Sunday, November 6, 2011

Al Qaeda’s Ideal Recruit

The trial of Rezwan Ferdaus in Massachusetts may provide the ideal portrait of an American recruited to Al Qaeda. Ferdaus is accused of plotting to kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq and bomb the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol with explosives carried by model airplanes.

Al Qaeda seeks isolated people, who often feel humiliated by society with little knowledge of Islam. Furthermore, Al Qaeda wants men with no prior criminal record or affiliation with radical groups. Also Ferdaus studies physics, meaning that he had a certain degree of technical knowledge, that could benefit Al Qaeda. Source:

In the Internet age, its’ becoming easier for terrorist organization to do their work. Terrorists aren’t just locked into corners anymore, they have this vehicle were they can propagate their message with little difficulty. This case also illustrates the creative methods Al Qaeda and their recruits could use to attack the United States.

How do we combat radicalization efforts of Americans? It’s easy to say stop the isolation, but it’s a harder idea to implement in practice. We have so much fear and disconnection permeating society these days, that we don’t even know each other. That certainly plays a part in sad stories like this.

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