Terroism: Al-Qaeda Mouthpiece Warns of New Jihadi Weapon

Rome, 10 Nov. (AKI) – As Jordan suffers the consequences for its friendship with the US and stance on Israel, intelligence experts have been dissecting a message from the al-Qaeda mouthpiece the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF), unveiling its new secret weapon in the holy war. The warning comes in the form of a sarcastic and arrogant analysis of al-Qaeda’s strategy, penned by an imaginary author calling himself Rakan ben Williams – or bin Wilyamz, as it is written in Arabic – published recently on Jihadi websites.

Rakan ben Williams himself is the weapon, or “The next al-Qaeda soldier”, as the analysis is titled. “Al-Qaeda’s new soldiers were born in Europe of European and Christian parents. They studied in your schools. They prayed in your churches and attended Sunday mass. They drank alcohol, ate pork and oppressed Muslims, but al-Qaeda has embraced them so they have converted to Islam in secret and absorbed the philosophy of al-Qaeda and swore to take up arms after their brothers,” the message explains.

This Italian news agency report picks up on a story that is circulating through Europe and the Middle East–I’ve seen no pick-up in the American media yet.

What it’s reporting–that Al-Qaeda intends to use other than the “usual suspects” to undertake terrorist activities–is not really news. This tactic has been predicted as soon as Western countries like the US, UK, and Australia realized that their own nationals, and not just immigrants, were joining terrorist organizations.

It is also strong evidence why “racial profiling” to prevent terror is a weak, if not actually counter-productive, tool.

Many, particularly conservatives, believe that by exposing young males whose appearance seems to indicate national origin in the “Islamic belt,” to greater scrutiny at borders, points-of-entry, and other places of security import will reduce the threat of terror. Doing so, however, would mean that those who do not look like the target would receive less scrutiny. That is a grave flaw.

While it is clearly dumb to treat an 80-year-old Norwegian nun or an 8-month-old baby to secondary security checks, it is equally dumb to assume that someone looking like a swarthy male from Asia is automatically a security threat. And when it’s realized that a large portion of those fitting that particular profile are also fully patriotic American-born citizens, the exercise becomes apparent as nonsense.

As Al-Qaeda is making clear, it is an adaptable organization. It will change its operating procedures to thwart new defensive measures. If all men–regardless of appearance–start to receive scrutiny, thus defeating this new threat, then expect the recruitment of women. This is already taking place in SE Asia, as the Filipino Catholic wives of Al-Qaeda members have been caught in security actions.

Does this mean, now, that everyone is now suspect? Yes and no. It means that any “type” could, potentially, be a terrorist. But it also suggests that the current method of random checks is the best available, least objectionable way to provide security.

Things could, of course, get much tighter for travelers if threats continue to escalate. In India, all passengers are patted down and carry-on baggage is hand-searched. No batteries are permitted onboard. In Saddam’s Iraq, no carry-on other than a book or a wallet was permitted.

Asharq Alawsat also reported on the appearance of Rakan ben Williams.