"Jihobbyists" No More: English-Speaking Western Jihadists Coming of Age

Published: March 11, 2010Posted in: Headlines, Israel, Web, cia, network, nsa

Perhaps the most ironic aspect of all the media attention in the latest criminal allegations against “Jihad Jane” is that Colleen LaRose of Pennsylvania is only the latest example of this odd emerging trend in homegrown terrorism . Indeed, LaRose is hardly alone in this category, whether we speak of London resident Samina Malik, an active user on jihadi social networking forums who busied herself with transcribed Al-Qaida training manuals into English during spare time at her job working in secure areas of Heathrow Airport–or Canadian citizen Beverly Giesbrecht (a.k.a. Khadija Abdul Qahhar), who was taken hostage by the Taliban during rather suspicious travels through North Waziristan. Both men and women who were once written off as hapless wannabes and mere “jihobbyists” are unexpectedly rising to the occasion, in often quite desperate bids to prove their total commitment to the cause. These individuals are, more frequently than not, English-speaking with only a cursory knowledge of Arabic or the Middle East. Their pedigree is less than elite, and they lack the traditional connections back to Al-Qaida’s central leadership. Yet, even Al-Qaida’s senior echelon now openly recognizes the critical value of these potential “lone wolf” operatives. In several prominent publications–including both the latest video from American Al-Qaida spokesman Adam Gadahn and the most recent official magazine from Al-Qaida in Yemen–the terror group has openly broadcast its pleasure and interest in the actions of such independent actors as Ft. Hood shooter Maj

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"Jihobbyists" No More: English-Speaking Western Jihadists Coming of Age