Islamic Jihad's Summer of Radicalization

Summer camp conjures up bucolic images of swimming and other outdoor fun. But thousands of Palestinian children will experience something quite different, as exhibited in a report issued Thursday by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

In addition to learning scouting, first-aid and other traditional skills, kids at a Palestinian Islamic Jihad camp receive hands-on training in gruesome terror tactics, and play a variation on "capture the (Israeli) flag" that involves a young boy being dragged by his arms as the children learn the art of kidnapping Israeli soldiers.

Up to 10,000 children ages 6-16 attend each session of the "Generation of Faith" camps.

Dressed in T-shirts emblazoned with the Islamic Jihad's logo, children work with real AK-47s and face explosions and fiery burning tires in an all too memorable "war zone," Britain's Daily Mail reports.

This is just the latest example of Palestinians targeting youngsters with messages of war and glorifying death. These campers may have seen a back-to-school program aired by Hamas-controlled television called "The Gifted" that showed a 2-year-old boy in military garb and aiming an assault weapon "at the occupying terrorists."

"We'll wear the battle-vest of self sacrifice and follow the path of the Shahids," a child narrator says as the younger boy, his face hooded, stoops down with his weapon. Hamas also runs a program for high school students called "Futuwwa" that trained thousands of teenaged boys on handling a Kalashnikov rifle and throwing grenades.

The Islamic Jihad's camp director said the goal is "to raise an outstanding generation of believing [Muslims] that are well aware of their goals in the conflict with the Zionist enemy and who adhere to the honorable Koran and to the Prophet's sunna, as [Islamic Jihad founder] Dr. Fathi Al-Shqaqi ordered us to do," the MEMRI report said.

One camper notes that he will be "an outstanding [fighter] like the honorable martyrs Muhammad Al-Sheikh Khalil, Mahmoud Al-Zatma, and Yasser Abu Al-'Aish." Those are three senior Islamic Jihad commanders involved in numerous attacks against Israel.

The camp's emphasis on training is no coincidence. Israeli Defense Forces recently reported a sharp rise in attempted kidnappings, documenting 27 cases this year alone. The children of Gaza have a rich selection of role models from which to choose.

Feminist Protest Exposes Tunisian Islamist Justice

Under Tunisia's "moderate" Islamist government, you can attack and vandalize the American embassy and still walk free. But if a woman bares her breasts in a form of protest, a four-month prison sentence is considered too lax.

A Tunisian judge sentenced three European feminists Wednesday to four months in prison for a topless protest outside the courthouse. Their supporters expected to be fined or deported, London's Independent reports. European Union officials blasted the sentence as excessive.

"To ensure ... freedom of expression, the EU underlines the need to revise [Tunisian] laws inherited from the previous regimes, which can be used to restrict it," spokesman Michael Mann said.

Two weeks earlier, a Tunisian court issued suspended sentences for 20 people accused of causing property damage at the U.S. Embassy and setting cars there on fire during violence last September.

The women – two from France and one German – are part of group called Femen. "Breast Feed Revolution," the women wrote across their chests. They came to Tunisia late last month to protest the arrest of a colleague, Amina Tyler, a Tunisian who was arrested after posting a topless picture of herself on Facebook with the message "My body belongs to me and not the honor of others" written on her chest in Arabic.

That's not the way Tunisian Islamists see it.

"In Islam we respect our mothers, our sisters, our wives. Islam respects women and their physical dignity. Public nudity is forbidden. We reject the actions of Femen," prosecutor Slah Barkati told the court.

Attorneys for Islamist groups who wanted to be parties to the case wanted to define freedom for the women. "It is Islam that honours women and offers them freedom, not the act of undressing," attorney Slah Khlifi said in a Middle East Online report. Another attorney said the topless protest constituted an attack on state security under Tunisian law and is punishable by up to a year in prison.

On the other hand, a veteran Tunisian feminist said Femen's actions were counter-productive for her cause and asked that the group stay out of Tunisia in the future. Provocative actions like topless protests come off as signs of western debauchery. "We Tunisian feminists are trying to steer the discussion away from identity. Women's rights are a social and political issue," Maya Jribi said in an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel.

Tunisia was the first country to see governmental change in the 2011 "Arab Spring." But the rise of the Islamist Ennahda Party has not eased tension there, as radical Salafis gain stature and a secular opposition leader was gunned down in February. While news outlets continue to call Ennahda "moderate" – the Reuters report on the Femen protest did just that – the group's leader envisions Islamists soon dominating the Arab world. Rachid Ghannouchi also predicted the Arab Spring would "threaten the extinction of Israel."

Obama Outreach Overview

The Obama administration has an infamous history of questionable Islamist outreach, as noted here, here and here. These outreach efforts have been engaged by the highest levels of the Department of Justice (DOJ), resulting in decisions affecting potential prosecutions of Islamist leaders and closing ranks with other Islamist leaders in the name of civil rights enforcement.

More recently, a U.S. Attorney in Tennessee suggested that anti-Muslim inflammatory Internet postings might rise to the level of violating federal civil rights statutes. This caused an uproar of concern that such biased outreach may cross a line encroaching on First Amendment protected free speech.

Thanks to the revelation of an innocuous contract solicitation by the U.S. Department of Education, we know President Obama takes a direct interest in these outreach programs. On April 29, the Department of Education posted a solicitation bid titled "White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Annual Report." The principal purpose of the bid was listed as:

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of the Under Secretary requires a writer to prepare a comprehensive summary report of the activities and recommendations of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (Commission) to the President covering the period October 14, 2009 through Fiscal Year 2013. The report must reflect the work and recommendations of the Commission, as well as the findings and recommendations gleaned from the Muslim Outreach Summits….

The Initiative, through the U.S. Department of Education, requests to enter into a firm fixed priced contract for a writer to write, document and produce a comprehensive summary report based upon the recommendations of the Commission, the Muslim Outreach Summits, and the Initiative to be presented to the President.

The federal contract solicitation indicated there are three upcoming Muslim Outreach Summits and those are June 15 in Chicago, June 22 in San Francisco and June 29 in New York.

The Department of Education reported the contract was awarded on May 23 from a bid list of 18 to Ignatius Bau, a San Francisco-based community activist and lawyer who was previously engaged with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Bau has been involved in immigrant rights and health care advocacy, and was so lauded in a YouTube video from January 2011 wherein, among others, former DOJ Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Thomas Perez, who has been responsible for much of the DOJ Muslim outreach effort, spoke on Bau's behalf.

With the issuance and publication of this taxpayer contracted report, we now know the president himself is interested in the results of his administration's longstanding special outreach programs to Muslims. The problem too often is on what elements of the Muslim community those outreach efforts have primarily focused.

Egyptian Minister Reveals Hamas Aided Brotherhood Prison Break

As a direct offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas shares a similar ideological outlook and political affinity with its historical patron. Hamas has long been accused of coordinating with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood to kill protesters during the 2011 uprising, yet the Palestinian terrorist organization denies any involvement in Egypt.

Now, judicial sources claim that former Egyptian Interior Minister Mahmoud Wagdy testified that Hamas cooperated with the Muslim Brotherhood to conduct prison breaks during the outbreak of the uprising. A source said that Wagdy testified before the Appellate Court of Ismailia, asserting that Egyptian intelligence "monitored communications between the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas concerning participation in the Friday of Rage (the fourth day of the uprising and the storming of the prisons."

This operation resulted in the release of 34 senior Brotherhood figures, including current Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi and members of Hezbollah and Hamas.

Wagdy allegedly said that the Hamas gunmen entered Egypt via secret tunnels, and that its military arm and elements of Hezbollah participated in the uprising from the outset.

Hamas spokesman, Dr. Sami Abu Zhuri, denied Hamas' involvement in the storming of Egyptian prisons or any interference in Egypt's domestic affairs.

Hasan: I Shot Comrades to Defend Taliban

Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan said twice this week that he waged the 2009 Fort Hood shooting massacre to defend "others" from his fellow soldiers. Those others, he said during a hearing Tuesday, were "The leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban."

Hasan plans to represent himself during his pending murder trial in military court, using a defense that says he acted in "defense of others." Despite his own statement, and detailed records showing he communicated with American-born al-Qaida cleric Anwar al-Awlaki before the attack, the government considers the attack a form of "workplace violence" rather than terrorism.

The attack killed 13 people and wounded 30 more. Because of the "workplace violence" designation, victims will not receive Purple Hearts and survivors have not received combat benefits. U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., has sponsored an amendment to an appropriations bill to change that. Hasan, meanwhile, remains in the Army pending his trial. He has received $278,000 in pay since the Fort Hood attack.

In addition to being denied benefits, survivors may now have to face Hasan if they are called to testify at his trial. "It's definitely going to make (testifying) a lot more difficult," retired Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning told the Washington Times. "And it makes me sick to my stomach that he'd even (use that defense)."

In addition to his Awlaki connections, witnesses say Hasan shouted "Allahu Akhbar" as he opened fire. Others said he made no secret of his radical Islamic beliefs during his time in service. He justified suicide bombings, had "SOA," or "Soldier of Allah," on his business cards and gave a presentation called, "Why the War on Terror is a War on Islam."

None of that has been enough for the government to classify his shooting rampage as a terrorist attack. His new claim that he acted to defend leaders of a terrorist organization likely won't be enough, either.

Gulf Countries Take Action on Hizballah, EU Wavers

The United States and Israel have long called for the international community and the European Union (EU) to designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization. The past couple have years have witnessed a sharp rise in Hizballah-planned terrorist plots throughout the world under Iranian direction. The United States even warned European governments of Hizballah's intentions months before a series of terrorist attacks last summer.

But weeks after diplomats expressed confidence the EU finally would act, new hesitation is surfacing. Despite a Bulgarian government probe concluded that Hizballah was responsible for the bus bombing that killed five Israelis and their driver in that country, some EU countries are balking, saying the evidence is insufficient. In addition, they fear a terror designation could be politically destabilizing and diminish their influence in Lebanon.

But the Sunni-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council isn't as tentative. Given Hizballah's increasing prominence fighting against rebels in the Syrian civil war, the Council has decided to explore options with respect to hindering Hizballah's interests in member states.

"It is a terrorist organisation and this is how Gulf states see it," said Bahraini Foreign Affairs Minister Ghanim al-Buainain.

Bahrain has already designated Hizballah as a terrorist organization. The predominately Sunni Gulf Arab countries are taking action against the Shi'ite group mainly due to the sectarian nature characterizing the Syrian civil war and the fear that Hizballah aims to destabilize the Gulf states to advance Iran's hegemonic agenda. Iran, Hizballah's patron, has been accused of fomenting domestic strife within Bahrain.

As key Arab countries take concrete steps to label Hizballah for what it is, major Western nations continue to avoid the right decision for political considerations. No matter what some European governments think, the overwhelming evidence confirms that Hizballah is a quintessential terrorist organization and should be regarded as such.

The Backlash That Wasn't

In the wake of any Islamist terrorist attack, two reactions from Islamist community leaders are sure to follow.

They will condemn the attack, but deny it has any connection to Islam despite the terrorists' own expressions. And they will raise alarm bells about the impending backlash of violence against the broader Muslim community.

Beating up a random person or vandalizing a mosque is criminal and despicable and does nothing to stop terrorism or bring justice to its victims. But weeks after two very public and very gruesome Islamist attacks, there is no sign of that backlash taking place.

In Britain, Telegraph London editor Andrew Gilligan dissects a list of alleged abuses from an Islamist group and finds it dramatically hyped. More than half of the 212 cases cited as the backlash from the butchering of a British soldier in Woolwich were offensive Internet postings. Those may be "nasty and undesirable, certainly," Gilligan writes,"but some way from violence or physical harm and often, indeed, legal."

Of the 16 cases involving physical assault, six involved objects being thrown and others targeted Muslim clothing items such as attempts to rip off a woman's hijab. The source for the list, a group called "Tell Mama," is subsidized by the British government to monitor anti-Muslim attacks.

Similarly, The American Muslim website recently posted 36 examples of "Anti-Muslim backlash after Woolwich." The list is derived from "press reports of Islamophobic crimes" since the murder of soldier Lee Rigby, who was struck by a car, stabbed and beheaded by two men shouting "AllahuAkhbar" on a London street.

Ten of those alleged crimes involve online comments, mostly Twitter or Facebook. Three involve verbal insults and 13 incidents of vandalism – mostly in the form of graffiti. In onc incident labeled a crime "bacon and pork were left outside" a mosque.

In the United States, an Associated Press report includes a rare acknowledgment from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that it has "seen no uptick in reports of harassment, assaults or damage to mosques since the April 15 [Boston] bombings."

That isn't likely to change the "backlash" warnings following the next attempted or successful terrorist attack. Gilligan calls its advocates part of the "Islamophobia industry." For them, the notion that Muslims are under attack is good business. "'Islamophobic' is also a handy charge to throw at anyone who questions Islamist ideology," he writes.

Old Nasrallah Video Confirms Hizballah Follows Iran's Orders

With Hizballah increasingly taking on a front-line role in defending Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is highlighting a video from the 1980s in which the group's leader envisions Lebanon as part of an Islamic Republic under Iranian leadership.

"Our plan, to which we, as faithful believers, have no alternative, is to establish an Islamic state under the rule of Islam," Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah says in the video. "Lebanon should not be an Islamic republic on its own, but rather, part of the Greater Islamic Republic, governed by the Master of Time [the Mahdi], and his rightful deputy, the Jurisprudent Ruler, Imam Khomeini."

Destroying Israel is the first step to implementing this plan, Nasrallah says. He indicates that Hizballah's actions are driven by Iran, saying the group is "connected, through a certain hierarchy, to the Jurisprudent Ruler and Leader, whose decisions are binding."

In more recent comments, Nasrallah defends Hizballah's fighting and killing Muslims in Syria, casting it as a critical part of the "resistance" against Israel. That resistance disintegrates if Assad falls, he says. Israel would then invade Lebanon "to impose its terms on the Lebanese people."

In a May 25 appearance on Hizballah's al-Manar television, Nasrallah said "tens of thousands of mujahideen will go to those fronts" in Syria if he gives the word.

"I say this loud and clear. We are not stupid. Only a stupid person would watch death, siege, and conspiracy closing in on him without lifting a finger," Nasrallah says. "Only a stupid person would do this. A reasonable, responsible person lives up to his obligations in full."

Since its inception, Hizballah has been Iran's main terrorist proxy, resulting in several Hizballah plots aimed at inflicting severe damage to Israeli and Western targets. Furthermore, Hizballah's increasing involvement in the Syrian civil war emphasizes the Iranian connection, as the group continues to fight for Bashar al-Assad's regime.

But that stand increasingly has the Syrian conflict spilling into Lebanon and is fanning the flames of sectarian violence. Syrian rebels fired 18 rockets and mortars at a Hizballah stronghold. Top Sunni cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi – the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and a Hamas supporter who advocates killing Israelis – called on Sunni Muslims to wage jihad in Syria, calling Hizballah the "party of Satan."

"Every Muslim trained to fight and capable of doing that [must] make himself available," Qaradawi told a rally Friday. "The leader of the party of the Satan comes to fight the Sunnis... Now we know what the Iranians want... They want continued massacres to kill Sunnis."

Chicago Man Sentenced to 23 Years in Bomb Plot

A permanent resident alien of Lebanese descent was sentenced Friday to 23 years in federal prison for attempting to set off a bomb on a crowded street in downtown Chicago.

Sami Samir Hassoun, a 25-year-old Chicago man, pleaded guilty in April 2012 to one count each of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted use of an explosive device. On September 18, 2010, Hassoun placed a backpack that he thought contained a powerful explosive device in a garbage can on North Side Street near Wrigley Field in Chicago. A concert was scheduled in the area the night of the incident, court records show.

In conversations with an undercover FBI agent who was introduced to Hassoun as a "good friend" and "brother," Hassoun "discussed his idea of a series of escalating violent attacks to damage Chicago's sense of security, its economy, and trust in leadership." He "identified Chicago entertainment establishments, civic buildings, commercial high-rises, and transportation infrastructure as potential targets." Hassoun also discussed potential targets for attack, including a biological attack on the city, poisoning Lake Michigan, attacking police officers, bombing the Sears (Willis), and assassinating the mayor.

"If the bag that Hassoun left in that Clark Street trash receptacle had contained the type of explosive device that he thought it did, the results would have been horrific," United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Gary S. Shapiro said in a Department of Justice press release announcing the sentence.

"In conversation after conversation, Hassoun made clear that he was willing to bomb innocents and shoot police officers as part of a bizarre effort to destabilize the city of Chicago. And his actions demonstrated that his words were more than empty bravado," Shapiro added.

Recognizing the serious nature of the crime, District Judge Robert Gettleman ordered Hassoun placed on five years of supervised release following his prison term. Hassoun would also be subject to deportation proceedings upon his release.

Man Accused in Bomb Plot to Assassinate Saudi Ambassador Gets 25 Years

A Texas car salesman was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday for his involvement in a bomb plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States. The plot was sanctioned by senior members of Iran's deadly Revolutionary Guard Quds Force.

The Quds Force has helped wage several terror attacks worldwide in support of its broader mission to export Iran's Islamic Revolution.

Manssor Arbabsiar, a 58-year-old naturalized American citizen, had earlier confessed to his involvement in a plot targeting Saudi ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir as well as other targets, including the Israeli embassy. Arbabsiar, who held both Iranian and U.S. passports, was arrested on September 29, 2011 at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. He and a member of the Quds Force, Gholam Shakuri, were subsequently charged in connection with the plot. Shakuri continues to remain at large.

"Manssor Arbabsiar was an enemy among us—the key conduit for, and facilitator of, a nefarious international plot concocted by members of the Iranian military to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States and as many innocent bystanders as necessary to get the job done," U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara said in a Department of Justice press release announcing the sentence.

Court records show Arbabsiar visited Mexico several times between May and September 2011 under direction from senior members of the Quds Force. During the visits, Arbabsiar met with a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) informant who posed as a representative of a violent international drug trafficking cartel. Arbabsiar agreed to pay $1.5 million to the supposed cartel operative to assassinate the Saudi ambassador and arranged to have a $100,000 down payment wired to the operative from Iran in two installments through a New York bank account. He promised to pay the remainder amount following the plot's execution.

During a meeting with the informant, Arbabsiar told the informant that he did not care about either the means of the attack or the number of people who died in the attack. "They want the guy done, if a hundred go with him, f*** 'em," he said. Arbabsiar suggested targeting a restaurant frequented by the Saudi ambassador in addition to bombing the Saudi embassy.

In addition to the 25-year prison term, Arbabsiar has been ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $125,000.

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