Welcome to the Global Issues and Terorism Blog site.
My name is Mark Trimble, I am a retired Law Enforcement Operations/Special Operations Commander. I have spent over a decade researching and studying Radical Islam and Terrorism. I work as an Independant Security Contractor during which time I have traveled to the Middle East to train with and be briefed by Israeli Military Intelligence,Israeli Intelligence, Shin Bet, Israel Defense Forces, and high level members of the Israeli goverment. I have spent time in terrorist controlled areas of Gaza and the West Bank. I have also trained with members of the United States Army Special Operations Forces who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The premise of this Blog is to report terrorist activity in the U.S. and Internationally, and to evaluate the threat that activity represents worldwide.
Thank you for taking the time to review the Blog site. I welcome your comments and questions which can be addressed to globalissues@fillmoregazette.com
The Egyptian Revolution and the Muslim Brotherhood
The posture of the protests in Egypt has quickly changed over the past week. The protest movement started out as a legitimate positive pro freedom movement. This movement has been co-opted by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and turned violent.
The MB was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna. Its expressed stated purpose was to 1) Implement Sharia Law worldwide, 2) Establish the Global Islamic State (caliphate). Former MB Supreme Guide Muhammed Akef stated in 2004, his "complete faith that Islam will invade Europe and America." In 2001, the MB publication in London, called Risalat al-Ikhwan stated as its cover slogan: "Our Mission:World Domination." The MB has been one of the most anti-Western, jihadist supporting organizations in the Middle East for decades. They believe and have taught that Islam is the only answer, and violent jihad is the way. Osama bin Laden was recruited into the MB by a Syrian school teacher, and his deputy, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri was also a a part of the Brotherhood until they joined forces to build the terrorist group al-Qaeda, an even more violent and radical Islamist group.
A person who has been been pushed to the forefront to take over leadership in Egypt is Mohamed ElBaradei. He is a Nobel laureate, who was born to a middle class family in Cairo in 1942. He was largely educated in the West. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Cairo; and he went on to earn an advanced degree in Switzerland and later a Ph.D. in International Law from New York University.
From 1997 to 2009 he was the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is the United Nations nuclear watchdog. During that time the Iranians repeatedly lied to ElBaradei's face about the the development of their nuclear enrichment program. He either allowed the Iranians to lie to him or he did not know the differance. During those 12 years Iran dramatically accelerated their enrichment program in direct violation of U.N. resolutions and international law. Irans stated purpose for development of the nuclear bomb is to destroy Israel and the United States.
ElBaradei never indicated any concern as Iran built three secret nuclear facilities during those years. He seemed to never know or express care over Iran's nuclear ambitions until intelligence agencies called his attention to them.
ElBaradei in an interview with CNN on January 30th, 2011 flatly denied that the Muslim Brotherhood is a fundamentalist Islamic organization, claiming that this was "a myth that was sold by Mubarak (current Egyptian president) regime." He went on to deny that if the Brotherhood gained control of the Egyptian government they wouldn't create a radical Islamic regime that would be similar to what happened in Iran in 1979. In an interview with the German publication, Der Spiegel, ElBraradei said: "We should stop demonizing the Muslim Brotherhood," adding that "they have not committed any acts of violence in five decades. They too want change. If we want democracy and freedom, we have to include them instead of marginalizing them."
Egypt receieves the second most U.S. aid of any country in the Middle East, and their military possesses U.S. weapons.
If ElBaradei is placed in leadership in Egypt, with his history of either being inept or intentionally looking the other way has Iran developed its nuclear enrichment program, this could further destabilize an already fragile Middle Eastern region. He has been an apologist for Iran saying, "building trust" and more "negotiations" will actually stop Iran from getting the bomb and using it for their publically stated intent to destroy the U.S. and Israel.
