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What (and where) is the target?

Reader comment on item: Al-Qaeda's Limits

Submitted by Alain Jean-Mairet (Switzerland), May 29, 2003 at 03:42

For "mere" suicide bombing, there’s no need for any centralized organization. It is enough to make means obtainable by almost anyone decided to use them. The rest can be achieved by mouth-to-ear communication. I judge it is reasonable to think that, say one Muslim out of three or four would take part voluntarily in this process if openly asked. You know, just a little bit, just to pass on an address, just to recommend someone, just to hide some material, just to lie about this or that, etc. It takes a whole lot of civil courage, indeed, for openly refusing to take part in the "Jihad", refusing to help the "brothers", refusing to take the orders of assassins. Hence all it needs is some sort of "bureau", possibly in Iran, or Syria, and the overall acceptance of terrorism in the Muslim world. It is almost a semi-public organization. And that is impossible to attack directly, indeed. It needs another, more "social", approach.

But for more important terrorist actions, like 9/11, there is a need for more solid structures, and much more secrecy, discretion.

BTW, how are doing the Taliban in Pakistan now?
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Reader comments (17) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Migratory birds as terrorist bioweapons [329 words]Brad ArnoldFeb 13, 2004 03:0813868
Is there a Koranic / Hadithic Foundation for Moderate Islam? [221 words]Dan BartholomewJun 4, 2003 13:119381
Re the 'State sponsorship' post- Stop with the nit picking. [130 words]CethernJun 4, 2003 08:519374
ideology challege [126 words]dave murphyMay 31, 2003 02:369306
untitled [46 words]A. K. LenceskiMay 31, 2003 01:179305
Al Qaeda's Limits [24 words]AngelMay 29, 2003 22:209292
It is War [92 words]Glenn KlotzMay 29, 2003 14:139286
Shadowy Terrorist Networks [78 words]Isaiah520May 29, 2003 09:049284
Al Qaeda [56 words]Ron IrvineMay 29, 2003 05:299281
What (and where) is the target? [192 words]Alain Jean-MairetMay 29, 2003 03:429280
Every Action Has Its Reaction [190 words]M.AfzalFeb 6, 2008 10:199280
The Al-Qaeda "Movement" [33 words]Joseph SklarMay 28, 2003 21:519278
Coincidence [55 words]Rod CoxMay 28, 2003 20:069275
What About State Sponsorship? [204 words]AvrahamMay 28, 2003 18:519272
Moslem Terrorism [9 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Jaime EisenMay 28, 2003 15:389271
Al-Qaida organization and activities [6 words]Henry MohrerMay 28, 2003 14:419269
The issue is ideology, not organization [27 words]Walter D'UllMay 28, 2003 13:459268

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