Omar Hammami grew up in the small of town of Daphne, Ala., but ended up in southern Somalia on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list. Last week, Hammami was reportedly killed by members of al-Shabab, the al-Qaida-linked militant group, after a falling out with its leadership.
He was known for rapping in an al-Shabab and was the subject of an in The New York Times Magazine. He also went by the name of Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki, or “the American.”
A timely post. I came across a report supposedly with a listing provided by Al Shebab of those involved in the Nairobi terrorism and the countries they came from. Are there really 3 Americans, a Canadian, a Brit, a Finn, 2 Somalians and a Kenyan involved in this murder spree, aged between 20 and 27 years old? Hard to know what credibility to give it, but the reports from over here is that our government are considering whether at least one Briton is involved and this is part of the reason for the COBRA meeting today in London [stands for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A – Emergency Response Meeting]. What we do know is that one of the people briefing for Al Shebab, and who denied US and UK people participated and the authenticity of the listing, himself speaks with an English accent.
In some ways, it doesn’t matter – there is enough evidence that many of the extremists who came into Afghanistan, into Iraq, into Libya and now into Syria were not locals at all but Western, and often well educated Western extremists who oppressed and terrorised the local people in the name of al Qu’ada, the Taliban and of Islam. Whether Pakistanis in England, or Chechens in Boston, or a half Syrian from Alabama, these callow and arrogant youngsters oppress the people whose countries they visit [perhaps the journalist should have asked ‘Omar’ how the Somalis felt about his treatment of them] or make war on the people and societies who have taken them in.
I have a strong sense of frustration with these young and rootless people who have found their identity in Muslim extremism. It is not the case that they are poor uneducated Muslims from the countries concerned. They are usually the first or second generation of immigrants to the West, who have only recently been given citizenship, have had a remarkably affluent upbringing, an excellent education, good housing and absense of toil, disease and malnutrition their grandparents would think was hugely lucky. And yet, they are spoilt, egocentric, lacking in confidence, alienated and in search of something to believe in, and it seems to sadly die for.
I have wondered if rather than wring our hands over their predicament, a little tough love might not be better. Remove their passports if they cannot explain a visit to the extremist frontiers of Pakistan, Yemen etc, and if they do appear to be involved in training or terrorist advocacy, revoke their citizenship and and that of family members who advocate or laud having a martyr in the family. That might well have sobering effect to realise that instead of being puzzled over, that their actions will have consequences, and the welcome, hospitality and free life chances they have received cannot be taken for granted.
We have had enormous difficulty getting rid of even the most determined advocates of terrorism and attacks on our society like Abu Quatada who has finally been sent back to Jordan. Our hospitality is abused.
A few years ago, a Saudi minister here was rather dismissively asked by a UK TV journalist what Saudi Arabia was going to do about the problem of terrorists in his country. The prince courteously and deftly responded: ‘We don’t have a problem with terrorists in our country – you have a problem’.