Islamic Leaders Call for Jihad in Europe
Posted by: dbates
On: Mon April, 26 2004 @ 02:25 GMT
Militant Islamic leaders in Europe are openly calling for Jihad (Holy War) in the streets of Europe if the Europeans don�t submit to the recent request of Osama bin Laden. This is not a veiled threat, and the Muslim clerics that are making these bold accusations are not afraid of the consequences of their actions. Sheik Omar Bakri Mohammad of London said Thursday, "All Muslims of the West will be obliged, to become his sword (in a new battle). It is foolish to fight people who want death � that is what they are looking for."
The New York Times
The call to jihad is rising in the streets of Europe, and is being answered, counterterrorism officials say.
In this former industrial town north of London, a small group of young Britons whose parents emigrated from Pakistan after World War II have turned against their families' new home. They say they would like to see Prime Minister Tony Blair dead or deposed and an Islamic flag hanging outside No. 10 Downing Street.
They swear allegiance to Osama bin Laden and his goal of toppling Western democracies to establish an Islamic superstate under Shariah law, like Afghanistan under the Taliban. They call the Sept. 11 hijackers the "Magnificent 19" and regard the Madrid train bombings as a clever way to drive a wedge into Europe.
Some of the Muslims that migrated to Europe after WWII are apparently still more loyal to their origins, than their new host countries. The recent find of 1,200 pounds of ammonium nitrate in Britain was attributed to 5 Pakistani-Britons. These were not men who had been raised in another country or immigrants. These men were born and raised in Britain. Not all Muslims take this stance, and more mainstream Muslims are afraid that this could lead to sterotyping of all Muslims as terrorist. Many still see Islam as a peaceful religion, but this could change if terrorist continue to shout "Allah is great" just before they detonate their explosives. What is actually at risk here is freedom for all religions, since the banning of one is unlikely.
Currently officials are trying to use immigration policies to crack down on these members, but how long can one group of people cry for destruction before something else is done about it? Can Europe make it a crime to be Islamic, or will all religions be branded as harmful? More legislation on this matter is just a single terrorist action away.
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