Spain: Final brings Spaniards together

Via TIME:

“Yo soy español, español, español!” As the buzzer sounded in Johannesburg on the final match of the 2010 World Cup, an entire city 5,000 miles away burst spontaneously into song. From the shirtless kids taking a celebratory jump into the Cibeles fountain to the old men crowded around a 13-inch TV set at their fluorescent-lit corner bar, all of Madrid, it seemed, was chanting the same joyful (if annoyingly repetitive) lyrics. But perhaps no one in the Spanish capital sang with more fervor than Mahbubul Alam. Watching the game through the window of a café in the Lavapiés neighborhood, his entire body shook as he gleefully belted out the words the whole city was singing: “I am Spanish, Spanish, Spanish!” The fact that Alam is Bangladeshi hardly seemed to matter.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

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Seated outside with friends, Azhar Abbas, from Pakistan, was ecstatic before the game even began. With a red-and-yellow scarf tied around his neck, and a Spanish flag emerging from his collar, he was sure Spain would win because it was such a good country. “It’s not like Germany or Italy where there’s discrimination,” he said. “Here there’s no difference between Spaniards and foreigners.” And just in case ethnic tolerance wasn’t enough to guarantee victory, he added, “I went to the mosque today and prayed for Fernando Torres.”

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The scene was much the same at Hasan Keyf’s kebab restaurant around the corner. At one point during the evening, the 20 young Moroccan men sipping Fantas at tables draped in Spanish flags broke spontaneously into a chorus of “Viva España.” “They’re gods of the game,” said Mohammed Dauud, in reference to the Spanish team. The 22-year-old had immigrated by himself to Spain from Morocco when he was just 12, and the intervening years explain, he says, his loyalty to the Spanish team. “This is where I live, who I am now,” he said. “Of course, Spain is going to be my team.” Asked if the same logic meant he was also a supporter of Real Madrid, however, Dauud demurred. “Are you crazy?” he said, shaking his head. “I’m a Barça fan.”

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Norway: Terrorist cell planned attacks in Norway

Dagbladet reports that the three suspects are:

* Shawan Sadek Saeed Bujak Bujak (37), an Iraqi Kurd living in Oslo. He was arrested in Germany and Norway asked to extradite him.

* David Jakobsen (31), Uzbek living in Oslo. Jakobsen’s request for asylum was rejected, but he received a residence permit via family reunification. Several sources in the Uzbek community told Dagbladet that Jakobsen radicalized during his time in Norway.

* Mikael Davud (39), Norwegian citizen of Chinese-Uighur background. Suspected of leading the cell. Davud was formerly called Muhammad Rashidin, but changed his name in 2007.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

VG reports that the Norwegian security services installed cameras in Davud’s apartment next to the Ullevål Univesrity hospital in Oslo. According to the PST, it was there that Davud stored the bomb materials for al-Qaida’s first attack in Norway. The attack was planned in Norway, but the three hadn’t chosen a concrete target yet. The suspects bought the ingredients for the hydrogen peroxide bombs in February and March of this year. According to the PST they had enough material for a large bomb or several small ones.

According to VG, all the movements in the house were recorded and sent to the PST in Nydalen (Oslo).

Jakobsen’s lawyer confirmed to Dagbladet that Jakobsen visited Davud’s apartment on several occasions and had national dishes by him.

All three suspects deny any connection to terrorism. In his interrogation Davud denies that he knew about the hydrogen peroxide.

VG reports that Davud’s lawyer says that David Jakobsen bought the chemicals for somebody else who wanted to remove rust from his car.

Aftenposten reports that the PST has been following the radical Uighur community for a while, and has pressured people in the community to prevent them from radicalizing.

The case is compared to a case last year when former Taliban minister Abdul Mohammad Rauf supposedly managed to set up a community with a small group of supporters in a mosque in Oslo. The PST managed to break up the community and prevent radicalization. The PST contacted about 25 people who’s been in touch with Rauf through the mosque.

Einar Wigen, author of the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment study “Islamic Jihad Union: al-Qaida’s Key to the Turkic World?” and researcher for the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, says that previous terrorist cells of this type traveled to the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan to train in using explosives.

According to a New York Times report, the three are part of the Turkistani Islamic Party/East Turkestan Islamic Movement. The ETIM/TIP were formerly linked to terror attacks in China, but Wigen thinks that terrorist group has close contacts with other organizations who have a strategy aimed against the West.

“The 39 year old Uighur who was arrested could have been influenced by a more global, Jihadi ideology through contact with other Jihadist groups in Afghanistan or Waziristan. These see the West as the primary enemy and a target for terror attack, rather than focusing on establishing Islamic rule in their own homeland,” says Wigen.

“That the group is described as members of TIP could be linked to the Uighur’s background, and that he was the one who recruited the other two. There are few good sources and little research on TIP and ETIM, but what looks like a central-Asiatic terrorist network has emerged, with centrally Uighurs but also Uzbeks. Whether they can be considered part of al-Qaida or not, is difficult to say. The Germany Sauerland cell in particular, which was uncovered in 2007, had links to the central-Asiatic network. There are many similarities between the Sauerland cell and what been published about the Norwegian cell,” the NUPI researcher says.

The so-called “Sauerland cell” planned to create powerful car-bombs of more than 700 liters of hydrogen peroxide. The bombs were to be used in attacks against American installations, airports or discos. The aim was to force the German army out of Afghanistan.

The materials are the same as those the three terror suspects in Norway had.

Wigen says that the Uighur and Uzebek Jihadists are often in the same networks. Similarities in language could contribute to making the recruiting process easier.

“It could naturally happen that an Uighur and Uzbek get together, but Uighur and Uzbek are closely related languages, and it can therefore be relatively easy for the two to speak to each other. When the Taliban still ruled Afghanistan, they sent Uighurs to Kunduz, where the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) had their base. This can be some of the reason why Uzbek and Uighur Jihadists are often in the same networks,” says Wigen.

“In general it’s very ‘classic’ for Jihadists in Europe that just one in the group that plans terrorist acts gets training in camps, and has contact with the leaders, and that they recruit new members who already have citizenship or residence permits in Western countries. There are many similarities here with previous attacks in Europe, both those carried out and planned,” says Wigen.

UK: Terrorism mostly homegrown

Most terrorism in Britain is homegrown, according to the most comprehensive survey of those convicted of offences over the last 10 years.

The Centre for Social Cohesion has compiled profiles of 124 individuals convicted of Islamic terrorism offences since 1999.

It found that 69 per cent of offences were perpetrated by individuals holding British nationality.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

Robin Simcox, co-author of the report, said their aim was to “focus the government’s counter-terrorism efforts.”

“There are clear trends emerging with those involving themselves in terrorist activity in the UK,” he added. “It is crucial that this is recognised and then acted upon by the relevant authorities.”

His comments follow private remarks by Assistant Commissioner John Yates, Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, that the country faces “eye-watering cuts” in counter-terrorism funding that could hand an advantage to al-Qaeda.

Douglas Murray, Director of the Centre for Social Cohesion, said: “The report proves how great a threat violent Islamism poses to the world – and the fact that Britain is at the centre of this global struggle.”

The Social Cohesion report outlines the links individuals had to terrorist groups, their nationality and ethnic origin, their age, hometown, occupation and education, which other radical Islamists they were connected to and what legislation the government used to jail them.

The report also shows how Britain’s links to violent Islamism are almost two decades old by profiling almost 100 other offences committed abroad since 1993 that are connected to Britain, including terrorist convictions, terrorist training, suicide attacks, and extraditions.

The survey found almost half (46 per cent) of offenders had their origins in south Asia including 28 per cent who had Pakistani heritage – of whom at least 80 per cent were British nationals.

Six of the eight plots, 75 per cent, contained individual members who had trained in Pakistan and four of the leaders of those plots were directly linked to one or more Pakistani based terrorist groups.

The next most common origin for offenders was Somalia, accounting for 6 per cent, demonstrating a growing threat from East Africa.

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Source: Telegraph

Oslo: Mosque promotes anti-terrorism fatwa

The Minhaj-ul-Quran mosque in Oslo is promoting a fatwa condemning extremism in the name of Islam.

“Terrorism, radicalism and extremism in the name of Islam is an abuse of our religion. We want to show the image of moderate Islam,” says Hassan Qadri.

The Islamic scholar from Pakistan is on a tour of Europe to explain a new and controversial Islamic ruling. A so-called ‘fatwa’ against extremism and extreme groups.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

Extreme Islamic groups have abused the religion and committed attacks in the name of Islam which they wrongly called holy war, declares Qadri, who was brought here by the Minhaj-ul-Quran Oslo mosque.

Qadri’s father, Dr. Taheer Qadri, a leader for millions of Muslims in more than 80 countries in the international Minhaj-ul-Quran movement, is the one who authored the fatwa.

The Oslo mosque is the first to translate the over 600 pages long ruling into Norwegian. The summary says that it’s a ‘prohibition against terrorism against non-Muslims even i war’ and a ‘prohibition against imposing one’s faith’.

“It was unclear if a terror attack as part of an Islamic struggle can be accepted or if it’s forbidden according to Islam. This fatwa is clear that suicide attacks aren’t allowed even in war,” says Qadri.

“After terror attacks like 9/11 in the US, the metro attack in London and the bombs in Mumbai, some claimed that those who are responsible for it are martyrs who will be greeted by 70 virgins in paradise.”

“This fatwa clearly says: Suicide bombers won’t be greeted by 70 virgins. Suicide is not acceptable in Islam, and causes you to go to hell,” says Qadri.

The ruling led to to fierce debate in Muslim communities all over the world. It’s been called the most discussed fatwa since ayatollah Khomeini’s death sentence against the author Salman Rushdie in 1989.

“The contents of this ruling means that we are quite exposed, despite the fact that no scholar in Islam challenged this fatwa’s legitimacy,” the vice-president of Minhaj-ul-Quran in Oslo, Mehtab Afsar, told VG.

“The ruling is actually the first of its kind which is directed against radical groups who abuse Islam,” adds Afsar.

The seemingly not so controversial statements to ban violence in the name of religion led to death threats against the authors from both al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan.

Q: What with the Palestinian suicide bombers in Israel. Do you condemn that?

“Suicide attacks in themselves are a forbidden act. But Muslims also have a right to defend themselves.”

Source: VG (Norwegian)

Belgium: Support for international terrorism

Update: Fixed the article to read millions, not billions. (thanks to an alert reader)

International terrorism is financed from Belgium. In 2009 the police confiscated 7.43 million euro. The money was used to commit attacks and to financially support terrorist organizations.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

The justice department thinks it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Most Belgian support for terrorist groups in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan comes from Brussels, Antwerp and a number of Walloon cities.

Much of the money is sent for charitable work in the Middle East, but is then channeled off to bank accounts of terrorist groups.

The biggest sums are gotten via illegal activities such as drug trade, human trafficking, extortion and theft. But owners or night or phone stores are often – whether by coercion or not – big ’sponsors’.

Source: GvA (Dutch)

Pakistan: Danish journalist kicked out

Danish journalist Puk Damsgård Andersen has been declared persona non grata by Pakistan. Despite Danish pressure, no solution has been found, and the journalist has left Pakistan for Denmark.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

Conservative Pakistani newspaper The Nation, citing sources within the Interior Ministry, reported that Andersen was being deported because she was a target for extremists and authorities were unable to offer her protection.

The newspaper also reported that the Dane had distributed copies of the controversial Mohammed cartoons and ‘her stay with an American official of the US embassy also raised many doubts about her character’.

Sources: Kristeligt Dagblad (Danish), Copenhagen Post (English)

Draw Mohammed

“Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” was yesterday but the truth is that every day is “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day”. Freedom of speech is not something we’re given once a year. It’s a human right which every human should enjoy year round.

Kurt Westergaard achieved fame by suggesting Muslims were violent. Muslims worldwide, and particularly in Pakistan, went out into the streets to prove him right. And the West folded. Just note how many newspapers print the latest Mohammed cartoon when they report about it.

This might not be Mohammed, but it’s the face of Islam. It’s not the face of Islam drawn by “Islamophobes”. It’s the face of Islam that Muslims want everybody to see. Veiled women going out into the streets to protest far away people who might draw offending pictures.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

Newspapers worldwide will not print a cartoon, but this is the type of picture that no newspaper will think twice about printing. Which is more insulting?

Belgium: New radical group to protest against European oppression

A new Muslim organization, Muslim Rise, has sprung up in Belgium to organize a protest against the upcoming veil ban. The organization also invited well-known British radical Anjem Choudary. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is Sharia4Belgium redux, and/or another attempt by Choudary to set up his organization in Belgium.

Though they say they will have a peaceful demonstration against “the kuffar”, their role models are anything but. Khalid Ibn Waleed, Salahedinne Al Ayoubi, Mehmet Fatih are conquerors, and Omar Al Mokhtar was a Libyan resistance fighter against the Italian occupation.

Belgian news are quoting them as follows (though I can’t see the source, they might have updated their site): “Democracy has failed again, and we will stress this too on the 22nd, our slogan is short, concise and powerful: the Muslim community is one community, their honor is one, their land is one, their battle is one..”

In related news, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the head of Jamaat-ud-Daawa/Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan condemned several European countries including France, Belgium and Switzerland, for banning the hijab and minarets.

Muslim Protest against the European oppression

Dear Muslim brothers and sisters

Salaam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatahu

As you all know the disbelievers have shown their true faces once again. They have started with the hijab ban in schools and they have taken it further to also banning the niqab in public. This makes us wonder … what’s the next step? Don’t you realize that we are constantly being attacked without any or weak reaction of the Muslims? Hitler didn’t immediately send the jews to the gas chambers, he started making laws regardign clothes etc. Well, why are we too blind to see the companions of Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin are making their come-back at this time we are currently living in?

Stand up oh Ummah of Muhammad! Defend yourself!

We have organized a protest on 22nd May in Brussels. The location is “La Bourse/Beursplein”, Boulevard Lemmonnier. We are planning to express our displeasure on a peaceful manner and make sure they (the kuffar) understand that we had enough of this oppression they are spreading! We are not the Indigenous peoples of the Americas or the Aboriginals to allow such crimes to be committed against us. We are the descendants of great men like Khalid Ibn Waleed, Salahedinne Al Ayoubi, Mehmet Fatih and Omar Al Mokhtar!

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

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Munich: Imam against Jihad recruitment

The NYT headline (”Munich Imam Tries to Dull Lure of Radical Islam”) is misleading, as there’s no argument that Shashaa himself is radical and that he propagates radical Islam. He’s a Salafi, a polygamist, and he keeps radical books in his mosque library. If he would need them for counter-arguments, as he claims, they would not be in the mosque.

The only thing he’s fighting is Jihad recruitment, and the argument that a ‘true Muslim’ has to wage Jihad on their own. Sadly enough, that’s already a lot.

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Hesham Shashaa looked twice at the display on his cellphone, staring at the number. “It’s either a person who needs help or someone who wants to kill me,” he said.

Mr. Shashaa, an imam at the Darul Quran mosque in Munich, follows the strictest form of Islam, Salafi. But the people who want to kill him are Muslims.

“They use the religion for their personal aims and declare war on Jews and Christians, but I want people to follow what Islam really says,” said Mr. Shashaa, who with his beard and traditional clothes has sometimes been likened to Osama bin Laden. But his philosophy is quite different.

A growing number of imams in Europe and the Middle East have denounced suicide missions and terrorist acts. Many of these imams, however, still view Al Qaeda, the Taliban or Hamas as legitimate resistance movements, while Mr. Shashaa openly declares that they are violating the tenets of Islam.

He travels to mosques and madrasas throughout Europe, as well as the Middle East and Pakistan, telling young Muslims that fighting against American troops and other forces is a violation of their religion. He condemns militant recruiters in his sermons, urges worshipers at Friday Prayer to call the police if they hear about plans for an attack and readily talks with law enforcement officials about the reasons for radicalization and the best way to combat it.

“We cannot just sit down and let other people hijack our religion,” he said in an interview.

Threats come with the territory, so now Mr. Shashaa travels with former students who act as his bodyguards.

“This man is a traitor,” wrote one critic in a posting on a jihadist Web site. “He needs a lesson,” said another, who published pictures of Mr. Shashaa meeting with police officers.

He has a complex relationship with German law enforcement officials, who see his message as crucial and unique here and continually press him to do more.

“We know that he speaks and works against terrorism groups like Al Qaeda or the Taliban, and that is important,” said a senior German security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make official statements about Mr. Shashaa. “He is the only example who is doing it in this way here in Germany, and in this sense he is effective.”

At the same time, Mr. Shashaa said, he must keep the trust of his congregants, who feel singled out by law enforcement agencies.

Recently his own mosque was searched by law enforcement officials who were looking for a specific book about women in Islam that is not allowed in Germany, a Munich security official said. Mr. Shashaa confirmed that he had the book in his library.

“Of course I had it,” he said. “I need to know what is in these books. How else will I know how to argue with recruiters?”

Mr. Shashaa, the child of a Palestinian father and an Egyptian mother, was born and educated in Egypt, where he worked for a time as a journalist. He is in his 50s, though he is evasive about his age because he does not want young people to think that he is too old to understand them.

He has three wives, marrying the later two in ceremonies recognized by his mosque if not the state. The wives and 10 children all live in his Munich home.

Mr. Shashaa said he had not intended to end up in Germany. But he lost his briefcase there on a 2000 stopover while on his way to Britain from Romania, where he had been living. “Everything was gone, the papers, the money,” he said. “So I thought it was God’s will that I should stay here.”

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This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: New York Times (English)