Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the US [Hardcover]

Steven Emerson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2006

The Investigative Project on Terrorism, founded in 1995 by Steven Emerson, maintains the largest non-governmental data and intelligence library in the world on militant Islam. The Project assists the White House, the FBI, the Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security, and other government departments with counter-terrorism activities. Together with a staff of experts, Executive Director Steven Emerson has compiled this thorough factual overview of the Islamist terrorist threat to the United States. Unlike the Final Report of the 9/11 Commission, which was focused mainly on the retrospective analysis of al Qaeda activities leading up to the attack of September 11, 2001, this work emphasises current radical activities in the United States and the threat they might pose to national security. Divided into three sections, the work first sets the stage for the current situation by reviewing the lessons learned from previous terrorist plots and attacks both within our borders and against American interests abroad. Emerson and colleagues profile key players in the terrorist network and describe their various criminal activities before and since 9/11. The second section analyses organisations in the Middle East besides al Qaeda that are hostile to the United States: Hamas, Hizballah, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and radical groups in Pakistan. The third section analyses the subtle, wide-ranging support system for terrorist activities that exists within our own borders: charities and foundations that secretly solicit for terror; the complex corporate web of companies, charities, and non-profit corporations known as the SAAR network; mosques that provide cover for terrorists; the use of the Internet for terrorist communication; and lobbying efforts by Muslim American organisations to influence the top echelons of the federal government. In a dangerous age, this is an important book for all Americans to read.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Emerson is a somewhat controversial independent journalist who dedicated his career to alerting the public and the government about Islamic terrorism well before the 9/11 attacks. Consistent with his recent American Jihad: The Terrorists Living among Us (2002), which warned of domestic threats (as well as chronicling Emerson's struggle to convince a skeptical public), his latest selection vociferously asserts that terrorists "have insinuated themselves in the structure of American society," pursuing violent ends through "advocacy groups, an array of disingenuous charities and foundations, corporate financing networks, and the halls of academia." Here, Emerson matter-of-factly names and catalogs a host of such organizations and narrates each group's specific activities, footnoted to news articles and government reports. Given the nature of the topic, it is difficult to tell which of Emerson's many claims are credible and which err on the side of overstatement (something Emerson has been accused of before). This book will be most sought after by readers hungry for factual specifics about possible threats rather than for more nuanced theoretical or historical approaches to the topic. Brendan Driscoll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Richard Clarke, chair of the Counter-Terrorism Security Group from 1992-2003, says Emerson's catalogue of terrorist activities and terrorists operating in the U.S.A. and overseas is `a scary reminder of the prevalence of terrorism in American society.'" -- Sunday Tribune- Review, Greensburg, PA

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 535 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; First Edition edition (October 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591024536
• ISBN-13: 978-1591024538
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #319,478 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent information on what the Jihadists are doing and how they are doing - even within our borders, November 21, 2006

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the US (Hardcover)

The Jihadists have a track record that demonstrates that we should take their statement of aims seriously. Their goal is a world wide Caliphate and that means they have to continue to undermine existing non-Muslim governments. This they are doing not only through direct attacks, but also by their work within countries. They push acceptance of their way of life in the name of cultural sensitivity and in some countries are making progress in building their own legal system based on Sharia. In the United States, they use our freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and open borders to not only work their project of colonizing the country, but in laundering money to fund terror projects overseas. At least one group that is so dangerous that it is illegal in Pakistan operates openly in America.

This vital book documents those many ways in which the Jihadists are working within America to further their war aims on the United States and the West. Steve Emerson and his team are among the most serious analysts of the ways in which traditional American values and culture are being exploited by these enemies. They raise the funds for terrorist projects within our borders and continue their plans to harm us while preparing for the next attacks on America and the West that will almost certainly come.

This book's twelve chapters are organized into three parts. Part One is "Al Qaeda Targets the United States. Chapter One discusses the warnings we had about that something like 9/11 was going to occur. Chapter Two discusses Al Qaeda probing and learning about America's vulnerabilities. Chapter Three discusses documents how Al Qaeda has been organized inside the United States. Chapter Four looks at how Al Qaeda is organized internationally to attack American interests abroad.

Part Two takes us through a dizzying array of other terrorist networks working against the United States. What I especially appreciate is the way the chapters on Hamas, Hizballah (meaning literally the Party of Allah (or the party of God), Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and The Pakistani Jihadist Network disabuse the reader of some of the public relations work that Jihadist apologists make for the humanitarian work these groups present to the world. There may be much about the Jihadist dream of the Caliphate that is primitive, but they do know how to use technology and especially how to use the Western media against Western interests (even to the point where the Western media (such as CNN) even states that it wonders what the true Western interests are and sees much of the Jihadist terror work through a lens of moral equivalence.

Part Three unravels the funding of terrorist networks through charities, foundations, and advocacy groups. It is notable that the names of these groups sound quite wonderful. Who could object to the "Global Relief Fund", for example? And when one group is exposed or shuttered by the government, the founders of those groups who aren't jailed or deported found something else. What about Kindhearts? What could be nicer than that? However, the U.S. Dept. of treasury has said that this group is a sham face and that it has ties to the Holy Land Foundation, the Global Relief Fund, and Hamas.

The SSAR Network is a series of foundations, entities without assets or activity, and even investment into startup companies that hold government contracts. This could be quite disturbing given the use the terrorist networks can make of any bit of knowledge of government activity.

There are also many extremist mosques in our country that are funded by the Saudis and Pakistanis that not only recruit for the Jihadists, but also act as a protected place to organize and plot their activities. It is difficult to act on this because of the way we protect religion and private belief. However, plotting of criminal activity would seem to be something beyond the protections afforded to religion.

And there is a great deal the Jihadists are doing through the web and with other communications technologies (such as hard to trace cash cards and pay in advance cell phones).

This book should be read and used whenever you hear anyone wanting to understand the real history, roots, and activities of groups like CAIR and its friends, let alone all the more explicitly Jihadist organizations.

It is real and it is here. We all need to become more aware of what these folks are on record as saying, what they are working toward, and how they are doing it.

65 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and useful, October 28, 2006

By 

Jill Malter ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the US (Hardcover)

We all know that there are various jihadist terrorist groups that want to damage the United States and other nations. And it is not surprising that the terrorist acts they carry out require some sophisticated support, including planning, support, fund-raising, deception, and recruitment. And that raises some important questions about the terrorist groups, the leaders and members of those groups, the funding of those groups, and the various ways in which these groups are supported politically.

Steven Emerson addresses many of these questions in this book.

The book begins with a study of terrorist organizations that have committed some spectacularly violent acts, such as Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hizballah, and Islamic Jihad. At least some of the members of these organizations are guilty of serious crimes by planning and carrying out a variety of jihadist terrorist attacks. Then we get to the question of support for these groups. What about pro-jihadist propagandists? Or the many people who, innocently or with full knowledge, donate a few dollars (or a few hundred dollars) to foundations that channel the money to the terrorists? For that matter, what about the leaders of these foundations?

Well, we learn something about that too. The author tells us of "the seven." These are organizations that met in 1996 to "strengthen intercharity cooperation." By now, four of them have been designated to be terrorist financiers by the US Treasury Department and have been shut down. The other three are under investigation. These groups are:

The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development
The Global Relief Foundation
The Benevolence International Foundation
Islamic African Relief Agency
The International Relief Association
Mercy International
The International Relief Organization

I think the rather sweet names chosen by these organizations are an interesting form of deception: some folks may really be deceived into giving money to what they think is a worthy cause, while others can falsely claim to have been deceived by the name.

In any case, to fight terrorists we need to separate the sheep from the goats. There are major felons, there are accomplices, there are accessories, there are dupes, and there are completely innocent folks who are truly uninvolved. And it's important to figure out which people are which, or else we'll find ourselves unjustly accusing the innocent or campaigning to free the most seriously guilty. I think this book is a big contribution in this area, and I recommend it.

56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Retired FBI Senior Executive, January 11, 2007

By 

Retired Law Enforcement - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the US (Hardcover)

Once again Steve Emerson has hit the nail on the head. He is keenly aware of the problem the United States faces with respect to Islamic extremism. While many believe the threat only emanates from outside the United States, he follows "American Jihad" with another in depth study of the threat within the United States. This book is replete with examples of Islamic terrorist cells which are ingrained in our communities and neighborhoods and have been, collecting funds and possibly preparing to commit terrorist attacks against us. Emerson brings together, in great detail, information which is vital to help protect Americans in the future. If we are aware, we can be safe. While it is recognized that most people from Muslim countries living in the United States are here for peaceful purposes, some of them have been used by extremists to further the "cause," be it in America or overseas. I encourage everyone to read this well documented book so each may be aware of the threat we face--IN AMERICA-- from Islamic extremism. Law enforcement must walk a fine line to root out the terrorists (criminals) among us and by reading Emerson's new book, "Jihad Incorporated," the average American can at least learn more about the enemy which has declared war on all peaceloving people, Christians, Jews, Muslims and those of all faiths which make up America.