April 11, 2005
Posted by: Rusty at
12:39 PM
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Post contains 30 words, total size 1 kb.
Anyway event the Filipines is going to start "profiling" OFWs who are returning from the MIddle East.
Posted by: Marcus Aurelius at April 11, 2005 02:37 PM (H4xh8)
I just can't get over the notion of a "suicide bomber". It's just the most messed up thing in the world. I respect Japanese kamikazee pilots because they (thought they) were defending their way of life. But how the hell can you respect someone who straps on a bomb and strolls into the nearest congregation of civilians???
Four f*cking suicide bombers struck in Iraq today alone. How can there be so many people who are willing to die just so they can kill other Arabs - other Muslims?!?!?
When you look at the big picture it's impossible to really gauge whether or not we're winning this thing...
PROs -> terrorists on run; Afghanistan free; Iraq free
CONs -> terrorists recruiting more than ever; hundreds of suicide bombings in Iraq; other major attacks against Westerners in Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Indonesia...
Is it just that people are counting now... or are things actually getting worse??
Posted by: Martin at April 11, 2005 02:40 PM (oe5ye)
Posted by: greg at April 11, 2005 02:57 PM (/+dAV)
Posted by: firstbrokenangel at April 11, 2005 04:09 PM (PEKrh)
Very interesting question. Not easily answered. I bet there is a way to quantify this, just haven't figured it out quite yet.
Posted by: Rusty Shackleford at April 11, 2005 04:46 PM (JQjhA)
Posted by: Collin Baber at April 11, 2005 06:23 PM (FV4oJ)
Care to offer another solution to "poking the hornet's nest?" Oh wait, I know, it's the Clinton strategy. Ignore them they will go away.
Posted by: Marc at April 11, 2005 06:40 PM (D348l)
Posted by: The Babaganoosh at April 11, 2005 06:45 PM (2Sfuq)
Weblog: Capital Region People
Tracked: April 11, 2005 09:22 PM
( I got to your trackback, but it seemed to take a few extra steps... not really broken, just testy!)
Posted by: Dave Lucas at April 11, 2005 09:28 PM (3i6S9)
Posted by: greyrooster at April 11, 2005 09:46 PM (CBNGy)
Posted by: Collin Baber at April 11, 2005 11:40 PM (FV4oJ)
a few comments.
1) filipinos are 92-94% Christian and 4-5% Muslim. In Mindanao, where the Islamic terrorists operate, Christians constitute re 83% while Muslims 5%.
2) There are reports that Saudi Companies (fronting for terrorist orgs) are recruiting Filipino Muslim insurgents as Overseas Foreign Workers (OFWs) in Mindanao to undergo terror training in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
3) I have yet to read or hear any report about Filipinos Muslims or Indonesians or Thais becoming "suicide bombers". Our Muslim terrorists in RP usually plant bombs and detonate them from a distance or plan raids on gov't bldgs and ambush military convoys.
Maybe it's just an "Arab thing" or maybe Filipinos and other asians are just not as suicidal and hopeless as their arab brothers.
Fundamental Islamic militancy is definitely taking root in SE Asia... but it's pretty clear it's spreading all over the world: look at the recent low-scale suicide attacks in Qatar and Egypt. And if its not actually spreading, the media is still so obsessed with it (understandably) that it hypes up every attack.
it's been happening long before 9/11, long before the US invaded afghanistan and iraq. filipino muslims were secretly getting their training in afghanistan long before the US invaded iraq. we even had a madrid type of bombing on dec. 30, 2000 in the philippins, perpetrated by Jemaah islamiya terrorists -- 9 months before 9/11.
When you look at the big picture it's impossible to really gauge whether or not we're winning this thing...
PROs -> terrorists on run; Afghanistan free; Iraq free
CONs -> terrorists recruiting more than ever; hundreds of suicide bombings in Iraq; other major attacks against Westerners in Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Indonesia...
Is it just that people are counting now... or are things actually getting worse??
i can speak only on the situation in the philippines. are the terrorists getting more recruits from the philippines because of bush's policies, or are we just getting better at finding them and noticing them because we became more vigilant after 9/11?
here's what joseph mussomeli, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Manila, had to say re that:
http://usembassy.state.gov/posts/rp1/wwwhr533.html
Q: A recent development like the capture of that Palestinian national down in Zamboanga, how significant is that? Do you think that points to increased cooperation between al-Qaeda-linked groups and elements of the Abu Sayyaf?
CDA: I honestly don’t know enough about that specific instance to comment. I would say that, you know, it’s hard to say whether the JI links are getting stronger or we’re just becoming better at finding them. Maybe in the late 90s, it was just as bad and we just we’re too oblivious because we were focused on other parts of the world to know. But what we do find is that it seems that the links are stronger, that Mindanao is almost, forgive the poor religious pun, the new ‘Mecca’ for terrorism.
Posted by: john marzan at April 12, 2005 04:01 AM (CyMwG)
Posted by: john marzan at April 12, 2005 04:06 AM (9UlqZ)
SWAT team heroically wrestles dirty laundry to ground.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4930070,00.html
Posted by: greg at April 12, 2005 08:27 AM (/+dAV)
Interesting post - the only thing I take issue with is your statement that you have yet to be made aware of "any report about Filipino Muslims or Indonesians or Thais becoming 'suicide bombers'":
Jemmah Islamiya's three major post-9/11 attacks have all involved Indonesian suicide bombers (Bali nightclub, Jakarta hotel, Jakarta embassy). Also, don't forget that Zarqawi happily takes recruits from ANY nation - I think I'm right in remembering one of the bombers that attacked Britain's relocated Black Watch troops last year was described as being 'a Caucasian man'.
It's definitely not just Arabs that go in for this suicide bomber malarky. I think it's more a consequence of some serious mental conditioning and deep depression / anger; i.e. anyone can be sucked in.
The more I think about it, in fact, the more I realise that the liberal explanation of 'poverty under tyranny' turning people into suicide bombers is oversimplistic. While that clearly can be a factor (esp for the Palestinians & the Uzbeks, for example), in places like Iraq it just doesn't hold water: most Iraqis are now more terrified of and rstricted by the terrorists than they are the occupying force.
PS. Another day, another three suicide bombs (only killing Iraqi civilians, of course).
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050412/325/fg6ub.html
Posted by: Martin at April 12, 2005 02:53 PM (oe5ye)
It's definitely not just Arabs that go in for this suicide bomber malarky. I think it's more a consequence of some serious mental conditioning and deep depression / anger; i.e. anyone can be sucked in.
fine. them most of the fucked up suicide bombers are indonesians and arabs (in the mideast and recruits in europe).
okay na?
don't worry, i'm still supporting bush 100% on this and we are slowly and surely seeing a more stable iraq after the jan. 30 elections. attacks are decreasing and the terrorists are getting more desperate.
P.S. i'm not surprised by the fact that Indons are stupid enough to do this. their country is poor, corrupt and muslim... no wonder. didn't Jemaah Islamiya originate from their country? tsk tsk.
Now the strategy is for Filipino authorities to arrest all suspicious looking indonesians and saudis (threat profiling) in the philippines before the influence our filipino muslim brothers to go suicidal too... LOL!
Posted by: john marzan at April 13, 2005 12:14 AM (RdaH3)
Posted by: Martin at April 13, 2005 06:30 AM (oe5ye)
not my definition of "suicide bomber".
but there were a few arabs among the hostagetakers...
Posted by: john marzan at April 13, 2005 08:30 AM (WQqjx)
Posted by: john marzan at April 13, 2005 09:12 AM (gTeDF)
I just think its dangerous classifying suicide bombs as an Arab phenomena - not least of all because the belt technique was invented by the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
The only reason Arabs tend to be the culprits is because the Middle East constitutes the bulk of the world's Muslim population.
Posted by: Martin at April 13, 2005 11:40 AM (oe5ye)
Posted by: greyrooster at April 13, 2005 10:55 PM (CBNGy)
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