The following is an interview with Dr. Walid Phares that appeared in Nowe Panstwo (Our Times), a Politics and History Journal in Poland, conducted by Olga Doleśniak-Harczuk. The title of the interview in Polish is "ihad jak joga" which translates to "Jihad like Yoga." In this extensive discussion, Dr. Phares addresses the strategic structure of al Qaeda, Europe's readiness to confront the threat, the Obama Administration ability to win a war of ideas over the Jihadists, the necessary Western rethinking of the conflict, indoctrination and penetration in the U.S., the role of Oil lobbies, the influence of theological texts on Jihadists, the numbers of Islamists in Europe, Western inability to fight this war, and Polish American relations in the war with the Jihadists.
QUESTION: In an interview, you mentioned the second generation of al Qaeda. What is the role of Osama bin Laden for the younger generation of terrorists? Is he "only" a symbol of the global jihadists movement, or still a real "true-born" leader?
WALID PHARES: Al Qaeda as an organization has a hard core center linked to its chief, Osama Bin Laden, and it has affiliate organizations operating in various areas, such as al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, etc. In addition, there are Jihadist movements and organizations allied to al Qaeda, such as Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Jemaa Islamiya in south Asia, Shabaab al Jihad in Somalia, Abu sayyaf in the Philippines etc. The sum of all these organizations and movement is a Salafist nebulous, which I define as combat Salafists. Those who believe that terror Jihad is the shorter way to reach their goal of reestablishing the Caliphate. In that web, al Qaeda is seen as the center and its commander Bin laden as the “Fuehrer.” Read more ...
QUESTION: In an interview, you mentioned the second generation of al Qaeda. What is the role of Osama bin Laden for the younger generation of terrorists? Is he "only" a symbol of the global jihadists movement, or still a real "true-born" leader?
WALID PHARES: Al Qaeda as an organization has a hard core center linked to its chief, Osama Bin Laden, and it has affiliate organizations operating in various areas, such as al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, etc. In addition, there are Jihadist movements and organizations allied to al Qaeda, such as Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Jemaa Islamiya in south Asia, Shabaab al Jihad in Somalia, Abu sayyaf in the Philippines etc. The sum of all these organizations and movement is a Salafist nebulous, which I define as combat Salafists. Those who believe that terror Jihad is the shorter way to reach their goal of reestablishing the Caliphate. In that web, al Qaeda is seen as the center and its commander Bin laden as the “Fuehrer.” Read more ...
Source: FSM
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