now at “its weakest state” since the September 11 terror attacks over a decade ago in the wake of the killing of Osama Bin Laden last year.

Mr Farr added that it was “possible to talk of the demise of parts of Al-Qaeda” because of the revolutions in the Middle East.

Mr Farr said: “Over the past year we have seen significant changes in the terrorist threat - significant developments in the Middle East and the Arab world, which have impacted on the threat in broadly positive ways.

“Al-Qaeda is no longer the organisation it was. It is at its weakest state since 9/11, and it is possible to talk of the demise of parts of Al-Qaeda in a way that we could not have done if we had been having this conversation even a year ago.”

Ten years ago, in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks on the east coast of America, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, the then-chief of the defence staff, suggested that the “war on terror” might last 50 years.

However, Mr Farr added: “I think opinion is changing in the Muslim majority world as well, generally, against terrorism and against terrorist organisations. I am not quite as pessimistic as you may be and I certainly don't think in 50-year terms.”

Western intelligence agencies have been tightening the noose on Al-Qaeda ever since Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, was killed by US forces in Pakistan last year.

Mr Farr also described the English Defence League as a “significant organisation” adding “that it is deeply troubling in many respects and can cause great harm”.

But he said that the attacks similar to those in Norway, when Anders Breivik Behring, with suspected far right sympathies, shot and killed 77 people last year, were unlikely.

He told the MPs: “It is certainly the case that there is a strong extreme right group or groups in this country, significant numbers of people who would subscribe to extreme right wing views.

“However, we don’t see such a tendency for people who hold those views to drift into the world of terrorism.

“Extreme right terrorism in this country is and remains rare, and there are no extreme right wing terrorist organisations operating here in the way that we may have seen in some other countries overseas.”

Mr Farr blamed “the view that we are conducting a war on Islam, not a war on terrorism” as “a very significant reason why people have gravitated and drifted into terrorist activities”.

He also cited private Home Office polling that Muslims were three times more likely than Christians to become radicalised.

According to the unpublished survey, carried out between April 2009 and March 2010, three per cent of Muslims thought it was ‘always’ or 'often right’ to use violent extremism in Britain to protest against things they judged to be very unfair or unjust compared to one per cent of Christians and one per cent of those with no religion.

The study also found that six per cent of Christians thought violent extremism was ‘always/often right’ or ‘sometimes right, sometimes wrong’, compared with 15 per cent of Hindus and 12 per cent of Muslims.

However the survey added: “This tells us that while Muslims and Hindus are, as a group, less likely than Christians to reject violent extremism, the differences may be explained by their younger age profile and/or socioeconomic profile.”

Father Of Failed Subway Jihadist Gets 4 1/2 Years In Prison For Destroying Evidence, Lying To Investigators

From Jihad Watch:

He had already pleaded guilty to visa fraud. "Dad of NYC subway bomb plotter gets prison time," by Colleen Long for the Associated Press, February 10:

NEW YORK (AP) - A federal judge has sentenced the father of an admitted terrorist to 4 1/2 years in prison for destroying evidence and lying to investigators.

Mohammed Wali Zazi (ZAH'-zee) was sentenced Friday in Brooklyn for charges including conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

Authorities said the former cab driver from Colorado tried to cover up his son's 2009 plot to attack the New York City subways....

UK: Nine Muslim Men Jailed Over Bomb Plot And Terror Camp Plan

From the BBC:

Nine men who plotted to bomb the London Stock Exchange and build a terrorist training camp have been jailed.

Three of the men - all members of an al-Qaeda inspired terror group - received indeterminate sentences for public protection at London's Woolwich Crown Court.

The police kept the men under surveillance for some time before arresting them
The court heard they had planned to raise funds for a terrorist camp in Pakistan and recruit Britons to attend.

The nine come from Stoke-on-Trent, Cardiff and London.

In sentencing, the judge described all the men - who are British nationals of Bangladeshi and Pakistani origin - as Islamic fundamentalists.

The three to receive indeterminate sentences for the terror camp plan included Mohammed Shahjahan 27, of Stoke-on-Trent, who was jailed for a minimum term of eight years and 10 months.

Usman Khan, 20, and Nazam Hussain, 26, also from Stoke-on-Trent, were ordered to serve at least eight years.

Judge Mr Justice Wilkie said these three were "the more serious jihadists" and said they should not be released until they were no longer a threat to the public.

The court heard they planned to establish the terrorist camp on land in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir owned by Khan's family and encourage a "significant" number of British Muslims to undergo training there.

Khan and Hussain planned to travel to the camp and receive military instruction themselves before "obtaining first-hand terrorist experience in Kashmir", the hearing was told.

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Wilkie said this was a "serious, long-term venture in terrorism" that could also have resulted in atrocities in the UK.

It was envisaged by them all that ultimately they and the other recruits may return to the UK as trained and experienced terrorists available to perform terrorist attacks in this country, on one possibility contemplated in the context of the return of British troops from Afghanistan."

Four others, who all pleaded guilty to engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism by planning to plant a bomb in the toilets of the London Stock Exchange, were:

• Gurukanth Desai, 30, from Cardiff: 12 years
• Abdul Miah, 25, from Cardiff: 16 years, 10 months
• Mohammed Chowdhury, 22, from London: 13 years, 8 months
• Shah Rahman, 28, from London: 12 years
  

Omar Latif, 28, from Cardiff, admitted attending meetings with the intention of assisting others to prepare or commit acts of terrorism. He was given a sentence of 10 years and 4 months.

Mohibur Rahman, 28, from London, was given a five-year sentence after he admitted to possessing two editions of an al-Qaeda magazine for terrorist purposes.

All nine men were arrested in December 2010. Each pleaded guilty to terrorism charges on the eve of their trial at Woolwich Crown Court.

Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, said between them the nine men possessed "almost every famous jihadi publication" including copies of an online al-Qaeda magazine called Inspire which carries features such as how to "Make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom".

He told the court the nine had decided to form a group in October 2010 to "support and commit acts of terrorism in furtherance of their religious belief".

Piers Arnold, a lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, said the men were motivated by extreme Jihadist propaganda circulated on the internet by organisations like al-Qaeda.

"These nine men were not members of al-Qaeda but they were clearly influenced by the message of that organisation and in particular by the teachings of the American-born ideologue, Anwar Al-Awlaki, who died in a drone attack in Yemen last year."

He said Al-Awlaki was a key contributor to Inspire magazine which urged readers to attack Western countries by any means possible to cause death, fear and economic damage.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Osborne said the counter terrorism operation was "one of the most significant and complex" of recent years, and involved 1,000 police officers and staff at its height.

"We had a network of highly dangerous men based in three cities who were working together to plan terrorist attacks in the UK.

"Had we not taken action to disrupt this network, their actions could have resulted in serious casualties or fatalities," he added.

Saudi Arabia Threatens To Go Nuclear If Iran Does

From NewsCore via Fox News:

Saudi Arabia would launch a military nuclear program immediately if Iran successfully developed atomic weapons, The Times of London reported Friday.

While Riyadh signed an agreement with the US in 2008 stating that it would only pursue nuclear power for civil purposes, the Saudi government is likely to abandon the deal if Tehran had a nuclear bomb.

"There is no intention currently to pursue a unilateral military nuclear program but the dynamics will change immediately if the Iranians develop their own nuclear capability," a senior Saudi source said.

"Politically, it would be completely unacceptable to have Iran with a nuclear capability and not the kingdom."

In such an eventuality, Saudi Arabia would start work on a new ballistic missile platform, purchase nuclear warheads from overseas and aim to source uranium to develop weapons-grade material.

Officials in the West believe Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have an understanding in which Islamabad would supply the kingdom with warheads if security in the Gulf was threatened.

A Western official told The Times that Riyadh could have the nuclear warheads in a matter of weeks of approaching Islamabad. Other vendors were also likely to enter into a bidding war if Riyadh indicated that it was seeking nuclear warheads.

Both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have denied the existence of any such agreement.

Like the US and many other countries in the West, Saudi Arabia believes that Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons and the kingdom is preparing for a worst-case scenario, the Saudi sources said.

Egypt's 'Gassed' Dogs

From Jihad Watch:

The above picture has appeared on several Arabic websites. Based on the caption that accompanies it, these dogs appear to be victims of the teargas the Egyptian military has been using against protesters. The caption reads: “Stray dogs passed out all over the streets from the effects of the teargas [or literally, “gas-bombs”] thrown at protesters. Despite being used to living around refuse, streets, car exhausts, these dogs passed out from the lethal gas. What about humans?”

Incidentally, there is no surprise that the dogs have been left like vermin on the streets: deemed najis, or unclean, dogs are outcasts in Muslim societies. As one anti-dog fatwa on the topic concludes: "We must ensure that Muslims continue to be averse to dogs, even in the midst of what the kuffaar [i.e., Western infidels] are used to do and what some Muslims have adopted of their habits."

US Debates Arming Syrian Opposition As Defense Strategy

From Fox News:

Jan. 27, 2012: Syrian army defectors stand guard on a rooftop to secure an anti-Syrian regime protest in the Deir Baghlaba area in Homs province, central Syria.
To arm or not arm? That is the question. The Syrian opposition is being crushed by forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad, any attempts at diplomatic pressure are being thwarted by Russia and China vetoing resolutions at the UN, and economic sanctions aren’t much use when a dictator seems to have decided it’s a case of kill or be killed.

So what to do about Syria and the dictatorial Assad? Republican Sen. John McCain, an influential voice in foreign affairs as the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, believes we should think seriously about “arming the opposition.” The White House says that’s not an option being “considered” right now. Perhaps not actively considered, but it’s hard to believe it hasn’t been discussed at some pretty high levels.

And a lot of experts believe, like McCain, that in the wake of the complete failure of diplomacy, it’s a question that has to be reconsidered. Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer of the Center for Advanced Defense Studies believes we should use the model the Clinton White House used for getting weapons to the Bosnians, running so-called “black ops” to get weapons to the Syrians. It’s something the U.S. also did to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan after the 1979 invasion.

“I'd look to engage/recruit proxies to run the arms into the Syrian resistance from member states of the Arab League,” said Shaffer, “much like we did using the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence agency and Army during the support of the Afghan resistance. Again, this is a known method of black ops the U.S. has done - we have folks around who could advise and put it together.”

Like Shaffer, Josef Olmert, a professor at the University of South Carolina (who formerly taught Middle Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv, Hebrew, and Bar-Ilan universities) accepts that there are risks, not the least being control of who gets the weapons and how they are used.

But Olmert believes that concern can be addressed.

“Orderly delivery of arms from Turkey and Jordan will enable the west an effective measure of control over rebels activities,” he told me, while adding, “Nothing, I repeat, nothing can prevent chaos and huge, repeat huge, bloodshed when the final downfall happens, but closer contact with the rebels now will help mitigate the inevitable carnage.”

As for what kind of weapons, Olmert says the most urgent need is for anti-tank missiles as it is the tanks of the Syrian Army that are currently doing most to lay waste to the opposition and the cities in which they are strongest.

Michael Singh, managing director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, is more circumspect about the whole idea of sending weapons into Syria. He says arming the opposition can’t simply be dismissed, but needs to part of a well-considered overall strategy.

“For me, it is not satisfactory to talk in isolation about arming the opposition or any other particular tactic,” Singh said.

“What we truly require is a comprehensive strategy for aiding the Syrian people and compelling Assad to step down, and should consider all tools at our disposal which could support such a strategy," Singh continued. "We should not preemptively rule out options, nor should we fail to consider what will come after Assad in Syria and how we can help to shape it.”

And that last comment from Singh points to some of the biggest risks of arming the opposition: Who are they? What is their vision of Syria’s future? What will they do with those weapons if and when they defeat Assad and seize power? On top of that, there’s the risk of Arab backlash if a U.S. hand is seen behind the arming of any one group in Syria. And Iran might, according to Shaffer, step up its efforts to carry out terrorist attacks against U.S. targets overseas.

But the gathering view among the experts seems to be that with all else failing, and the slaughter of Syrian civilians continuing, arming the opposition may be one of the very few options left. It’s clearly not without risks, it’s understandable that it’s not something any nation, including the US, is rushing into. But, Olmert said, “The pros far outweigh the cons.” And Shaffer sums it up by arguing, “at this point it is our only real and best option.”

Muslim Council In Egypt Evicts 8 Christian Families, Seizes Their Property

From the Assyrian International News Agency:

National and international rights groups have consistently criticized the recourse to the so-called "reconciliation meetings" -- dubbed "Bedouin sittings" -- that take place between Copts and Muslim assailant after every attack on Copts. The meetings are conducted under the auspices of state security. Last week a series of meetings were held by radical Muslims to decide on the fate of the Copts in a village in Alexandria, and Muslims insisted that the whole Coptic population of 62 families must be deported because of an unsubstantiated accusation levied against one Coptic man.

Copts in the village of Kobry-el-Sharbat (El-Ameriya), Alexandria, were attacked on January 27 by a mob of 3000 Muslims led by Salafi leaders, who looted and torched homes and shops belonging to Copts. The violence was prompted by allegations made by a Muslim barber named Toemah that a 34-year-old Coptic tailor, Mourad Samy Guirgis, had on his mobile phone illicit photos of a Muslim woman. Mourad denied the accusation and surrendered to the police for fear for his life. Muslims looted and torched his workshop and home after he surrendered to the police, and his entire family, including his parents and his married brother Romany, were evicted from the village. He is still in police detention. (AINA 1-28-2012).

Three "reconciliation meetings" were held at the El-Ameriya village police headquarters. They were attended by Salafi and Muslim Brotherhood representatives from neighboring villages, as well as church representative. Muslims demanded the eviction of all Coptic inhabitants from the village because "Muslim honour had been damaged."

Many believe that the mobile phone story was fabricated as an excuse to start violence against the Copts. According to the police, the woman in question denied the story and no photos were found on Mourad's mobile phone, according to Ihab Aziz, a Coptic-American activist who is presently in Egypt.

During the first reconciliation meeting it was agreed that only Copts who were directly involved with the Mourad incident would be evicted, and the church demanded compensation of two million pounds for the innocent Copts whose homes and businesses were torched on January 27. Muslims, especially Salafis from the neighboring villages, refused any kind of compensation and insisted on the eviction of all Copts.

On January 30 a Muslim mob attacked Copts in Kobry-el-Sharbat for the second time, and torched three Coptic homes in the presence of the security forces, "which took the role of an onlooker and made no effort to stop the violence," according to Joseph Malak, lawyer for the Coptic church in Alexandria. "This proves that the assailants were not afraid of the security forces or the law."

Muslim representatives demanded the eviction of the wealthy Coptic merchant Abeskhayroun Soliman, together with his four married sons and their families, accusing them of causing sedition by shooting in the air when Muslims broke into and torched their home while the family was inside. "No one was wounded due to the alleged shootings, which the family says never took place. The police authorities issued an arrest warrant for two of the Soliman sons," said Ihab Aziz.

The Solimans have been in hiding with a Muslim family which saved them from their burning homes, and is presently giving them protection. Muslims threatened that if eight Coptic families were not evicted by February 3rd, all remaining 54 Coptic families in the village would be subjected to violence after Friday prayers. They called it "Friday of Eviction" and "Friday of Clean-up."

On Wednesday February 1, a hastily organized reconciliation meeting was arranged by security authorities, and was attended by Ebeskharion Soliman and one of his sons.

The terms of the agreement which resulted were:

- eviction of eight Coptic families, namely three of the Mourad families, in addition to five Soliman families.
- selling of the assets of the wealthy Abeskhayron Soliman family within three months by a committee, under the supervision of Salafi shaikh Sherif el Hawary. Soliman has no right to get involved in the sale or even accompany a prospective buyer.
- the Committee is to collect any money accrued from the sale of his land, properties, businesses as well as collect promissory notes pending from business transactions by the Soliman-owned chain of stores.
- in case of non-implementation of this Agreement, all Copts in the Kobry-el-Sharbat village will be attacked, their homes and property completely torched.

Abeskhayron Soliman signed the agreement, which most Copts viewed as "humiliating."

Father Boktor, who attended the meeting, described the reconciliation agreement as "utter injustice."

Wissa Fawzi, member of the Maspero Coptic Youth Union in Alexandria, said that Soliman has nothing at all to do with the Mourad story, but signed the agreement to save his family and the Copts in the village, "otherwise there would have been a massacre of the Copts on that Friday." He said that Security authorities pressured Soliman into accepting the terms of the agreement by threatening him with refusal of police protection for him and his family. "What constitutes the real crisis is the complicity of security officials in the process of displacement," said Fawzi.

Copts in Kobry-el-Sharbat were stunned after hearing the news of the eviction of the "top Copt" in their community, whose wealth is estimated at more than 20,000,000 Egyptian pounds. "There is a feeling of humiliation and being completely under the mercy of the radical Muslims," said Rami Khashfa of the Alexandria Maspero Youth Union "they are terrorized and are scared of the future. Copts in the neighboring villages are also scared." He said that Copts in the village are thinking of moving elsewhere.

Speaking on US-based Christian TV channel Al-Karma, Magdy Khalil, head of the Middle East Freedom Forum, said that reconciliation meetings made up of Salafis and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, and arranged by security officials are illegal and forced eviction is one of the crimes under international law. "Who gave them the right to form a committee headed by a Salafi to sell Christian property? This is thuggery and blatant targeting of Copts."

Khalil called on the Coptic Melli Council, which is the civilian body that represents Copts in the Egyptian State, to protest this agreement and ask for the return of the Copts to their homes. "If we accept it, this will open the door for an avalanche of forced evictions." He believes that radical Muslim have a bigger plan they hope to achieve by terrorizing the Copts, namely displacing and dispersing them from places with high Coptic population density, taking their property and weakening them economically.

Ihab Aziz, like many others, believes that "Coptic capital" is targeted everywhere in Egypt. He said that members of the Egyptian parliament have been made aware of the El-Ameriya forced displacement, and the issue will be brought before parliament shortly.

Islamists In Egypt Halt Filming Of TV Series

From the AFP via Yahoo News:

Islamist students halted the filming of an Egyptian television series at Cairo's Ain Shams University protesting against the "indecent" clothing of the actresses, the production company said Thursday.

Misr International films had obtained permission from the university's management to film on site, the head of the company, Gaby Khoury, told AFP.

But "when the shooting started, the director of the engineering faculty, Sherif Hammad, came to tell us that some students and teachers were against it, because of the clothing worn by the actresses," he said.

The series, adapted from the novel "Dhat" by Egyptian author Sonallah Ibrahim, takes place in the 1970s, "when women wore short clothing."

Hammad "insisted that the filming should stop and that we would be reimbursed ... explaining that he was not able to guarantee the protection of the materials or the artists," Khoury added.

In a statement on Wednesday evening, the production company said "the student members of the Muslim Brotherhood at Ain Shams University had prevented the film crew from the 'Dhat' TV series from shooting the scenes set at the university."

The students had objected to the "indecent" clothing, it said, and "categorically refused" to let the filming continue unless the costumes were changed.

Islamists have become a potent force in Egypt's already conservative society in recent years, and won more than two-thirds of the seats in the recent parliamentary elections.

Earlier this month, the Arab world's most famous actor, Adel Imam, was sentenced to three months in jail for "defaming Islam" in several roles on stage and screen.

Imam said he would appeal the sentence.