A Sophisticated Enemy

It’s difficult to gauge the mental state of Osama Bin Laden. Is he, as the president claims, actually on the run, or is he in his natural element planning his next attack, waiting for the right time to exploit the vulnerabilities that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has still yet to address?

Two things remain sure. Bin Laden remains defiant as he declares to the world today that he will not be taken alive (as broadcasted by a militant website), and his operatives continue to survey our country’s most susceptible targets.

Prior to 9/11, the intelligence community knew the gravity of the threat al-Qaeda posed to the country but failed to convince Washington policymakers to share the same sentiment. The 9/11 Report informed us that Clinton's Defense Secretary, William Cohen and Joint Chiefs of Staff head General Hugh Shelton took al-Qaeda lightly. When a cruise missile retaliation against al-Qaeda for the embassy bombings in Africa was proposed, both Cohen and Shelton dismissed the proposal believing it was a waste of million-dollar weapons to hit only “jungle gym” equipment, to use Shelton's words.

Since then, policymakers, with the creation of DHS, are finally getting on the same page with intelligence officials. As for the American public, I fear that four and a half years of calm since 9/11 have made us less cognizant of al-Qaeda—their sophistication and capabilities. Below, I outline some misconceptions that I hope will give the reader a better understanding of who our enemies truly are and what they are capable of doing.

Al-Qaeda suicide bombers are uneducated and come from poor economic backgrounds.

Untrue. In fact, most of the suicide bombers that carried out the attacks on 9/11 came from well-to-do families who were then radicalized by extreme Islamic clerics to adopt anti-western sentiments. For example, the head of the Hamburg contingent, Mohammad Atta, who flew American Airlines Flight 11 into the World trade Center, was an Egyptian who grew up in a middle-class family and received a degree in architectural engineering. Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, came from a religious family from Kuwait and was educated in the United States.

Al-Qaeda operatives are immigrants.

False. In fact there is a growing trend that al-Qaeda operatives are recruiting more and more U.S. citizens, primarily in prisons where criminals are being exposed to radical Islam. An example is Jose Padilla. A U.S. citizen born in Puerto Rico, Padilla converted to Islam after his last jail sentence and was radicalized by al-Qaeda operatives shortly after his release.

Al-Qaeda is an unsophisticated enemy.

Nothing could be more false. The 9/11 attacks proved that al-Qaeda was sophisticated enough to use technology such as the Internet and cell phones to advance communiqués. We learned that al-Qaeda was thorough in their planning and surveillance, capable of forging passports and other sensitive documents. According to a high ranking DHS official, al-Qaeda uses similar assessments used by DHS to determine how they could exploit potential targets.

In order for ordinary Americans to remain vigilant, it is important to understand who the enemy is, how they think and operate. Today they continue to plan and conduct surveillances in the United States as evidenced by the father and son tandem of Umer and Hamid Hayet (the former is a U.S. citizen) who were arrested by the FBI in Lodi, California accused of conducting terrorist (jihadist) activity. According to a high ranking DHS official, the Hayets are not an exception. In fact, we know that terror cells continue to operate in our country and they know where our vulnerabilities lie. A camera tape DHS recently recovered showed a wide angle shot of the Hollywood sign which then zoomed to a vital communications tower directly behind it. This is evidence enough to show that terrorists know our weaknesses.

Bin Laden makes no secret that he defeated the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan by draining blood and treasure. Today, he attempts to do the same with our country. In the end, it is important that the American people recognize al-Qaeda as a sophisticated and confident enemy that should not be underestimated. I hope this post serves as a reminder that we, as citizens, should continue to remain vigilant; aware of our surroundings and keen to report any suspicious activity. It is in this confidence and trust that we find in each other that will help to keep our country secure.

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A Paradoxical World

At a time when eighty nations compete in the winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, as a symbol of global unity, political intrigue, terrorism, and intolerance dominate the world’s headlines.

We live in a paradoxical world, you and me. We say we value liberty, and then use it to mock our enemies (Danish newspapers satirizing the Prophet Mohammad).

We say we love freedom, and then use force to promote it (Operation Iraqi Freedom).

We say we use justice and the rule of law as our standards, and then exercise torture and secrecy (Abu Grahib and CIA “rendition”).

We promote free elections, and then fail to recognize and support the winning, majoritarian party (Hamas).

We say we want to secure peace, and then use war to justify pre-emption (Iraq).

We claim that our military operates by rules of engagement that attempts to prevent harming the innocent, and then we drop smart bombs that kill more innocent people than our enemies (CIA operation to bomb our enemies in Pakistan).

Can we truly say we represent the best of what democracy has to offer?

It is not a surprise to me why al-Qaeda and our other enemies despise us. While we continue to have the audacity to tell our enemies to change, we have lost our credibility by having failed to abide by our own principles and standards. It is time for Washington to step down from its pedestal and re-examine and re-evaluate its actions. This scripture comes to mind:

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)

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Holding the Danish Media Accountable

Like many of our freedom-loving, devout Muslim brothers and sisters, I was appalled to hear about the Danish newspapers’ decision to continue to publish degrading cartoons that satirized the Prophet Mohammad and then hide under the protection of “free speech.”

In the West, we have grown accustomed to making fun of people. It is embedded in our cultural mainstream. From political cartoons to late-night comedy shows, one only has to turn on the television to see political figures and famous movie stars being ridiculed left and right. We have become a society of thick-skinned people anesthetized to being mocked.

It is this cultural trait which the East does not fully understand. They are offended when someone or some group ridicules their culture. The Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad were not at all funny to them, as evidenced by their outrage.

So where am I going with all this? While our culture has accepted ridicule and satire as a norm, I personally don’t condone it. It’s demeaning, debasing and simply plain wrong. As a Christian, I don’t want Jesus Christ ridiculed, but it has happened. Muslim rioters around the world should understand that they have not been the only victims. How many times have Jews been ridiculed, or Sikhs, or Buddhists? The fact is we’ve all been derided at one time or another.

One of my graduate school professors devotes his life to the pursuit of “the search for reasonableness and human dignity under constitutional law.” The problem with free speech is that it has no mechanism for accountability. The issue here is not about curtailing free speech or even the protection of liberty, as critics like Michelle Malkin would argue. The Danish newspapers continue to publish because they want to attract worldwide readership through this sensationalism. It serves no other basis than to sensationalize and humiliate, brining forth a new type of journalistic jingoism. I mean, how many times have you read Danish newspapers before this issue was brought to light?

The solution lies in holding the media more accountable for their actions. Editors need a standard. The real issue is not about protecting liberty but the ethical use of liberty. I suggest, as my professor would also suggest, that the media consider reasonableness and human dignity as a criterion when deciding what and what not to publish.

At a time when we want to reach out to our Muslim brothers and sisters, to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, to build shared meaning within the Muslim world, these cartoons have only stirred the flames of hatred even more, making a mockery of free speech. We should rather be focusing on promoting the best of what democratic core values has to offer: that of respect and human dignity.

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A Mid-Morning Rant

I asked my wife what her opinion of the Danish comics was. She sat down and wrote this reply.

"People have been talking left and right about the Danish cartoons of the prophet Mohammad. Some are furious at the Danish for such mockeries; some angry at Muslims for their public demonstrations of outrage. What neither side sees is a lose-lose situation. This country has been caught in a Catch-22 in which we either bow and scrape to the moral debasement of the media or to the economic influence of the East.

This is not the first time a famous character has been made fun of in print. Just hop on Google and you’ll find comics of any famous character, including religious icons. Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Sikhs, we’ve all had our share in the satire spotlight. Why should Mohammad be any different? The West is a culture of making fun. Otherwise, late-night television would cease to exist and several comics would be out of jobs. We make a living of making fun of others. Modern-day Western society has learned to have a thick skin and take pleasure in being made fun of. This means enough people recognize our names and personalities to make fun of us. So what’s so different about this?

The difference is who’s doing the “insulted” dance. The US is currently walking a very thin line when it comes to relations with the Middle East. Their oil supply is a powerful reason for politicians to smile and talk peace, even while soldiers fight wars in the streets. The East is as intelligent as we are; we just don’t realize it. They are taking this for everything they can. By crying “censorship” and trying to shut down the media machine, they have just broken through what we feel is our greatest privilege and honor – our right to say what we think. It’s a greater blow than any building they could bomb.

On the other hand is that media machine. Why does the media come up with outrageous stories, commercials and shows that scandalize the public? Because people will pay attention to them. It’s a sad but true fact: people find "good" boring. The corrupt, the inept, the insane and the outright stupid get more attention from the paying public than anything else – and the media cashes in on it every day. If you don’t believe me, look at the magazines on the checkout stand or watch primetime TV. Danish media is doing better than ever. Do you think they’re going to stop now that they have world-wide attention? If anything, someone has to think of something new to push the envelope and get attention away from them. The East has been a media darling for years. The Danes simply picked up a new piece of the pie.

So who wins in this nice little stare down? If the East is able to convince the media to censor the comics, what else will be demanded? Will books that slander the prophet be burned? What about songs, art, and the spoken word? Will these be censored too? If so, we have lost everything that free speech stands for. On the other hand, if the media goes untouched, the degradation of the human spirit will be allowed to continue unchecked. The argument of free speech is the same that allows the KKK, Nazis, pornography and all other cancers on the human race to spawn their ideas onto the public mind. Until humanity is willing to cry out with one voice and whole-heartedly refuse and reject such media, it will continue to exist and grow, swollen with money from gossip-greedy consumers."

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Department of Homeland Security Heeding 9/11 Commission's Recommendations

For those of us who have had the opportunity to read the 9/11 Report, the findings of the Commission were quite startling. Even before September 11th 2001, the FBI and the rest of the intelligence community knew that the chance of an impending, catastrophic attack on U.S. soil was likely.

In fact, a domestic attack had already occurred in 1993 when Ramzi Yousef attempted to unsuccessfully topple the World Trade Center towers with a truck bomb, which injured a thousand Americans, killing six. Next, our humanitarian expedition to Somalia resulted in two black hawk helicopters being shot down by people we now know had links to al Qaeda. Then came August 1998, when our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed killing 224 people. This was followed by the attack on the USS Cole on October 2000 which killed 17 American sailors. These attacks culminated to a crescendo on that fateful day we will never forget on September 11th, 2001.

Those events prompted the creation of the 9/11 Commission to investigate, report, and recommend their findings to the American people to explain in better detail, how and why the attacks happened that day. The purpose of this post is to show how far the Department Homeland Security (DHS) has been able to meet the recommendations as outlined by the 9/11 Commission Report.

The 9/11 Report identified four major areas of concern when it was first published two years ago: (1) the lack of imagination; (2) ineffective policy; (3) limited capabilities and (4) inadequate management by our intelligence community. In short, the Commission illustrated the lack of coordination and information sharing among intelligence agencies, especially between the FBI and CIA. These agencies’ disparate cultures and jurisdictions allowed al Qaeda operatives to slip through the system, giving them the opportunity to plan and execute the attacks. The 9/11 Executive Summary encapsulates the effects of decentralization and lack of coordination best:

“Those working counterterrorism matters did so despite limited intelligence collection and strategic analysis capabilities, a limited capacity to share information both internally and externally, insufficient training, perceived legal barriers to sharing information, and inadequate resources.”

To address the above concerns, the 9/11 Commission outlined the following recommendations to establish a better system to prevent terrorist attacks:

• Target terrorist travel, develop an intelligence and security strategy.
• Design a comprehensive screening system that addresses common problems and sets common standards.
• Determine, with leadership from the president, guidelines for gathering an sharing information in the new security systems that are needed, guidelines that integrate safeguards for privacy and other essential liberties.
• Base federal funding for emergency preparedness solely on risks and vulnerabilities.
• Make homeland security funding contingent on the adoption of an incident command system to strengthen teamwork in a crisis, including a regional approach.

With these recommendations in mind, I had a unique opportunity to recently hear from a high ranking official from DHS speak about the importance of building coordination and cooperation across government agencies and the private sector (For security’s sake, I will keep the official’s name anonymous). From his talk I was able to ascertain whether or not DHS was actually heeding the recommendations set forth by the 9/11 Commission. I discovered that DHS was in fact on track.

This official held the intelligence community’s longstanding culture accountable for the problem of coordination and the ensuing intelligence failures that led up to the attacks on 9/11. Prior to 9/11, the self interests of these agencies drove them to maintain their missions, organizational identities and jurisdictions. As long as these agencies continued to compete for resources and prestige, cooperation and information sharing remained difficult to achieve. So how has DHS been able to improve these management and cultural barriers?

The official recounted the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, which followed the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission that brought 22 agencies under the same umbrella, as a monumental achievement. "Never has there been a restructuring of federal agencies this massive since the New Deal," the official said. This new department has centralized the intelligence community by creating a system of networks and incentives that allow for interagency cooperation while maintaining a form of decentralization that allows each agency to continue to do what they do best. For example, cooperation is achieved by the expansion of the National Crime Information Center, more commonly known as NCIC. This computerized database of documented criminal justice information is available to virtually every law enforcement and intelligence agency worldwide, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Decentralization is also maintained as each agency continues to perform their assigned tasks, but critical intelligence is passed to DHS intermediaries where analysts attempt to piece the puzzle together through coordination with other agencies.

Homeland security funding is also on the right track, thanks to Michael Chertoff. Funding is now based on risk assessment of critical infrastructure. The Urban Area Security Initiatives (UASI) homeland security grants are now distributed to metropolitan regions rather than individual cities to force cooperation and coordination across jurisdictional lines. To better address coordination for first responders, DHS is currently in the process of completing a National Asset Database (NADB). According to the official, this database will allow first-responders to develop emergency action plans, brining all the strategies and initiatives into one database allowing first-responders to react more quickly and effectively during terrorist attacks. DHS is also critically examining ways to reduce threats by changing critical infrastructure vulnerabilities based on economic and social consequences of potential targets.

According to this official, we are securing our country more effectively as evidenced by al Qaeda’s shift of attacks from hard to softer targets. From the World Trade Center Towers on 9/11, to train stations in Madrid and London on 2/11/04 and 7/7/05 respectively, to hotels in Amman on 11/9/05, Jordan. This is a clear indicator that governments around the world are better securing critical infrastructure, making it difficult for terrorists to assualt high-profile targets.

Clearly, DHS is on the right path as it takes the 9/11 Commission's recommendations and turns them into reality. While we may never know of the successes that DHS has had in preventing terrorist attacks, our only guage of their success lies in the fact there has not been an attack since 9/11. This means that the federal government is doing its job in keeping the country secure. However, this does not mean that we ought to relax our guard; rather it calls for more increased vigilance on our part. While DHS continues to move forward in securing our country, it is imperative that we remain vigilant too; our country's safety depends on it.

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