Friday, July 07, 2006
A playboy for Allah...
The attached article describes a foiled terror plot (allegedly linked to al-Qaida) that was targeting the NYC subway tunnels under the Hudson River. Apparently, one of the main terrorist operatives was arrested in Lebonon, and he eventually confessed about his involvement with the plan, as well as some details about the plan itself.
2 thoughts about this article:
1.) Is it comforting to know what places in the U.S. almost got attacked? I mean - do NYC citizens that use the subway system really want to know that they may have been killed on their way to work one day? Maybe they do. I don't live in a place that has experienced terrorist attacks, and if I did, maybe I would want to know what plots have been stopped. But on the other hand, doesn't it make you wonder what plots aren't being stopped?
2.) In the article, the terrorist operative who was arrested (Assem Hammoud) supposedly "confessed that he belongs to a radical organization ... and that he was told not to show any religious inclinations while in Lebanon and to give the impression of a playboy, which he did perfectly." Now, I'm no expert on the religion of Islam, but from what I gather, even mainstream, "Western" forms of Islam have fairly strict expectations for moral behavior (check out this article for an example), nonetheless radical sects like al-Qaida that are brutal in their treatment of women and members of other faiths. If Hammoud really was a part of a radical group linked to al-Qaida, isn't it interesting that they would encourage "playboy" behavior for the sake of the terror operation? At that point, isn't the religion of the group terrorism, and not Islam, since fundamental moral principles of Islam are sacrificed for the sake of killing Americans? It seems like Islam becomes just a label for these groups, maybe lending them credibility in the minds of their members. Regardless, it seems to be another example of how one end (killing Westerners) will justify seemingly endless means for those who are a part of al-Qaida-affiliated organizations.
Foiled terror plot article
2 thoughts about this article:
1.) Is it comforting to know what places in the U.S. almost got attacked? I mean - do NYC citizens that use the subway system really want to know that they may have been killed on their way to work one day? Maybe they do. I don't live in a place that has experienced terrorist attacks, and if I did, maybe I would want to know what plots have been stopped. But on the other hand, doesn't it make you wonder what plots aren't being stopped?
2.) In the article, the terrorist operative who was arrested (Assem Hammoud) supposedly "confessed that he belongs to a radical organization ... and that he was told not to show any religious inclinations while in Lebanon and to give the impression of a playboy, which he did perfectly." Now, I'm no expert on the religion of Islam, but from what I gather, even mainstream, "Western" forms of Islam have fairly strict expectations for moral behavior (check out this article for an example), nonetheless radical sects like al-Qaida that are brutal in their treatment of women and members of other faiths. If Hammoud really was a part of a radical group linked to al-Qaida, isn't it interesting that they would encourage "playboy" behavior for the sake of the terror operation? At that point, isn't the religion of the group terrorism, and not Islam, since fundamental moral principles of Islam are sacrificed for the sake of killing Americans? It seems like Islam becomes just a label for these groups, maybe lending them credibility in the minds of their members. Regardless, it seems to be another example of how one end (killing Westerners) will justify seemingly endless means for those who are a part of al-Qaida-affiliated organizations.
Foiled terror plot article
# posted by G-rant @ 10:42 AM 
