ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center
SOURCE: CNA
13April2011 12:00pmEST
GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: - Habib Malik, a Lebanese Maronite Catholic scholar and human rights advocate, recently warned Western countries to be on their guard against radical Islamic forces that present themselves as political “moderates” in countries such as Libya and Egypt.
“Another fallacy is rearing its head again, and we saw this prior to 9/11,” said Malik in a March 31 address at Washington, D.C.'s Westminster Institute. “It's now coming back into the discourse, unfortunately, in Washington: this very wrong and dangerous idea that 'there are moderate fundamentalists and there are radical fundamentalists, and maybe we can talk to the moderate fundamentalists and wean them away from it.'”
“This is garbage, and nonsense,” said Malik, author of the 2010 book “Islamism and the Future of the Christians of the Middle East,” as he described the notion of “moderate” Islamic radicalism as a fantasy entertained by the West. “It doesn't exist. There is no such thing. What appears to be moderate can, in an instant, flip and change.”
“When you're thousands of miles away, in a place like Washington, you give this armchair analysis that generates policy, about 'moderate' and 'radical' fundamentalists. This eventually translates itself very adversely, on the scene over there. It affects whole communities of Christians on the ground.”
In both Libya and Egypt, the U.S. State Department has acted and spoken in favor of movements calling for democracy and human rights while avoiding religious rhetoric. However, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood played a significant part in overturning a government they had long opposed in favor of a religious state.
Meanwhile, Libyan rebel leader Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi has acknowledged the presence of fighters linked to al-Qaida among his troops. President Barack Obama told CBS Evening News in March that the Libyan rebels were “saying the right things” and appeared “credible,” although he admitted they might contain “elements that are unfriendly to the United States and our interests.” (read full report)
one of which injured four people.
Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough set the Obama administration's tone for discussions as tensions escalate before the first in a series of congressional hearings on Islamic radicalization. The hearings, chaired by New York Republican Peter King, will focus on the level of cooperation from the Muslim community to help law enforcement combat radicalization.
a third of the population is not originally from Germany. An ethnic Albanian born in Kosovo and raised Muslim, he grew up in a middle-class family in Germany and lived with his parents and siblings. It was only recently that he turned to radical Islam, apparently connecting with extremists on Facebook and online jihadi forums.
The bill’s sponsor said the measure was designed to protect future generations from erosion of the Constitution. One Birmingham area Muslim leader said the move was an effort to “demonize Islam and Muslims.”
can play an important role in this regard," Halbavi said on Sunday, addressing a conference in Tehran dubbed 'Islamic Awakening in Arab World'.
residence of the Libyan ambassador in Washington, D.C.” at 2 p.m. Friday, according to the announcement from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
strategic leadership. However, since fleeing Afghanistan to Pakistan's tribal areas in late 2001, al Qaeda has founded a regional branch in the Arabian Peninsula and acquired franchises in Iraq and the Maghreb. Today, it has more members, greater geographic reach, and a level of ideological sophistication and influence it lacked ten years ago.
converted to Islam while in the U.S. prison system. One source for this article has described Musa’s adoption of militant Islam as payback for the U.S. government putting him behind bars, an old adage “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” He operates a Muslim group called Sabiqun that seeks to establish an Islamic world order and is an honored guest speaking at mosques in California and anti-Israel events at colleges like UC Irvine and UCLA.
"The main problem in the Muslim world is the presence of the United States. It is the biggest problem. We need to address that," he told a gathering of Shiite and Sunni scholars in Tehran for an international conference on Islam.
become a political party, it announced Tuesday.