C L O S E R Religious and Political Radicalization - 22/26 - C L O S E R

‘Misbruik’ van internet

Posted on May 24th, 2005 by .
Categories: International Terrorism, Multiculti Issues, Religious and Political Radicalization.

In de Tweede Kamer morgen een Publieksbijeenkomst over misbruik van Internet onder leiding van Francisco van Jole

Deelonderwerpen van dit thema zijn: het voorbereiden van terroristische activiteiten, het verspreiden van kinderporno, hacking, islamitisch-extremisme, etc. Deskundigen uit diverse betrokken sectoren gaan tijdens deze bijeenkomst met elkaar en met Kamerleden in debat over aard en omvang van dit probleem.

De bijeenkomst wordt georganiseerd door de themacommissie Technologiebeleid. Deze heeft als taak (mogelijke) toekomstige politieke, economische en ethische vragen die gerelateerd zijn aan technologische ontwikkelingen in samenhang te inventariseren en te behandelen.

The 'Virtual Hand' of Jihad

Posted on May 21st, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization.

In the Jamestown.org Terrorism Monitor an article on The ‘Virtual Hand’ of Jihad

The presidential commission on WMDs and the 9/11 commission have condemned the status quo mentality of the intelligence community, which they see as being preoccupied with today’s “current operations” and tactical requirements, and inattentive to tomorrow’s far-ranging problems and strategic solutions. Both commissions call for steps to improve analysis and encourage diversity, including routine critiques of finished intelligence and alternative assessments by outside experts. But the overriding emphasis in both commissions’ reports is on further vertically integrating intelligence collection, analysis, and operations. Such proposals to centralize intelligence and unify command and control are not promising given recent transformations in Jihadist networks in the wake of al-Qaeda’s operational demise.

[…]

But radicalization usually requires outside input from, and interaction with, the larger Jihadist community. Radicalization is proceeding apace with exponential growth in internet connections (in the last five years active Jihadist websites has increased from 14 to over 4000). Personal bonds formed without physical contact on the internet appear to generate solid reputations for trustworthiness [6] and all the deep commitment that physical intimacy does, but often faster and over a wider set of personal relations.

It is written by Scott Atran, director of research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, and Professor of anthropology and psychology at the University of Michigan.
(more…)

The ‘Virtual Hand’ of Jihad

Posted on May 21st, 2005 by .
Categories: International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization.

In the Jamestown.org Terrorism Monitor an article on The ‘Virtual Hand’ of Jihad

The presidential commission on WMDs and the 9/11 commission have condemned the status quo mentality of the intelligence community, which they see as being preoccupied with today’s “current operations” and tactical requirements, and inattentive to tomorrow’s far-ranging problems and strategic solutions. Both commissions call for steps to improve analysis and encourage diversity, including routine critiques of finished intelligence and alternative assessments by outside experts. But the overriding emphasis in both commissions’ reports is on further vertically integrating intelligence collection, analysis, and operations. Such proposals to centralize intelligence and unify command and control are not promising given recent transformations in Jihadist networks in the wake of al-Qaeda’s operational demise.

[…]

But radicalization usually requires outside input from, and interaction with, the larger Jihadist community. Radicalization is proceeding apace with exponential growth in internet connections (in the last five years active Jihadist websites has increased from 14 to over 4000). Personal bonds formed without physical contact on the internet appear to generate solid reputations for trustworthiness [6] and all the deep commitment that physical intimacy does, but often faster and over a wider set of personal relations.

It is written by Scott Atran, director of research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, and Professor of anthropology and psychology at the University of Michigan.
(more…)

The Islamist Movement in Morocco

Posted on May 21st, 2005 by .
Categories: International Terrorism, Morocco, Religious and Political Radicalization.

In the Terrorism monitor of Jamestown.org an article on The Islamist Movement in Morocco

Prior to the Casablanca attacks of May 2003, Morocco appeared to be relatively immune to the type of home grown Islamic militancy experienced by other North African countries. The Moroccan monarchy, which claims direct descent from the prophet, appeared to have successfully contained its political Islamists, either by co-opting them into the system or by limiting their space for manoeuvre. Traditionally Moroccans had prided themselves on being part of the moderate Maliki school of Islam embodied in the figure of the King as “Commander of the Faithful”. However, the Casablanca attacks, as well as those in Madrid in March 2004, were to shatter this image and to uncover a complex and diverse array of militant Islamist groups and ideologies that had been operating in the Kingdom for at least the past two decades.

[…]

It seems that all of these groups have no overarching formal structure as such. Instead these militant cells are made up from small numbers of individuals who have grouped around the teachings of a particular Sheikh and who may or may not have links and contacts with those in other cells both inside the country and abroad. Whether the Moroccan regime has succeeded in its recent campaign to eliminate these radical Islamist trends has yet to be seen. However, the underlying problems that gave rise to militancy in the first place continue to fester. This is something that the Moroccan authorities will not be able to blame on outside forces.

It is written by Alison Pargeter, a Research Fellow at the International Policy Institue, Kings College London.
(more…)

Religion not a cause of violence: scholar -DAWN – National; 29 April 2005

Posted on May 4th, 2005 by .
Categories: International Terrorism, Misc. News, Religious and Political Radicalization.

Religion not a cause of violence: scholar -DAWN – National; 29 April 2005

Prof John Esposito has received Pakistanï¿½s highest civil award, Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam, on Tuesday. He used the award ceremony at the Pakistan Embassy for pointing out how the two worlds viewed each other with suspicion and fear.

A report on DAWN: (more…)

Middle East Online: Saudi Al-Qaeda branch makes Internet comeback

Posted on May 4th, 2005 by .
Categories: International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization.

Middle East Online
Saudi Al-Qaeda branch makes Internet comeback

Sawt Al-Jihad online magazine publishes editorial of Otaibi who denies Saudi authorities have eliminated jihad. DUBAI – Al-Qaeda’s Saudi branch posted its Sawt Al-Jihad online magazine Wednesday after a hiatus of several months, dedicating it to clashes earlier this month between militants and security men in the kingdom.

Protected: 21minuten.nl: positief over de toekomst

Posted on April 23rd, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Important Publications, Religious and Political Radicalization, Some personal considerations, Young Muslims.

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Nu en toen: internationaal terrorisme

Posted on April 23rd, 2005 by .
Categories: Misc. News, Religious and Political Radicalization.

Bart Tromp in: Nu en toen: internationaal terrorisme
Nu en toen: internationaal terrorisme:
Elsevier 12-03-05

Een tijdlang heb ik rondgelopen met het voornemen hedendaags terrorisme te vergelijken met het anarchistisch terrorisme van het eind van de negentiende eeuw. Die moeite kan ik me echter besparen. Mijn Gentse collega Rik Coolsaet heeft over precies dit thema een boek geschreven, waarvan zojuist een bijgewerkte, Engelstalige, editie is verschenen, Al-Qaeda: The Myth. The Root Causes of International Terrorism And How To Tackle Them, (Academia Press, Gent).

Het huidige islamitisch terrorisme is niet te verklaren in termen van religie of armoede. Het is symptoom van een verkeerd gegroeide samenleving, waarin snelle en onbeheersbare veranderingen maken dat grote groepen mensen zich buitengesloten voelen. Dit geeft extremistische splintergroepen de kans zich op te werpen als kampioen van marginaal geworden groepen (en landen).

The 2005 TIME 100: Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Posted on April 18th, 2005 by .
Categories: Islam in the Netherlands, Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization.

Manji is the author of The Trouble with Islam Today. She has written the portrait of Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali in the Time 100: The 2005 TIME 100: Ayaan Hirsi Ali – Paying a Price for Her Views

Ayaan Hirsi Ali knows the risks of standing up for one’s beliefs. The Somalia-born Dutch politician last year made Submission, a film that portrays a Muslim woman ritually abused by the men in her family. Hirsi Ali used the woman’s body as a canvas on which to display troubling verses from the Koran. Her film incited a fanatic to kill Hirsi Ali’s co-producer, Theo Van Gogh. After plunging a knife into his body, the murderer transformed Van Gogh’s corpse into a canvas of his own. On it, he pinned a letter to Hirsi Ali, warning her that she is next.

I met Hirsi Ali, 35, last year during a book tour. Because I have written a blunt call for reform in Islam, a Dutch newspaper assigned her to interview meï¿½heretic to heretic. The difference is, she has left Islam. I asked her if she thought I was naive for sticking with Allah. “Don’t go,” she told me. “Islam needs you.”

And Europe, it seems, needs her, to highlight a critical challenge: Can a multicultural society produce pluralism without relativism? So far, it doesn’t bode well for her plight. After Van Gogh’s killing last November, Hirsi Ali hid for two months. Now, as then, she is enveloped by a human burqa of four bodyguards.

Still, she persists. In parliament, Hirsi Ali is pushing to outlaw honor crimesï¿½customs that can’t be pinned on the Koran but thrive amid the silence of Muslim leaders. They have forgotten, she says, that the Koran implores Muslims to “bear true witness, even if it be against yourselves, your parents or your family.” In that sense, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a true believer.

Verdonk krijgt jongeren bij elkaar

Posted on April 15th, 2005 by .
Categories: Multiculti Issues, Religious and Political Radicalization.

Trouw is erg positief over Verdonk: Ze krijgt jongeren bij elkaar Nou ja op zich is dat natuurlijk allereerst een pluim op de hoed van die jongeren zelf, maar laat ik niet zeiken het is goed wat Verdonk daar gedaan heeft. In de Trouw-reacties wordt opgemerkt dat er meer tegen elkaar is gepraat dan met elkaar, maar misschien is dat ook wel teveel gevraagd voor de eerste keer. En liever tegen elkaar praten dan tegen elkaar vechten lijkt me. Braaf van mij he.

Virtual people's virtual Islam – Media Monitors Network (MMN)

Posted on April 14th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Internal Debates, Public Islam, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

Home / Headlines / Virtual people’s virtual Islam – Media Monitors Network (MMN)
Virtual people’s virtual Islam
by Abid Ullah Jan
(Sunday 10 April 2005)

“Young people in the Muslim world, with lust for sex and the glittering Western world before their eyes, find themselves sitting in this virtual world for hours on end, pausing only briefly and then going back on to chat as soon as they are done with other affairs. Many parents are totally oblivious of what their teenagers are doing late at night on the internet. Even watching pornography becomes a blessing by comparison with these chat rooms and infiltratorâ€™s moderated groups for the simple reason that pornography does not change their ideological orientation against Islam and it does not make one hate everything that is related to Muslims and Islam.”

Virtual people’s virtual Islam – Media Monitors Network (MMN)

Posted on April 14th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Internal Debates, Public Islam, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

Home / Headlines / Virtual people’s virtual Islam – Media Monitors Network (MMN)
Virtual people’s virtual Islam
by Abid Ullah Jan
(Sunday 10 April 2005)

“Young people in the Muslim world, with lust for sex and the glittering Western world before their eyes, find themselves sitting in this virtual world for hours on end, pausing only briefly and then going back on to chat as soon as they are done with other affairs. Many parents are totally oblivious of what their teenagers are doing late at night on the internet. Even watching pornography becomes a blessing by comparison with these chat rooms and infiltratorâ€™s moderated groups for the simple reason that pornography does not change their ideological orientation against Islam and it does not make one hate everything that is related to Muslims and Islam.”

Weerbaarheid tegen radicalisering

Posted on April 14th, 2005 by .
Categories: Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

Minister Verdonk is gister met een plan gekomen: Weerbaarheid tegen radicalisering (pdf-file). De Tweede Kamer vond het echter allemaal nogal vaag.

Mohammed B. CD

Posted on April 13th, 2005 by .
Categories: Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

Nee gewoon een flauw grapje (moet toch wel kunnen?) over de CD die een belangrijke bron zou vormen voor de radicale gedachten en handelingen van Mohammed B die vandaag voor moest komen. Hij hield een pleidooi voor zijn broer, maar liet het daar verder bij.

Overigens heeft het OM uitgebreide updates over deze zaak, net als de vorige keer.

Mohammed B. and Samir A.

Posted on April 13th, 2005 by .
Categories: Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

After the acquittal of Samir A. last week, he was arrested again today for assaulting a journalist. Today also was the second ‘pro forma’ hearing in the Mohammed B. trial.

Samir A.

Posted on April 6th, 2005 by .
Categories: International Terrorism, Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

Samir A. gaat vrijuit in de aanklacht voorbereiden van terroristische aanslagen wegens gebrek aan bewijs:

(Novum) – Samir A. is vrijgesproken voor het voorbereiden van terroristische aanslagen. Dat heeft de rechtbank van Rotterdam woensdag bepaald.

De 18-jarige terreurverdachte kreeg wel drie maanden voor verboden wapenbezit, maar die straf heeft hij in voorarrest al uitgezeten. Samir A. werd vrijgesproken voor het plegen van een overval op een supermarkt en het voorbereiden van een terroristische aanslag.

Volgens de rechtbank waren de voorwerpen die bij Samir A. thuis werden gevonden los van elkaar niet gevaarlijk, maar kan de combinatie wel gevaarlijk zijn. Bij hem thuis in Rotterdam werden patroonhouders, een geluiddemper, munitie, een kogelvrij vest en een nachtkijker gevonden. Maar het kan volgens de rechtbank niet bewezen worden dat A. hiermee aanslagen wilde plegen. Wel stelt de rechtbank dat A. – op basis van de informatie die op diskettes van hem zijn gevonden – een bovengemiddelde interesse heeft voor ‘religieus extremistsche geweld’.

De rechtbank gaf aan dat evenmin bewezen is dat A. betrokken was bij een overval op een supermarkt vorig jaar. Wel is duidelijk dat hij een rolluik heeft opengedaan op de dag van de overval. Ook is bekend dat hij een van de overvallers kende.

Europe’s Boys of Jihad

Posted on April 5th, 2005 by .
Categories: Islam in the Netherlands, Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims, Youth culture (as a practice).

An article in the LA Times refers to events here in the Netherlands.

Last year, a group of young Internet enthusiasts was charged with unleashing terrorism in the Netherlands: the killing of filmmaker Theo van Gogh and a plot to assassinate politicians. Police captured Jason Walters, 19, in a raid that left him and three officers wounded. His 17-year-old brother was also jailed.

Walters’ Internet chats reveal a casual, adolescent cold-bloodedness, according to excerpts published in the Dutch media. A spokesman for the AIVD intelligence service, the leading Dutch anti-terrorism agency, confirmed that the transcripts were authentic.

In an Internet conversation on Sept. 28, 2003, Walters joked about beheading the Dutch prime minister and bragged about a monthlong training session at an Afghan terrorism camp. The son of a Dutch mother and American father said he had fooled his family into thinking he was in Britain.

He urged his chat partner, “Galas03,” to join him on a future trip. “They will train you how to use guns,” Walters wrote, using the name “Mujaheed.” “I can assemble and dismantle a Kalashnikov blindfolded.”

“Is shooting difficult?” Galas03 asked.

“No way, man, it is not that hard,” Walters responded. “I even had to roll over with a pistol and then shoot and that went all right, praise Allah.”

Walters became radicalized at about 16, investigators say. Fellow suspect Samir Azzouz, 18, was equally precocious. Azzouz was first detained in 2002 in Ukraine en route to joining Muslim combatants in Chechnya, AIVD spokesman Vincent van Steen said.

For the whole article: (more…)

Europe's Boys of Jihad

Posted on April 5th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Islam in the Netherlands, Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims, Youth culture (as a practice).

An article in the LA Times refers to events here in the Netherlands.

Last year, a group of young Internet enthusiasts was charged with unleashing terrorism in the Netherlands: the killing of filmmaker Theo van Gogh and a plot to assassinate politicians. Police captured Jason Walters, 19, in a raid that left him and three officers wounded. His 17-year-old brother was also jailed.

Walters’ Internet chats reveal a casual, adolescent cold-bloodedness, according to excerpts published in the Dutch media. A spokesman for the AIVD intelligence service, the leading Dutch anti-terrorism agency, confirmed that the transcripts were authentic.

In an Internet conversation on Sept. 28, 2003, Walters joked about beheading the Dutch prime minister and bragged about a monthlong training session at an Afghan terrorism camp. The son of a Dutch mother and American father said he had fooled his family into thinking he was in Britain.

He urged his chat partner, “Galas03,” to join him on a future trip. “They will train you how to use guns,” Walters wrote, using the name “Mujaheed.” “I can assemble and dismantle a Kalashnikov blindfolded.”

“Is shooting difficult?” Galas03 asked.

“No way, man, it is not that hard,” Walters responded. “I even had to roll over with a pistol and then shoot and that went all right, praise Allah.”

Walters became radicalized at about 16, investigators say. Fellow suspect Samir Azzouz, 18, was equally precocious. Azzouz was first detained in 2002 in Ukraine en route to joining Muslim combatants in Chechnya, AIVD spokesman Vincent van Steen said.

For the whole article: (more…)

Protected: Radicalisering Nederlandse jongeren

Posted on April 3rd, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Multiculti Issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Youth culture (as a practice).

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Protected: Bevoogding werkt niet

Posted on March 31st, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Multiculti Issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

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The Hunt for Zarqawi’s Webmasters

Posted on March 30th, 2005 by .
Categories: Misc. News, Religious and Political Radicalization.

MSNBC has an item taken from Newsweek on tracking down the operators of Islamic terrorist Web sites. This is like trying to locate a floating craps game: here today, gone tomorrow. During the past year, investigators in America and Europe watched as a business called 357Hosting, based near Utrecht, the Netherlands, became the officially registered Internet host for several notorious militant Islamic Web pages and bulletin boards, including sites that disseminated videos of beheadings of foreign hostages in Iraq and messages from Qaeda leader Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi. The public prosecutor’s office in Utrecht tells NEWSWEEK that it has opened a criminal investigation into possible Internet hate crimes.

he says 357 would continue to host radical Web sites to promote “free speech” and to counter what the spokesman claims is excessive Jewish influence in the media.

The Hunt for Zarqawi's Webmasters

Posted on March 30th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News, Religious and Political Radicalization.

MSNBC has an item taken from Newsweek on tracking down the operators of Islamic terrorist Web sites. This is like trying to locate a floating craps game: here today, gone tomorrow. During the past year, investigators in America and Europe watched as a business called 357Hosting, based near Utrecht, the Netherlands, became the officially registered Internet host for several notorious militant Islamic Web pages and bulletin boards, including sites that disseminated videos of beheadings of foreign hostages in Iraq and messages from Qaeda leader Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi. The public prosecutor’s office in Utrecht tells NEWSWEEK that it has opened a criminal investigation into possible Internet hate crimes.

he says 357 would continue to host radical Web sites to promote “free speech” and to counter what the spokesman claims is excessive Jewish influence in the media.

Protected: nu.nl/algemeen | Bedreiger Geert Wilders opnieuw opgepakt

Posted on March 26th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

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Protected: nu.nl/algemeen | Bedreiger Geert Wilders opnieuw opgepakt

Posted on March 26th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

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Protected: Kabinet wil versterking weerbaarheid tegen radicalisering

Posted on March 25th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

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