FDD

Why terrorists hate us (WP)

SINCE September 11 in New York, March 11 in Madrid and July 7 in London, questions have been forming among a stunned public – why do these people hate us, who are they and what do they want?

As someone who studied the jihadist movement for a quarter of a century on three continents, I find the questions indicate a greater drama — how can societies targeted for a systematic and global warfare by terrorist forces operating in the open for at least two decades be asking questions about their identification?

Instead, the Americans, British and Spanish should ask how the jihadists were able to strike successfully, how long they have been able to infiltrate democratic societies and who is helping them do it. The real question is this — why are most British citizens, let alone Europeans and Westerners, lost about who the enemy is? How come they are not able to see clearly, and who is blurring their vision and how?

Continue reading in The Sun

Oppression of the Press in the Muslim World

The newest FDD backgrounder, looking at the status of press freedom in the Muslim World, is now available. 

The recent "cartoon riots", often fanned by repressive governments and radical Islamist organizations, threw light into the deep chasm between Western concepts of freedom of the press and the strict control placed on media throughout much of the Muslim world. 

This backgrounder provides a useful reminder of where these riots came from, and what's at stake for western concepts of press freedom if we fail to defend our own values.

The Tehran-Hamas Terror Axis (Jon Snow)

Iran has sought to export their concept of Militant Islamism throughout the Muslim world since their 1979 Revolution.

With the recent election of Hamas in the Palestinian elections and extremist President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad leading Iran toward the development of nuclear weapons and threatening to destroy Israel and the West, the active links between Iran and Hamas are more dangerous than ever.

Information on this worrisome Terror Axis is explored in my latest FDD backgrounder, The Tehran-Hamas Terror Axis, which is now available on the FDD web site.

JON SNOW: The Trial of Saddam Hussein

The first of what is likely to be a series of trials of Saddam Hussein is scheduled to begin tomorrow.  For a quick overview of the specifics, check out the latest FDD backgrounder.

What can be expected on the first day of the trial?  A formal reading of the charges and a statement by the defense.  The defense is expected to try to use the media as a propaganda tool and has stated that they intend to shift the focus of the trial from the charges against Saddam to a trial of American actions in Iraq.  The defense can also be expected to seek an adjournment within the first day or two of the trial, which the judges may grant, while they review defense motions for a delay of trial.

We'll be following the case closely, and posting news and analysis here.  Stay tuned...

The Red Roofs of Gaza

Cliff discusses certain terms of the Gaza pullout in The High Cost of Gaza Housing:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced this week that Israeli and Palestinian officials had agreed to demolish more than a thousand Israeli settlers' homes in Gaza.

The New York Times reported: “Palestinian officials were not eager to keep the red-roofed, middle-class homes” which, they indicated, were not appropriate to current needs.

A key concern for Israelis, one surmises, is that in the wake of their “disengagement” from Gaza, news broadcasts around the world would show Palestinians flying the flags of terrorist organizations from those red, middle-class roofs.

Read Cliff's entire article.

The Spanish translation can be found here.