Posted by
Rich on Monday, June 16, 2008 7:35:05 AM
The
call for Jihad by prominent Muslim leaders such as Osama bin Laden has
echoed throughout the international Islamic community, and continues to
resonate in the hearts and minds of Muslims everywhere on earth –
including those who live here in the United States. As much as it is a
call to the future, Jihad is also a call to return to the past. As this
global conflict continues in the years ahead, the time will come that
every Muslim (specifically, those in the US) will be forced to make a
choice. The choice they will be confronted with will be between their
loyalty to the country they live in, verses their loyalty to the
Islamic Ummah (see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ummah ).
Stage One:
In modern terms, we could call Stage One Jihad the period of
establishment and growth under generally peaceful conditions. The new
(largely immigrant) Islamic community is too small to exert very much
direct influence on the majority government and/or the majority
culture. Public relations and propaganda are the two main tools used in
this form of Jihad.
Stage Two:
In modern terms, we could call Stage Two Jihad the period of civil
unrest. Though still in the minority, the Islamic community is now well
established (somewhere between 15-20 percent of the population), and it
begins to exert a great deal of pressure on the majority government
and/or civilian culture. Usually, one of the first things to happen
during this period of civil unrest is the demand for the government to
recognize at least some parts of Sha’ria law (as in France, for
example). Crime rates also tend to increase rapidly as disenfranchised
and alienated young Muslims begin acting out their frustration and
anger within the surrounding non-Muslim community.
Stage Three:
In modern terms, we could call Stage Three Jihad the period of civil
war. At this point, the Islamic community is no longer in the
[political] minority, and it begins to overtly attack the established
government, as well as any “unbelievers” who do not accept Islam. The
Islamic community (or, in some cases, the local Islamic government)
unilaterally imposes Sha’ria law, often with violent consequences
leading to the killing of civilians (usually Christians and/or Jews)
and civil war (as in Nigeria, for example). In turn, Sha’ria law
justifies Jihad, which leads to a rapidly escalating cycle of violence.
Stage Four:
In modern terms, we could call Stage Four Jihad the period of
full-scale war & genocide. At this point, Sha’ria law has been
fully imposed, and Islam is the only religion permitted in the land.
Non-Muslim influence (either by people of other faiths, or by people of
other ethnic groups) is held in great contempt and is not tolerated by
the ruling authorities – even Muslims who do not appear to fully accept
every portion of Sha’ria law are severely punished. The Taliban
government in Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the
situation in Darfur (Sudan) are three current examples of Stage Four
Jihad. The history of Islam – from the time of Muhammad until the
present day – offers innumerable other examples.
Article
provided by Dr. Terri K. Wonder. Dr. Wonder has a Masters Degree and
Ph. D. from the University of South Florida. Terri has studied at the
American University in Cairo, Egypt. She is an intelligence analyst for
a private security agency’s anti-terrorism unit charged with protection
of critical infrastructure (e.g., power plants), including special
investigations of suspicious activity tied to extremist networks in
Tampa Bay and other regions. She does strategic intelligence estimates
for a private defense contractor on potential reaction by jihadist
adversaries to changes in armed forces doctrine.