What do you learn at terrorist training camp?The Times Square would-be carbomber says he learned to make bombs at a terrorist training camp in Pakistan. So what else do you learn? Paper mache grenades? One-way canoe trips? Foreign Policy explains.
Islamic extremism
Is Hitler responsible for Islamic extremism?
A new book claims the roots of Islamic fundamentalism can be traced back to Nazi radio broadcasts across the Middle East during WWII.
The best way to defeat terrorists is to take the piss out of them
A new study has found that the most effective way to deter young Muslims from joining extremist groups is to make them “uncool”. Just like drugs — and governments have done such a job with that problem…
Is Lady Gaga more offensive than Israeli settlements?
The US’s support of Israel may be partially fueling anti-Americanism in the Muslim world, says former Jerusalem Post editor Bret Stephens — but they’re far more offended by tarty pop stars like Lady Gaga and Madonna.
“My father founded Hamas; now I work for Israel”
A fascinating interview with Mosab Yousef, the Christian, former Israeli spy son of Hamas founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, who has just released a tell-all book about growing up in the world of Islamic extremism.
How an all-American kid became a jihadist
As a teenager, Omar Hammami was the class president, attended Bible Camp, and dated the most popular girl in school. Now he’s Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki, a key leader in a ruthless Islamist guerrilla army in Somalia.
Somalia: the real victim of Bush’s War on Terror
Iraq and Afghanistan may have grabbed the headlines, but Somalia has been the real victim of the War on Terror, with the US inadvertently delivering the country into the arms of Islamic extremists with ties to al-Qaeda., writes Martin Fletcher.
The Taliban doesn’t want your help, Western jihadists
Thinking of running away to join the Taliban? Apparently it’s not that easy — the Taliban doesn’t need Westerners, who are only good as “cannon fodder”, preferring local recruits, who already know the land and language and look the part.
How India could fall to militant Muslims
If Pakistan fails, its territory and population could be consumed by India — adding 180 millions Muslims to the country, many of them a little upset about the loss of a Pakistani state. Throw in some radical Hindu nationalists and neo-Maoist guerrillas, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
Freidman: Islam needs a civil war
The West can’t defeat the ideology of militant Islam, says Thomas Friedman: only other Muslims can. The Islamic world needs a war over ideas akin to that of the US civil war, the fight out the extremist minority.
The difference between a terrorist and a terrorist
When is a terrorist deemed a genuine refugee who doesn’t pose any threat to Australia? When they’re not a Muslim, apparently. But what makes the Tamil Tigers any different to Hamas, Hezbollah or the Taliban?
Al Qaeda goes broke
Does crime pay? Not for Al Qaeda, which is skint and appealing to supporters to help out with some cash. But the Taliban, which has diversified its interests into drugs as well as violence, is rolling in cash.
Why Islamic extremists hate India
India doesn’t have a single soldier fighting in Afghanistan — so why are suicide bombers targetting the Indian Embassy in Kabul? Salil Tripathi explains the long and complex relationship between India and the Islamic world.
Was Mohammed Atta simply a crazed heritage lister?
Guy Rundle ponders whether Mohammed Atta, the enigmatic figure behind the 911 attacks, was simply the armed wing of the Arab National Trust.
What does a terrorist look like?
Today’s foiling of a terror plot in Melbourne demonstrates that racial profiling is now a fairly useless tool for finding potential terrorists, writes Paul Colgan
Nigeria: Behind the bloodshed
Four days of violence in Nigeria has left 200 dead and sent 4000 fleeing from their homes. Government forces are closing in on the rebels responsible, but the real root of the unrest lies in endemic problems in the Niger Delta, which won’t be solved so easily.
