When a Messenger of Al Qaeda Comes From Our Midst

This is a fascinating article from Family Security Matters that describes the evolution of a young American immigrant from Saudi Arabia to a full fledged mouthpiece and advocate of islamic terror group, al Qaeda. This is the story of Samir Khan.

From the article:

Samir Khan who came to America at the age of seven, referred to himself as “A typical American Kid”, according to a NY Times article by Michael Moss October 15, 2007.

How does one go from being “a typical American kid” to becoming the al-Qaeda English spokesman and web designer?

Is it really any surprise that Samir claims that his week at the IONA summer camp was the beginning of his transformation? He stated to the NY Times that after camp he knew,

''what I wanted to do with my life: be a firm Muslim, a strong Muslim, a practicing Muslim.''

He created a new blog in late 2005 called “Inshallahshaheed” which translates to “a martyr soon if God wills”. His site was rated by the Internet traffic counter Alexa.com among the top one percent of one hundred million Internet sites in the world.

He described his favorite video from Iraq to the NY Times: a fiery suicide-bomber attack on an American outpost.

''It was something that brought great happiness to me,'' he said. ''Because this is something America would never want to admit, that they are being crushed.''

He didn't become an interest of the intelligence community until 2007 at the age of 21, when he posted an essay from Usama bin Laden on his website.

As you read through the entire article below, you will see the radicalization of this young man, almost step by step, year by year. It really is amazing to see a kid being raised in "normal" America who within a short 15 years or so gets to the point where he has to literally leave our country because he cannot stomach to live here.

We see the seeds of hate are planted at the summer camp, we see how those seeds grow and are groomed and we eventually see a man develop whose entire life is centered around death, violence and destruction.

And I ask you - think about that summer camp that Khan attended...and then ask yourself, "how many other kids attended that same camp and came away with the same seeds but to this day simply haven't taken the public road to jihad?" How many Samir Khans do we have in our country at this moment who believe just as he does, but haven't gone the road of a spokesman with words and photos but are waiting to carry their ideology out...in the traditional jihadi way?

Out of the Mouth of Al-Qaeda

Gadi Adelman


Samir Khan who came to America at the age of seven, referred to himself as “A typical American Kid”, according to a NY Times article by Michael Moss October 15, 2007.

How does one go from being “a typical American kid” to becoming the al-Qaeda English spokesman and web designer?

Following his time-line and the groups he associated with can not only help us understand the road to terror, but can also give us some insight on the organizations that are operating freely in this country that take people down that road.

Samir Khan was born in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, when he was 7 his family moved to New York City and settled into the Queens neighborhood of Maspeth.

In August 2001 at the age of15, he went for one week to summer camp at a mosque in Queens, which was sponsored by the Islamic Organization of North America (IONA).

According to the 'background' tab in the IONA website, the organization now known as Islamic Organization of North America started as the Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an Lahore (Society of the Servants of Al-Qur’an) which was established in 1972.

The Tanzeem-e-Islami (Islamic Organization) was then founded in 1975, and Tahreek-e-Khilafat Pakistan (Khilafah Movement) was launched in 1991 out of the Tanzeem-e-Islami Pakistan. In 1993, Tanzeem-e-Islami North America, or T.I.N.A. was established.

In 2003 T.I.N.A. became independent from Tanzeem-e-Islami Pakistan. It is now known as the Islamic Organization of North America (Al-Tanzeem Al-Islami Amrika Al-Shamaliah) or IONA.

So, basically in simple terms, the IONA grew out of Tanzeem-e-Islami Pakistan.

The 'Objective' tab on their website is pure Sharia (Islamic law), here is the page in full,

The obligations of a Muslim as ordained by the Qur'an and Sunnah, can be understood as having four levels:

· A Muslim is required to develop real faith and conviction (iman) in one’s heart
· A Muslim is required to live a life of complete submission to the will of Allah (SWT)
· A Muslim is required to propagate and disseminate the message of Islam to the entire humanity
· A Muslim is required to try his utmost in establishing the Just Islamic Order

The fundamental objective of establishing IONA is to assist the Muslims in North America to uphold and implement these obligations first on themselves, next on their families, inform their friends and then to invite the non-Muslims to Islam. The ultimate goal is to seek Allah (SWT)'s pleasure and salvation in the Hereafter.

Required to live a life of complete submission to the will of Allah and required to try his utmost in establishing the Just Islamic Order?

Is it really any surprise that Samir claims that his week at the IONA summer camp was the beginning of his transformation? He stated to the NY Times that after camp he knew,

''what I wanted to do with my life: be a firm Muslim, a strong Muslim, a practicing Muslim.''

Although IONA speaks of 'non-violent' means to achieve its goals, the website goes on to explain under the 'Missions' tab four items to obtain these goals:

To become a genuine slave (‘abd) of Allah (SWT), one must willingly, completely and at all times submit to His commands with a sense of love and gratitude. This submission is not to be limited only to the five pillars of Islam; it is also required in one’s economic endeavors, political conduct and social behavior. Thus, the total submission to Allah (SWT) must encompass all of our individual and collective affairs.

In order to fulfill this duty, a struggle (jihad) must occur through the following three levels:

· Jihad against one’s own soul – nafs (the impulses of the self)
· Jihad against the whispering temptations of Satan
· Jihad against the wrong trends of society

Item number 4 is “Establishment of the just socio-politico-economic Islamic Order: Iqaamat-ud-Deen”
The three bullet point items under this are “Passive Resistance”, “Active Resistance” and
“Disciplined, Non-Violent Mass Movement”. The “Mass Movement” is explained as follows:

“Through active resistance the movement will use all constitutionally sanctioned means to bring about just changes in social, political, and economic practices. This includes non-violent direct action and civil disobedience.”

Read that sentence again. “use all constitutionally sanctioned means”, hmmm, where have we heard this before? Ah, yes, me and every other anti-jihad writer and expert out there. Use our Constitution against us.

I must stray for a minute, just days ago the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed a law suit against Oklahoma for the passing of their Constitutional amendment that ban judges in that state from using foreign or Sharia law when deciding cases.

The basis for this law suit? According to the CAIR press release:

The lawsuit says SQ 755 (State Question 755) violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause that bars government bodies from making laws "respecting the establishment of religion." Wow, the First Amendment's Establishment Clause? As in... Our Constitution?

Back to the Jihadi web geek, Samir.

The 2007 NY Times article on Samir explains:

He prayed more regularly. He dressed more modestly. He stopped listening to music except for Soldiers of Allah, a Los Angeles hip-hop group, now defunct, whose tunes like ''Bring Islam Back'' continue to have worldwide appeal among militant youths.

He also befriended members of the Islamic Thinkers Society, a tiny group that promotes radical, nonviolent Islam by leafleting in Times Square and Jackson Heights, Queens.

For more on the radical ties of the Islamic Thinkers Society see “Islamism: When Words Lead To Killing” by Adrian Morgan.

Samir Khan started blogging in 2003 promoting Islam in North America.

In 2004 Samir and his family moved to a middle class neighborhood in Charlotte, NC.

He created a new blog in late 2005 called “Inshallahshaheed” which translates to “a martyr soon if God wills”. His site was rated by the Internet traffic counter Alexa.com among the top one percent of one hundred million Internet sites in the world.

He described his favorite video from Iraq to the NY Times: a fiery suicide-bomber attack on an American outpost.

''It was something that brought great happiness to me,'' he said. ''Because this is something America would never want to admit, that they are being crushed.''

He didn't become an interest of the intelligence community until 2007 at the age of 21, when he posted an essay from Usama bin Laden on his website.

He turned up in Yemen in October 2009 and the first edition of the al-Qaeda “Inspire” English online magazine hit the internet in July 2010.

Now, the second edition has arrived and the article “I am proud to be a traitor to America”, written by Samir, is extremely telling.

In this article Samir recaps for us his road to Jihad. As he explains in the article’s teaser:

This is an account of how he happily became a traitor to America and why he chose to make such a decision.

I found it interesting the way he described how he dealt with our Homeland Security,

“I praise Allah and laugh at the intelligence agencies that were watching me for all those years. Back in North Carolina, the FBI dispatched a spy on me who pretended to convert to Islam; I took this man’s shahāda (testimony of conversion) and kept him under my wing. At one point, he broke his cover, revealing his true identity.”

He explains how easy it was to get a boarding pass and leave North Carolina and that he pretended to be an English teacher in Sana'a, Yemen as a cover story,

“After spending some time in Sana'a as an English teacher, I was surprised that they all easily fell for my cover. Throughout my experience of traveling from America to Yemen, I was expecting to be stopped and detained. But the most trouble I went through – if it’s even considered trouble – was that it took thirty minutes extra to get my boarding pass in North Carolina since, as the receptionist told me, I was being watched. It still surprises me when I reflect on it; I mean, I was quite open about my beliefs online and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that I was al Qaeda to the core.”

I'm not to sure on what “receptionist” he is referring to in regards to his boarding pass, but given the current state of our Transportation Security Administration (TSA) it doesn't surprise me.
He writes in the very beginning how,

“my faith took a 180-degree turn, I knew I could no longer reside in America as a compliant citizen.”

What turn did his faith take? Becoming more devout? This is why I have written before, “Utilizing the word “Radical” when describing a Muslim terrorist, suggests that there is such a thing as a “Moderate” as well. I am not saying all Muslims are terrorists. I am saying there is no moderate Islam.”

Samir explains simply,

“My beliefs had turned me into a rebel of Washington’s imperialism. My faith and convictions gave me strength to lambast the greatest tyrant of our time. It angered and frustrated them, while it left me in a state of peace and joy. What they were doing and continue to do in the Muslim lands is what I felt, totally unacceptable to my religion.”

So it was his beliefs, faith and convictions, it was totally unacceptable to his religion. Listen to these words carefully, this is coming from “a typical American kid” raised here since the age of seven.

He continues to explain his understanding of what it will take for Islam to claim world power,

“That’s because I am an individual convinced that Islam’s claim to power in the modern world is not going to be as easy as walking down a red carpet or driving through a green light. I am acutely aware that body parts have to be torn apart, skulls have to be crushed and blood has to be spilled in order for this to be a reality. Anyone who says otherwise is an individual who is not prepared to make sacrifices that heroes and champions make.”

“Body parts have to be torn apart, skulls have to be crushed and blood has to be spilled in order for this to be a reality”. Let's remember, this magazine is in English, this is being read the world over but mostly it is aimed at others like him here in America. You know, typical American Muslim kids.

His explanation for becoming a traitor uses the normal rhetoric of the 'Muslim victim' as well as mentioning the 'Wikileaks' publication, Major Nidal Hasan and Faisal Shahzad the Times Square bomber,

“After knowing what America has accomplished in the Islamic world, what Muslim wouldn’t want to be a traitor? I seriously question the veracity of one’s faith when they have to think twice on taking a stand against America whether it is directly or indirectly. The list is endless when it comes to the crimes they have perpetrated upon the Islamic world. The recent leak of a 92,000-page document on the American crimes and realities of the war in Afghanistan is really only a scratch upon the surface. America has a long history of massacring and subjugating Muslims and yet the American regime is still scratching its head on the question: why did Usama bin Ladin attack us? America, take a hint for once: maybe you did something. It should then come as no surprise that the Muslims in your midst – like Nidal Hassan, Faisal Shahzad, and others – became traitors of your state due to your conduct.”

Using the Wikileaks editor comments he levy’s a threat,

“If you don’t want to spend the rest of your life worrying about preventing another attack, then take the advice of Wikileaks editor, Julian Assange: “If U.S. forces are demoralized because they have been assassinating people without going through the judicial process or because they have been engaged in civilian casualties; if they are demoralized by that, they should change their behavior.” With that said, my status as a traitor is not entirely a reaction to America’s criminality.”

The next portion of his article really goes to the core of true Islam, domination and a Sharia state,

“I was already aware that the government’s of the modern world were not particularly happy about a shari'ah-based state that would have jihad as a part of its foreign policy. However, that didn’t stop me from believing in my general Islamic obligation of working for the establishment of an Islamic State. The ninth verse of Şūrah as-Åžaf was my inspiration: {It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate others with Allah may hate it}. The way I understood this verse was that Muhammad was sent with the mission of bringing Islam to the world; not for it to only remain in the homes and mosques, but to have it as a working system of government that would shape entire societies based on the guidelines of Qur’an and Sunnah.”

Towards the end of his four page article he really gives us some insight to being labeled a traitor,

“I am a traitor to America because my religion requires me to be one, {although those who associate others with Allah may hate it}. I am terrifically proud to be a part of such a religion and what Muslim wouldn’t? “

His religion requires him to be a traitor? Remember these words the next time you hear the term moderate Muslim.

His words are not that of just some nut or a small percentage of those who say they are Muslim, the next portion speaks the truth of Muslims throughout history and brings it to current times,

“Islam requires its domination and after eighty plus years of living in a post-Caliphate world, I would think that it's about time Muslims came together to tear down the obstacles. The most important of these obstacles today is obviously America.”

His last paragraph sums it up so well that I need not add anything to the ending,

“We pledge to wage jihad for the rest of our lives until either we implant Islam all over the world or meet our Lord as bearers of Islam.”