“We are patient. . . . Our patience will only end with the collapse of America . . . ”
– Al-Qaeda’s Abu Salma Al-Hijazi, on Islamist internet forum Al-Qal‘a, November 2003
In the days leading up to the attacks of September 11, 2001, Americans paid inadequate attention to what was being said in Arabic in the mosques and media of the Middle East.
In Saudi Arabia, leading Islamic authorities said in a fatwa that it would be permissible to crash airplanes “on a crucial enemy target” during martyrdom operations; the official Palestinian Authority Friday sermon of August 24, 2001, called for Muslims to unite behind a leader who would wage jihad against America and demolish her: “Allah, destroy the U.S., its helpers, and its agents. . . . Allah, prepare those who will unite the Muslims and march in the steps of Saladin. . . . Allah, grant victory to Islam and the Muslims.”
Articles in the most influential Arab media outlets were calling for terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C.; one, published August 28, 2001, in Al-Akhbar, a daily sponsored by the the Egyptian government, stated: “The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor must be destroyed. . . . The age of the American collapse has begun.”
Eight years later, the Internet has emerged as a vital communication tool for terrorists worldwide. Every day on websites and forums — mainly hosted by Internet service providers in the U.S. — al-Qaeda and its allies post items ranging from calls “to kill as many Americans as possible” (Al-Shumoukh), to discussions on whether it is permissible for a mujahid to eat an American soldier if he is starving (Al-Faluja).
These websites also closely monitor the pulse of the American public, on matters ranging from domestic issues such as the economy to U.S. military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Examples of headlines from the past week include: “Two More U.S. Banks Shut Down,” “Obama Advisor Quits Over Past 9/11 Remarks,” “Pictures: California’s Forest Fire,” “Latest Coalition Fatalities — Iraq/Afghanistan,” “U.S. Commander Says Taliban Have Afghan Momentum,” “Iraq Veterans Find Afghan Enemy Even Bolder,” “IEDs Wreak Havoc Among U.S. Forces in Afghanistan,” “Two U.S. Soldiers Killed,” “Most Americans Oppose Sending More Troops to Afghanistan,” “Taliban Surprising U.S. Forces with Improved Tactics,” “U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Calls for New Strategy,” and “New Casualty Record for NATO’s Afghan Force.”
Items on these websites related to training, planning, and implementing terrorist attacks are also common. Daily posts include detailed instruction manuals for assembling bombs and explosive belts, and maps of American embassies and cities — even highlighting specific locations such as stadiums and airports. Blueprints for developing nuclear devices can also be found.
Every year, as the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks approaches, these sites and forums commemorate that day and other terrorist attacks against the West, in addition to issuing threats of coming attacks and identifying new targets.
Many proposed attacks involve obtaining weapons of mass destruction to be used against the United States. For example, on April 21, 2009, Islamist websites posted an audio interview with “Islamic State of Iraq” minister Abu Hamsa Al-Muhajir, in which he appealed to Muslim scientists, “The mujahideen today are in great need of chemical, biological and even . . . nuclear weapons. . . . ”
“Abu Qandahar,” moderator of Ansar Al-Suna, wrote on June 7, 2009, “Al-Qaeda has nuclear weapons, praise Allah. This is 100% certain.”
The Global Islamic Front, an online media branch associated with al-Qaeda and other jihadi-salafi groups, published a communiqué by a “Dr. John Boutros” on August 25, 2009, titled “Don’t Worry, Islamic United States Is at the Door.” In it, “Dr. Boutros” promised that the U.S. is only one or two thrusts from “crumbling.” He ridiculed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security: “Hundreds of thousands of soldiers stationed in the streets of Washington and Los Angeles wait for a martyr to cross the continents carrying nuclear, biological, or chemical bombs.”
Jihadi leaders worldwide utilize these sites to make their messages heard. On August 28, 2009, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the deputy head of Al-Qaeda, released an Al-Sahab-produced video titled “The Path of Doom,” which was largely ignored by the West. In the video, he stated: “Oh Allah, annihilate the Americans and the Jews. . . . Give us dominance over them and take from them their wealth, their soldiers, and their material booty. . . . Defeat his army, topple his banner, and tear him apart in the worst way.”
Islamic State of Iraq commander Abu ‘Omar Al-Baghdadi promised in an audio message posted November 7, 2008 on Al-Hesbah, and other websites: “In the near future, [the warriors of Islam] will dwell under the roofs of the White House, the Élysée [Palace], and the Kremlin.”
An emerging commander of the al-Qaeda–linked Somali group Shabab Al-Mujahadeen, the American Abu Mansour Al-Amriki, posted a message on leading jihadist websites on July 9, 2009, declaring that “we are currently witnessing the beginning of the end” of America.
For those in the Middle East without access to the Internet and online jihad, the Al-Jazeera TV network can be counted on to air the latest terrorist news. Since September 11, 2001, it has been used by terrorists to spread their messages throughout the Muslim world, including by network correspondents who frequently interview wanted terrorists in person.
Al-Jazeera regularly has guests on air calling for attacks against America. In an extensive June 22, 2009, interview with the network, Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid, general commander of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, prayed, “With the grace of Allah, the Muslims will gain control of these [Pakistani nuclear] weapons and we will use them against the Americans.”
In a June 26, 2009, interview with the Al-Jazeera website, Abu Basir Nasir Al-Wahishi, the emir of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, hinted at another upcoming al-Qaeda 9/11 attack in the U.S., which would include the use of weapons of mass destruction.
Kuwaiti professor and al-Qaeda sympathizer Dr. Abdullah Al-Nafisi gave a speech on February 2, 2009, also covered by Al-Jazeera, in which he hinted at the possibility of four pounds of anthrax being smuggled in a suitcase from Mexico into the U.S., and claimed that it is “guaranteed to kill 330,000 Americans within a single hour.”
Dr. Al-Nafisi went on to explain, “The WMD is a problem. The Americans are afraid that the WMDs might fall into the hands of ‘terrorist’ organizations, like al-Qaeda and others. There is good reason for the Americans’ fears, because al-Qaeda used to have . . . laboratories in north Afghanistan. They have scientists, chemists, and nuclear physicists. They are nothing like they are portrayed by these mercenary journalists — backward Bedouin living in caves.”
Members of jihadist forums, among them Al-Faluja, discussed Al-Nafisi’s appearance on Al-Jazeera on April 10, 2009, praising it and suggesting that such an attack would be most successful if it were to be carried out at a train station.
While not all jihadist propaganda should be taken seriously, many of the individuals quoted in this article are sincere about their convictions, duties, and desires to attack America again and to destroy it. But just as the terrorist chatter related to attacking America was not read, translated, or properly digested prior to September 11, 2001, it is possible that once again these threats are being lost in translation.
– Steven Stalinsky is executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute.