Login Here
Counterterrorism experts and analysts have worried for years about the appeal of jihad to Muslims in the west, particularly in Europe, which has a complicated relationship with assimilation and frequently treats Muslims as second-class citizens. The Los Angeles Times has an excellent story about why the worry is real, as it tracks the appeal to western Muslims of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET), the Pakistani terrorist group with ties to Al Qaeda and, perhaps, the Mumbai attacks.
The story deals with the one known case of this happening: Aabid Khan, a radicalized Britain who joined LET before his June 2006 arrest at Manchester Airport with terrorist propaganda and maps of New York and Washington. That’s not to fault Times reporter Sebastian Rotella, since it’s not like there are a host of easily-accessible examples here, only to place the piece in context. Still, here’s how counterterrorism expert Evan Kohlmann assesses Khan’s case:
"These camps are ideal for people who speak English," said Evan Kohlmann, an independent U.S. investigator who was a paid consultant for the prosecution team in the Khan case and was integral to building the case against him.
"Newbie militants can make real contacts. They perceive that Lashkar-e-Taiba . . . are below the radar. They are less likely to attract negative attention. It’s an easier ladder rung to reach. Lashkar is seen as a rung to get to Al Qaeda."
Kohlmann’s talking about extremist camps in Pakistan. But as you’ll see in the piece — really, read the whole thing — his radicalization coalesces on the internet. "You dont know how much fury i have towards these american dogs," he would write. None of us, I think it’s fair to say, would dispute an American’s right to type such a thing, no matter how we feel about the content of the message. But it points to the real tension between privacy and security. Two of Khan’s online American interlocutors were picked up and charged with terrorism-related offenses. Were they terrorists, or just dudes who did nothing more dangerous than IM with extremists?
Crossposted to The Streak.
3 Comments
Spotlight
Support this site!
Subscribe to the newsletter
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About ATTACKERMAN
Advanced search
RSS/XML Feed
I worry greatly for europe “particularly in Europe, which has a complicated relationship with assimilation and frequently treats Muslims as second-class citizens”
In the U.S. we have a tradition of accepting immigrants, heck most of us are or our not too distant ancestors were one time immigrants, in europe – NOT SO. After crapping on the first generation or so of a wave of immigrants, they then fully become us.
I have a buddy in Greece – i was shocked the way he described the actions of a Gypsy to me in an email, very politically incorrect. Speech we would never use in the U.S.
Heck – in Calabria, Italy, the Albanians are still Albanians and they have been there 400 years!
In the U.S. we try to deal with the rest of the world like it was the U.S., sadly it is not, overall the U.S. is a kind accepting place, the rest of the world – not so
In the U.S. we have a tradition of accepting immigrants
Remind me again how many centuries it took African-Americans to get the vote. Notwithstanding the electoral success of Barack Obama I don’t think anyone can claim that African-Americans have ever “fully become us.” Asian immigrants from countries with well-developed education systems (e.g. India) have integrated rapidly. But hispanic immigrants have integrated poorly. Of course, we have probably forgotten how slow the assimilation process was a century ago for poor, non English-speaking immigrants.
A big problem in the UK is the Little Englander mentality, prevalent in ultra-right tabloids like the Daily Mail, that derides anything alien to some pathetic nativist conception of England – be it the European Union or immigrants. The current bete noir is, of course, the Muslim immigrant. The hostility towards Muslims by right-wing commentators espousing concepts like Eurabia and Londonistan is appalling and deserves to be condemned.
my grandfather was “off the boat” and i was told many stories. i still remember the thrill in the home when kennedy was elected – a catholic!!!!!!
Not so long ago for my family.
As far as assimilating blacks and hispanics, well the hispanics have come a long, long, long way and in many ways are fully integrated, but the older generations of them, the NEW immigrants that do not speak english as though raised here or speak with a ghetto accent, well, they get ghetto treatment.
As for the African-Americans, they, for the most part were not immigrants in the normal sense.. My grandparents worked hard to get my parents and their grandkids out of the ghetto.
If you want to advance I think this needs to be a family and cultural thing, a community pushing for itself to get out of the ghetto.
Poles went to polish vendors, Italians went to Italian doctors (once available) greeks to greek attorneys (once available) all raised their kids to get an education and talk right. Leave the broken english behind. Most of the early 1900 immigrants did not teach their kids their home language – you in america now – you speaka da english!
Unfortunately for the African-Americans they tend to not trust their own and not promote their own from within, sad but true. I have had many conversations with African-Americans professionals about this tendency. Don’t know the solution.
Having a black president will help give young blacks hope and a vision, a very good thing. Hope many will emulate him, of course, i hope they pick better ministers.