By Robert Spencer
It is a unquestioned dogma of American policymakers and the mainstream media that Islamic jihadists have twisted and hijacked the authentic, peaceful teachings of Islam, and are motivated not by Islamic imperatives but by poverty exacerbated by ignorance and other factors. Yet from the words of the Islamic jihadists themselves, one gets just the opposite impression: recent statements by a variety of Islamic jihadists reinforce the fact that jihadists gain recruits and justify their actions within the larger Islamic community by claiming for themselves the mantle of Islamic authenticity. And while virtually all Western policymakers and analysts are convinced that they actually have no claim to that authenticity, self-proclaimed moderate Muslim groups have never yet formulated an Islamic response to these claims that is comprehensive and convincing enough to counter the jihadist challenge among Muslims worldwide.
Recent examples abound. New tapes have come to light this week, on which accused North Carolina jihad plot ringleader Daniel “Saifullah” Boyd saying, “The blood of Muslims has become cheap in the marketplace. It has become cheap because Muslims have abandoned the jihad….I love jihad. I love to stand there and fight for the sake of Allah.”
Meanwhile, a boy in Pakistan, one of a large group of pre-teens whom the Taliban recruited to become suicide bombers, explained that the appeal to them was purely Islamic: “They just told us that they (army) are against Islam, are against the Quran. They said wage jihad against them; we are waging jihad for the Quran.” Read more ...
It is a unquestioned dogma of American policymakers and the mainstream media that Islamic jihadists have twisted and hijacked the authentic, peaceful teachings of Islam, and are motivated not by Islamic imperatives but by poverty exacerbated by ignorance and other factors. Yet from the words of the Islamic jihadists themselves, one gets just the opposite impression: recent statements by a variety of Islamic jihadists reinforce the fact that jihadists gain recruits and justify their actions within the larger Islamic community by claiming for themselves the mantle of Islamic authenticity. And while virtually all Western policymakers and analysts are convinced that they actually have no claim to that authenticity, self-proclaimed moderate Muslim groups have never yet formulated an Islamic response to these claims that is comprehensive and convincing enough to counter the jihadist challenge among Muslims worldwide.
Recent examples abound. New tapes have come to light this week, on which accused North Carolina jihad plot ringleader Daniel “Saifullah” Boyd saying, “The blood of Muslims has become cheap in the marketplace. It has become cheap because Muslims have abandoned the jihad….I love jihad. I love to stand there and fight for the sake of Allah.”
Meanwhile, a boy in Pakistan, one of a large group of pre-teens whom the Taliban recruited to become suicide bombers, explained that the appeal to them was purely Islamic: “They just told us that they (army) are against Islam, are against the Quran. They said wage jihad against them; we are waging jihad for the Quran.” Read more ...
Source: FPM
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