Why we should worry about Shi’ites in the U.S. siding with Iran

News Analysis

By Abdul Masih —

The lone wolf terrorist — like the Austin shooter in a “Property of Allah” hoodie — belongs to a historical tradition in fundamentalist Islam, a treasured heritage of the solo warrior ghazi who kept alive Muslim dreams of conquering Constantinople.

Forget about the terror cell. They’re being watched and interrupted by the FBI. The new and very real danger is the solo actor who derives inspiration to act alone, and these terror entrepreneurs are being inspired by clerics and scholars right here in America who take advantage of the freedom of speech to bring down America.

An example is Hassanain Rajabali, a Shi’ite lecturer in the Dearborn-Detroit area, who said recently: “Every day we hear the terrible news of one our leaders getting killed,” Rajabali said in English. “Why is the other side not getting killed? Why are they not being decapitated? It will come; don’t worry… Islam is not in danger.”

(Dearborn lawyer Hassan Salamey recently presided a memorial service for Ali Khamenei. He has said America was founded by devil worshipers. “The Statue of Liberty is actually Lucifer, the demonic bearer holding a torch of light. Their plan is to dominate every land regardless of borders.”)

While Westerners have distanced themselves from their Christian heritage and history, Muslims hold their history and destiny of conquest close to their hearts. Western values like secularism, freedom and rights are eschewed; terror is lionized among many circles. (Of course the vast majority of Muslims are peace-loving and only a small fraction is prone to extremism; but the small fraction comprises enough to cause real mayhem.)

“Why are we allowing this?” asks Harris Sultan, a Pakistani atheist now living in Australia. “This is like having Nazis during World War II openly saying that they want Americans to die, American leadership to die while living in America. Why do we allow this?”

The ghazi is a deep and dear tradition romanticized in the Book of Jihad (1105 AD) attributed to Ali ibn Tahir al-Sulami and related early jihad literature. Rugged warriors devoted to Islam conducted raids on the border of the Byzantine Empire in Anatolia.

From the failed first siege against Constantinople in 678 AD to the final successful Ottoman assault in 1453 AD, the ghazi warriors kept the dreams alive of wiping out Christianity and establishing Islam worldwide. They formed small groups and sometimes acted alone.

Their savagery was fueled by hadiths:

• “Standing guard for a day in the path of God (ribāṭ) is better than a thousand days anywhere else.” — Sahih Muslim
• “Ribāṭ for a day and a night is better than fasting and praying for a month.” — Sahih al-Bukhari
• “You will conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will that leader be, and what a wonderful army will that army be.” — attributed to companion of the prophet Abu Huraira

Abdullah Yusuf Azzam in the 1980s renewed the theme of individual jihad in The Call to Jihad. Azzam was the mentor of Osama bin Laden, who organized the 9/11 Twin Tower attacks that killed in New York in 2001. In Join the Caravan, Azzam said Muslims have the individual obligation to join jihad abroad.

You can dismiss the history and current events and blame Islamophobia, but these radicals are not going away and ignoring them will not establish the desired socialist utopia you want.

Of course in Dearborn, Hassanain Rajabali comes just a hair shy of directly exhorting Shi’ite followers to assassinate Trump. He doesn’t have to. A historical background will fill in the blanks.

And you will see people like Ndiaga Diagne, a Senegal-born naturalized U.S. citizen take his guns and fire upon late-night partiers outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden. Or you might see a church massacre or a successful assassination.

Sources: MEMRI, Harris Sultan, Raymond Ibrahim, others.