| I know that law enforcement officials have
been looking closely at Tablighi Jamaat for several years, but very
little has come out about them. Here is an MSNBC story, with thanks
to Jeffrey Imm. Of course, the analysis is essentially ignorant,
since a "peaceful Islamic movement" that preaches a return
to "fundamental Islamic values" will not find itself remaining
peaceful for long, given the deep roots of the jihad ideology within
Islam. Still, the article contains some important information:
The FBI and the Pentagon are keeping a close eye on an Islamic
missionary group with thousands of U.S. members. In a secret intelligence
document obtained by NBC News, terrorism analysts say members of
the evangelical movement are ideal recruits for terrorist organizations
inside the United States.
On Dec. 13, in Queens, New York, members of a conservative Islamic
missionary group known as Tablighi Jamaat brought sleeping bags
to their mosque to spend the night discussing religion.
Now, NBC News has obtained a secret government memo which says
U.S. anti-terror officials believe radical extremists have been
infiltrating this otherwise peaceful Islamic movement and are using
Tablighi's U.S. organization "as cover... to network with other
extremists in the U.S."
"If al-Qaida needed a fresh set of bodies in order to pull
an operation, one of the places that they would go to for that fresh
set of bodies would be Tablighi Jamaat, whether it's in the United
States or not," says former FBI agent Steve Denny, who has
investigated members of Tablighi.
Tablighi preaches a return to fundamental Islamic values and has
major mosques in at least 10 states, with as many as 50,000 U.S.
members.
Recent pilgrimages in Bangladesh and Pakistan attracted millions.
Experts say they were fertile ground for al-Qaida recruiters.
The memo, written in April by the Defense Intelligence Agency,
claims some Tablighi members in the U.S. "have the capability
to conduct a terrorist attack in the U.S.," though there's
no evidence of planning.
The document also says seven Tablighi leaders in the U.S. are
under investigation and claims a Tablighi official at a major Midwestern
mosque "has associations with several al-Qaida supporters"
and may be recruiting "converts for nefarious purposes."
The imam in Queens says the FBI questioned him. He insists that
radicals who espouse violence aren't even allowed at his mosque.
"We stop them," says Imam Zia Hafez Paracha. "We
don't even let them come."...
Tablighi does not endorse terrorism, but investigators allege
some known militants have Tablighi ties:
So-called American Taliban John Walker Lindh was radicalized at
a Tablighi-affiliated mosque in California.
Iyman Faris, who plotted to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge, posed
as a Tablighi missionary to get into the U.S.
Posted by Robert at January 20, 2005 04:46 AM | Print this entry
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