‘Recruiter’ of Jihadis: I regret opening the way to ISIS

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- cosmicdancer
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‘Recruiter’ of Jihadis: I regret opening the way to ISIS
OP - June 13, 2015, 10:54 PM

The “godfather” of the British jihadi movement, who recruited dozens of young men to fight in foreign wars, has said he now regrets opening the way for people to join terror groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaida.

Abu Muntasir, 55, who lives in Suffolk, was one of the first influential propagandists in the UK for a radical Islamist message. Active in the 1980s and 1990s, he helped to radicalise “thousands” of young Muslims, encouraging many of them to travel to fight in wars in Afghanistan, Kashmir, Burma, Bosnia and Chechnya.

Among the first to invite speakers to the UK from abroad who preached violence and hatred to disaffected Muslims, he distributed speeches from hate preachers Ali al-Timimi, now serving a life sentence in the US for inciting terrorism, and the late Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a controversial CIA drone attack in Yemen that also left his children dead.

In a documentary by Emmy-winning film-maker Deeyah Khan to be shown on ITV this week, Muntasir and several former extremists speak of their deep regret at the decisions of hundreds of UK Muslims to travel to join Isis in Syria and Iraq, and of their efforts to educate young people away from the same paths they followed as angry young men.

Muntasir, who is seen sobbing in the film as he recounts the horrors of his own days on battlefields in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Burma, is described as one of the “founding fathers of western jihad” and admitted that he worked to “create the link and clear the paths. I came back [from war] and opened the door and the trickle turned to a flood. I inspired and recruited, I raised funds and bought weapons, not just a one-off but for 15 to 20 years. Why I have never been arrested I don’t know.”

See more at:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/13/godfather-of-british-jihadists-admits-we-opened-to-way-to-join-isis?
- aife
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‘Recruiter’ of Jihadis: I regret opening the way to ISIS
Reply #1 - June 30, 2015, 07:59 PM

I thought it was a pretty good film
Bit troubled by Abu Muntasir's glib assertion that "I've forgiven, so I should be forgiven" though. Don't think an apology is really enough when you've got that much blood on your hands. And he had a long career in terror , it wasn't some brief teenage aberration.
- aife
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‘Recruiter’ of Jihadis: I regret opening the way to ISIS
Reply #2 - June 30, 2015, 08:03 PM

Incidentally, progamme on Isis' campaign of cultural destruction just starting on BBC4 (Tuesday 9pm)
- moi
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‘Recruiter’ of Jihadis: I regret opening the way to ISIS
Reply #3 - June 30, 2015, 08:23 PM

Umm, why isn't he serving a life sentence?

When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.

A.A. Milne,

"We cannot slaughter each other out of the human impasse"
- aife
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‘Recruiter’ of Jihadis: I regret opening the way to ISIS
Reply #4 - June 30, 2015, 09:13 PM

N ot only has he never been charged , but I just looked at his blog and he holds several official posts , including membership of panels related to the police and CPS
I know there's an old saying about ex-poachers making good gamekeepers but this doesn't seem right to me
- Quod Sum Eris
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?Recruiter? of Jihadis: I regret opening the way to ISIS
Reply #5 - July 01, 2015, 02:39 AM

I've forgiven, so I should be forgiven? The fuck? Saying sorry washes the blood off his hands, erases the pain and suffering he helped cause? If he's forgiven himself good for him, but it's revolting that he would demand it of others.

`But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.
`Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: `we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.'
`How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice.
`You must be,' said the Cat, `or you wouldn't have come here.'
- bogart
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?Recruiter? of Jihadis: I regret opening the way to ISIS
Reply #6 - July 01, 2015, 03:07 AM

It is a religious concept in which forgiveness and repentance of ones crimes, sin and other acts should be extended to people as well as God.
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