This weekend is filled with images of the 9/11 tragedy. Some are on television. Many haunt our memories. There are things we must never forget from the tragic events of 10 years ago.
One of the most important understandings that touches on the subject matter of this Blog is that 9/11 was not simply an attack on buildings or airplanes. The primary target wasn’t even the people who were killed. This was an attack on America and our way of life. The purpose was to destroy our free economy and thus cripple our ability to promote freedom.
For those committed to radical Islamic extremism (or whatever the politically correct word for the day might be), the American economic system is evil. It is built on usury (interest) and conflicts directly with Shariah. Because of its success, it has financed the American military. It has seduced young Muslims with greed. As a result, there is a concept known as “financial jihad” in which the call is to fight the great Satan with money as a weapon. Financial jihad is even described as the greater jihad.
Never forget bin Laden’s thoughts in 2001:
Al Qaeda’s supporters are “aware of the cracks in the Western financial system as they are aware of the lines in their own hands.”
– Osama bin Laden, in a 2001 interview with a Pakistani Journalist http://www.odl.state.ok.us/usinfo/terrorism/ideologies.pdf
The Atlantic phrased it this way:
A key facet of bin Laden’s anti-American warfare has always been economic. It’s a lesson he drew from the Afghan-Soviet war, in which he first served as a financier of mujahidin efforts and then as a fighter. He watched the Soviet Union withdraw from Afghanistan in defeat and then dissolve altogether in 1991. Bin Laden asserted on multiple occasions that the mujahidin were responsible for destroying the Soviet empire. Whether or not he’s right, he clearly believed that the high costs imposed by the Afghan-Soviet war prevented the Soviet Union from adapting to other challenges, such as grain shortages and a collapse in world oil prices.
After declaring war on America, bin Laden compared the U.S. to the Soviet Union on multiple occasions, arguing that al-Qaeda would undermine America in the same way the mujahidin undermined the Soviet economy. His strategy of economic warfare went through several iterations over time, as al-Qaeda responded to external events, seized upon opportunities provided to it, and incorporated lessons learned by the group over time.
The key phrase in the quote is “his strategy of economic warfare went through several iterations over time…” This was supported by the recent revelations of a planned economic attack on Europe which we may be witnessing underway today. The European Union is at the brink of disaster and the implications are global. Nearly all strategists agree that the primary reason that our own stock market has fallen so sharply this summer has been troubles in Europe. Almost all agree also that the problems in Europe are remarkably similar to what happened in 2008 with Lehman Brothers.
Europe has long been a target of radical Islam. Now, economic weaponry is at play. The goal is to destabilize Europe. Some want the EU to collapse. Such chaos would allow for Islam to strengthen its grip on the Continent both socially and economically. Others want Europe to join together as a United States of Europe for other reasons.
The bottom line is we must never forget 9/11. And, we must understand it sufficiently to respond. Protecting our nation and way of life must be much broader than airport security.
All posts Copyright (c) 2011 Kevin Freeman, All Rights Reserved
