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Category Archives: Caliphate

Another Caliphate

1 AprpmTue, 14 Apr 2020 14:14:17 -06002020-04-14T14:14:17-06:0002 2009 – 14:14

posted by Christopher W. Holton

For some time now we have pointed out that Africa has become the central front in the global jihadist movement. Organizations such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and Al Shabaab in Somalia have grabbed headlines with horrible, barbaric acts of jihad. Meanwhile, Al Qaeda and the Islamic State have carried out jihad campaigns in places like Mali, Libya, Algeria, Cameroon, Niger, Kenya and Tanzania.

More recently, the jihadist insurgency has come to the southeastern African nation of Mozambique, where jihadists recently seized a coastal town of 30,000 people.

The Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) has now declared their intention to take control of all of Mozambique.

Their stated goal? It’s the same goal as EVERY jihadist group in the world:

“We hear them again lay out their ultimate objective: the establishment of an Islamist state regulated by Shari”a rule.”

Despite the fact that this goal has been repeated over and over again by jihadists from the Philippines to Western Europe, western security services–including the U.S. military, intelligence apparatus and the FBI–refuse to acknowledge this simple, but hard, reality.

By terrortrends | Also posted in Africa, ISIS, Islamic State, Jihad, Mozambique, Sharia, Shariah | Tagged Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) | Comments (0)

WHAT A SHOCK (NOT): “Sharia law graduate” in charge of the Islamic State (ISIS)

1 JanpmMon, 20 Jan 2020 16:19:53 -06002020-01-20T16:19:53-06:0004 2009 – 16:19

by Christopher W. Holton

The Daily Mail came out today with what some folks must have thought was a revelation: the new head of the Islamic State is a sharia-educated scholar.

This should come as no surprise, the recently killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was also a highly educated sharia scholar with a PhD is Islamic Studies.

Now, his successor, Amir Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Mawli al-Salbi, is also an expert in sharia with a degree in sharia from the University of Mosul.

As an aside, just as was the case with al-Baghdadi, al-Salbi had also been detained and held by U.S. forces in Iraq. In fact, The Guardian reports that al-Salbi and al-Baghdadi met while being held prisoner by U.S. forces.

As frustrating as that is, the more important point here is that this is further evidence that Jihadists like al-Baghdadi and al-Salbi were not ignorant or fringe characters.

Sharia is close by at the core ideology of terrorist groups like ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, HAMAS and other Jihadist organizations. According to sharia, the world must submit to Allah and live according to sharia as a one world state, referred to as a caliphate.

Sharia mandates violent jihad against non-Muslims to establish Islam’s rule worldwide. For those Muslims who cannot engage in physical jihad using force, sharia mandates that they support jihad financially—“Jihad with money.”

The brutal doctrine of sharia is both the basis of the Islamic State and the goal of the Islamic State. It is the code that they follow, it’s the path on which they walk and they will not rest until sharia is the law of the land everywhere.

So it should come as no surprise that sharia scholars lead ISIS.

By terrortrends | Also posted in ISIS, Islamic State, Jihad, Sharia, Shariah | Tagged ISIS, Islamic State, Sharia, Shariah | Comments (0)

The Department of Defense Almost Gets it Right on Jihad

1 OctpmThu, 17 Oct 2019 15:09:14 -06002019-10-17T15:09:14-06:0003 2009 – 15:09

posted by Christopher W. Holton

The news has been dominated recently by the withdrawal of U.S. special operations advisers from northern Syria ahead of the Turkish invasion of the region.

Those advisers were primarily charged with training and assisting indigenous forces in battling Islamic State jihadists, who, despite reports to the contrary, are still very much active in the area.

The Department of Defense released a statement emphasizing that the withdrawal does not mean that U.S. forces have abandoned the fight against the Islamic State:

U.S. Will Continue Defeat-ISIS Campaign, Official Says

The United States will continue its campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria from outside Syria, said a senior defense official…

“The Defeat-ISIS campaign will continue,” the official said. “The enduring defeat of ISIS remains one of our top security priorities. We have significant assets and personnel as well as coalition capabilities throughout the region that will continue to prosecute that campaign.”

Here is the most important part of the DOD statement. I don’t agree with the terminology, but the substance is important:

It is important to remember that ISIS is not just a Middle East/Central Asia phenomenon. The terror group is attempting to foment extremism in many other areas including Somalia, Niger, Southeast Asia, the Philippines and elsewhere.

This statement is important because it acknowledges the fact (without coming right out and saying so) that we are in a global jihadist insurgency. The Islamic State was not defeated when its caliphate was rolled up in Syria and Iraq. Its affiliates operate in West Africa, East Africa, Southeast Asia (most likely referring to Thailand), the Philippines (where just a few years ago ISIS took over an entire medium-sized city for months) and elsewhere.

What is meant by “elsewhere?”

We can’t be sure what DOD means by this, but there is no doubt that the Islamic State has sympathizers and operatives throughout Europe and here in the USA. Periodically we read of plots, attacks and arrests. Mostly our media has relegated these reports to the “back pages” of the news, in my opinion because they seek to downplay the threat because it doesn’t resonate for Leftist politicians most of the media covertly support.

https://www.defense.gov/explore/story/Article/1990196/us-will-continue-defeat-isis-campaign-official-says/

By terrortrends | Also posted in Africa, ISIS, Islamic State, Niger, Philippines, Syria, Turkey, West Africa | Tagged Africa, DOD, ISIS, Islamic State, Niger, Philippines, Somalia, Syria, Turkey | Comments (0)

More Information Emerges on Foreign Jihadi Fighters in the Philippines

1 JunpmThu, 01 Jun 2017 17:37:36 -06002017-06-01T17:37:36-06:0005 2009 – 17:37

by Christopher W. Holton

A couple of years ago the Philippine government THOUGHT that they were making progress in ending the long-raging Islamic insurgency on Mindanao.

Clearly, efforts to negotiate a truce with Jihadists there did not work out so well.

Entering into truces with Jihadis is never a good idea for reasons based on Islamic doctrine but in this case, the insurgency reignited for other reasons as well.

Just a few years ago the players in the Jihadist insurgency were the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MIF), Abu Sayaff, Jemaah Islamiyah, and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

Then something significant happened: in the summer of 2014, at least a section of Abu Sayyaf pledged allegiance to the Islamic State:

https://terrortrendsbulletin.com/2014/08/04/abu-sayyaf-joins-the-islamic-state/

Now, in 2017, violent Jihad in the Philippines has escalated to the point that Islamic State Jihadis were able to seize a city of 200,000 for the better part of a week.

The biggest aspect of this development is the revelation that there are foreign fighters involved in the fighting in the Philippines. In fact, given the geographic distribution of the reported foreign fighters, as well as the intensity of the fighting there over the past 10 days, one has to consider that it is very possible that the Islamic State has set its sights on the Philippines as the next theater in the global Jihadist insurgency.

“Indonesians, Malaysians, Pakistanis, Saudis, Chechens, Yemenis, Indians, Moroccans, and Turks have been identified among the militants…”

http://dailycaller.com/2017/06/01/philippines-becomes-hotbed-for-isis-activity-as-foreign-jihadis-join-the-fight/

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-militants-foreigners-idUSKBN18Q0OO

Bangsamoro-Islamic-Freedom-Fighters-IP

By terrortrends | Also posted in Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), ISIS, Islamic State, Jemaah Islamiyah, Jihad, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Philippines, Uncategorized | Tagged ISIS, Islamic State, Jihad, Philippines | Comments (0)

Reminder: Why All The Jihadi Attacks? Why Now?

1 ApramFri, 21 Apr 2017 09:57:25 -06002017-04-21T09:57:25-06:0009 2009 – 09:57

by Christopher W. Holton

Way back in February of 1998, Osama Bin Laden declared a Jihad against Jews and Crusaders in a written document entitled the “World Islamic Front Statement.”

In that document he specifically stated:

The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies — civilians and military — is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it

Despite this, with just a few notable exceptions over the years, few Muslims answered Bin Laden’s call to kill Americans.

Bin Laden was of course killed by U.S. Special Operations forces in May 2011.

Since then, we have seen many more attacks here in the U.S.

Why? If Osama Bin Laden was not able to inspire Muslims to attack and kill Americans, why are we seeing so many such attacks in recent years? Such as:

• The 15 April 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.

• The Orlando night club massacre on 12 June 2016.

• The San Bernardino massacre on 2 December 2015

• The Chattanooga massacre on 16 July 2015

• The failed Garland, Texas attack on 3 May 2015.

• The Queens, New York hatchet attack on police officers standing on a street corner on 23 October 2014.

• The Philadelphia attack on a police officer sitting in his squad car on 7 January 2016

• The Moore, Oklahoma beheading of a grandmother at the hands of a Muslim co-worker on 26 September 2014

• The 28 November 2016 terrorist vehicle attack on Ohio State University campus.

• The September 17-19 2016 bombings in New York and New Jersey.

• The Fresno, California shooting on 18 April 2017.

These are just a few of the incidents in recent years, here in the United States, that have, unfortunately, been categorized as “lone wolf” terrorist attacks by our recalcitrant news media.

In fact, the term “lone wolf” does not exist in Islamic doctrine. What DOES exist in Islamic doctrine is the fact that Jihad is an individual as well as a collective obligation.

What we are seeing are in fact individual acts of Jihad–acts of war, not criminal acts. We continue to deny this at our peril. There is a doctrinal basis for the enemy that is waging war against us. This form of warfare does not require formal ties between fighters or units (organizations) waging the war.

The concept of Jihad being an individual obligation is longstanding and has its basis in mainstream Islamic law (Shariah). We can see this from a widely-read and used text of Shariah sold annually at the convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the largest Muslim organization in the United States, which was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism financing prosecution in U.S. history: the U.S. v the Holy Land Foundation. In that trial, ISNA was identified as a Muslim Brotherhood front group. Interestingly, ISNA’s Canadian wing was shut down in 2013 for funneling money to a Jihadist terrorist group in Kashmir.

The name of the Shariah text is A Summary of Islamic Jurisprudence by Dr. Salih Al-Fawzan and published by Al-Maiman Publishing House in Saudi Arabia. Al-Fawzan is a member of the Board of Senior Ulema in Saudi Arabia and also a member of the Permanent Committee for Fatwa and Research in the kingdom.

Volume One of this work has a chapter devoted to Jihad. On page 473, the basis in Shariah for individual Jihad is explained in detail and reveals for us why we are seeing this escalation of attacks:

For a Muslim, there are certain cases in which jihad is an individual duty:

1) When a Muslim is present at the battlefield, it is obligatory for him to fight and he is prohibited to leave the battlefield and flee.

2) When enemies attack a Muslim country…

3) When a Muslim is needed to help his fellow Muslims fight their enemies.

4) When a Muslim is called by the ruler (or the one in authority) to fight in the Cause of Allah, for the Prophet (PBUH) said:

Whenever you are called for fighting in the cause of Allah, you should go immediately.

As you can see, these four circumstances are quite broad and all could be interpreted as existing right now. But numbers 2, 3 and 4 are particularly relevant right now and serve as the doctrinal basis for why Muslims have suddenly begun rising up in violent Jihad in the West:

• The Islamic State has called on Muslims to wage Jihad because the Islamic State is under attack. This applies to 2 and 3 above.

• Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State has issued calls on Muslims in the West to rise up in Jihad. This applies to 4 above and is the key difference between the days of Bin Laden and today.

Bin Laden may have been admired by many Muslims, but he never declared himself as a Caliph and his calls for Jihad were mostly ignored. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s calls are being answered because he has declared himself as the Caliph and many Muslims recognize him as such. That is why were are seeing acts of individual Jihad that we mostly did not see before.

And that is why the U.S. and the West cannot tolerate the existence of the Islamic State over the long-term. It has become the flame attracting moths. It will only gain more legitimacy and strength if it is allowed to persist. In short, it must be destroyed.

HERE ARE TWO IMPORTANT PASSAGES THAT APPLY TO WHAT WE ARE SEEING TODAY. The news media and our elected officials seem to take comfort when an attacker was “merely inspired” by the Islamic State (ISIS) and were not directed by the Islamic State. The opposite should actually be the case, as reflected by the two remaining passages below from two important Jihadi ideologues:

Individual jihad has recurred throughout Islamic history. In the time of the Crusades…groups of mujahideen responded to the crisis. Many isolated expeditions and groups carried out the obligation of jihad.

Individual jihad using the method of urban or rural guerilla warfare is the foundation for sapping the enemy and bringing him to a state of collapse and withdrawal. It will pave the way for the desired strategic goal.

What mandates these methods as a strategic opinion is the imbalance of forces between the resistance and the large invading alliance of unbelievers, apostates and hypocrites.

We fight them for the sake of incidents to cause political pressure and psychological collapse, so that they leave our lands. Carrying out a small operation every month against the enemy will have more of an impact on him than a big operation every year or two.

Toward a New Strategy in Resisting the Occupier
Muhammad Khalil al-Hakaymah
Al Qaeda Chief of External Operations
Killed by US air strike in Pakistan in 2008

Successful jihad will only happen within an ummah [Islamic nation or community] in which the fighting creed is firmly established and clarified. This must happen in order to attain the “Revolutionary Jihadist Climate” that will spontaneously give rise to instruments of resistance.

Violent jihad is as an individual duty obligatory upon every Muslim. All the ulema have said this…”

The Call to Global Islamic Resistance
Abu Musab al-Suri
Al Qaeda propagandist
Captured in Pakistan 2005

These two passages reflect what we are seeing today, not just in the USA, but even more so in Europe, as evidenced by the March 2017 London parliament shooting and the 20 April 2017 police shooting on the Champs Elysees.

Over a decade ago Al-Hakaymah called for frequent, small-scale attacks rather than big 9/11 type attacks. What we are seeing today was clearly part of the Jihadists’ plans.

Again, well over a decade ago, Al-Suri foresaw an environment in which individual Jihadis would rise up spontaneously in resistance without specific direction and planning from a higher, central authority. Again, that is clearly what we are seeing today.

This “Revolutionary Jihadist Climate” spontaneously giving rise to instruments of resistance is NOT something to take comfort in at all. It is problematic for law enforcement and the intelligence community and dangerous for Americans.

A terrorist cell connected directly in some way to Al Qaeda leadership can be detected, infiltrated and taken down as it communicates with and receives orders from commanders overseas. But individual Jihadis or Jihadi couples who have the intention of carrying out attacks are much more difficult to detect and are very nearly impossible to infiltrate.

The “Revolutionary Jihadist Climate” spontaneously giving rise to instruments of resistance is a relatively new, dangerous phase in the global Jihadist movement.

By terrortrends | Also posted in 5th Column, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Al Qaeda, Boston Marathon bombings, Europe, Holy Land Foundation, Homegrown Jihad, ISIS, Islamic State, Jihad, knife jihad, New York, Osama Bin Laden, San Bernardino terror attack, Tsarnaev brothers, Uncategorized, United Kingdom | Tagged ISIS, Islamic State, Jihad, terrorism | Comments (0)

New Islamic State Rumiyah Magazine Details Tactics for Jihadis in the US

1 NovpmSat, 12 Nov 2016 13:05:06 -06002016-11-12T13:05:06-06:0001 2009 – 13:05

by Christopher W. Holton

The Islamic State has just published its latest issue of the slick, sophisticated, 4-color magazine, Rumiyah. The full issue is available here:

https://pietervanostaeyen.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/rumiyah3en.pdf

For readers who don’t know, “Rumiyah” means “Rome,” which is meant to signify the Islamic State’s intent to capture Rome, the symbolic capital of the Christian world.

Included in the magazine is an article that details suggested tactics for Jihadis in the US, who are referred to as “Stationed behind enemy lines.”

We believe it important that people in the US be aware of the specific nature of the threat that the Islamic State poses, so we are reproducing the article in its entirety here:

Just Terror Tactics

Stationed behind enemy lines, the just terror mujahid has at his disposal a multitude of weapons and techniques that he may employ at any given time to inflict misery and destruction upon the enemies of Allah, demonstrating by his actions an unforgettable lesson for every hardheaded, obstinate kafir nation that wishes to engage in war on the Islamic State. Allah  said,” Th rough them, disperse those behind them, that they might take heed” (Al-Anfal 57). Ibn Kathir  said, explaining this verse, “It means, punish them severely and massacre them violently so that other enemies from the Arabs and non-Arabs are terrified and those punished and massacred become a lesson for the other enemies ‘that they might take heed.’”

When seeking to initiate an attack, it is important to define the objective. One’s attack may be to harvest a large kill count. It may be aimed at disrupting the financial stability of a specific nation. It may simply be aimed at terrorizing the enemies of Allah and depriving them of a peaceful sleep. Accordingly, as the objective of the attack varies, the mujahid must choose a method that best suits the operation at hand.

Vehicle Attacks

Though being an essential part of modern life, very few actually comprehend the deadly and destructive capability of the motor vehicle and its capacity of reaping large numbers of casualties if used in a premeditated manner. This was superbly demonstrated in the attack launched by the brother Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel who, while traveling at the speed of approximately 90 kilometers per hour, plowed his 19-ton load-bearing truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France, harvesting through his attack the slaughter of 86 Crusader citizens and injuring 434 more.

The method of such an attack is that a vehicle is plunged at a high speed into a large congregation of kufar, smashing their bodies with the vehicle’s strong outer frame, while advancing forward – crushing their heads, torsos, and limbs under the vehicle’s wheels and chassis – and leaving behind a trail of carnage.

Vehicles are like knives, as they are extremely easy to acquire. But unlike knives, which if found in one’s possession can be a cause for suspicion, vehicles arouse absolutely no doubts due to their widespread use throughout the world. It is for this obvious reason that using a vehicle is one of the most comprehensive methods of attack, as it presents the opportunity for just terror for anyone possessing the ability to drive a vehicle. Likewise, it is one of the safest and easiest weapons one could employ against the kufar, while being from amongst the most lethal methods of attack and the most successful in harvesting large numbers of the kufar.

Acquiring a vehicle is a simple task regardless of one’s location. However, the type of vehicle and its structural and technical specifications are extremely important factors for ensuring the success of the operation. Observing previous vehicle attacks, it has been shown that smaller vehicles are incapable of granting the level of carnage that is sought. Similarly, off-roaders, SUVs, and four-wheel drive vehicles lack the necessary attributes required for causing a blood bath. One of the main reasons for this is that smaller vehicles lack the weight and wheel span required for crushing many victims. Thus, smaller vehicles are least suitable for this kind of attack. Rather, the type of vehicle most appropriate for such an operation is a large load-bearing truck.

The Ideal Vehicle

• Load-bearing truck
• Large in size, keeping in mind its controllability
• Reasonably fast in speed or rate of acceleration (Note: Many European countries pre-restrict larger vehicles to specified speeds)
• Heavy in weight, assuring the destruction of
whatever it hits
• Double-wheeled, giving victims less of a chance to escape being crushed by the vehicle’s tires
• Possessing a slightly raised chassis (the under frame of the vehicle) and bumper, which allow for the mounting of sidewalks and breeching of barriers if needed
• If accessible, with a metal outer frame which are usually found in older cars, as the stron- ger outer frame allows for more damage to be caused when the vehicle is slammed into crowds, contrary to newer cars that are usually made of plastics and other weaker materials

Vehicles to Avoid

• Small cars, including larger SUVs
• Slower vehicles that cannot exceed 90km per
hour
• Load-bearing trucks with load compartments that are not fixed to the cabin, which may cause loss of control and subsequent jackknifing, especially if driven erratically
• Load-bearing trucks with excessively elongated trailer compartments, which can cause the driver trouble as he seeks to maneuver

If one has the wealth, buying a vehicle would be the easiest option. Alternatively, one could rent a vehicle or simply ask to borrow one from an acquaintance or relative who owns or has access thereto. For the one not capable of attaining a vehicle by any of these means, there is the option of hotwiring or carjacking a vehicle. This is only recommended for one possessing the know-how or having previous experience in this domain.

Applicable Targets

• Large outdoor conventions and celebrations
• Pedestrian-congested streets (High/Main streets)
• Outdoor markets
• Festivals
• Parades
• Political rallies

In general, one should consider any outdoor attraction that draws large crowds.

When deciding on the target, attention should be given to that target’s accessibility by the vehicle. The target should be on a road that offers the ability to accelerate to a high speed, which allows for inflicting maximum damage on those in the vehicle’s path.

It is essential for the one seeking this method of operation to understand that it is not conditional to target gatherings restricted to government or military personnel only. All so-called “civilian” (and low-security) parades and gatherings are fair game and more devastating to Crusader nations.

Preparation and Planning

• Assessing vehicle for roadworthiness
• Filling vehicle with a sufficient amount of fuel
• Mapping out the route of the attack
• Surveying the route for obstacles, such as posts, signs, barriers, humps, bus stops, dumpsters, etc. which is important for sidewalk-mounted attacks, keeping in mind that more obstacles might be set up on the day of a targeted event, and doing the surveillance in an inconspicuous manner, especially if one suspects being monitored by an intelligence apparatus
• If accessible, a secondary weapon should be attained

Also, an appropriate way should be determined for announcing one’s allegiance to the Khalifah of the Muslims and the goal of making Allah’s word supreme, so that the motive of the attack is acknowledged. An example of such would be simply writing on dozens of sheets of paper “ The Islamic State will remain!” or “I am a soldier of the Islamic State!” prior, and launching them from the vehicle’s window during the execution of the attack.

In a bid to ensure utmost carnage upon the enemies of Allah, it is imperative that one does not exit his vehicle during the attack. Rather, he should remain inside, driving over the already harvested kufar, and continue crushing their remains until it becomes physically impossible to continue by vehicle. At this stage, one may exit the vehicle and finish his operation on foot, if he was able to obtain a secondary weapon. He could also remain in the vehicle, targeting pedestrians, the emergency services, or security forces who arrive at the scenes of just terror, until he is martyred.

Having a secondary weapon, such as a gun or a knife, is also a great way to combine a vehicle attack with other forms of attacks. Depending on what is obtained, the kill count can be maximized and the level of terror resulting from the attack can be raised. This could also increase the possibility of attaining shahadah, which is the best of departures from this Dunya into the larger expanse of the Akhirah. “And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and to a garden – the expanse of which is that of the heavens and the earth – prepared for the muttaqin” (Al ‘Imran 133).

One of the prerequisites of a successful operation is the remembrance of Allah and the sincerity of intending the attack solely to please Him. To achieve this, one should keep the dhikr of Allah on one’s tongue and repeat du’a for His assistance and acceptance. For this particular attack, one should not forget the supplication of mounting a vehicle, which is to say, “Sub·ḥā·nal·la·dhī sakh·kha·ra la·nā hā·dhā wa mā kun·nā la·hū muq·ri·nīn, wa in·nā i·lā rab·bi·nā la·mun·qa·li·būn,” and which means, “Exalted is Allah, who subdued this for us, and we otherwise could not have subdued it; and we indeed shall return to our Lord” (Az-Zukhruf 13-14).

By terrortrends | Also posted in Homegrown Jihad, ISIS, Islamic State, Jihad, Rumiyah | Tagged ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, Rumiyah | Comments (2)

Moronic Analysis of the Islamic State from Bloomberg News

1 AugamWed, 10 Aug 2016 08:11:20 -06002016-08-10T08:11:20-06:0008 2009 – 08:11

by Christopher W. Holton

Linked below is a video from Bloomberg News about the expanding global threat from the Islamic State.

While the video acknowledges that attacks attributed to supporters of the Islamic State or Islamic State Jihadis themselves have accelerated and expanded around the world, it totally ignores Islamic doctrine in drawing a conclusion based upon the spin of the Obama administration.

That spin, echoed by the video, maintains that the reason the Islamic State is carrying out attacks in places like San Bernardino, California and Paris is because the Islamic State is losing in Iraq and Syria. So, the absurd narrative goes, the more attacks around the world that occur, the closer we are to victory.

This is but the latest miscalculation from the Obama administration in failing to deal with the threat of the Islamic State since June 2014 and we hear it all the time from Obama’s hapless Secretary of State, John Kerry.

Numerous and frequent attacks in the West are far from a sign of weakness. They aren’t being carried out because the Islamic State is on the cusp of defeat. These are not acts of desperation.

What the attacks in places like Nice, Stuttgart and Orlando reflect is the growing and expanding influence of the Islamic State caliphate. Individual Muslims are rising up and committing acts of Jihad in the name of the Islamic State and in response to calls from the Islamic State.

Before the caliphate was declared in June of 2014, such calls for Jihad went mostly ignored. Osama Bin Laden, for all his notoriety and fame in the Islamic world in the wake of 9/11, was not able to inspire Muslims to rise up and commit acts of Jihad.

Today, the once obscure Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has proclaimed himself the caliph and in so doing has, by Islamic law, been able to inspire individual Muslims to commit horrible acts of violent Jihad.

It has nothing to do with what is going on in Iraq and Syria. They mean to bring the war to us and they are doing so. That is not a sign of defeat and no matter how much Obama, Kerry and Bloomberg News try to spin current events, the truth shows up in the form of another Jihadi attack somewhere in the West every 3 days or so–an unprecedented pace.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-08-09/the-widening-threat-of-islamic-state

By terrortrends | Also posted in Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ISIS, Islamic State, Jihad, Obama, Osama Bin Laden, Paris Jihadi attack, San Bernardino terror attack, Sharia, Shariah | Tagged Bloomberg News, ISIL, Islamic State, Jihad | Comments (0)

Homeland Security Advisory Council: Covering for the Enemy Threat Doctrine

1 JunpmSat, 18 Jun 2016 18:19:59 -06002016-06-18T18:19:59-06:0006 2009 – 18:19

by Christopher W. Holton

America is at war and we continue to be prevented from identifying and understanding our enemies as a result of influence operations targeting our bureaucratized counterterrorism apparatus.

The latest evidence of this long-standing and, unfortunately, very effective influence campaign comes from the revelation that the “Countering Violent Extremism Subcommittee” of the Homeland Security Advisory Council to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued a recommendation that urges rejecting use of Islamic terms such as “jihad” and “shariah” in communications about the threats that we face….

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/homeland-security-report-calls-rejecting-terms-jihad-sharia/

This is nothing new. We have heard CIA director John Brennan reject the term “jihadist” and the State Department under Condoleezza Rice rejected the use of the term as well.

We have covered the damaging efforts by our enemies to prevent the actual correct use of the term “jihad” extensively here on Terror Trends Bulletin in the past…

https://terrortrendsbulletin.com/2013/01/13/cairs-new-disinformation-campaign-on-jihad/

But the effort to suppress even mere mention of the word “shariah” is actually much more damaging than the suppression of the word “jihad.” That’s because shariah is THE enemy threat doctrine.

To understand our enemies, their motivations, their intentions and their strategy, one must study shariah. Shariah is everything to the jihadists. It is the code that they follow and its full implementation is their goal.

Forbidding the use of the term shariah, much less suppressing study of shariah in the present conflict is the equivalent of forbidding intelligence agencies from studying Mein Kampf in World War II or the works and words of Marx, Lenin, Stalin and Mao during the Cold War.

Anyone who would recommend that we avoid studying and talking about shariah simply must have a nefarious purpose.

By way of review, shariah is Islamic law. The terms shariah and Islamic law are completely interchangeable; they refer to exactly the same thing. Shariah is an immutable theo-political-legal-military code derived from the Islamic doctrinal trilogy, made up of the Quran, the Sirah (the biography of the prophet Mohammed) and the Hadith (traditions, sayings and stories compiled about the life of Mohammed).

Every single Jihadist terrorist group in the world–without exception–has as its stated goal the imposition of shariah: the Islamic State, Al Qaeda, HAMAS, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood, Lashkar e Taiba, Abu Sayyef, Jemaah Islamiyah, Boko Haram, the Taliban, Al Shabaab–all of them.

So, while the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be carefully avoiding the use of the term shariah, our enemies have been using it quite commonly, frequently and prominently, as if to illustrate the absurdity of the DHS recommendation.

What follows is a compilation of quotes from jihadi leaders and Al Qaeda and Islamic State documents that reveal the central importance of shariah to their movement. This is why Americans must familiarize themselves with shariah.

SHARIAH ACCORDING TO THE JIHADISTS THEMSELVES

• The sharia has forbidden us from taking infidels as confidants, inducting them into our secrets.
• The sharia forbids us from appointing infidels to important posts.
• The sharia forbids us from adopting or praising the beliefs and views of the infidels.
• The sharia forbids us from assisting infidels against Muslims; even the one who is coerced has o excuse to fight under the banner of infidels.
• The sharia commands us to battle infidels—both original infidels and apostates, as well as hypocrites. As for waging jihad against the infidels who have usurped the lands of Islam, this is a duty considered second only to faith, by ulemaic consensus.
• The sharia does not accept the excuses made by hypocrites—that they befriend the infidels because they fear the vicissitudes of time.
• We are duty-bound by the sharia to help Muslims overcome the infidels.

Ayman al-Zawahiri
Al Qaeda leader

Osama bin Laden (L) sits with his eventual successor Ayman al-Zawahiri

Democracy is based on the principle of the power of creatures over other creatures, and rejects the principle of God’s absolute power over all creatures; it is also based on the idea the men’s desires, whatever they may be, replace God absolutely, and on the refusal to obey God’s law. In Islam, when there is a disagreement or a difference of opinion, one refers to God, his Prophet, and the commands of sharia.

Ayman al-Zawahiri
Al Qaeda leader

Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah

From the point of view of ideology and sharia, we are required to establish God’s rule over any part of this earth, regardless of particularities and details. This can only happen, however, if the nation adopts this ideology and safeguards it.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
Leader of Hezbollah

The laws of the shari’a embrace a diverse body of laws and regulations, which amounts to a complete social system. In this system of laws, all the needs of man have been met: his dealings with his neighbors, fellow citizens, and clan, as well as children and relatives; the concerns of private and material life; regulations concerning war and peace and intercourse with other nations; penal and commercial law; and regulations pertaining to trade and agriculture.

Ayatollah Khomeini
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic
Of Iran 1979-1989

Reason also dictates that we establish a government in order to be able to ward off aggression and to defend the honor of the Muslims in case of attack. The shari’a, for its part, instructs us to be constantly ready to defend ourselves against those who wish to attack us.

Ayatollah Khomeini
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic
Of Iran 1979-1989

It will be the duty of the Muslims to engage in an armed jihad against the ruling group in order to make the policies ruling society and the norms of government conform to the principles and ordinances of Islam.

Ayatollah Khomeini
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic
Of Iran 1979-1989

Regarding which shared understandings, exactly, is it possible that we agree with the immoral West?… What commonalities, if our foundations contradict, rendering useless the shared extremities—if they even exist? For practically everything valued by the immoral West is condemned under sharia law. As for this atmosphere of shared understandings, what evidence is there for Muslims to strive for this? What did the Prophet, the Companions after him, and the righteous forebears do? Did they wage jihad against infidels, attacking them all over earth, in order to place them under the suzerainty of Islam in great humility and submission? Or did they send messages to discover “shared understandings” between themselves and the infidels in order that they may reach an understanding whereby universal peace, security, and natural relations would spread—in such a satanic manner as this? The sharia provides a true and just path, securing Muslims, and providing peace to the world.

… Offensive Jihadis (are) an established and basic tenet of this religion. It is a religious duty rejected only by the most deluded. So how can they call off this religious obligation [Offensive Jihad], while imploring the West to understandings and talks “under the umbrella of justice, morality, and rights”? The essence of all this comes from right inside the halls of the United Nations, instead of the Divine foundations that are built upon hating the infidels, repudiating them with tongue and teeth till they embrace Islam or pay the jizya [tribute] with willing submission and humility… Muslims, and especially the learned among them, should spread sharia law to the world—that and nothing else. Not laws under the “umbrella of justice, morality, and rights” as understood by the masses. No, the sharia of Islam is the foundation.

They say that our sharia does not impose our particular beliefs upon others; this is a false assertion. For it is, in fact , part of our religion to impose our particular beliefs upon others.

Thus whoever refuses the principle of terror[ism] against the enemy also refuses the commandment of Allah the Exalted, the Most High, and His sharia.

Osama Bin Laden

Succession, establishment, and safety – a promise from Allah reserved for the Muslims…is not simply kingship, subjugation, dominance, and rule. Rather, succession is to utilize all that for the purpose of compelling the people to do what the Sharia (Allah’s law) requires of them concerning their interests in the hereafter and worldly life, which can only be achieved by carrying out the command of Allah, establishing His religion, and referring to His law for judgment.

“This is the Promise of Allah”
Islamic State Al Hayat Media Center
2014

…terrorism is to disbelieve in those slogans and to believe in Allah. Terrorism is to refer to Allah’s law for judgment. Terrorism is to worship Allah as He ordered you.

“A Message to Mujahidin and the Muslim Ummah in the Month of Ramadan”
Islamic State Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

So seek shelter – after Allah – with the Islamic State. What do you wait for after the truth has become clearer than the day and after the spiteful Rāfidah exposed their reality? Here they are today slaughtering everyone considered from Ahlus-Sunnah in Baghdad and elsewhere. No one was saved from them, even their allies, supporters, aids, tails, and dogs from the apostates who had once belonged to Ahlus-Sunnah, those in the Sahwah, army, police, and elsewhere, those whom the evil scholars confused into fleeing the implementation of Allah’s law in the territory of the Islamic State. So they became homeless, humiliated, fearful, and worrisome of the Rāfidah’s cruelty, whereas the Muslims live in the territory of the Islamic State with might and honor, secure by Allah’s bounty alone, with a life of comfort, going about the affairs of their business, livelihood, and trade, enjoying the grace of living under the rule of their Lord’s law, and all praise and grace is Allah’s. Therefore, O Muslims, seek shelter – after Allah – with the Islamic State.

Islamic State Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Speech recorded on 14 May 2015

Indeed, every Muslim is intended by this war. And he is obliged to defend the religion of Allah and His Sharī‟ah…There is no good in living if we do not live under the rule of Allah and in the shade of His Sharī‟ah. And how sweet a death it is to die while supporting Allah‟s religion and defending His Sharī‟ah and His rule.

Islamic State Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Speech delivered December 2015

The religion of Allah, the Exalted, will not be implemented, and this goal cannot be achieved, for which Allah created us, except by the implementation of the Sharia of Allah, and appealing to him, and the application of Islamic law. This can only be achieved by force and power.

Islamic State Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Sermon delivered July 2014

The death of a single Muslim, no matter his role in society, is more grave to the believer than the massacre of every kāfir on earth. And while the Sharī’ah calls for the invasion of all kāfir lands, certainly the aggressors are dealt with before those nations not actively waging war against the Khilāfah. This is an obvious reality. Any disbeliever standing in the way of the Islamic State will be killed, without pity or remorse, until governance is entirely for Allah.

Islamic State Dabiq magazine
No. 14

Democracy is a religion that gives supreme authority to people rather than Allah In it, the right to legislate is distributed amongst mankind so that they thereby determine what laws are to be ruled by in the lands. If the majority decide sodomy is legal, it is legalized even though it contradicts Allah’s Sharī’ah. And if the majority decide to illegalize sodomy, it is made illegal, not because it is Allah’s legislation, but because supreme power is that of mankind, above and beyond the authority of Allah! How wicked a religion is one where all its members consider themselves “gods” besides Allah!

Islamic State Dabiq magazine
No. 14

Jihad in this era is an obligation upon each and every Muslim as numerous
lands of the Muslims have been usurped by the kufār and numerous parties of apostasy have arisen therein. Until all these lands are retaken, cleansed of apostates, and ruled by the Sharī’ah, the obligation does not drop.

Islamic State Dabiq magazine
No. 14

We clarify to all that the Islamic State’s position is clear concerning the ruling on these factions, and it is that they are groups that have apostatized from the religion of Allah and have committed numerous deeds that have nullified the fundamentals of the religion. From amongst these deeds is that they fight a state that rules by the Sharī’ah of Allah while these factions are in one trench and one coalition with other factions that have resisted the implementation of the Shari’ah and declared their efforts to build a ‘democratic, civil, pluralistic’ state that removes the law of Allah from the lands of the Islamic State and replaces it with jāhilī laws. All this is done with support and direct air cover from the American-led crusader coalition that only strives to destroy the mission of the Khilāfah.

Islamic State Dabiq magazine
No. 13

So adhere to and be diligent in obedience and don’t get tired. Listen both in times of dislike and delight, Unless the leader’s order is against the Sharī’ah, for there is no obedience to the leader in such.

Islamic State Dabiq magazine
No. 12

We likewise renew our call to the soldiers of the factions in Shām and Libya. We call on them to think long before embarking to ght the Islamic State, which rules by that which Allah revealed. Remember, O you afflicted by fitnah, before embarking to fight the Islamic State, that there is no place on the face of the Earth where the Sharī’ah of Allah is implemented and the rule is entirely for Allah except for the lands of the Islamic State. Remember that if you were able to capture one hand span, one village, or one city from it, the law of Allah in that area would be replaced with the laws of men. Then ask yourself, ‘What is the ruling on someone who replaces or is a cause for the replacement of the law of Allah with the law of man?’ Yes, you commit kufr by such. So beware, for by fighting the Islamic State you fall into kufr whether you realize it or not.

Islamic State Dabiq magazine
No. 12

Then the Sharī’ah of Islam came and deemed a specific number of wives that no Muslim is allowed to exceed, that number being four. As for concubines, then there is no limit.

Islamic State Dabiq magazine
No. 12

And isn’t polygamy a part of this Sharī’ah? Know then that the One who has honored the Muslim woman and has given her rights that protect her from the plots of the wicked is the very One who has permitted for the man to marry those that please him of women. And based on that, it is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to argue concerning the Sharī’ah of Allah.

Islamic State Dabiq magazine
No. 12

…the Islamic State will continue to strike Russia until Sharī’ah returns to all the lands of the Muslims usurped by the crusader Russians and until Russia pays the jizyah in humiliation.

Islamic State Dabiq magazine
No. 12

…we reassure the Muslims in the eastern and western extents of the Earth that Libya will not be ruled except by Allah’s Sharī’ah and that the Islamic State by Allah’s grace will pave its way quickly towards consolidation and expansion.

Islamic State Dabiq magazine
No. 11