Daily Times

The media is reporting that the Obama administration is in the process of instructing the US Department of Justice to embark on a course of purging intelligence training materials. References that link Islam and terrorism are to be scrubbed. This is an ill-advised policy move.

On October 19, the Los Angeles Times published an op-ed titled ‘The wrong way to fight terrorism’ by Salam Al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. He demanded that “incorrect and divisive” training materials be stripped from the FBI and the Department of Justice training manuals. In what I consider an arrogant manner he also demanded “clear and unequivocal apology to the Muslim American community”. Apology for what? We are trying to take the fire out of the dragon’s mouth.

Study that focuses on the disciplines or sub-disciplines of Islam give a spontaneous snapshot. But when ‘packaging’ Islam as a research model, I view it as a Venn diagram. A Venn diagram shows all possible logical relations between collections of sets. The basic Venn diagram, which most people recognise, is one comprised of two or three circles.

Islam viewed through my eyes has the appearance of a five set Venn diagram using congruent ellipses in a radially symmetrical arrangement. Islam is complex, and not simple. So with the above conceptual backdrop, take a deep breath when reading the following statement:

Based on a Venn diagram, I consider Islam a convenient ‘gateway religion’ for terrorists.

You can slowly let your breath out now and let’s move back on track talking about the Venn diagram model of analysis of Islam.

Collapsed within the Quranic sciences are various disciplines. There is the Quran itself, which is considered the active voice of Allah. Add the Sunnah (the practice of the Prophet [PBUH]). Toss in Seerah (way of life). Mix in Tafseer (interpretation). Add a spoonful of Maghazi (genre of prophetic biography) literature. Sprinkle with jihad. Each discipline contains at least a smidgeon of information regarding how to wage jihad. For Muslims bent on terrorism, the ellipses of the Venn diagram come together nicely. Conceptually, everything can click into place in the mind. Right at the centre of the Venn diagram we can now see the perfect storm. Counter injunctions that “there is no compulsion in religion” or injunctions to not “transgress the limits” can fade to the periphery.

What is meant by the term ‘gateway religion’? It is an analogy taken from my educational discipline, which is nursing science.

Steroid abuse can be a gateway drug to opioid addiction. When steroids open the gate to opioid abuse, the alkaloid transformation that occurs in the brain creates quite the chemical conversion. The same is true when Islam comes together with a Venn diagram that focuses on jihad. Something begins to buzz within the psyche. And Islam becomes the gate into the more dangerous game.

My files are stuffed with works that reference jihad. Authors pull references to jihad from all of the Quranic disciplines and sub-disciplines. This is a fact. One particular work comes to mind. It is The Book of Jihad compiled by Abi Zakaryya Al Dimashqi Al Dumyati (D 814 Hijra). Transliteration to English is about 160 pages. The references range from the Quran, to the compendium of Hadith, to quotes of other authors’ works. It is an excellent source. But researchers and scholars need to take note. Are we examining set piece battles and historical backdrops? Or are we examining what other men will take as multiple realities, things to be played out in a new century, with a different stage, and a new set of actors?

What about the steady proliferation of jihadi literature for children? Another selection in my files bears mention. Winds from Paradise by Umm Saad was put online by Dar Al-Murabiteen Publications. The webmaster stated, “We pray for Allah to guide all of us to what is right and make our intentions purely for His sake. May Allah grant victory to His slaves, He is the All Powerful, Ever Merciful.”

Really? May Allah never guide His slaves to write jihad propaganda targeting Islam’s children. This is a piece of literary trash. It uses sensory stimulation to convince children to throw away their lives.

Jihadi literature is out there. It is sprinkled with words that are distinctly Islamic in nature. It is the Venn diagram that constructs jihad as the centrepiece of Islam.

What is happening today is that 7th century battles are being used to transcend their moment in time. The Badr spring offensive, such as the model used by the Taliban, comes to mind. Undoubtedly, some of the concepts of warfare speak to the heart of the foot soldiers but their concepts are being taken straight from Surah Al-Anfal.

Inclusion of Islam-terror linkages in training materials is not about “targeting a demographic”. It is about identifying a target within a demographic. There are men and women in the Muslim community who use Islam as a gateway for their terrorism aspirations. Intelligence sifting is necessary for all of the right reasons. It is about operational prudence, not intentional malice. An intelligence variable that glances at the American Muslim community is just one of many intelligence variables examined on any given day. The CIA sifts through five million ‘tweets’ per day. These are not necessarily ‘Muslim tweets’. The Justice Department tracks financial transactions across the globe. Consideration of all variables is for one reason: the safety of all American citizens.

Is there a need to improve the training manuals? The impact of jihadi literature may actually require greater focus. To completely de-link the word ‘Islam’ from the word ‘terrorism’ ignores a current reality. Islamic text is being used to fuel terrorism. How can we rearrange the Venn diagram to pull aspects of justice and mercy to the middle? How can the poetic language of the Quran be taught in such a manner that it ceases to provide a gate for the recruitment of future terror operatives? But there should be no apology for training manuals that seek to adequately equip intelligence officers. Problems can be ignored or tackled. I prefer problems be addressed. Intelligently, of course!

The writer is a freelance columnist. She can be reached at tammyswof@msn.com