The War on Terror—A Religious Mission

January 3, 2007

Al-Jaaoura faced his trial with supreme confidence. Because his mission was “divine,” he reasoned, how could he be guilty? He rose to his defense. He was “a soldier of Allah,” and the killing of “a despicable crusader” was “the closest to winning Allah’s acceptance,” he asserted. A Jordanian of Palestinian origin, he said he had been “blessed” by Allah before setting off to kill Westerners. “Allah blessed me when I killed a British man and hurt others, because they are fighting the Prophet [Muhammed] and his soldiers since the Balfour Declaration,” he said in defense of his actions. (The 1917 declaration expressed the British government’s support for the creation of Israel.) Western democracy stands in the way of Islamic governance, he reasoned.

This man truly believed he was divinely inspired by Allah. The divine purpose of his mission was sufficient to prove his innocence, he thought. After hearing the defendant’s case, the prosecutor demanded “the harshest penalty.”

Fatmar Najar, 67, also had a divine mission. The Palestinian grandmother of 40 children was killed as she approached Israeli soldiers in Gaza this past November. A broadcast soon after the incident showed her reading from a script, “I offer myself as a sacrifice to god [Allah] and to the homeland.” At her funeral, family and friends called on more elderly citizens of the Palestinian community to offer themselves as “martyrs.” They obviously believe the elderly can also make a worthwhile contribution.

Many journalists report that these events stem from Israel’s belligerence because of the “occupation.” Is that true, or might the cause go deeper than superficial assessments?

The Islamic Terrorist Seven-Phase Plan
Two years ago, Jordanian journalist Fouad Hussein wrote a book called Al-Zarqawi—Al-Qaeda’s Second Generation, based on information garnered from deep inside Al-Qaeda. As a political prisoner, he had spent time in jail with Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, one of the worst of Iraq’s murderous terror chiefs. His book, written in Arabic, is based on interviews with Islamic militants, including Al-Zarqawi and Said Al-Adel, a leader in Al-Qaeda (in Iraq) and Islamic Jihad. More importantly, Hussein outlines seven phases to be initiated by the terror network in order to establish an Islamic caliphate (a planned Islamic state) when the West “will be too weak to fight.”

Many in Israel are weary of fighting. The midterm elections in America suggest that the United States wants to get out of the battle. British Prime Minister Tony Blair reached his “used-by” date with his own party and the national constituency because he involved British forces in Iraq. Most of the world media has been strongly opposed to the war on Iraq, and there is little doubt that their incessant negativity has had a major influence on world opinion. No one wants to fight. Everyone wants peace. But, is that possible when the enemy is proactively seeking to take over your home? Is the Islamic terrorist assessment that the West will just get tired of it all far off the mark?

So what is the terrorist seven-phase plan?
The First Phase is called “The Awakening.” Hussein writes that 9/11 was carried out to provoke the United States into war with the Islamic world, and this, they reasoned, would awaken Muslims. This phase is over, and the terrorists believe their message is now heard everywhere.

The Second Phase may be developing before our eyes. Iraq is to become the center of all global operations. The network in other Arab nations will grow through the recruiting of young men during this period.

The Third Phase is chilling. A period from 2007 is termed “Arising and Standing Up.” Hussein prophesied, “There will be a focus on Syria.” He warns that the leaders are already prepared. He predicted that during 2007 to 2010, Turkey and Israel will be attacked. Other nations like Jordan are also in danger, he said.

The Fourth Phase from 2010 highlights the collapse of resistant Arab governments. The terrorist networks will also focus on oil suppliers, and the US economy will be attacked through cyber terrorism.

The Fifth Phase is marked by the declaration of the Islamic state or caliphate. The objective is to have so weakened US influence in the Western world that their resistance will not deter the plan.

The Sixth Phase begins from 2016 when “total confrontation” will be unleashed. The war will rage between the believers and the non-believers, a battle predicted some time ago by Osama bin Laden.

The Seventh Phase concludes with the “definitive victory.” Hussein describes how the world will be so beaten up by the one and a half billion Muslims that the caliphate will undoubtedly succeed. He claims this final phase will last just two years, and it will all be over by 2020.

The plan looks formidable on paper, and it is scary to see how well the early phases have unfolded.

Intra-Jihad
There is, however, a factor that may yet intercept Islamic dreams. Last November 10, Sheikh Abu-Hamzah Al-Muhajir, an Iraqi Al-Qaeda leader, threatened US President George W. Bush. He ranted and boasted about “defeating Bush” and taunted America for waging a “stupid” war in Iraq.

What many missed in his speech were his passionate threats against Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah. The sheikh was particularly angry about Iranian-Shiite power. He criticized the Sunnis who have yet to join his jihad. He also aimed barbed comments at the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan. There is an internal rivalry within the Islamic world, as ambitious leaders strive for the highest honor of being the jihad chief. Will Iran or Saudi Arabia rule? What about Hassan Nasrallah, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Abu-Hamzar Al-Muhajir, and Osama bin Laden?

Those who blame Israel for the War on Terror must study the details of what is really happening. The Sunni and Shia Muslim groups, in particular, have contested each other for supremacy for centuries. Their rivalry dates back to the days of Muhammed. The basic question facing these rival factions is, very simply, who is qualified to be the leader of the Muslim world?

Sunni Muslims believe the leader should be elected from among those with the qualifications to hold the position. By this process, Abu Bakr, the close friend and adviser of Muhammed, was chosen to be the first caliph of the Islamic nation (the caliphate). Shia and other Muslims believe the leader should come from the next in line within the family of Muhammed. They have refused to recognize the authority of the elected Muslim leaders.

This is serious factional fighting, of which the West has been mostly ignorant, and the attempt to unite them requires a miracle. It is a fierce internal war, and the West can play no part in the solution of their differences. Nevertheless, the world is feeling the impact of “global jihad.” One reason for the war on the West is to recruit Muslim fighters to war against a common enemy. Some Muslim youth might struggle to fight against another Muslim, but if their hatred is channeled toward the West or Israel, then they can be recruited with fervor.

After the Soviet–Afghan War (1979–89), militants returned to their home countries—Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, and Egypt—where they were quickly recruited into local militias or formed their own groups. Some were not welcomed back home, and they found new residence in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. The spread of these militants was quick and deadly. It is a serious mistake to see these dispersed groups as an undisciplined, homeless rabble. They are highly motivated by radical, religious commitment and drive. Death is the highest gift they offer their god.

The suicide bomber poses great problems to security forces around the world. More than 50% of deadly attacks in Israel in the past four years have come through the suicide bomber tactic. Al-Qaeda coordinates suicide bombings simultaneously. The deadly strategy is designed to win control of the Islamic world. The Islamic terrorist network actually has internal targets, and their war is not necessarily always against America or Israel. Campaigns against the Big Satan (United States) and the Little Satan (Israel) are often waged to rouse the passions of potential volunteers. They seek to grow their forces by targeting an enemy outside of Muslim society and channeling the hatred for that enemy toward their main goal, which is control of the emerging caliphate.

The Countdown Has Begun
On July 26, 2005, the respected analyst Daniel Pipes wrote:

Bin Laden himself spoke of ensuring that “the pious caliphate will start from Afghanistan.” His chief deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, also dreamed of reestablishing the caliphate, for then, he wrote, “History would make a new turn, God willing, in the opposite direction against the empire of the United States and the world’s Jewish government.” Another Al-Qaeda leader, Fazhur Rehman Khalil, publishes a magazine that has declared: Due to the blessings of jihad, America’s countdown has begun. It will declare defeat soon, to be followed by the creation of a caliphate.”Or, as Mohammed Bouyeri wrote in the note he attached to the corpse of Theo van Gogh, the Dutch filmmaker he had just assassinated, “Islam will be victorious through the blood of martyrs who spread its light in every dark corner of the earth.”

In the fight against Islamic terrorism, the West is floundering, and the United Nations is ineffective. Nations like Russia are choosing to provide support for Iran and its nuclear program. Some believe Russian President Vladimir Putin has his own ambitions to be a major player in world events. The International Criminal Court will not judge cases involving terrorists, because it has not settled upon an acceptable definition of the word “terrorist.” What a sad indictment on its lack of wisdom, courage, or intellect. What hope lies in this world if a criminal court cannot define what crime is, or maybe does not have the conviction, courage, or permission to do so?

Why Target Israel?
By attacking Israel, the Islamic factions can take the focus away from their own rivalries and unite in their common hatred and desire to “wipe Israel off the map.” In an article published by the Jerusalem Center of Public Affairs, Dr. Boaz Ganor said, “There is a growing notion that there is a connection between the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and the motivations of Al-Qaeda and the global jihad and Islamic radical activists to attack Western society. This is nonsense because the Islamic radical groups that joined the global jihad had nothing to do with Israel when they were established. Only after 9/11 did they find that the Israel–Palestinian conflict could serve as a propaganda tool, especially in Arab and Muslim countries.”

The Bible said the enemy comes “to steal,… to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10), a long time before 1948 when Israel became a nation again. It is far too simplistic to place the blame on Israel when the adversary has displayed the same brutal, vicious characteristics from the start of history. Read the Bible, and analyze some of the strategies and tactics that Satan has always employed when seeking to be “like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). The battle remains a struggle for the throne—a fierce, arrogant quest for power and authority. Satan has hated the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob from the beginning with a passion that is no less intense today. It is important that Christians get into the action. Christianity is not an activity inspired by a movie. It is a formula we have received for life. Being “doers of the Word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22) is a call for personal and corporate response.

Could it be that we remain powerless because of factions within the Church? Do we face the same arrogant power struggles waged by those who seek their own kingdom? In the difficult days ahead, our only security is standing on the Word of God together, united. With worldwide intercession and commitment to His ways, the Lord might just intervene, “rend the heavens!…[and] come down” (Isaiah 64:1). Then the question of who is King will be over and done with forever.

By Ron Ross,
Israel Mosaic Radio

Photo Credit: