They are changing America by changing the people
No time to post but it’s too important a story not to get the link up right away, especially as it comes on the heels of the New York Times front page story about American Somalis joining the Jihad. More later.
For new readers, we have followed the Somali missing youths story since last November, see links here to all of our posts on the topic.
Update later on Sunday: Jerry Gordon at New English Review has a more detailed analysis of the NYT Somali story and calls for Senate Homeland Security Committee to reopen hearings on Al-Shabaab, here. Ann has more commentary here.
Today’s New York Times has a huge story, A Call to Jihad, Answered in America, about the young Somali men from Minneapolis who went to Somalia to join Al Shabaab, the militant Muslim group. The article, by Andrea Elliott (whose beat seems to be Muslims in America), takes up most of the top half of the front page and continued onto two full inside pages. It’s written in the modern journalistic style that takes a while to get to the point, but it’s got a lot of good information. Of course, Ann could have told you much of it a long time ago.
It looks like a story prepared at length and in detail. As it says,
An examination by The New York Times, based on interviews with close friends and relatives of the men, law enforcement officials and lawyers, as well as access to live phone calls and Facebook messages between the men and their friends in the United States, reveals how a far-flung jihadist movement found a foothold in America’s heartland.
She covers the FBI investigation, apparently using the main investigator, Ralph S. Boelter, as her source. Some excerpts from that section:
In the years since the Sept. 11 attacks, Somalis had remained largely under the law enforcement radar while other Muslim immigrants — primarily Arabs and South Asians — experienced the brunt of the raids and scrutiny. While federal investigators had tracked the movements of American recruits to the Shabaab since at least early 2008, the F.B.I.’s case did not swing into high gear until after Shirwa Ahmed’s suicide attack that fall.
….As the inquiry wore on, community leaders say, more than 50 people were subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury in Minneapolis and another jury was convened in San Diego. In April, F.B.I. agents raided three Somali money wiring businesses in Minneapolis. By then, the investigation had expanded to smaller Somali communities in Boston; Seattle; Portland, Me.; and Columbus, Ohio.
….Mr. Boelter tried to counter the negative attention by appearing on Somali television and radio, encouraging people to cooperate with investigators. Yet he has revealed little about the case itself. The scope and intensity of the investigation, he said, is merely commensurate to the danger posed by the men.
“If American citizens are joining the Shabaab, the potential threat domestically is serious,” Mr. Boelter said. “I think they could be commissioned to come back. Or they could do it on their own because they are philosophically aligned with the Shabaab or Al Qaeda.”
There’s almost nothing about the disagreements within the Somali community in Minneapolis. Just this:
The tension in the community has turned inward at times. Last March, the uncle of Burhan Hassan, the boy known as Little Bashir, testified at a Congressional hearing on the case that the mosque had been “brainwashing” the young men and had possibly raised money for the Shabaab.
The mosque’s leaders denied this, in turn accusing the family and others of shirking responsibility for their own children. “That’s their obligation, to know where their kids are going,” said Omar Hurre, the mosque’s executive director.
I wonder if Andrea Elliott knows about the involvement of CAIR and the gutsy opposition to CAIR among the Minneapolis Somalis, and didn’t want to report on it, or if she doesn’t know. It’s an important development but mainstream media and other institutions are pretty wary of offending CAIR. We’ll try to find out more about that.
Previous posts on the Minneapolis Somalis are here.
I’m posting this Voice of America article to show what Al-Shabab (sometimes Al-Shabaab) in Somalia is doing and the kind of life it wants for the people of Somalia. And, this is what our Somali former refugee youths are going to Somalia to participate in?
Seven beheaded:
Al-Shabab militants in the south-central Somali town of Baidoa have beheaded seven people in what is believed to the largest mass execution carried out in Somalia by the al-Qaida-linked group since 2006.
According to relatives of the victims, the charges against the seven Somalis ranged from being Christians to spying for the Transitional Federal Government. They say none of the people were tried before the executions were carried out on Friday.
Women are the property of men:
Al-Shabab follows the ultra-conservative Wahabi tenet of Islam and its fighters have imposed strict Islamic laws in areas they control. They have forced women to cover their faces, segregated men and women in public places, and have banned music and all forms of entertainment.
They have also punished thieves by cutting off limbs and have stoned women accused of adultery. Beheadings have been relatively rare, but their numbers have been increasing. Last month, al-Shabab beheaded three people in the same region.
Could be considered a war crime? Could be? This is such a joke, so what is the big bad UN going to do about it?
On Friday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said carrying out such punishments without due process violated Somali and international laws and could be considered as war crimes.
Foreign fighters in Somalia (Americans too!):
The al-Shabab-led insurgency has attracted hundreds of foreign fighters to Somalia in recent months. Many of them have been seen fighting alongside al-Shabab in Mogadishu streets. Al-Shabab’s ranks are also believed to be growing from new recruits trained at various camps set up by al-Shabab in southern Somalia.
In a related story (virtually unreported except by Fox News) a couple of days ago, American al-Shabab leader mocked Obama!
An American who left the United States to join an Al Qaeda-linked group in Somalia is strongly condemning President Obama’s efforts to seek “a new beginning” with the Muslim world, mocking Obama’s “magic of charisma” and warning of more attacks against U.S. interests.
“Despite the fact that you have been … forced [by Muslim fighters] to at least pretend to extend your hand in peace to the Muslims, we cannot and shall not extend our hands,” said the man in the audiotape, identified by the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) as Abu Mansour al-Amriki. “Rather, we shall extend to you our swords, until you leave our lands.”
The 20-minute audiotape, called “The Beginning of the End,” was posted Thursday on several jihadist web sites as a direct response to Obama’s much-publicized speech in Cairo on June 4, when he promised “a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world.”
“Let this not come as a surprise to those who are mesmerized by Obama’s speech in Cairo, our positions … have not changed in the least,” al-Amriki said, in the transcription provided by MEMRI. “If we study his words carefully, we can note very clearly that this new beginning is still heavily based upon American interests … [Obama spoke] not because he loves the Muslims he lived with in Indonesia, as a boy, but rather, it is because the only way to defeat the Muslims is by distracting them with this temporary life.”
Al-Amriki tells us what Obama and his Leftwing (diversity is beautiful) supporters never seem to understand:
Al-Amriki, speaking in English throughout the audio tape, also said Obama’s speechwriters made “one major miscalculation.”
“A Muslim doesn’t look to peace, security, education, work, or the love of any other number of things as his ultimate goals,” al-Amriki said. “Instead, a Muslim is always working and striving to please the one true Creator.”
A small brave group of American Somalis understand all this and is trying to save their young men from Al-Amriki’s recruitment campaign. They need our support. See my post yesterday entitled, “Something remarkable is happening in Minneapolis,” here.
For new readers, we have followed the Somali missing youths story since last November, see links here to all of our posts on the topic.
Update July 11th: More on why we need to give these brave American Somalis our support, here.
Some Somalis are defying local mosque leaders and telling the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) to butt out of the investigation to find out who recruited the Somali former refugee youths to return to Somalia where some have died. We’ve reported that earth shattering bit of news (about defiance) in several posts already, but for newcomers to RRW, here is a little recap:
*Somali young men have gone missing in Minneapolis and possibly other cities and are believed to have returned to Somalia to be trained as terrorists. We know for sure some are there because two have died (that we know of), one possibly assassinated to keep him from returning to the US, and talking.
* The FBI has been investigating, but has been stymied by CAIR which has instructed young Somalis in Minnesota to NOT talk with the FBI without a lawyer.
* Family and friends of one of the dead boys have organized to protest CAIR and local mosque leaders who they claim were involved in the indoctrination that sent impressionable young people to Al-Shabaab (a Somali terroist organization linked to Al-Qaeda).
* The family and friends have held, I believe, two public protests so far demanding answers and criticizing CAIR and the Imams. This action, to buck CAIR, has taken incredible fearlessness. To my knowledge, no Muslims anywhere in the US have taken such brave action and that to me suggests these Somalis want to be Americans and live by an American rule of law and thus deserve our support.
For all the details up to this point I urge new readers to scan our archival post here to see how we got to this point. I readily admit I was pretty hard on these families whose young men went missing because I figured they were silent because they were in on it—in on the Jihad imperative of Islam. It appears from what is happening now, their fear of speaking up was not because they knew and encouraged the return to Somalia, but that they feared the Imams and CAIR—until now that is!
To the latest news.
We previously heard from one of the leaders of the brave Somalis, Abdirizak Bihi, here and I quoted him again here yesterday.
Also, last week I reported that there was one protest scheduled for July 3rd by some other group in Minneapolis supposedly concerned with Islamic terrorism. And, then Bihi’s group was scheduled to protest again on July 4th, but I never did see any press on that one.
Then last night we heard from a “Concerned Somali” who sent us a link to this post at a website called MPLS Mirror. I don’t know who the author is, but the MPLS Mirror confirms what I was thinking yesterday but had no way of figuring out (or reporting my suspicions to you), until that is, this “Concerned Somali” sent me the post which explains a lot. I had to laugh because it was almost like “Concerned Somali” had ESP!
From the MPLS Mirror:
On Wednesday, July 1st, my connections in the Somali community were buzzing about rumored indictments in connection with the recruiting of mainly Somali men from around the U.S. to return to war-torn Somalia for jihad. This might not be considered of such international importance were it not for the fact that the group on the receiving end back in Somalia, al-Shabab, has very close ties to the terrorist group al-Qaeda.
MPLS Mirror author says local media is missing the story and other than FOX, no national media are getting the significance of this story.
Minus the local Fox affiliate, the rest of the local media hacks have chosen to ignore the story. Many of the local boys never seem to tire of running AP stories to fill the gaping holes in their reporting. Perhaps when every national news organization descends on our city to cover the story, they’ll scratch their heads and wonder why they missed out. From my perspective, we have an international situation going on right here and they’re still talking about Michael Jackson, was he or wasn’t he?
The author was in attendance at the July 3rd bogus demonstration.
….July 3rd, a demonstration was held in Peavey Park on Chicago and Franklin Avenue. Somali protesters stood in the street holding up signs reading: Stop the Beheadings and Islam is Against Suicide Bombings. For any non-Somali observing the protest, their message as they gave some speeches was in their native tongue and completely lost on anyone other than the fellow Somalis gathered. Beheadings and suicide bombings, were they protesting the situations in Iran and Gaza? I scanned the signs, but saw no entreaties to stop the recruiting, or any implorations for answers to whoever is behind the disappearance of the young Somali men.
[….]
As I looked around at the crowd, I noticed a lot of familiar faces. Many of them were the people I frequently see in attendance at activities involving CAIR, Abubakar and Da’wah Mosques.
“Hell of living in America” Imam was the main speaker.
The main speaker at this event was Hassan Mohammed, the Imam from Da’wah. He caused some controversy a while back when he requested money in an Internet video, stating, “This is a project that can save you from the hell of living in America.”
The MPLS Mirror post leaves its narrative about the demonstration to fill in some background. What is CAIR up to trying to thwart the investigation with phoney-baloney claims that they are protecting the legal rights of Muslims? A little intimidation going on here?
Here’s another odd occurance that has me questioning, “Why?” I don’t understand why CAIR was reportedly passing out cards on the U of M campus and around town advising young Somalis not to cooperate with law enforcement and FBI agents if they’re questioned about the recruitment. I wonder why Somali community members have told me that they’re quietly told that those that cooperate will be sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. That threat seems to have bought quite a bit of silence. Judging from the Fox News story, not enough for some of those who have something to hide.
Now, back to the July 3rd demonstration.
From an outsiders perspective, I have to say that I got a bit chilled when one of the members of the group stated, “We need people to understand the culture, and the culture is Islamic. Once they understand that, then we can make some real headway and progress.”
Now the average observer might not have caught this, since everyone comes away with a different interpetation of what was said. In spite of the imam’s attempt to clarify, the speaker effectively summerized everything affiliated with this group; it all boils down to Islamic religion and how they view life. By contrast, those speaking out about the missing Somali men have a message that is not so much about the Islamic religion as it is about conforming to the American way of life, while still embracing their religion. They must walk the line between being in the world while not being of it.
My conclusion (and I think the conclusion of the author of the MPLS Mirror post as well): faced with their first real challenge maybe EVER from within their Muslim ranks, radical Imams and CAIR staged this demonstration as a diversion.
Where is the national media? The brave families need support!
I don’t know exactly what the significance of this is, and the article doesn’t fully explain it, but apparently the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had a role in determining refugee and asylee status in Israel and as of July 2nd, the government of Israel has taken on that role.
From Human Rights Tribune:
The Israeli Interior Ministry is taking over the process of Refugee Status Determination (RSD) from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on 2 July.
I can only guess that Israel wants a more determinitive role in the process as the country is flooded by mostly Africans seeking asylum. I am guessing they are mostly Muslim Africans.
Some 15,000 mainly African asylum-seekers in Israel have put the regulatory, security and welfare response under strain, according to the Interior Ministry and UNHCR.
Israel does not have a refugee law, despite being a signatory to the 1951 refugee Convention.
However, regulations can allow asylum-seekers to work, and grant temporary protection and non-refoulement (a commitment not to force people back to where they came from).
About 200-300 asylum-seekers arrive each month, mainly overland from Egypt, according to the Immigration Authority and NGOs.
The UNHCR local office reports 14,766 asylum-seekers in Israel, while the Refugee Rights Forum (RRF – eight NGOs active in promoting the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers in Israel) suggests a number over 17,000.
Although Israel has been very good to refugees, it looks like there are some questioning Israel’s motivation.
UNHCR’s Tall said: “We must recognize the positive steps of the government of Israel regarding asylum-seekers. The ’open’ border allowing asylum-seekers to enter and the fact that the government of Israel allows them to stay are, in fact, positive measures that must be noted.”
Yaccov Ganot, head of the Immigration Authority, however told local media his aim was to reduce the number of “infiltrators”, by enhancing residential restrictions and making greater use of detention.
Egypt on the other hand shoots illegal aliens.
Nearly all asylum-seekers come from Egypt at night. Israel’s southern border is over 230km long and porous; only a low fence separates the two states.
Asylum-seekers pay Bedouin guides hundreds of US dollars to get them to the frontier where they risk getting shot at by Egyptian border guards.
In recent years hundreds have been wounded and detained while attempting to cross the border, and several have been deported to their countries of birth, according to UNHCR and NGOs in Cairo.
Others have been shot dead. In November 2008, Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleged 33 deaths of asylum-seekers at the hands of Egyptian soldiers.
Whatever happens this is Israel’s business and I sure hope that no one gets the idea to follow Malta (Tea party) Molly’s move of transforming Israel’s asylum-seeking aliens into refugees for the United States as she did in Malta.