ISLAMIC EXTREMISM

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ISLAMIC EXTREMISM INTERNATIONAL
TERRORISM

• BY
• GEORGE AKKLEQUIST
• JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE
• SAN FRANCISCO
• FBI

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INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS

• 1. Upon completion of this block of instruction,
  students will possess a basic understanding of
  the Islamic faith
• 2. Students will understand how the dynamics of
  Islam effect all aspects of International
  Terrorism today, to include effective
  investigative/intelligence strategies regarding
  interviewing asset recruitment and asset
  development.

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UNDERSTANDING ARABIC CULTURE
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Purpose of Presentation

• To familiarize the student/interviewer with the
  Arabic culture.
• To suggest communication techniques and effective
  interrogation strategies in dealing with a
  subject from this culture.

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ARABIC TERMS - discussed in this session

• Jahilia
• Barakat - Barakate
• Jamaat E Tableigh
• Mahdi
• Ahl El Beit
• Sahaba
• Ansar

• Shia
• Sunni
• Wahabi
• Muslim Brotherhood
• Mosque - Masjid
• Mohammed
• Ali
• Abu Bakr

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Understanding A Culture
To understand a culture, we must first
understand the beliefs and values of the
people. Remember - One of every six people on
this planet is a Muslim!
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CORRECT PRONUNCIATION

• Muslim - long S U sound - not a Z sound
  Muslim not Muzlim
• Islam - the same - Islam not Izlam
• Mosque - better word is Masjid or Janeh

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HISTORY OF ISLAM
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ERA BEFORE MOHAMMAD

• Paganism - Tribalism
• Jahilia or al Jahilyya - defined as the
  period of ignorance in the years before the
  Prophet Mohammed
• Incredible cruelty toward female newborns
• Other abominations

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ISLAM - THE ORIGINMECCA

• The Prophet Mohammad was born in 570 AD -Mecca in
  Saudi Arabia.
• In 610 AD, Mohammad received the first verses
  (God/Allahs message) now contained in the Koran
  or Quran from the angel Gabriel.
• Over the course of the following 22 years
  Mohammad received further revelations.
• Mohammad died in 632 AD.
• Muhammad received the verses in Arabic.

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ISLAM - THE ORIGINMEDINA

• Mohammad and his followers were forced to flee to
  Medina
• Mohammad continued to receive the Arabic verses
• However, beginning in Medina the tenor of the
  Koran takes on a more Jihadic/warlike/adversarial
  tone toward the enemies of Islam - Jews and
  Christians

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ISLAM - HISTORY

• Second only to the Koran is the Sunnah or Ahadith
• Composed of Hadiths - Islamic accounts into
  Mohammad's life
• Provides Muslims with a window into Mohammad's
  life

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SCHISM IN ISLAM

• Shia Muslims vs Sunni Muslims
• Shia Muslims or Shiites are followers of
  Mohammad's cousin/son-in-law Ali.
• Sunni Muslims follow the teachings of Abu Bakr,
  who died in 634.
• Alis sons, Husain and Hassan were killed by
  Sunni forces in Karbala, Iraq in 680.

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SUNNI SUB-SECTS

• Wahabi - Saudi Arabia - Usama bin Laden is a
  Wahabi Muslim
• Mahadi - Sudan Libya Algeria
• Hanafi - Pakistan
• Hanbali - Pakistan

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WAHABI SUNNI

• Traditionalists/Conservative - many terrorists
  evolve from this sect
• Anything outside Koran is unacceptable.
• Wahabi Sunnis control the Koran - UBL
• Saudi Arabia is populated primarily by Wahabi
  Sunni.
• Jesus, to a Wahabi, is a general who will someday
  come and lead them against the infidels.
• Christians have elevated Jesus to a god - Muslims
  believe him to be a prophet.

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SHIAS/SHIITES

• Also believe strongly in the tenets of Islam
• More spin room - believe in the ability of the
  Imams to interpret the Koran
• More gray areas within the teachings of the Koran
  than that which the Sunnis believe
• Less stringent - more interpretation
• The Koran says what the clerics say it says.

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THE ARAB MIND
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Arabic Values

• A persons dignity, honor and reputation are of
  paramount importance.
• It is important to behave at all times in a way
  which will create a good impression.
• Loyalty to ones family takes precedence over
  personal needs, but not when it comes to Islam,
  the religion and the tasking.

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Arabic Beliefs

• All things in life are controlled by God.
• Children are the jewels of the family.
• Wisdom increases with knowledge of Koran.
• Inherent roles/tasking and responsibilities of
  men and women are vastly different.
• In the Koran, men are tasked to teach daughters
  to swim, ride a horse and handle a weapon. Women
  take care of the next generation of soldier.

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Understanding Arabic Culture

• An Arab is a person who speaks Arabic or who
  otherwise identifies with the culture and history
  of the Arab people.
• Arabic culture and the Islamic faith are
  inseparable.
• Islam is the most dominating, single influence in
  the Arab world , the second largest religion,
  and the worlds fastest growing religion.

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THE ARAB MIND

• Formulated by
• Language
• Geography
• Food lack of water
• Attire
• Customs and traditions
• Family and tribal affiliation
• Islam

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ISLAMTHE FIVE PILLARS

• 1. Testimony/confession or shahadah - recited
  once daily and is the belief in the oneness of
  God and that Muhammad is his prophet
• 2. Prayer or salat - 5 times a day and must
  face east toward Mecca, Saudi Arabia
• 3. Charity or zakat - giving of alms. 2.5 of
  assets
• 4. Fasting or sawm - Behavior during the
  Islamic holy month of Ramadan Ninth month of the
  lunar calender, usually November
• 5. Pilgrimage or haj/hajj/hadj - all Muslims
  must travel to Mecca once in their lives

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MUSLIM NATION - 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide

• ARAB SUNNIS
• 80 - Saudi Arabia - majority
• Sunnis - 1 billion - 9 in 10

• ARAB SHIA/SHIITES
• 20 of Muslim population
• Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia
• Shias - 170 million

• NON-ARAB SUNNIS/AJAMI
• Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, other stans,
  Indonesia - huge population

• NON-ARAB SHIITES
• Iran, Afghanistan
• Sufi Muslims - 240 million

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MUSLIM BREAKDOWN - WORLDWIDE

• CIA Factbook lists 234 nations
• Of these, Islam is the majority religion in 48
• Islam is a significant minority religion in 26
• Therefore, Islam is a powerful presence in one
  third of the countries in the world
• 6 million Muslims in the USA

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21 COUNTRIES COMPOSE THE ARAB WORLD

• Mauritania
• Morocco
• Algeria
• Tunisia
• Libya
• Egypt
• Sudan
• Dijbouti
• Somalia
• Palestine

• Lebanon
• Jordan
• Syria
• Iraq
• Kuwait
• Bahrain
• Qatar
• UAE
• Oman
• Yemen
• Saudi Arabia

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MIDDLE EAST

• This refers to a larger area which includes
  Israel - Turkey - Iran - Afghanistan - Pakistan.
• These are not Arab countries.

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PROFILE OF THE FUNDAMENTALIST COMBATANT

• Islam united all Muslims and combined
• Ideology
• Law
• Organizational structure
• Family and region
• Theology
• Under the banner of globalization of Islam.

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PROFILE OF THE FUNDAMENTALIST COMBATANT

• Age 8 the combatant begins to read and learn the
  Koran and the place of women
• Age 12 he reads the Koran several hours per day -
  father indoctrinates him into the faith
• Age 18 he has memorized the entire Koran
• After age 18 - he comes to USA - a member of the
  Islamic Brotherhood

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PARAMILITARY MINDSET

• Fundamentalist/extremists interpretation of the
  Koran
• General operational plans
• Operational goals
• Organizational structure
• Sharia (legal) justification for all deadly
  actions

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PARAMILITARY MINDSET

• Typical extremist
• Attends a Friday sermon at a Masjid
• Recruited by Jamaat E Tableigh
• Travels to Pakistan-indoctrinated into extremist
  views
• Travels to Afghanistan to receive military and
  paramilitary training
• Prepares for his Jihad and his TASKING

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JIHAD

• Basic Definition
• Act in a paramilitary or military fashion against
  the enemies of Islam, foreign or domestic, and if
  dying in the process, the combatant will ascend
  to heaven with all his sins forgiven.
• Islamic/Muslim Brotherhood (MB)
• Family obligations

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MAJOR BELIEF OF ALL MUSLIMS

• MAHDI - will come before Jesus to liberate
  Lebanon, Syria, Iraq in route to Saudi Arabia.
  2 million man army and await Jesus
• MAHDI is described in a Hadeth tall, thin,
  bearded with angular features, large forehead,
  olive color and pointy nose - who will come out
  from deep hiding - sound familiar ??????

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USAMA BIN LADEN

• Wahabi Sunni Muslim
• Born in Yemen - raised in Saudi Arabia
• Followed the teachings of two radical,
  fundamental Saudi clerics
• Ben Outheimeen
• Ben Baz
• Every major IT subject will have studied under
  these two men - both died last year.
• They believe that Jihad is to kill Christians.

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FEMALES IN ISLAM

• Great debate on this topic.
• Orthodox Muslims argue that women gain true
  freedom in Islam.
• Critics argue that women are in bondage in Islam
  Mohammad was a chauvinist and pedophile
• In many chapters in the Koran women are referred
  to as equals but in many others they are not

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FEMALES IN ISLAM

• Women come of age at 14 - stated in the Koran.
• A man will always look at a female after age 14
  in a sexual nature, according to Koran.
• Mothers are the exception.
• Thus the burqas

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MAINSTREAM MUSLIMS VS EXTREMIST MUSLIMS
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MAINSTREAM MUSLIMS

• Mainstream Muslims
• Totally disagree with extremists philosophy
• All people of the world are Muslims
• Non-Muslims are simply lost
• Believe that non-Muslims will flock back to
  Islam Surah Al-Fatah - spoken to once
• Historically, mainstream Muslims have been the
  silent weak majority of Islam
• Vulnerable to teachings of extremists

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FUNDAMENTALISTS/EXTREMISTS

• Use scripture in the Koran to justify terror
  campaign
• Use the Koran to serve their political views
• Rely on Sharia Law
• Ben Outhiemeen Ben Baz
• Typically not vulnerable to the mainstream-Shia
  ideology

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TERRORIST GROUP STRUCURE AND CELL STRUCTURE
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FUNDAMENTALIST MOSQUESTRUCTURE

• 1. Cleric/Sheik-highest religious authority
• 2. Imam-not a constant position
• 3. Theologist/Oulamaa-interpret the Sharia
• 4. Politicos-PR representatives
• 5. Financiers-show me the money!!!!
• 6. Paramilitary
• 7. Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)

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TERRORIST GROUP CELL STRUCTURE

• Muslim Brotherhood - all terrorists will belong
  to the MB
• Large pool of recruits for NGOs
• NGO-Jamaat E Tableigh Jamaat Egatha Jamaat
  Dawa Lashkar E Taibe
• Loosely connected - command and control
• No real identified leader or figurehead
• Koran and the strict guidelines guide the
  terrorist activities of the MB

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CELL STRUCTUREakas used

• 1. Al Awlani - the leader
• 2. Al Jare - Currier Infantryman
• 3. Al Kannas - Sniper/killer with one shot
• 4. Al Mukabir - Communications/Intelligence
• 5. Al Hakeem - Medic/doctor

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ASSET RECRUITMENT
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ASSET RECRUITMENT

• Identification
• examine last name for
• country of origin
• brotherhood affiliation
• tribal affiliation
• sect affiliation

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ASSET RECRUITMENTcont.

• Other identification considerations
• family
• job
• motivation
• finances
• criminal history
• Vetting a Sunni Muslim should include a polygraph
  to gage the lack of loyalty to the MB

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VETTING A SUNNI MUSLIM

• A Sunni may not have or exhibit any loyalty to a
  country or entity except the MB
• Should include a polygraph to gage his lack of
  loyalty to the MB
• Polygrapher may need to explain that the MB is an
  organization to LEO
• Displacement of blame

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INTERVIEWING AND INTERROGATION
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INTERVIEWING VIOLENT TRUE BELIEVERS (VTB)

• Greatest mistake made by interviewers of these
  types is the absence of preparation
• 1. Selecting the interviewer
• 2. Gathering data before the interview
• 3. Defining the approach and direction of the
  interview
• 4. Choosing the place for the interview
• 5. Use the analysts

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INTERVIEWING AND INTERROGATION

• Sunni Muslim
• Individual profile based on attachment to MB
• An Al Qaeda suspect will have the MB commonality
  with Hamas suspect, but will have different
  strategic disciplines
• Sunnis draw their collective strength from the
  Koran and the organization to which they belong

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VTBs

• Motivated by deeply held beliefs that are rigid
  and completely justified in his eyes
• Beliefs based solely on religion - Islam
• He will believe that he is an agent of his god.
• His killing/terroristics acts are sanctioned by
  his god.
• Quite certain of his destiny

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INTERVIEWING THE VTB

• He has memorized the Koran from cover to cover.
• Especially passages and phrases that justify his
  suicidal/homicidal intent
• He will ignore any passages that are
  contradictory to his beliefs.
• His tightly held rationalizations are not open to
  debate or questioning.
• Critical thinking is forbidden - absolute belief
  in righteousness of his cause.

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VTBs cont.

• There should be no more than two interviewers.
• If translator is needed, should be only other
  person in the room.
• Translator should be directed to translate the
  exact words.
• No observers in the room.
• Interviewer - knowledge or no knowledge of
  Arabic/Islam culture????

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VTBs

• Male - female ? GITMO examples
• Al-Qaeda Training Manual, 17th lesson teaches the
  VTB to expect psychological warfare and
  intellectual combat.
• Harsh words and torture are also expected.
• Manual, the room is ordinary, containing one or
  more desks, chairs and torture devices as needed

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VTBs

• Manual - directs the brother to memorize the
  appearance of the interrogation building and the
  officers.
• Concentrate on the route and try to memorize
  signs in order to benefit future operations and
  plan development.
• Always counts step, measures distances from cell
  to interrogation room
• Always collecting

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VTBs

• Cognitive dissonance
• Behaving in ways quite different from that which
  the VTB expects from his manual
• May confuse and disorient him
• Will exert pressure on the VTB
• Asking to see a medical examiner and that
  evidence of the torture be entered in any
  official report. - - Stall - - classic
• Manual familiarity

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VTBs

• Establish rapport? Pros and cons--Lets
  discuss!!!!!!!!
• Gitmo experiences
• Smile
• Listen carefully
• Find something in common
• Mirror the interviewee

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VTBs and MUSLIMS IN GENERAL

• Avoid interview blunders
• Soles of shoes considered great insult
• Cold and unfriendly demeanor considered an insult
• Showing impatience - watch, tapping fingers
• Disrespect Islam and argue religion
• Interviewing the female

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VTBs - INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES

• Patience and flexibility
• Conducted in 2 to 3 hour time increments over
  several days
• Do not be predictable - change times.
• Stare down if necessary.
• Key to interviewing VTB is to get him to talk
  about anything - Islam.
• With these folks it is all about Islam/Israel.

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VTBs/SUNNI/WAHABI

• Ask the VTB/Sunni, Are you Muslim?
• If he answers yes, and thank God and places his
  hand on his chest, he is very far to the right,
• Likely a fundamentalist and very likely an
  extremist - Where do you pray?
• Anywhere - alone - 5 times a day - attend Mosque
  to stay within Islamic community

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INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES

• 3RD pillar of Islam can be important in
  interviewing VTB - Charity/Zakat.
• Interviewee is allowed by the Koran to tell you,
  if asked, how and where he contributed to the
  cause.
• Use Islam against him - show him his actions have
  hurt Islam.
• His honor lies in defeating you during interview.

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TECHNIQUES

• Small talk about family with a VTB Muslim will be
  superfluous.
• A martyr will have already tended to his family
  as directed by the Koran.
• He will have made arrangements to provide money
  for his family for 2 years and to provide a
  residence for 2 years.

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VTB COUNTERMEASURES(taught during Al Qaeda
training)

• Reveal some secrets
• Ask to see doctor
• Ask that evidence of torture be entered in record
• Raise one voice, curse the interrogator
• Be patient, resistant, silent and prayerful

• Proudly take a firm and opposing stance
• Overreact to pain
• Pretend to be naïve and ignorant
• Take advantage of visits to communicate with
  brothers outside prison
• Shout slogans from prison
• Be steadfast

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COUNTERMEASURES

• The most common countermeasure appears to be a
  cover story that the individuals behaviors
  and/or travels are only to teach or study Islam.

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MODIFICATION OF INTELLIGENCE CYCLE
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CLASSIFICATION OF INTELLIGENCE

• Every interview will yield 2 types of
  intelligence
• Strategic
• Tactical
• Strategic collection is critical for analysts
• Tactical collection is critical for security
• Align all intelligence into the larger framework
  of IT investigations

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ARABIC WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS OF HIGH
INVESTIGATIVE VALUE
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NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

• Jamaat E Tableigh - the group that reforms
• Jamaat Dawa - the group that calls someone to
  their cause
• Jamaat Eghatha - the group that assists and
  rescues
• Lashkar E Taibe - specific to Pakistan - similar
  to above

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OTHER CRITICAL TERMS

• 1. Bayaat - allegiance to
• 2. Barakat - Blessings
• 3. Barakate reference to UBL at Gitmo
• 4. Ahl El Beit - The Core, trace their descent
  to Mohammed

• 5. Sahaba - The trusted company, lesser that
  Ahl El Beit
• 6. Al Ansar - The supporters, mostly Sunni,
  non-Arabs

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SUMMARY

• Islam was created beginning in 610 AD. The
  values, attitudes and beliefs demanded by Islam
  then and now continue to be the foundation for
  all that is occurring with regard to terroristic
  acts.
• A terrorist views himself as a loyal soldier for
  Allah.
• He will never give up in his attempt to install
  Islamic values worldwide.