Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the Us

A well written chronology of the recent history, thinking, and structure of radical Islam including their organization and funding networks. If only everyone would read and comprehend the scope of this threat!

Once again Steve Emerson has hit the nail on the head. He is keenly aware of the problem the United States faces with respect to Islamic extremism. While many believe the threat only emanates from outside the United States, he follows "American Jihad" with another in depth study of the threat within the United States. This book is replete with examples of Islamic terrorist cells which are ingrained in our communities and neighborhoods and have been, collecting funds and possibly preparing to commit terrorist attacks against us. Emerson brings together, in great detail, information which is vital to help protect Americans in the future. If we are aware, we can be safe. While it is recognized that most people from Muslim countries living in the United States are here for peaceful purposes, some of them have been used by extremists to further the "cause," be it in America or overseas. I encourage everyone to read this well documented book so each may be aware of the threat we face--IN AMERICA-- from Islamic extremism. Law enforcement must walk a fine line to root out the terrorists (criminals) among us and by reading Emerson's new book, "Jihad Incorporated," the average American can at least learn more about the enemy which has declared war on all peaceloving people, Christians, Jews, Muslims and those of all faiths which make up America.

At first I thought this book might be a repeat of what can be found on the Counterterrorism Blog, but it's not, and appears instead to be written in the form of a textbook, and a long one and loosely organized at that, but it has an index and a lot of terrorism books don't. I bought it for reference. It excels at explaining the minute details of American law enforcement investigations into so-called sleeper cells, but it does so in plain vanilla fashion without delving into any troublesome worries about civil liberties or larger issues. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's one-sided in favor of law enforcement. It's just that the book seems to want to be a chronicle or history of just the facts, and for me, I would have enjoyed a read of the other side, the defense side, if you will, or just any kind of larger theoretical framework such as the legal issues involved. The first 175 pages chronicle al-Qaeda plots both pre- and post-9/11. It's reference material mostly. Then, the same pattern is outlined in four middle chapters that cover Hamas, Hizballah, PIJ, and Pakistani groups. Again, standard reference material, but if there is a framework, it's Emerson's focus on the 9/11 denial propaganda put out by these groups. The final section (Part III) is where the book contributes originally, I think. There are some really good, long, detailed chapters on terrorist financing, the SAAR (or Safa) Group, jihadist use of mosques as cover, and jihadist use of the Internet. I think these last topics represent where some spadework is needed, and the book provides that, but the dispassionate exposition interferes with raising questions or followup. I should mention that phrases like "the time I testified before Congress" come up a lot.

The Jihadists have a track record that demonstrates that we should take their statement of aims seriously. Their goal is a world wide Caliphate and that means they have to continue to undermine existing non-Muslim governments. This they are doing not only through direct attacks, but also by their work within countries. They push acceptance of their way of life in the name of cultural sensitivity and in some countries are making progress in building their own legal system based on Sharia. In the United States, they use our freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and open borders to not only work their project of colonizing the country, but in laundering money to fund terror projects overseas. At least one group that is so dangerous that it is illegal in Pakistan operates openly in America. This vital book documents those many ways in which the Jihadists are working within America to further their war aims on the United States and the West. Steve Emerson and his team are among the most serious analysts of the ways in which traditional American values and culture are being exploited by these enemies. They raise the funds for terrorist projects within our borders and continue their plans to harm us while preparing for the next attacks on America and the West that will almost certainly come. This book's twelve chapters are organized into three parts. Part One is "Al Qaeda Targets the United States. Chapter One discusses the warnings we had about that something like 9/11 was going to occur. Chapter Two discusses Al Qaeda probing and learning about America's vulnerabilities. Chapter Three discusses documents how Al Qaeda has been organized inside the United States. Chapter Four looks at how Al Qaeda is organized internationally to attack American interests abroad. Part Two takes us through a dizzying array of other terrorist networks working against the United States. What I especially appreciate is the way the chapters on Hamas, Hizballah (meaning literally the Party of Allah (or the party of God), Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and The Pakistani Jihadist Network disabuse the reader of some of the public relations work that Jihadist apologists make for the humanitarian work these groups present to the world. There may be much about the Jihadist dream of the Caliphate that is primitive, but they do know how to use technology and especially how to use the Western media against Western interests (even to the point where the Western media (such as CNN) even states that it wonders what the true Western interests are and sees much of the Jihadist terror work through a lens of moral equivalence. Part Three unravels the funding of terrorist networks through charities, foundations, and advocacy groups. It is notable that the names of these groups sound quite wonderful. Who could object to the "Global Relief Fund", for example? And when one group is exposed or shuttered by the government, the founders of those groups who aren't jailed or depo

We all know that there are various jihadist terrorist groups that want to damage the United States and other nations. And it is not surprising that the terrorist acts they carry out require some sophisticated support, including planning, support, fund-raising, deception, and recruitment. And that raises some important questions about the terrorist groups, the leaders and members of those groups, the funding of those groups, and the various ways in which these groups are supported politically. Steven Emerson addresses many of these questions in this book. The book begins with a study of terrorist organizations that have committed some spectacularly violent acts, such as Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hizballah, and Islamic Jihad. At least some of the members of these organizations are guilty of serious crimes by planning and carrying out a variety of jihadist terrorist attacks. Then we get to the question of support for these groups. What about pro-jihadist propagandists? Or the many people who, innocently or with full knowledge, donate a few dollars (or a few hundred dollars) to foundations that channel the money to the terrorists? For that matter, what about the leaders of these foundations? Well, we learn something about that too. The author tells us of "the seven." These are organizations that met in 1996 to "strengthen intercharity cooperation." By now, four of them have been designated to be terrorist financiers by the US Treasury Department and have been shut down. The other three are under investigation. These groups are: The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development The Global Relief Foundation The Benevolence International Foundation Islamic African Relief Agency The International Relief Association Mercy International The International Relief Organization I think the rather sweet names chosen by these organizations are an interesting form of deception: some folks may really be deceived into giving money to what they think is a worthy cause, while others can falsely claim to have been deceived by the name. In any case, to fight terrorists we need to separate the sheep from the goats. There are major felons, there are accomplices, there are accessories, there are dupes, and there are completely innocent folks who are truly uninvolved. And it's important to figure out which people are which, or else we'll find ourselves unjustly accusing the innocent or campaigning to free the most seriously guilty. I think this book is a big contribution in this area, and I recommend it.