Allen773
Graduate Poster
Breaking News:
Al Qaeda - aka Alan Qaeda - was an alias for Elvis after he "died."
Al Qaeda - aka Alan Qaeda - was an alias for Elvis after he "died."
Breaking News:
Al Qaeda - aka Alan Qaeda - was an alias for Elvis after he "died."
Who created al Qaeda?
"The name "al Qaeda" was established a long time ago by mere chance. The late Abu Ebeida El-Banashiri established the training camps for our mujahedeen against Russia's terrorism. We used to call the training camp al Qaeda [meaning "the base" in English]. And the name stayed."
In the initial stages of the Afghanistan War, Pakistan Islamic imam and theologian Abdullah Azzam along with Saudi businessman Osama Bin Laden and Egyptian Islamic imam Ayman al-Zawahiri together form an organization in which will help recruit and fund Arabs worldwide and Afghans in their fight against the Soviet invaders. The Mahktab al-Khidamat or Afghan Services Bureau would get hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and even the United States. As the funding became proficient, the MAK offices began to spread into other countries, with its second largest base in the United States. In 1987, three men, Mustafa Shalabi, Fawaz Damra, and Ali Shinawy, formally file papers incorporating Al-Kifah, which is called the Al-Kifah Refugee Center. At first, it is located inside the Al Farouq mosque. But eventually it will get it own office space next to the mosque. Shalabi, a naturalized citizen from Egypt, runs the office with two assistants: Mahmud Abouhalima and El Sayyid Nosair, Shalabi is also a close friend to Abdullah Azzam, and thus the Al-Kihaf Center would provide a major source of funding for the Mujaheddin in the war. There would be many other offices opening up inside the United States, in cities such as, St.Louis, Tuscon, Kansas City and New Jersey. Azzam himself would at times enter the United States on fund raising rallies by preaching at a number of mosques.
In 1991, Omar Abdel Rahman would enter the United States, he would be granted a temporary visa by the consul of the United States Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, despite his name being listed on a U.S. State Department terrorist watch list. The CIA knew of this but did nothing to impede on his arrival to the U.S. He would visit the Al Farooq Mosque in Brooklyn, and would in quick time have a small following who listened to his fiery sermons and denouncements of the United States. Many of these followers would go on to participate in the 1993 WTC bombing. Nevertheless “The Blind Shiek” Omar Abdel Rahman would also raise funding for the Afghan Mujahedin whenever he preached at the number of mosques in NYC. This would be the beginning stages of a new and profound ideology which would be given its headstart by none other than Abdullah Azzam…Defensive Jihad, the new Islamic call to arms and fight in a war that pertains to the spiritual as well as the physical. This ideology would replace the Pan Arabist nationalism which once dominated the Islamic spectrum in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
February 1991, Mustafa Shalabi would be found murdered inside his home. Omar Abdel Rahman would become the driving force behind the Al-Kifah center and Al Farooq Mosque. Abdel-Rahman is said to have circulated a denunciation of Shalabi in early 1991 all in due part to a disagreement over whether funding should continue to help Afghans in their quest to rebuild the country or to use it to continue toe “jihad” against the United States. Ayman al-Zawahiri would also have a similar argument with Abdullah Azzam over what should be done with the continued funding. Azzam wanted to use the wealth it had generated, and the network it created to help install a pure Islamic government in post-war Afghanistan and opposed “fitna” among Muslims, including attacks against governments of Muslim countries. Al-Zawahiri wanted to use MAK’s assets to fund a global jihad, including the overthrow of governments in Muslim countries deemed un-Islamic. In 1989 just months after the end of the Afghan-Soviet war, Abdullah Azzam would be killed along with two if his sons when his car, which was outfitted with a bomb, exploded. No one was held responsible for the murder of Azzam, but it was suspected that it was either Osama Bin Laden or the CIA. Just weeks later the MAK offices were now under the total control of Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. In 1992, it was renamed, Al Qaeda.
In 1991, Omar Abdel Rahman would enter the United States, he would be granted a temporary visa by the consul of the United States Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, despite his name being listed on a U.S. State Department terrorist watch list.
The CIA knew of this but did nothing to impede on his arrival to the U.S.
My only objection is that by 1991 the CIA already knew about the 9/11 attacks, and had plenty of time to prevent them.Abdel-Rahman was issued a tourist visa in 1990 and entered the US in July, 1990. The DoS revoked his visa in November, 1990. For some reason in April, 1991 he was issued a Green Card from the INS office in Newark, NJ. He went back overseas and was allowed to re-enter the US in August, 1991 because under US laws he had the right to appeal his immigration status.
It.Was.Not.The.CIA's.Job.In.1991.
You could also add that the CIA didn't care, because in 1991 they didn't care. Nobody cared. Did the FBI put a tail on him? No. Why? They didn't care either. In 1991 both agencies would have been staring down a civil rights lawsuit claiming the US government was discriminating against a Muslim cleric, worse - a blind Muslim cleric. In 1991 there was nobody in management at the FBI nor CIA nor INS nor the USBP, nor the DoS who had the stomach for a career ending lawsuit.
Al Qaeda knew this. They used our open society against us. The irony is that they've turned us into the monster they wanted the unwashed to believe that we were prior to 2001.
Today? Today we'd put a 2000lb JDAM through whatever building Abdel-Rahman is in at the time the plane or drone shows up on station killing him and the family of believers he's staying with or having dinner with. Today the CIA actually has an in-house tactical operations unit which can slip into Abdel-Rahman's neighborhood and hose him down, or set off an IED. The CIA also has access to JSOC in ways not available in 1991, and thanks to 17 years of war our Tier-1 units are much more effective.
Today our CIA, JSOC, and drones rack up kills every week in the Middle East and North Africa and Afghanistan. Seems like all we're doing is creating more terrorists. We do these things now because Americans beat our elected officials over the head claiming that we were too soft on terrorism prior to 2001. Maybe it's me but short attention spans seem to be an American hallmark. In 1990 banning a "controversial" blind cleric would have been seen as an outrage. So what if he was Al Qaeda? Bin Laden would go to the Saudis in 1990 to offer Al Qaeda to take the lead in removing Iraq from Kuwait. Remember that? Almost like we had similar goals in 1990-91. And Abdel-Rahman wasn't any more vitriolic than many right-wing Christian TV preachers of the time (or even today). We have freedom of speech and freedom of religion and there's nothing that the government can do about it...
Also, it's still not the CIA's job to keep terrorists from lawfully entering the US. That's the INS, Customs, USBP, and FBI's job.
Abdel-Rahman was issued a tourist visa in 1990 and entered the US in July, 1990. The DoS revoked his visa in November, 1990. For some reason in April, 1991 he was issued a Green Card from the INS office in Newark, NJ. He went back overseas and was allowed to re-enter the US in August, 1991 because under US laws he had the right to appeal his immigration status.
It.Was.Not.The.CIA's.Job.In.1991.
You could also add that the CIA didn't care, because in 1991 they didn't care. Nobody cared. Did the FBI put a tail on him? No. Why? They didn't care either. In 1991 both agencies would have been staring down a civil rights lawsuit claiming the US government was discriminating against a Muslim cleric, worse - a blind Muslim cleric. In 1991 there was nobody in management at the FBI nor CIA nor INS nor the USBP, nor the DoS who had the stomach for a career ending lawsuit.
Al Qaeda knew this. They used our open society against us. The irony is that they've turned us into the monster they wanted the unwashed to believe that we were prior to 2001.
Today? Today we'd put a 2000lb JDAM through whatever building Abdel-Rahman is in at the time the plane or drone shows up on station killing him and the family of believers he's staying with or having dinner with. Today the CIA actually has an in-house tactical operations unit which can slip into Abdel-Rahman's neighborhood and hose him down, or set off an IED. The CIA also has access to JSOC in ways not available in 1991, and thanks to 17 years of war our Tier-1 units are much more effective.
Today our CIA, JSOC, and drones rack up kills every week in the Middle East and North Africa and Afghanistan. Seems like all we're doing is creating more terrorists. We do these things now because Americans beat our elected officials over the head claiming that we were too soft on terrorism prior to 2001. Maybe it's me but short attention spans seem to be an American hallmark. In 1990 banning a "controversial" blind cleric would have been seen as an outrage. So what if he was Al Qaeda? Bin Laden would go to the Saudis in 1990 to offer Al Qaeda to take the lead in removing Iraq from Kuwait. Remember that? Almost like we had similar goals in 1990-91. And Abdel-Rahman wasn't any more vitriolic than many right-wing Christian TV preachers of the time (or even today). We have freedom of speech and freedom of religion and there's nothing that the government can do about it...
Also, it's still not the CIA's job to keep terrorists from lawfully entering the US. That's the INS, Customs, USBP, and FBI's job.
Little-known fact: Osama bin Laden was a top baseball pitching prospect, but when he went undrafted by the major leagues he turned to terrorism.
My only objection is that by 1991 the CIA already knew about the 9/11 attacks, and had plenty of time to prevent them.
So when you say the CIA "didnt care" regarding the whereabouts of Rahman, i say you are being quite disingenuous. Very much like what happened with the September 11th attacks, they seemingly allowed a known terrorist to obtain a US Tourist Visa multiple times, and didnt bother to warn the FBI about him entering the country.
Problem regarding Rahman obtaining a US Visa was that he was already on a terrorist watch list.
I'm not convinced that whether or not there should be blame of CIA is the appropriate starting point.Seriously, the guy was on a State Department watch list. Why didn't the Customs Agent put him on the next plane home? Why didn't the INS haul him off to the nearest airport, it wasn't like he was hiding? And what about the FBI?
How is any of the the CIA's fault?
My only objection is that by 1991 the CIA already knew about the 9/11 attacks, and had plenty of time to prevent them.
Okay...
So why didn't they use this obviously secret time machine to change history by stopping the attacks?
I ask only because 1991 was ten years BEFORE 2001.