Yet Another "Jihad" ???

2015-01-06T02:24:59-05:00

Small Wars Journal has an article by Dr. Dmitry Shlapentokh which gives a point of view you won't see in the MSM (or coming from "The Gummint" either).

http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/the-lesson-of-russian-jihad

The Lesson of Russian Jihad

Recently, groups of people in Russia, most of them people from Central Asia, engaged in a killing spree near Moscow. They placed iron spikes on a road and waited until a lone car was damaged. When the driver got out of the car, he was killed. This was a killing for the sake of killing since the attackers took no money or the car. The extremists were able to kill at least ten people before they were apprehended. There were no visible signs of any external connections or influences. One might assume that these people were self-radicalized and engaged in terrorism because they were Muslims and were influenced either directly or indirectly by radical Islamists. Still, radicalization is not necessarily related with Islam as Russian examples clearly demonstrate.

In 2010, groups of Russian youngsters in the Maritime Provinces—all of them ethnic Russians, and not converts to Islam—murdered several local policemen for political reasons. Killings such as this indicate that what is called a “lone wolf” or “lone wolf groups” could well emerge even in an authoritarian society with strong control over society and could engage in violence for a long time before they could be apprehended.

One might ask why the American public should be concerned with these events. The answer can be found in the case of the Tsarnaev brothers, two Chechens from Russia who engaged in the Boston marathon bombings. Most people in law enforcement, home security and other government agencies concerned with protecting the American homeland were clearly convinced that the Tsarnaevs were influenced from abroad. It was assumed that this drive/intention to engage in terrorist activities was due to Islamist influence from the Northern Caucasus. The notion that the outside influence, if any, might be minimal and that the brothers were radicalized by the conditions of American society was basically discarded. Still, both in the case of recent Moscow terrorists, “Maritime guerrillas” and the Tsarnaev brothers, the root of radicalization was mostly internal and might not necessarily be related either with external influences or even radical Islam. Understanding this is essential to understanding the possibilities of such scenarios in the United States. It must be understood that the “lone wolf” or “lone wolves”—the very small groups of homegrown terrorists—could emerge from a variety of groups in American society. And these groups hardly fit any public or law enforcement profile. One could also assert that the U.S. is more predisposed to the emergence of “lone wolves” than any other society, and these groups hardly fit any public or law enforcement profile. One could also add that “lone wolves” could create many more problems in the U.S. than in other societies, such as, for example, Russia.

American Society as a Breeding Ground for the “Lone Wolf”

The Lesson of Russian Jihad | Small Wars Journal

Recently, groups of people in Russia, most of them people from Central Asia, engaged in a killing spree near Moscow. They placed iron spikes on a road and waited until a lone car was damaged. When the driver got out of the car, he was killed. This was a killing for the sake of killing since the attackers took no money or the car. The extremists were able to kill at least ten people before they were apprehended. There were no visible signs of...

Response by Capt Richard I P. made Jan 21 at 2015 9:33 AM

2015-01-21T09:33:40-05:00

COL Ted Mc, Sir this is an outstanding article and needs more viewership here on RP. The threat of self-radicalization and the vulnerability of our open society needs to be better understood by those of us charged with defending it. I consider it just a further argument of why we need to "Arm the Armed Forces."
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/arm-the-armed-forces
I think I might start willy-nilly tagging people who should read this.

Arm the Armed Forces! | RallyPoint

The outcome of the discussion "Concealed carry for CAC holders?" by [~222148:SGT Bernard Boyer III]. Below follows my skeleton letter to congress, based on the edits RP members have suggested to the 10 points. Anyone and everyone is welcome to edit and personalize the letter for their own use in writing to their congressional representatives. We sent a mass email on 3 January, the swearing in of the new congress, now it's a free for all. You...

Response by TSgt Joshua Copeland made Jan 21 at 2015 6:26 PM

2015-01-21T18:26:57-05:00

Capt Richard I P. and COL Ted Mc, the random shooting sprees we have had here in the US are enough to show that radicalization is not isolated to just one area or one group! Going back as to within a year of my High School graduation with Columbine last year's Isla Vista killings. Any marginalized group or even individual can become a potential issue.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Jan 21 at 2015 9:18 PM

2015-01-21T21:18:57-05:00

God help anyone getting silly in Arizona. I saw grandma with a .357 on her hip and she looks like she knows how to use it.