The Real Roots of Islamic Terrorism

by Khadija Khan
October 5, 2017 at 4:00 am

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11102/islamic-terrorism-roots

Translations of this item:

Czech

Last month, an Islamic preacher was caught red-handed in Britain preaching for ISIS and jihad, and inciting youths to commit violence against non-Muslims. To everyone's purported astonishment, he was not delivering his lectures on websites. He was delivering sermons live in a public-charity mosque -- funded by taxpayers -- in Stoke-on-Trent.
France and Britain remain in the constant grip of Islamist terror, yet their governments, despite having laws prohibiting "hate speech", have so far failed to address the influence that preachers of violence and hatred have with local Muslims.
Blaming terror recruitment only on the internet is just an invented story, like the one that every suicide bomber or those who committed acts of terror in the name of Islam were lone wolves who merely took "inspiration" from terror outfits such as al-Qaeda or ISIS.
Governments in Britain and other countries in the grip of terror posed by Islamists have probably also been using the "online" excuse to shake off any charges of reckless endangerment or criminal neglect that they have might have committed by allowing these extremists to flourish in West.
The terrorists involved in the Parsons Green Underground attack and other incidents, as in Barcelona, were found to have ties with local mosques or seminaries, yet the administrations of these places have refused to take any responsibility, and stated that they are not accountable for the acts of their members.

Another terrorist attacks France and slaughters two innocent women at the Marseille train station. The terrorist was reportedly chanting the Arabic verses.

Within 24 hours, another terror attack took place in Edmonton, Canada outside a football stadium, when a man with a knife left five people injured. An ISIS flag was reportedly found in suspect's car.

The strike in a country known for going extra miles to take in immigrants from the war-torn Middle East exposes the fact that these terrorists are enemies not only of human rights but often if the very people trying to help them.

No soft gesture, however, will deter extremist Muslims unless the whole world submits to their version of Islam.

Pictured: Saint-Charles train station in Marseille, France, where an Islamist terrorist murdered two women on October 1, 2017. (Image source: ignis/Wikimedia Commons)

Western governments might nevertheless once again choose to ignore the existence of religious schools and mosques that serve as radicalization and recruitment centers for extremist Muslims across the West.

The authorities in Europe seem to have been doing very little to clamp down on the recruitment of mainly Muslim youths by terrorists. Many apologists seem to have been trying to confuse people by saying that the internet is root cause of the Islamic extremism and terrorism problem, and authorities have been blaming the websites of terror outfits. Websites do not vote.

France and Britain remain in the constant grip of Islamist terror, yet their governments, despite having laws prohibiting "hate speech", have so far failed to address the influence that preachers of violence and hatred have with local Muslims.

Last month, an Islamic preacher was caught red-handed in Britain preaching for ISIS and jihad, and inciting youths to commit violence against non-Muslims.

To everyone's professed astonishment, he was not delivering his lectures on websites or communicating with the gullible youths through online "chats". He was delivering sermons live in a public-charity mosque -- funded by taxpayers -- in Stoke-on-Trent.

Governments in Britain and other countries in the grip of terror posed by Islamists have probably also been using the "online" excuse to shake off any charges of reckless endangerment or criminal neglect that they have might have committed by allowing these extremists to flourish in West.

The authorities seem deliberately to be ignoring the compelling presence of hardline madrassahs, mosques and faith-schools that might well be involved in clear instances of preaching violence and hate.

Blaming terror recruitment only on the internet is just an invented story, like the one that every suicide bomber or those who committed acts of terror in the name of Islam, whether in Paris, London or Berlin, are lone wolves who merely took "inspiration" from terror outfits such as al-Qaeda or ISIS.

It is laughable to claim that a "lone wolf" has committed a terror attack, especially when the terror outfits such as ISIS immediately take responsibility for them.

The London Bridge attack left Prime Minister Theresa May stating "enough is enough" and sounding finally determined to tackle terrorism a bit.

But the slogan merely ended up on the back-burner as the terror spree continued -- as do the hardline seminaries and recruiters that then led to the Parsons Green Underground attack.

The terrorists involved in that and other attacks, as in Barcelona, were found to have ties with local mosques or seminaries, yet the administrations of these places have refused to take any responsibility, and state that they are not accountable for the acts of their members.

Westminster terror attacker Khalid Masood was serving as a public contact person for the website of the Luton Islamic Center Mosque just a week before he rammed a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge and went on to kill a police officer.

Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi, who murdered 22 people, including children, regularly attended Didsbury Mosque, which was also known to have home to many other al-Qaeda and ISIS recruits. The mosque was also known for having ties with al-Qaeda-linked jihadists such as the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group.

The perpetrators of the London Bridge and Borough Market terror attacks -- Khuram Shazad Butt, Rachid Redouance and Youssef Zaghba -- were believed to be associated with the outlawed Islamist group al-Muhajiroun, co-founded by the convicted hate preacher Anjem Choudary. Khuram Butt was even seen brandishing an Islamic State flag in Regent's Park in a Channel 4 documentary.

The Berlin Christmas Market terrorist, Anis Amri, was also reportedly radicalized by a local mosque. One of the preachers of the Mosque, Abu Walaa, is these days on trial with four others in Germany for serving as an ISIS recruiter.

There is a dire need to hold government officials -- and the preachers and administrators of these mosques -- accountable, and to demand that they take action against extremists who target these breeding grounds, or face criminal prosecution. The policy of avoiding the problem by keeping one's eyes shut only enlarges it and sacrifices freedom on the altar of terror.

Khadija Khan is a Pakistani journalist and commentator, currently based in Germany.

© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

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Comment on this item

18 Reader Comments

Dacritic • Oct 8, 2017 at 11:09

"No soft gesture, however, will deter extremist Muslims unless the whole world submits to their version of Islam."

THEIR version of Islam? Oh, you mean true Islam, the one that your prophet preached with force and dhimmi tactics, didn't you, Khadija?

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Yeshayahu Hollander • Oct 7, 2017 at 14:08

Hate speech is EXACTLY the tool to be used against the Muslim preachers and teachers who teach that Christians and Jews should be killed - in the schools and in the electrionic social media.
Besides being "hate speech" in it also incitement to murder. IF a murder was committed, every one of them should all be held responsible as an inciter and as an accessory before the fact. Throw the book at them, and in they are found guilty - put them in a special jail with only solitary confinement cells and no communication with the public to prevent more incitement. THIS IS WAR, not ordinary criminal activity.

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Ivan Kinsman • Oct 7, 2017 at 03:23

I found this article extremely interesting as it provides solid links between the imams and mosques in Europe and their influence on the Muslims who have created terrorist attacks in Europe - murdering hundreds of innocent European civilians.

The question has to be asked if this situation - or rather status quo - can continue? In my opinion, if any investigation reveals a direct link between a imam radicalising terrorists in the local Muslim community then he should be deported and the mosque closed down. Only in this way will the administrations of these places be forced to take responsibility and be held accountable for the acts of their members.

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Lynette • Oct 6, 2017 at 12:57

Yes, hate speech laws are part of the problem, almost as though they were designed for what is happening today - to stifle any angst against the world's most violent, cruel and frankly insane terrorists. Does the west not want its countries to be decent and wholesome? Countries where their citizens can be unafraid?
Another vicious stabbing attack and still the world refuses to rise up in outrage. Those countries too afraid to send violent thugs back where they belong are inviting more and more disasters. And yes, two women stabbed by a crazed Muslim is enough evidence of the extreme violence of Islam.

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Michael • Oct 6, 2017 at 09:51

The use of the Divine Name to incite genocide against Jew or Christians is blasphemy, an incitement to murder and should be punished with the death penalty.

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Bisley • Oct 5, 2017 at 15:37

One of the worst problems in dealing with Islamic terrorism is the "hate speech" laws and government-enforced political correctness that make it nearly impossible for people to publicly speak out against anything associated with Muslims, or Islam. There needs to be a great deal of public debate and explanation of Islam in general, and the jihadist variety in particular, and no limits on ridicule, denigration, or condemnation of any people, or religion.

Only public pressure will move government to take any action, and there can't be any pressure without free public discussion to inform people about who and what the problem is. Government policies are protecting Islam by stifling the debate and preventing the condemnation of radical Islam that would make it impossible for them to continue ignoring the problem. Restoring freedom of speech is a major part of the solution to this problem.

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Elizabeth Lawson • Oct 5, 2017 at 12:15

My response to Khadija Khan's article, The Real Roots of Islamic Terrorism, will quite likely typify responses from many. We all know from media reports over the years of the cruel attacks - and deaths, for which Islamic terrorists have been responsible, and yes, even proud. Equally, we are all very well versed on the universal ( well, almost) response of our Western 'leaders' to these outrages. For example: the implementation of the 'crime' of Islamaphobia, yes, in some of the hallowed halls of Western governments, Islamaphobia, ( a vaguely described offence) is now enshrined. Next, the muffling and outright condemnation of any voice raised in protest against the clear march forward of this odious ideology, to the frequent detriment of ordinary men, women and children going about their ordinary, even mundane lives. We have seen media reports of citizens being charged and convicted - and sentenced, to punishments for the 'crime' of stating No More Muslims. Throughout this Orwellian journey to our own extinction, our " leaders" aid and abet those determined to eradicate every shred of our Judeo Christian culture, and replace it with what Muslim immigrants want. For the uninformed, what they ran from is still in business, and can be observed as living, clear examples of what the West is journeying to. Statistics on the state of freedom, human rights, mortality, justice etc., can easily be obtained from any library on Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Kuwait - and all Arab countries. My advice to Western leaders and Human Right's NGO's is to study these details. Oh yes, let's not forget the mantra of human rights activists"There but for the Grace of God" - not so much, we have seen what these newly rescued have in mind for us, and the pictures of THOUSANDS of Islamic aficionados thronging and blocking downtown streets in EU capitals, does little to persuade us that Islamic outrages are the province of a few. None of these 'courageous' Islamic demonstrators would take to the streets in a Muslim totalitarian or theocratic state. Such activities are instantly, and severely punished by death or dismemberment. We in the West cannot deter terrorist and their like by applying such primitive and barbaric punishments, so we are left with one effective tool: deportation. What about the direct Insult offered to the German government a few years ago? Offering to pay for two hundred mosques in Germany was actually laughable, particularly when Saudi Arabia, and indeed 99% of Arab countries refused to take in their brothers of the same race, creed, and ideology. Some leaders, ( Hungary, Poland, Angola etc.) have found a formula to prevent Islamization, crime, and terrorism in their countries, they have refused ALL immigration from Muslim lands. The Muslim Brotherhood and its acolytes, always engaged in pro Islamic activism, have recently contracted to build a mosque within sight of the 911 monument. Let us hope that the good citizens of the United States put a stop to this clear triumphalist monument to barbarism. Leaders are supposed to lead, hopefully in the direction of peace and prosperity for all. For this service, the taxpayer provides their incomes, and elevates them to a status above most. Given the chaos and violence in EU countries presently, it is perfectly clear that that these political representatives DO NOT deserve either.

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b.a. freeman

Elizabeth Lawson • Oct 8, 2017 at 10:04

Elizabeth, i don't believe that our "leaders" have any intention of fixing the current situation. the most salient point to keep in mind is that *THEY ARE NOT STUPID*. yes, the ranks of government officials are staffed mostly by knee-jerk liberals, but their only crime is that they have trusted that higher-ups have indeed verified that islam is Just Another Religion. it is not their specified responsibility to ensure that it is peaceful, and like almost all free people, very few of them (and very few free people in general) really care to examine the beliefs of a religion which they have no intention of ever following.

the true crime is that those at the top are not just ignoring the beliefs of islam, but are actually using the power of the State to attack those who are trying to draw attention to the evil of islam. a truly loyal citizen who was elected to lead a country should, at least in theory, wonder why attacks are increasing in frequency and savagery, and why they are almost without exception carried out by those claiming to be pious muslims (and who, upon investigation, almost always prove to have recently become "more religious"). one would think that such an elected leader, even if he believed that islam was peaceful, would wish to produce an authoritative report *proving* that islam *is* peaceful, and in order to make it more authoritative, would include outside experts as well as the muslim ulema in producing such a report. if islam really were peaceful and pious muslims were being unfairly maligned, why would a leader *not* wish to do all he could to undercut those attacking islam? why would he turn first to *repressive* means, suppressing free speech?

i believe that the philosophy guiding the leaders who seek to repress free speech about islam by using the dubious "crime" of "hate speech" is not one upon which republics are based. in the marketplace of ideas, if one's philosophy is attacked, one strikes back with *arguments*, not by passing laws forcing ones opponents to shut up; that is the undemocratic response of a bully. this is an open attack on free people, and the only reason the populace is unconcerned is that they no longer understand freedom of speech. they have bought into the idea that if speech is wrong, is must be prevented; they are not thinking about who decides which ideas are "right" and which are "wrong."

thus, regardless of the political or religious convictions of those running the governments of the west, they are openly protecting those who are attacking us. that in and of itself is treason, so the philosophy doesn't matter. so why would the leaders of a nation want to cover for attackers? as i mentioned above, these people are not stupid, so their motivations are not stupid, either; the obvious answer is that these leaders do not like the way in which we are currently governed and wish to change it, but the changes they wish to bring about are so drastic that they cannot convince the electorate to implement them. my guess - and this is *only* a guess - is that those who want to drastically change the government are small in number, and are unable to effect the change by themselves. they have studied revolutions over the past few centuries, however, and know that when nobody is in control and events are chaotic, very small groups have been able to seize control and form governments. thus, the secret is to cause so much chaos and death that civil society begins to crumble and collapse; furthermore, if people are taking their lives into their hands just to get to the grocery store or work because the streets have become war zones, they will beg the government to do something. about the only course possible for the government at that point would be to declare martial law. hmmm ...

the problem for these people is that they are small in number. even were they all to sacrifice their lives, they could probably not change the government to conform to their ideals. there has to be another way for them to destroy the government. what they need is to have an army, but western nations would not respond well to an outside attack; worse, they are often nuclear-armed, and will *not* be openly attacked by any other nation. thus, the attack must come from within, but again, how would one smuggle an *army* into a nation? obviously, the army must be disguised. as it happens, islam, being a pirate cult, has 1.6+ billion adherents; not all of them are pious, but even if only 1 out of every 1000 muslims is pious (which i believe is a *low* estimate these days, thanks to the monsters running saudi arabia and spreading fundamentalist (salafi) islam around the world), there is a pool of almost 2 million pious muslims who are not only willing to die to further their "religion," they *want* to die killing and terrorizing kufr so that they are guaranteed to get into jannah (heaven). since pious muslims are always killing kufr, and other muslims who aren't pious are even worse than kufr and more deserving of death, the muslim world is conveniently in constant turmoil, generating lots of refugees; these can be "compassionately" brought in as a destabilizing force to attack western republics from within.

of course, if anybody is still reading this, they must have realized by now that i blame hard-core leftists for not only allowing these attacks, but also for covering for the pious muslims carrying them out. leftists have controlled education in western nations for many decades, and that control is now so advanced that people who present ideas in the academy that are contrary to theirs can be physically attacked with few, if any, consequences. the populace at large, having been educated from early childhood in leftist-controlled institutions, mostly does not have the ability to use critical thinking, and instead believes the "facts" taught to them by leftists, whence the lack of understanding of freedom of speech.

the bottom line is that we are under attack by pious muslims, who are in effect a proxy army for the hard left. if western governments don't start evicting all non-citizen muslims and enforcing *legislatively-passed* laws (as opposed to *sharia* law) equally on all citizens (and also getting rid of "hate" crimes, since such crimes are all covered by other statutes already), our freedom will soon end, and likely, the lives of millions of our fellow citizens will be forfeit.

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Tom • Oct 5, 2017 at 11:31

Over and over the political left cannot bring themselves to enforce existing laws against sedition, hate etc when it comes to Islamism or hate speech against Jews, Christians and other religions. One would be excused for believing the far left is Islamic ! It seems everyone is deathly afraid of being call an islamophobe.
I say to hell its islamophobia, take on the title with pride and demand the government follow the laws. Stand for Christian and Jewish religions. Don't take a back seat !

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Lotus • Oct 5, 2017 at 10:35

The real roots lie in the expansionist principles of Islam itself. One is told that one will enter paradise if one gets a single person to Islam, or if one migrates to another land to spread the religion there by all means necessary--even using deception to bide time (Takiya) or if one must kill or be killed to reach heaven.

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David Ashton • Oct 5, 2017 at 10:16

Mrs May's speech at the Conservative Conference made a brief reference to fighting terrorism but expended more time on welcoming people from abroad into Britain, securing "equality" in prison numbers and health care for the "ethnic minorities" and the "achievement" of stopping police searches for knives and guns [and the latest weapon of gang choice, acid]. She has always been basically as PC as they come and failed to control immigration numbers as she promised.

Islam is the biggest "joker" in the multi-cultural pack but not the only one. The trouble is none of St Theresa's replacements are likely to show a better grip so long as they are lumbered with the Race & Equality legislation and numerically expanding Muslim colonies from Newcastle to Nickelsdorf.

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David Ashton

David Ashton • Oct 11, 2017 at 14:39

PS.

May has revealed her true colors and innermost sole political obsession in a so-called "race audit" of our population with the menacing "nowhere to hide" for White British dissenters in public institutions or the internet.

A subsidiary development is the real purpose or pretext behind the new huge Holocaust Education Center to be erected beside Parliament. This is to provide propaganda and indoctrination against "Islamophobia, homophobia" and other forms of "prejudice in society today" (Sir Peter Bazalgette, The Observer, October 8, 2017, p.17).

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Walter • Oct 5, 2017 at 09:56

What the author of this article says is all true and the suggestions to reduce Islamic terror might be helpful. Unfortunately, she confuses cause and effect. What she describes is effect and not cause. The cause - the real roots of Islamic Terrorism - has two words: ISLAM AND MOHAMMED. Islam is not only a religion but first and foremost a political system, a complete civilization whose ideology is totally detrimental to the values of our Judeo-Christian heritage. In 91 Quran verses Mohammed instructs his followers to emulate him in everything he said and did. In Medina he became a politician and a warrior (Jihadist) and commanded to kill, behead, rape, torture and enslave those who refused to follow his teachings. To conquer the world by the sword, if need be.
This command is not only valid for Jews and Christians but also for Buddhists, Hindus, Zoroastrians and Atheists etc. The Crux of the matter: Let's finally start to really fight political ISLAM!

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David Ashton

Walter • Oct 8, 2017 at 04:48

Thanks to Walter, for putting it in a convenient, perfectly accurate nutshell every time someone talks about freedom of religion.

ISLAM IS NOT JUST ANOTHER "FAITH" BUT A "POLITICAL SYSTEM", militant, hostile and rival to our own.

Let's all use his brilliant yet "simple" two-word description and let it go "viral".

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Sir Randeville Flash • Oct 5, 2017 at 09:28

The Koran needs to be edited with all the irreligious material censored. That would be a start. Islam needs to evolve ASAP. Muslims need to fully embrace the 21st Century.

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Dacritic

Sir Randeville Flash • Oct 9, 2017 at 00:28

Sorry. Please read Quran 33:36 and 5:3 to discover that what you're saying is impossible.

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Busy Mum • Oct 5, 2017 at 09:01

Why is there such a thing as a public-charity mosque, funded by taxpayers?

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Hartmut Brocharski

Busy Mum • Oct 6, 2017 at 10:12

This is because Muslim organizations have gained a large footprint not only in western countries as such but also within their policy making systems. Those organizations again are heavily funded by Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar and mostly run by inmates of the Muslim Brotherhood. Their objective is to infiltrate the political system of their host nations to an extend that they can turn jurisdiction and education in favor of a reverse integration and Islamization agenda.
In the meantime their position, thanks to the financial resources of Turkey and the Arabian Gulf States whom western Europe is heavily depending on as well, is so powerful that hardly any western European administration can halt, leave alone reverse their hidden agenda.

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