Libyan rebel says Osama bin Laden's death won't stop jihadist flow

Christian Science Monitor ^ | 5/3/2011 | By Scott Peterson

[tobyhill]

Thousands of miles away from where Osama bin Laden was killed, on a remote chain of Libyan mountains that crown the Sahara Desert, there comes a warning: the ideology of Al Qaeda is certain to outlast the group’s most famous leader.

“I am happy that Osama bin Laden is dead, because he represents the wrong face of Islam and the root of destruction,” says Mazen Naluti, a Muslim believer in the Libyan opposition city of Nalut, 20 miles from the Tunisian border. “But I am sad because [he] died without recanting this ideology.”

This believer, a Libyan rebel whose real name could not be used for security reasons, repudiates extremism. But he fears that the persistence of the reasons that first gave rise to Al Qaeda’s worldview mean that in Libya and beyond the ideology will not be stopped. Already, says Mr. Naluti, the NATO-led conflict against Col. Muammar Qaddafi – begun six weeks ago and with no end in sight – is opening the door to foreign jihadists. The longer it lasts, the greater problem it becomes.

“Al Qaeda [is] getting more and more organized and bringing people [to Libya] from abroad,” says the believer, adding that he has been contacted by militants wanting to fight in his homeland. He has not joined the frontline against forces loyal to Qaddafi because he says Muslims should not kill Muslims. "This is a great land for Al Qaeda. There are a lot of opportunities for them here. They are not far away in Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt."

[paulycy]

[rlmorel]

But...but...I thought the Libyan rebels were on OUR side...that they were OUR friends! The newspapers all told me so! Obama told me so. The Democrats told me so.

Am I missing something here?

[scooby321]

Am I missing something here?

Yes, Juan McCain and Leslie Graham.

[massgopguy]

“I’ve met the rebels and they’re not Al Queda”. - Nit Wit