Will Jihad Adopt An American Face? - National Security Experts

 
Will Jihad Adopt An American Face? - National Security Experts.

Comments

[DCA]

A positive story from Southern California: being stuck in a shopping area with nothing to read but a pamphlet from local real estate agents, I was leafing through the usual ads for McMansions when I came up a double-page spread showing a happy couple in front of a house, with wife in headscarf, promising "Sharia-compliant home financing".

And come to think of it, I was sitting in front of a good local restaurant: Vietnamese, though I prefer the Persian place at the other end of the mall.

All very ordinary--which is the point.

[J]

Colonel,

I agree with both you and Brenner. The 'terrorism industry' keeps creating phony stuff in order to expand their personal bank accounts vice the 'real' national security interests of the nation.

Your last sentence rings true.

Why o why do our U.S. politicans take the Israeli gold instead of doing what is best for our nation, why? Robert Burns put it best in his 1791 poem -- Such a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation.

[Fred]

Col,

your points are well taken, however I think the majority of the media does not want insightful answers but increased circulation.

"Sixty-three U.S. citizens have either been charged with or convicted..."

Charged or convicted. What a convenient misdirection. Does the National Journal now subscribe to the Guantanamo Bay perspective that accusation is guilt?
63 out of 300,000,000 Americans, just a little perspective. I think we have more congressional ethics investigations a year, and only 535 members of the House and Senate combined.

[walrus]

The suspicion and deliberate fear mongering is sad to see. A pox on the Israelis for doing their best to encourage it.

[psc]

Leon Wieseltier writes in "The New Republic" about America and Islam:

"Cordoba House in New York and a Predator war in Pakistan—graciousness here and viciousness there—this should be our position."

Neocons like Wieseltier and GW Bush believe in the policy of "Invade the World and Invite the World." Unfortunately, some of the young muslim men invited to live in America come to hate our policies and choose to attack their adopted country.

We can't have open borders and continue to wog bash overseas.

[Adam L Silverman]

Sir: good to see that Sic Semper Tyrannis, which dealt with this issue over six month ago (several posts including one by me), is tracking far ahead of National Journal and other sites!

J: I highly recommend Professor Mueller's (of the Mearsheim Center at Ohio State) book entitled Overblown. It is an excellent look at what the real threat of terrorism is for the US, why it's hyped, and by whom.

[J]

Adam,

Thank you for the heads-up on Mueller's book, I'll take a gander at it.

[Adam L Silverman]

Sir: this is likely to be as big, if not a bigger problem. To it's credit the Bush 43 DHS saw this coming, even though their report, issued shortly after the start of the Obama Administration, caused a collective conservative freakout:
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2022516,00.html

[graywolf]

DCA:
Foreign restaurants are one thing, but "sha'ria compliant financing"?
What is it?
Is it legal?
Is it compliant with English common law and the US Constitution?

[Patrick Lang]

graywolf

Just guessing but I would imagine that this would involve finding a way around the sharia difficulties with the paying of interest. There are various sophistic ways to do this that are worthy of a Jesuit canon lawyer or a talmudic scholar. Since this would be aprivate matter between buyer and seller, how would the public law come into it? pl

[graywolf]

PL:
I see.
just another way of drawing up a loan - with zero interest.
What a deal!!!
Interest free financing.
How do I become a muslim?

[Patrick Lang]

graywolf

You are being willfully obtuse. The fee for use of the money gets paid in a suitably disguised way. pl

[Fred]

Graywolf,

zero interest financing, just the way all the car dealers are doing it in the USA. Why the next thing you know 'they' will be serving Hallal meat in kosher restraurants!
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/09/its-not-just-america-halal-outrage-in-the-uk/63299/

[CK]

One could ask Rick Sanchez about jihad in America, or Helen Thomas, or Gregg Easterbrook or Octavia Nasr.

[Jake]

Terrorism? The 70 and 80's taught us nothing. Let see if we can grown DHS bigger than the Pentagon!

The real danger here? This could be viewed as terrorism.....

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/america-on-the-brink-of-a-second-revolution-2010-09-28

When is enough...enough....?

[LeaNder]

I agree with J., Pat Lang's response and Michael Brenner's are the best. They perfectly support each other, with Patrick Lang painting the more athmospheric ultimate danger scenario (estrangement) while Brenner establishes a brilliant factual base. Let's take a look at what we are talking about here. .

Although some leading Western European countries have more problematic track records regarding their own Muslim communities, there still is a reservoir of hostility toward Muslims in general on the part of many Americans that is worthy of concern.

Hmmm? I dislike these kind of statements. I'd suggest White reads Liz Fekete's: A suitable Enemy. Racism, Migration and Islamophobia in Europe, 2009, and then asks himself a question: Europe is inspired and pushed by whom in these post 9/11 trends?

The huge difference between the 90's and now is that it were fringe groups on the extreme right then, now it has arrived at the center.

[LeaNder]

thanks, Fred, that was exactly my response while reading the introduction, with the European "evidential context" from Liz Fekete in mind. That's why I really loved Brenner's factual response.

[J]

To effectively provide 'real-deal' national security -- get rid of the high $$$ BOONEDOGGLES (DHS, NSA, unnecessary Majcoms (africom,northcom,etc.),wasteful congressional sub-committees,unnecessary white house cabinet positions, and all other 'unnecessary' branches of government)!

Our kids are paying for these BOONEDOGGLES with their lives (Afghansitan,Iraq,unnecessary covert ops)!

Get rid of the 'mercs' now occupying positions that have replaced former more-effective and far cheaper military personnel ones!

[Patrick Lang]

LeaNder

In the words of the immortal, Bernie Bernbaum "look into your heart." Truer words were not spoken. pl

[DanM]

On Islamic banking, they pretend that the loans are a sort of equity investment (so that the interest payment is a "dividend." The Islamic banks that try the hardest to avoid traditional interest arrangements (riba) have the worst returns and the geatest risks of insolvency.

As the Colonel says, most Islamic banking is a series of scholastic fig leafs designed to hide reality -- like the vast fishing line eruvs and shabbos goys for orthodox jews.

[Adam L Silverman]

Graywolf: for your conversion to get underway you'll need to schedule a circumcision. Enjoy the ritual...

[optimax]

Rick Sanchez broke one of the cardinal rules of identity politics--never point out the power of an oppressed people. That's too bad, he is real purtty.

Juan Cole points out Sanchez showed that the Israelis broke the truce with the Palastinians in the lead up to the Gaza War. Unfortunately, most of his reporting was proof that self-esteem is divorced from intelligence or competence.

[walrus]

"Foreign restaurants are one thing, but "sha'ria compliant financing"?
What is it?
Is it legal?
Is it compliant with English common law and the US Constitution?"

Sharia law has the same prohibition of usury as Christianity, but it goes further, there is a prohibition against loaning money when it will be used for ungodly purposes.

My (Australian, Catholic) schoolteacher girlfriend actually financed her new car through an Islamic lender right here in Melbourne because it was cheaper.

She was put through a routine worthy of a Jewish mother:

"What do you do?" "I'm a Teacher"

"What do you teach?" "Art"

"hmmm, what sort of art?"

"Photography"

"OK, that's alright."

"And you want to buy a car? What sort of car? Not a sports car?"

"No, a station wagon"

"OK, that sounds sensible."

...etc.

There is no interest. There is a fee for service.

To put it another way; my limited understanding is that Sharia law would not countenance lending money for the purpose of a stock market ploy, building a night club, a brewery, etc.

[Jake]

Here is an interesting development....

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/10/military-vickers-undersecretary-intelligence-100110w/

Personally I think Vickers has done a terrible job at SOLIC. Matter of fact I believe that SOLIC is about as useful as a garbage can with no bottom...

[samuelburke]

or the other article...the counter article.

Will american government mean a police state whose sole defense is the Government right or wrong.

stay tuned.