The Hamilton Spectator While the West battles al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, the Taliban and other radical organizations and individuals, its more challenging task will be to marginalize the underlying ideology of radical Islam. Long dormant, but always alive, this ideology, based on literalist readings of Islam's texts, is history's latest and perhaps greatest incarnation of … [Read more...]
Lying, Defying, and Demoralizing
OBL's three-fold strategy to defeat the West Private Papers Like all of Osama bin Laden's previous messages to the West, his most recent communiqué contains three Ladenese trademarks — lying, defying, and demoralizing — that are always present whenever the al Qaeda chieftain addresses the West. That bin Laden has publicly lied before, there is no doubt. After the strikes of … [Read more...]
What Would Mohammad Do?
Private Papers We've all seen them — those little wristbands Christians sometimes wear, or put on bumper stickers, with the acronym "WWJD?" — What Would Jesus Do? A reminder for them to ask, in every situation they face, what their Lord would do, and to emulate Jesus' teachings of divine compassion, love, patience, faith, hope, and charity. What about Muslims? Muslims are … [Read more...]
All the Wrong Reasons
Zawahiri's democracy may be just what the Persian President needs. Private Papers Iran and the U.S., who may otherwise be on a collision-course, share one common goal: promoting democracy in Iraq. Just this last September Associated Press reported that Iranian president — a possible accomplice of the U.S. embassy takeover of 1979 and one who believes Israel should be "wiped … [Read more...]
Al Qaeda’s Offensive Rhetoric
What Does Al-Qaeda Ultimately Want? Private Papers Al-Qaeda has shrewdly seen to it that, along with the sword, they also employ the pen in their Holy War. In order to vindicate their actions and rally support, they have orchestrated a series of carefully constructed messages. These messages fall into two distinct genres, each revealing a different goal. The West is familiar … [Read more...]