News & Opinion on Terrorism & Strategic Communication — October 30, 2007

Muslim Brotherhood Aims for U.S. Jihad. “The Ikhwan must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.” (NEFA Foundation, 10/29).

Egyptian Columnist Criticizes Arab Tolerance of Religious Discrimination “The director of the Center for Political and Strategic Studies of the Al-Ahram publishing house, ‘Abd Al-Mun’im Sa’id, criticized the Arab world’s silence in the face of the oppression of religious and ethnic minorities such as the Baha’i in Egypt and the Kurds and the Yazidis in Iraq. The absence of protest against ethnic intolerance, he said, is one of the reasons for the absence of freedoms in the Arab world.” (MEMRI, 10/29).

Candidates Split on Iran. “The top presidential contenders are offering markedly different ideas on how they would keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons, suddenly a central issue in the 2008 campaign.” (AP via Yahoo, 10/31).

Shiite Pact Signals Greater Stability in Iraq. “The recent ‘pact of honor’ made by two of Iraq’s most influential Shiite clerics, Moqtada al-Sadr and Abdul Aziz al-Hakim—aimed at preventing violence and helping to maintain the “Islamic and national interest” of Iraq—appears to signal a significant shift toward stability in Iraq.” (Jamestown, 10/29).

Are Immigrants a Homeland Security Risk? “Some experts argue immigration leaves the homeland vulnerable. Others say that while security is a legitimate concern, immigration is not the problem.” (Council on Foreign Relations, 10/29).