http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=457945 Al-Qaeda ideology gains ground
10 May 2007 By Adel Zaanoun GAZA CITY - A purported claim by an extremist group to be holding a BBC journalist highlights the growth of copycat Al-Qaeda-style ideology and rising Islamic fundamentalism in the Gaza Strip, experts say. The Army of Islam, which first stepped out of the shadows with a joint claim to have captured an Israeli soldier in June, apparently broadcast an audio clip on an Internet site, Al-Boraq, commonly used by Jihad groups in Iraq. In the recording, the group demanded the release of Muslim prisoners from "impious governments" and chiefly of Palestinian-born cleric Abu Qatada, held in Britain and once fingered as Al-Qaeda's spiritual chief in Europe. The audio clip, as presented on the Internet, was accompanied by a picture of BBC journalist Alan Johnston's BBC press card. The Gaza Strip, where Johnston was the last Western journalist working full-time in the territory when he was snatched, has become increasingly dangerous - rife with political tension and rising Islamic fundamentalism. In recent months, dozens of Internet cafes have been attacked and a Christian bookshop bombed. On Sunday, a party at a UN-run school was attacked by a Salafist group opposed to such a celebration and one Palestinian killed. One Western official monitoring events in the Gaza Strip said the ideology behind Wednesday's claim was treading in the same footsteps as those who kidnapped two Fox TV journalists for last August and held them for two weeks. "It's the same kind of ideology. We saw it the first time with the Fox journalists. The kidnappers wanted all the Muslim prisoners to be freed with an anti-British and American rhetoric," the official told AFP. The Fox journalists were captives of the previously unknown Holy Jihad Brigades, which demanded that all Muslim prisoners be freed from US jails. Israeli incursions, poverty, violence a more than year-long Western boycott and an abundance of weapons all come together to lay the foundations of growing Islamist radicalism in the Gaza Strip, says the official. "The people are influenced by Islamist rhetoric that is available on the Internet. Because of the situation in Gaza, certain groups of young people feel they've been alienated and driven to this ideology that they find attractive. "I don't see the thing going down but I see more radicalisation...That's worrying," the source said. An Israeli intelligence official, also speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media, agrees. "There's no real Al-Qaeda masterminds entering Gaza, it's more inspirational and ideological." "They (groups in the Gaza Strip) have adopted ideas, methods and thought patterns of the international jihad," the official said. Moin Rabbani, an expert on Palestinian affairs at the International Crisis Group think tank, said it was difficult to know whether the Army of Islam proclaims its affiliation with Al-Qaeda or whether it existed in reality. "But it does show there is increasing fertile ground in the Gaza Strip for this kind extremist movements and ideology," said Rabbani. While kidnappings have been a growing scourge in the Gaza Strip, most abductors have merely sought to lever concessions from local authorities rather than make demands of foreign governments. In another indication of differences between the Army of Islam and longer established Islamist organisations with nationalist agendas, Hamas moved swiftly to slam the group's extremism and declare all ties had been cut. Only last year did the armed wing of Hamas, which is the senior coalition partner in the government and blacklisted as terrorists in the West, claim joint responsibility for the raid to capture the Israeli serviceman. "From the start, the Army of Islam and Hamas were connected only over (Israeli soldier) Gilad Shalit. After a while, these ties were cut after the Army of Islam changed its approach," said Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Ayman Taha. "We reject these methods used by certain Muslim believers because they harm Islam. The affair of Alan Johnston is immoral and we call on his holders to release him," he added. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
