The case of Colleen R. LaRose ”“ also known as “Jihad Jane” and “Fatima Rose” ”“ raises troubling questions about the ability of Al Qaeda to attract US-born women to terrorism….
US counterterrorism officials long have been concerned about the possibility of Islamic radicalization of US natives. But generally speaking, they have focused on potential terrorist recruits that are males.
“The issue of US converts [to radical Islam] is not new,” says Juan Carlos Zarate, senior adviser in the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “What is new is that in this case, the convert may be a middle-aged female.”
As a retired government institutional Chaplain, having worked with several Imams over the years, I can tell you now were a major part of the problem is . . . our prisons. This woman, like so many other professed American Muslims, is a jail convert. I have to say, none of the recent revelations come as a surprise to me. Neither did the Fort Hood tragedy.
I should mention that the government employed Imams I worked with all originated from Pakistan, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and I never met one who was what you would call “a moderate.” It used to amaze me how they were allowed to freely travel back and forth to places like Pakistan, no questions asked.
I can assure you that the Imams were “hands off” in an all too politically correct environment. Accountability for Imams was scarce if non existent, while the same cannot be said with respect to the Christian Chaplains I’ve worked with. Quite the opposite.
I can tell you up front that many of the adherents to Islam, at least in the correctional system, are little more than thugs and gang members who love to operate under the cover of “freedom of religious association.” Many of them need little more than to be given a fanatical cause to dwell on. Sadly, they generally already hate the government and the society that landed them there. The sociopaths are the ones who really need to be concerned about. “Jane” may just be one of this ilk.
Our government’s willingness to dealing with the sedition being fomented in our correctional systems (Federal, State and local) will go a long way toward abating the sort of thing we are now seeing in the likes of Jihad Jane. I’m willing to bet the Jihad Jane was anti-government/anti-establishment long before her supposed conversion. There’s nothing quite like obtaining a holy blessing to cover your evil intentions. Where did this “Jihad Jane” stuff all start? In a jail!
Based on my experiences, political correctness is one of our greatest enemies as a nation. American apathy is probably a close second. Time to wake up and smell the coffee.
I haven’t heard calls yet for airport screeners to start applying special scrutiny to passengers who fit the profile of a middle-aged 4-foot eleven-inch blonde woman. These people are dangerous!
[blockquote]Dale Rye wrote: I haven’t heard calls yet for airport screeners to start applying special scrutiny to passengers who fit the profile of a middle-aged 4-foot eleven-inch blonde woman. [/blockquote]
Never fear. In June 2004 on my way back from Greenland a female TSA screener applied special scrutiny to this greying Caucasian 60+ grandmother. That special scrutiny is already part of their repertoire, and they are not friendly about it, either.
It’s the smart ones who might go down this path who worry me; people like Ms. LaRose are fortunately addled enough to be easily detected and caught. “JihadJane” as her internet name? She might as well have called herself “NSApleaseeavesdroponmeJane.”