Jihadists Failing to Win Muslim Minds ( An Opinion Piece )

Los Angeles Times ^ | September 8, 2004 | Gilles Kepel

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Three years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the hostage-taking in North Ossetia and its horrendous outcome and the capture of two French journalists in Iraq have shed new light on the challenges facing Islamist terrorism.

In his 2001 pamphlet, "Knights Under the Prophet's Banner," Ayman Zawahiri, Al Qaeda's chief ideologue, reminded his readers that the "jihadist vanguard" was always at risk of being isolated from the "Muslim masses." He wrote that the jihadists needed to find ways of mobilizing those masses toward the supreme political goal: the triumph of the Islamic state and the implementation of Islamic law worldwide.

[Steve_Seattle]

For those of us who don't want to register at the Times website, what was the gist of the argument? Why are the terrorists failing to win Muslim minds?

[The_Media_never_lie]

Could be because the terrorists are about to get their mainstream Muslim buddies exterminated.

[nyconse]

Sure...let them attack us and kill God knows how many men, women and children and then wait for American Muslims to ...denounce this...it would be a long wait. This is pure nonsense. The Al Quada types want a break from military action so they can regroup and fight another day. The only solution is to kill the terrorists and make countries that harbor them pay a huge price.

[Steve_Seattle]

I would hope that the recent events in Russia would convince some Dems and some world opinion that there is no negotiating with the terrorists or buying them off. Russia strongly opposed the war in Iraq and is no friend of Israel, yet this attack is the second worst terrorist attack of them all. But so many in the world and the Dem Party are so reflexively anti-American that they have become - there is no other word - stupid.

[Schnucki]

"For those of us who don't want to register at the Times website, ..."

Go to www.bugmenot.com and type in www.latimes.com. You can get a generic user id and password and won't have to register.

[nyconse]

Personally, I think they are winning Muslim minds. I see no evidence to the contrary.

[BureaucratusMaximus]

what was the gist of the argument?

That there are some "good" Muslims.

[Pitiricus]

The article is estupido... Well when I saw the author, I knew (Gilles Keppel)

What it amounts to is saying that using force as Putin do is counter-productive and won't help...

YAWWN...

[Steve_Seattle]

"Personally, I think they are winning Muslim minds. I see no evidence to the contrary."

Yes, I should have asked, "What is the evidence they are not winning Muslim minds?" rather than "Why aren't they winning Muslim minds?".

[Steve_Seattle]

I'm expecting that just before the election, the Jihadists will perpetrate some atrocity and say, "We are doing this because of Bush; it is his fault." I dismiss as rubbish any news stories which claim the terrorists want Bush to win as a recruiting tool. As soon as Bush was out, the next president would be the object of their hatred even if he tried to kiss their ass.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Here is a report with no signup required:

How the Guerillas Lost Chechnya

[MountainPete]

OK. Let’s consider the source: The Official Left Coast Mouthpiece of the democrats.

When the “good” Muslims take down the “bad” Muslims, I’ll try to believe it. Meanwhile, on this issue, I am unalterably from Missouri!

[Capt. Tom]

The Muslim reaction to these incidents suggests that Al Qaeda could be beaten at its own hearts-and-minds game. Instead, by concentrating on the military option, Russia and the U.S. are missing an opportunity to mobilize Muslim civil society against Islamist terrorism and dry out the social swamps from which it springs.

Islamist terrorism springs from the Koran.

And the Koran is not likely to be re- writen to accomodate infidels. - tom

[Schnucki]

First this is said:

Instead of making inroads into enemy territory, jihad has backfired and led to what they call fitna — a war within Islam, pitting Shiite against Sunni, Arab against Kurd, Muslim against Muslim — and brought nothing but chaos.

Then this is said:

Instead, by concentrating on the military option, Russia and the U.S. are missing an opportunity to mobilize Muslim civil society against Islamist terrorism and dry out the social swamps from which it springs.

It seems to me that the jihad backfired because the U.S. applied the military option and created the environment where differences of opinion were possible.

[SunkenCiv]

George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent

[Pearls Before Swine]

I dismiss as rubbish any news stories which claim the terrorists want Bush to win as a recruiting tool. As soon as Bush was out, the next president would be the object of their hatred even if he tried to kiss their ass.

Yeah, but if Kerry is the next President, and he seriously puckers up, it might buy a little quiet time.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

His closing paragraph tells what he is selling:

The Muslim reaction to these incidents....(France head-coverings, Beslan massacres,.... ) suggests that Al Qaeda could be beaten at its own hearts-and-minds game. Instead, by concentrating on the military option, Russia and the U.S. are missing an opportunity to mobilize Muslim civil society against Islamist terrorism and dry out the social swamps from which it springs.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

See the link at #12 for a contrary opinion.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

It seems to me that the jihad backfired because the U.S. applied the military option and created the environment where differences of opinion were possible.

Agreed!!